Which to choose? Compact utility tractor VS Mini Skid VS Gehl

[flushcut]

Nice!!

 

[tnttree]

View attachment 95697View attachment 95698
I’ll have to measure it because I don’t remember the dimensions but I was shooting for four foot width. Axle tube is 2x2x1/4” and the rest of the frame is 1.5x1.5 3/16” 5000lb hubs and spindles and hubs foam filled tires. Just let me know if you want dimensions.

Nice job!

 

[flushcut]

Thanks!

 

[Chris Schultz]

My mini rides to the job on a flatbed trailer. One thing that works well on the right job is to push the trailer to the tree, load it with the mini and then tow the trailer to the chipper in big turns. Same goes for wood, trailer is the same length as the dump bed on the truck so no trimming for size is needed.

Do you have a hitch plate style attachment for moving the trailer? Or do you just use the grapple/safety chains?

 

[flushcut]

Hitch plate for the win!

 

[southsoundtree]

BMGs have a receiver that mounted inside the grapple tube and is stabilized by the grapple tines, fwiw.

I have a receiver plate for heavier/ rough ground trailering as my chipper has very little tongue weight. Tows fine down the road, but if the tongue is up 20⁰ from horizontal, it's tippy, upwards.

 

[Serf Life]

BMGs have a receiver that mounted inside the grapple tube and is stabilized by the grapple tines, fwiw.

Mine was toasted very early on. Metal was silly soft! Hitch plates are less than $150 and well worth it.

 

[southsoundtree]

You have a heavy chipper, I believe. Mine is 4400#.



I forget if weld was added to the hitch pin hole due to 'wallering' out.

Someone did something like that for mine.


Easier to install and pack the L-receiver than the plate. Both have their places!

 

[evo]

Best to drill the hole oversized and weld in some appropriate sized ID black pipe.

The steel used for BMG is crazy soft, it’s a pain to take the grapple on/off just to move a trailer but 100% easier on everything (including turf) to use a hitch plate adapter. They are like $100 (at least when I bought mine).

 

[Jehinten]

In terms of towing, im certain a dedicated towing adapter would be great, except for finding a storage spot for all of the times you're not using it. I've never had one.

I use the BMG adapter. Over the years it's gotten a couple of modifications. Firstly, I noticed the square tubing starting to fail at the "L" I welded a flat steel cap on the end to reinforce it. Next the adapter was getting hard to slide up the tube on the grapple for installing. I originally thought the round pipe was getting egg shaped, it turns out that the bottom of the grapple was rolling in, likely due to using the BMG rake. I cut about a 1/4" off of the front of the tube and welded a small piece of scraficial steel to the front for the rake to damage. Easy to install now. Last mod was the pin holes themselves, I thought to install the black steel pipe as @evo suggested but instead I just welded the egg shaped holes in a little and drilled them back out. The hardened weld has held up well.


It's taken a couple of mods/repairs to get there, but it works well, lightweight, compact and you don't have to take the grapple off. I use the adapter mostly for a 16' enclosed trailer and 16' dump trailer.