aspenarb

Another stupid thing with this trailer malarky is that even if you sit your class 2 hgv which a young lad I know has just done you still cant tow a heavy trailer. He can drive a 20ton truck but needs to sit another test to put a decent trailer behind his car. He said that he might as well sit his class1 hgv rather than spend money on the car trailer test. Bob

Proper job Bob

Going back to the original post of what 4X4 . The **** fest that ensued was based around personal preference of the said vehicles. I am not going to side here because most of the trucks have their virtues but below I will list the 4x4`s and the problems we have had along with a note about what I personally like about that truck. We still run the stuff below. 1.Mitzi L200 double cab. Its had two engines, 1 clutch and one new cylinder head in 200,000 km. Great towing truck, very comfy and quiet but I find it undergeared for long motorway driving, its revving quite hard at 70mph and is heavy on fuel .Load space to far behind the axle to be a weight carrier. 2. Isuzu trooper commercial. Its had an engine, alternator and gearbox replaced inside 150,000 miles. Fantastic tow truck and reliable, decent cruising speed . Downside is off road mud gets into stuff and wrecks mechanical components. Example of this is the rear handbrake system which is brake shoes operating inside of the rear discs, one dose of mud plugging and its stuffed along with all the other tin plates underneath that act as a plough. 3. Ford ranger double cab. Its had a gearbox and will be on its second clutch inside 120,000 miles, also seems to need constant attention to front suspension bushes. Great engine but its all a bit soft on the front , tows well and is good on fuel. 4. Vauxhall Brava. No mechanical failures whatsoever . Gutless engine so hopeless at towing but very good on fuel ( best of the lot). Very hard sprung on the back but soft on the front. Eats tyres and spares like rear lenses and other body parts are expensive. Same as Mitzi in that it revs to high at motorway speeds. Good tough truck which is really a re badged Isuzu. 5. Freelander commercial td4. one of them has had a clutch and thats about it, good cheap to run 4x4 van, Against is the amount of plastic bits that get ripped off and the lack of ground clearance when on site. Will only tow a light trailer. 6 .90 and 110 both been reasonable, both had clutches and one has had a transfer box. The doors are shite as is the driving position, uncomfy and I would only use them locally. Good tow barge and good on fuel, excellent off road, there is a tendency for the nippers to give them undue amounts of abuse when working in the woods. 7. Disco commercial. One has had a gearbox and the other has done an engine. The things are to high geared to move a heavy trailer on a hill start but do make a good 4x4 to cart fuel and tools to the jobs. Fast quiet,good on fuel and comfy. ( I rate these , the dead one is in the workshop getting a big foot makeover ) 8. Hilux tipper. one clutch and thats it. Gutless uncomfy boney old ride but ultra reliable and good on fuel. 9. Iveco 4X4 , dont know because its not been used yet. 10. RR sport , the nuts Bob

Come on this must tick a few boxes. It tows it tips it goes like stink and its drivetrain is good for a million miles. Bob ram.jpg (62.3 KB)

Just get the model thats rated at towing 5 ton and not the one rated at over 15tons then the 3.5ton trailer will be a breeze. If you need to tow more there are brake packages for all vehicles not just yanks that give you air over hydraulics on the brake lines. These things are no more expensive than a jap truck with all the toys. There are dealers in the uk that will get you one from auz in right hand drive. As for running costs the cummins drive train is rated at a guaranteed staggering 1 million miles. So as you can see they are something to consider. The straight no frills cab looks more workmanlike and is probably a lot cheaper. Nothing Japanese or otherwise could hold a candle to one of these beasts. Bob

The dodge ram with the cummins engine is available in 4X4, goes like stink,good on fuel, can tow like a lorry, can be had as single chassis cab or dual and it can pull a serious trailer . Click on the heavy duty versions for very serious tow capacity. 2013 RAM Trucks | Towing & Payload Specifications | RAM Trucks Bob

There are a few 4x4s that can tow 3,5ton but the only ones that do it really well ( but you dont want one )are the yanks. They come with a decent sized engine, huge brakes and a very stable chassis. We have got most of the 4x4`s mentioned in these whats best threads and none are happy towing a 3.5 ton trailer. Unless they are loaded perfectly which imho is rarely ,as soon as you hit the brakes the front of the truck will go light and the wheels lock up or the thing will be snaking down the road on overrun. If everybody on here is being honest we have all had a dodgy moment towing heavy trailers. I reckon a 3.5ton trailer behind a two ton truck is like the tail wagging the dog. I think you may be better off with a truck. Bob

Our mulcher driver is 74 years young. He is the most reliable bloke on the firm and no matter where we work he will be in that machine at 7am and wont leave site till 4pm. He has done this job for over 30 years and reckons he will carry on till he drops, if you look at him you would think he was 50. Another old boy still on the cards used to be a climber but same thing he still turns up every day and does all the hedges ,strimming and virtually anything you throw at him. What they dont know about this game is not worth talking about and by keeping them on they pass on a wealth of information to the nippers. Bob

The problem you have with with boundary disputes is the scale of the o/s maps. Its virtually impossible to determine exactly where any boundary line actually is. The thickness of a line can represent 1 meter which is why judges in court cases regarding boundary disputes ask the parties to go away and try to resolve these matters themselves. Bob

This is the landrover that was not built for production because they thought no one would want it. Imagine this with a decent tipper body , 4x4 perfect arb truck. Pillocks. It was called the Llama Bob http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=135524&stc=1&d=1379887041

The locals The boat is only about 16`but its really heavy so we pull it behind the ten ton beavertail.

I will post up some pics of our 40` steel barge with keel cooled 9" Schiesling chipper, hiab and winch with 20` shallow draft pontoon when I get a chance. Its going in the water after a major refit very shortly. Onto this post which involves annually cutting back all vegetation on a small island in a disused gravel pit to allow the birds to nest on it. for this we used our steel ex army landing craft, its all steel with buoyancy tanks each end. Good for about 3 ton carrying. There was 27 builders bags of chip/crap to get off, the boat is bomb proof we just point it at the island and go flat out until it beaches:) (no wet feet) Bob

Ever considered a dodge or chevy 4X4. I had a 6.2 v8 diesel chev for years (ex fire brigade RHD), it towed a 4 ton trailer as if it was not there. Good on fuel if you behave yourself, dual cab,single cab and fifth wheel coupling if you want. Available from oz in rhd. Edit need to type faster. Bob http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=135472&stc=1&d=1379859876

The use of a mog,tractor or agri machine all fall into the same category as far as motorway regs go. Clever well informed and on the ball motorway plod pulled our mog+trailer off the motorway a few years ago, they did a truly legal number on the driver with over 20 offenses committed. My advise despite what others do or "get away with" is keep off the motorways. Even on normal roads the use of these type of vehicles is limited for agri/forestry uses, that does not include arb/tree surgery which is considered domestic trade. When you register for vat your number can tell plod if you are a proper agri/forestry contractor. Without going into huge detail because the case against us was massive we got away with it. The case timed out because of the massive amounts of paperwork going backwards forwards ,it ran past the six month deadline to bring a prosecution. Have a read of this. http://www.hse.gov.uk/aboutus/meetings/iacs/aiac/transport/conference0308/paper2.pdf

Here https://www.gov.uk/motorways-253-to-273/general-253-to-254 The only time they are allowed on is if they are working on the motorway as part of a contract. We had a 5 year watering contract for trees on the m25 with our Bedford 4x4 bowser and it was only allowed on at junction before the site and had to come off at the next slipway . Bob Edit . you can run a mog on the motorway but it has to be plated and conform to all the same criteria as a lorry. Virtually impossible.

Nice spec with diff and cross locks, I cant remember how many gears its got but it goes like the clappers. V8 13ltr engine , 17,000 km from new ex gritter. To rid the vehicle of its hgv status just take the v5 into a dvla office and change the body type to AG machine along with the taxation class.This is now Tax free and test exempt. They sometimes want to see photographic evidence of the body type. We also have a Bedford 4x4 plant watering unit (Bowser) registered the same way. Same as a mog its not allowed on the motorways. Bob

Started this a few years ago, the music in my head told me to buy it. Anyway an ex council 6x6 magi deutz bought as a chassis cab, its been blasted and given a coat of the obligatory Bob blue. A 25 ton hydraulic winch up the back with spades and a 9.5 ton meter crane with double extender. Its all mounted up now with just the bolsters and pipework to do. It will come in handy for some of the bigger sticks that the artic timber trailer cant lift and get into some of the smaller jobs. Registered as an agri machine so even the nippers can drive it ( god help me). Will post up again in the new year when its done. Bob.

Unfortunately yes Bob

Its quite funny how everyone has a different idea as to whats best. The truth is its down to capacity, some get on famously with a transit or smaller as it suits the style of work they do. The problems start when the business grows and the vehicles end up permanently overloaded. Mogs are great but not the be all. Ours are the least used on the fleet, other than romping around the common clearing/chipping for heather regen the lorry`s or transits get the most use. Bob

I have said this before on here but here we go again. I dont see the point in flogging a transit or small truck to death if its outside of the size of vehicle you really need. If you need a proper truck go and get the correct license to drive one. Its a few days out of your life and a few quid that is all tax deductable. With all the money some people throw at kit perhaps they should spend some on themselves and make their lives a lot easier. The bigger trucks are also cheaper to buy and the extra fuel they use is a non issue because they stay put all day rather than too and fro with tiny amounts of chip etc. No one on here with a decent sized truck would trade down which says it all. Bob

2mts minimum, dont forget you will need to get a jungle buster down between the rows or you may never see your crop again for other regen. Bob

Come on now who built this .Dish the dirt:laugh1: Bob

I made her in doors very angry I seem to getting better at this:confused1: Bob

Not overloaded but full:) foden 002.jpg (108.3 KB)

Men in sheds rule the world:) Brilliant idea with the storage lockers under the bed. Why dont the trailer manufacturers push the boat out and include stuff like this? Bob