Tractor dilema Help

[gensetsteve]

Have built a trailer with air and hydraulic brakes to carry 8-10 tonnes of cord.

Need a fastrac or unimog but cant afford 10k plus for something decent.

Too late in the season to process for this year.

Would you buy a ford Tw15 or similar for about 6k and struggle for a year or 2 most of my wood is within 6 miles. Access to yard is no good for arctic. We have someone with an 8 wheeler who is great but booked for weeks and sometimes you just need to turn the key and go.

[ben lightfoot]

Do the tw allow air brakes? sometimes where needs must i reckon, got a friend who recently drove an 8210 from north of basingstoke to winchester to pick up some timber and it took nearly two hours, ouch. worth it though

[gensetsteve]

Do the tw allow air brakes? sometimes where needs must i reckon, got a friend who recently drove an 8210 from north of basingstoke to winchester to pick up some timber and it took nearly two hours, ouch. worth it though

 

Shiney tractors £40,000 plus or fastracs and unimogs have air brakes. I have hydraulic brakes if needs must but with 14 tonnes on the back feels better with air brakes. Some times its cheaper to spend an extra hour or two on the road than spend 10k especially if you dont need it every day and the jobs worth it. Not sure I fancy doing 50 mph with a fully loaded trailer anyway 30mph is enough.

[bythamboy]

how often do you need a tractor ? if only 1/2day per week there's plenty of farmers or their sons who could do the job in a slow time .It costs alot of money to keep tractors on the legal side ,( new tyres for TW £2000 / set) insurance etc .We're farmers and arborists and the NFU dont insure tractors to haul timber but do for foestry work ( standard cover ) , that would be extra .

[Michael C]

A good few of the tw's will only be 30k which you will find very slow on any road journeys. I would agree about hiring in a farmers son with his tractor.

Some will work for very reasonable rates .

[skyhuck]

Legally normal ag tractors can only do 20mph on the highway.

[garth mc garth]

Been a few mb trac's about recently under 10k. They have air and oil for the brakes and have pretty respectable road speed. Or 1135 fastrac wouldn't be too bad either

[elfinwood saws]

A tm bedford?

[gensetsteve]

A bedford is a thought thing that worries me is if I have to go to court over a grey area it would be difficult to prove ag.

I forgot about MB traks worth a thought. Once harvest is over hireing should be easier. Getting someone to pull it could be another idea but they would need to be good with a crane. I doubt it would be a day a week. I was planning to buy the wood road side then hire a tractor for a week for about £500 7 day hire you can move alot of wood.

[Tom D]

A normal tractor isn't that slow. You will find a 10 minute car journey only takes 20 in a tractor. For longer journeys you will start to notice it, but locally it will be fine.

 

 

TD Tree & Land Services Ltd.