Redlandsguy
26-07-2011, 05:57 PM
I know there have been a few threads on trailers, but I didn't want to revive an old one, so started this thread.
Currently I use an older Hi-lux wagon as my work truck and it stores all my hand equipment, whippers, blowers, poisons, sprayer etc etc. Changing it to a Ute or something else at the moment is not an option due to cost and it does the job and provides some security for equipment.
My dilemma is that I have decided to go the whole hog and get a rider, probably a walker, and probably second hand. I have a few problems that I need to deal with because of this and wanted peoples ideas and their thoughts on some of mine. Living in Brisbane we have a fairly high expectation from clients that we will remove grass, in itself with a catcher not a problem. What does become a problem is the volume of grass and how to handle it. I use bags at the moment, a mix of wool bales and silver poly tarp bags approx 700 in diameter that Bunning’s used to stock. My current trailer is an 8x5 but basically a box with a ramp and a small mower tray on the front. With the small mower on the tray, the 22"Rover on the back I currently get up to 5 bags from a days run and can't fit any more one without making it a real pain in the butt to do the next job or to unload. I’d prefer not to start stacking them as they can cause problems with weight and be dangerous and unbalanced unless I use a lot more tie downs then I currently need.
I am buying the rider because I expect to continue building my run and consequently would expect a lot more grass each day. This causes 2 problems, first where do you put the grass and secondly the damage that grass does to a trailer from the moisture and gunk that comes out of grass. These are the questions and ideas that this raises:
1. Do I go to a dump bin for the clippings and how do you load it?
2. What size does it need to be to cope with the amount of clippings that could be generated in a day?
3. With a bin how do I empty it, tipper with winch or air bag or just rake it out?
4. Or do you keep using bags and dedicate an area to store them?
5. Again, how many loads of grass would you generate in a day using a Walker type mower?
6. To get around the rust/rot problem is it possible to use a wooden floor in a trailer or is this just too hard and expensive?
7. Is it better to get part/all of the trailer sprayed with Ute liner?
These are only the start of my worries, of course I need to think of storage racks for whippers and blowers etc but these are the core problems that I think I need to get sorted to start with. My preference is a single axle trailer; 2000kg is probably what I am thinking of as capacity. The reason for this is that I prefer to back the trailer into my yard at the end of the day and the single axle is a lot easier to manoeuvre and a lot easy to bump around the yard if I have too move it.
The other thing that then comes up is where do I load the rider, via the back and or on the front, either across or more probably with an angled ramp from the footpath and then straightened north south on the trailer. I am thinking here about optimum loading. The grass also will cause a problem here as I am thinking that it could be around 300kgs fully loaded, balancing that is a problem or do I just cop that and accept that it will build up during the day only?
Any feedback will be greatly appreciated.
Currently I use an older Hi-lux wagon as my work truck and it stores all my hand equipment, whippers, blowers, poisons, sprayer etc etc. Changing it to a Ute or something else at the moment is not an option due to cost and it does the job and provides some security for equipment.
My dilemma is that I have decided to go the whole hog and get a rider, probably a walker, and probably second hand. I have a few problems that I need to deal with because of this and wanted peoples ideas and their thoughts on some of mine. Living in Brisbane we have a fairly high expectation from clients that we will remove grass, in itself with a catcher not a problem. What does become a problem is the volume of grass and how to handle it. I use bags at the moment, a mix of wool bales and silver poly tarp bags approx 700 in diameter that Bunning’s used to stock. My current trailer is an 8x5 but basically a box with a ramp and a small mower tray on the front. With the small mower on the tray, the 22"Rover on the back I currently get up to 5 bags from a days run and can't fit any more one without making it a real pain in the butt to do the next job or to unload. I’d prefer not to start stacking them as they can cause problems with weight and be dangerous and unbalanced unless I use a lot more tie downs then I currently need.
I am buying the rider because I expect to continue building my run and consequently would expect a lot more grass each day. This causes 2 problems, first where do you put the grass and secondly the damage that grass does to a trailer from the moisture and gunk that comes out of grass. These are the questions and ideas that this raises:
1. Do I go to a dump bin for the clippings and how do you load it?
2. What size does it need to be to cope with the amount of clippings that could be generated in a day?
3. With a bin how do I empty it, tipper with winch or air bag or just rake it out?
4. Or do you keep using bags and dedicate an area to store them?
5. Again, how many loads of grass would you generate in a day using a Walker type mower?
6. To get around the rust/rot problem is it possible to use a wooden floor in a trailer or is this just too hard and expensive?
7. Is it better to get part/all of the trailer sprayed with Ute liner?
These are only the start of my worries, of course I need to think of storage racks for whippers and blowers etc but these are the core problems that I think I need to get sorted to start with. My preference is a single axle trailer; 2000kg is probably what I am thinking of as capacity. The reason for this is that I prefer to back the trailer into my yard at the end of the day and the single axle is a lot easier to manoeuvre and a lot easy to bump around the yard if I have too move it.
The other thing that then comes up is where do I load the rider, via the back and or on the front, either across or more probably with an angled ramp from the footpath and then straightened north south on the trailer. I am thinking here about optimum loading. The grass also will cause a problem here as I am thinking that it could be around 300kgs fully loaded, balancing that is a problem or do I just cop that and accept that it will build up during the day only?
Any feedback will be greatly appreciated.