Work utility vehicle

[Tom Dunlap]

I'm trying to find a small utility vehicle to serve as my mini-chip truck on campus. Jim sent me a lead to the Toro units:

Toro Workman

We need to pull the Bandit 65 which weighs 1,850 pounds.

Having a chip box in the middle of the bed with tool boxes on the side or top would work nicely. We don't need a large volume chip box because we can dump the chips on campus.

Does anyone have experience using any of the utility vehicles?

I don't want to get a small pickup either. They're too big and heavy to get around the small areas on campus. Turf damage from a heavier vehicle is an issue too.

 

[YoungBuzzer]

Hey Tom,

The Toro workman's are what we use in our gardens. We have a little over 1,000 acres and we use ours almost every day when doing tree work. When xmas comes around, it tows our lights/equipment. Its GREAT for getting down pathways without having to go through planting beds. Its also pretty light for going into the grass.

We tow a Morbark that I believe weights around 2,000 lbs. We have an electric brake controller on it for the chipper brakes. We have a removable chip box on it that can be removed by hand and dumping the bed. We take the box off to haul logs, soil, mulch, etc.

I will try to post some more info or pictures when I get to work.

Also, not only do we have one, but most gardeners and other trades have them or another vehicle equivelant to it.

I'll try to get back to you as soon as I can.

-Tyler

 

[treebing]

These seriously need to be made street legal. They are legal in Arkansas and missouri I think. Maybe oklahoma. It pisses me off that I cant cruise one of these around all day.

http://allterrainminitrucks.com/

 

[Jeremy9]

A friend of mine has the Kabota utility vehicle, it's a diesel and has plenty of power.

 

[marlinspiker]

we had a polaris ranger when i was with the forest service. that thing could go anywhere!

 

[Eric_E]

Tom,

Lots of Toros at a place I worked. The ones there got abused and didn't seem to mind it. Reliable units. One word of cation, you can start them with many different keys, carb screwdrivers work well too.

 

[chewbacca]

I've never used the toros but I have used the John Deere Gators and they are very nice durable units. There is a place close by here that sells those mini trucks. I've been very curious about them also. Those mini trucks were the first thing that came to mind when I read the original post.

 

[Kikori]

I second the kubota. Spendy but worth it! The diesel is loud..I know you work on a campus. Try to sell them on the longevity factor. Long term investment=better value.

 

[Jamin_Mayer]

[ QUOTE ]
These seriously need to be made street legal.

[/ QUOTE ]

It would make for a cool mini chip truck...

 

[Jamin_Mayer]

But, a Bobcat Tool cat would be very versatile. They can haul 2,000lbs and tow 4,000lbs. You could lift logs, trees, pallets, rocks, etc... Turf tires with articulated steering would be awesome.

 

[wheelloader123]

This is the "bomb", perfect for this application and affordable, plus it has a full Ford driveline and a Ford 4 cyl. fuel injected gas engine (2.3L, 96 hp)

 

[Tom Dunlap]

Thanks for the cool leads!

Right now I have a plain jain Gator. The mechanics built the tubing rack and I built the gear box on top. I made the white toolbox to fit behind the seat. Underneath the trailer there's a Harbor Freight fold-up trailer. The tongue was extended and then I built the wooden deck. That's what I was allowed to build. If it were my dime it would look much different. We stack the brush on the trailer and haul it to the wood yard and then chip into the woods or under a nice live oak.

Some of the other folks at work have Kubota utes. They seem like nice machines, they do have AC But...for the work they do they are probably about three times more machine than is needed. A Gator has enough of a payload. Most of the other folks don't have as much gear with them as I do on any day. The K's deck is too small for a chip box and tool boxes on the flanks.

There are some good looking machines to peruse. I have no clue what kind of budget is available. When I make purchases I look at value not cost. Generic baked beans are good enough some times, but not always.

 

[theXman]

no no no.

Tom,

this is the best:

http://www.terex.com/main.php?obj=prod&action=VIEW&id=d980ace752b5f138205cee1c6cfe4822

at the bottom of the page, click on specifications. really look it over. It would be awesome for a campus and great on the turf, especially if you got the green tracks. If you have mud, steep hills and snow, then don't get the green tracks, a good user can still keep the grass good with tread tracks.

this model has been around for a long time, terex bought asv so it has the terex on it now.

you can order it with dumping bed and all.

only like 2.5 psi of pressure on ground.

spec chart on page 6 of the specifications.

 

[theXman]

here is 30 sec video of one for sale:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBo46jzInSw&feature=related

has the dump bed too.



here is informative video of the Scout

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGKA6ClvLOU

they did a crappy job of the word clarity though.

 

[YoungBuzzer]

Tom,

Attached is what I mentioned earlier in the thread. We've added a half wall in the back to extend the height of the tailgate to hold more chips. Theres a piece of angle iron in the front to hold it to the bed. The handles are there for two people to lift the box up and back 2 inches, then just dump it off - very easy and quick!

We have a seperate cart for gear since there is anywhere from 2 to 5 of us out at a time but I'm sure you could figure out where to fit a gear storage box.

This all was put together before I started working here so I take no credit for any of it.

-Tyler

 

[Tom Dunlap]

Tyler,

Thanks for the pic. That will make it easier to illustrate for my department head.

Making the box a bit narrower with tool boxes is my vision.

This is Jim Clark's 'workshop'

 

[wheelloader123]

Tom,
I posted above and included a picture of our vehicle. We have a small fabricating shop and could easily set the truck up exactly like you would like it. With the truck's 6000 lb payload capacity and dimensions, it could easily accomodate the desired chip box and toolboxes. With the cab set up, a pole saw box could be added on the right side of the machine. With the onboard, live hydraulics a small crane (like a small auto crane) could be added to load small logs or chunks. The machine has tremendous power and all terrain capability, but with the turf tires it is outfitted with it is very minimul impact. As a plus, all driveline and engine components are readily available at the average auto parts store.

 

[wheelloader123]

The vehicle also has a 10000 lb towing capacity. The live hydraulics are set up for 5.8 gal./min. @ 1800 psi. They could easily accomodate the dump box, a small crane, and hydraulic tools (pruners, pole saw, etc.).

 

[Jamin_Mayer]

Hmm.... I could see a need for mini trucks & chippers in HOAs.