Towing/moving around a 6 vs 8 inch chipper

[Dan Maynard]

I've bought the accessory Muck Truck towbar, fits to the front of the skip on pins. It says rated to 2ton trailer, although I've never tried to use it for that weight - imagine the wheels would spin.

 

[swinny]

On 06/11/2022 at 18:02, benedmonds said:

Bigger is (almost) always better..

Now that is beautiful 😍 👏 

[swinny]

19 minutes ago, Dan Maynard said:

I've bought the accessory Muck Truck towbar, fits to the front of the skip on pins. It says rated to 2ton trailer, although I've never tried to use it for that weight - imagine the wheels would spin.

 

Put your wallet in the load carrying bit first lol 😆 you'll be fine

Edited November 20, 2022 by swinny

[GarethM]

If you remove the tub and mount a ball hitch in the middle, the weight should aid the traction.

 

Kinda like using it as a fifth wheel.

You can buy cheap quad balls that just bolt through and are removable.

Edited November 20, 2022 by GarethM

[scbk]

4 hours ago, Dan Maynard said:

I've bought the accessory Muck Truck towbar, fits to the front of the skip on pins. It says rated to 2ton trailer, although I've never tried to use it for that weight - imagine the wheels would spin.

 

I made my own muck truck towbar for the front of the skip as at the time the dealer didn't seem able to supply one. It could do with further refinement, but it works for as long as the wheels have traction.

 

I do remember one dark winters night using it to tow a broken down transit out the way!

 

One thing you have to watch with light tow machines is on a downhill, if you try turning the trailer wants to jack knife you

[Dan Maynard]

6 hours ago, swinny said:

Put your wallet in the load carrying bit first lol 😆 you'll be fine

Nah, my wallet would crumble and turn to dust if it saw daylight. Besides I emptied it buying the slab table as well.

 

[GA Groundcare]

We have a nice 2017 TP215 50hp 8.5" chipper with 560 hours for sale at £13,995 + VAT.

[Ty Korrigan]

On 20/11/2022 at 00:45, Haironyourchest said:

 

I tried this, not to pull a chipper but a trailer. Welded up a gooseneck hitch attachment which clamps onto the trailer. Trailer had a cage on, and a plywood sheet on top of the cage. The idea was a mobile work platform for doing long hedges; matey stands on the platform and works while I slowly track around the place.

 

It kind of worked ok, on flat ground, but we struggled on slight gradients. The barrow didn't have enough power to turn while pulling the trailer up a grade, so he had to get off and push. Trailer was about 400kg fully ticked out with a man atop. Track barrow was 5.5hp and 220kg.

 

Track barrow was too light, and not really powerful enough as well. Fine of flat ground though.

Would more power and better gearing help or simply the lack of traction impossible to overcome?

[Haironyourchest]

52 minutes ago, Ty Korrigan said:

Would more power and better gearing help or simply the lack of traction impossible to overcome?

 

I really don't know, Ty.  I was pulling in reverse gear, which has savage low gearing. Ground was wet and soft, big rolling resistance on the trailer tyres, traction, even in tracks, is just not great on soft wet mossy grass. Low nose weight on the ball hitch, didn't help. Thing is, it pulled away grand untill we hit a gradient. I don't remember if the tracks were spinning or the belt slipped or the motor stalled, but the gradient gave us trouble.

 

Track barrow is a funny thing, on hard ground it seems unstoppable. I've pulled trees butt first through the forest floor, carving a groove in the dirt, pulled big stones out of holes, crushed myself against the house, etc. 

 

Here's a link to the page where I showed the trailer + hitch setup, it's on the last page of the thread

 

 

Edited November 23, 2022 by Haironyourchest

[doobin]

Towing with anything on skid steer tracks will give you hassle the first corner you encounter. Add a gradient too and you may as well forget it.