bushwhacker Posted April 11, 2020 Share Posted April 11, 2020 Hi, not trying to be funny at all but what about a horse or donkey with a cart? Just a thought? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazzar Posted April 11, 2020 Share Posted April 11, 2020 Or one of those Chinese ATVs with a load bed? Or the John Deere equivalent, if you prefer US quality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazzar Posted April 11, 2020 Share Posted April 11, 2020 https://www.fwi.co.uk/machinery/atvs/utv-buyers-guide-2018-19 ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cackshifter Posted April 11, 2020 Share Posted April 11, 2020 1 hour ago, bushwhacker said: Hi, not trying to be funny at all but what about a horse or donkey with a cart? Just a thought? Horrendous fuel consumption even when idling. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazzar Posted April 11, 2020 Share Posted April 11, 2020 I know! A diesel Landrover pickup! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arjan Posted April 11, 2020 Author Share Posted April 11, 2020 @oneandtwo : interesting... even in Cornwall. You know anything about them ? @Badger110 : It is mainly about manure / muck transport. Hay is less of a problem.. @Bushwacker : Yes, I totally agree. However, the Mrs. sees it quite differently @Gazzar : we had one and the Mrs. was not happy with it for various reasons I totally support the LR option - but she's not convinced and the "Paddock Paradise" it not very LT friendly 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blanco Posted April 11, 2020 Share Posted April 11, 2020 Next door farmer to me in 47 had a 6x4 JD 'Gator' UTV picked up at a good price 2nd hand locally, great machine and lived pretty well on the clay slope. much easier to get stuff into than a dumper, it tips and its light over the ground. Only trouble is finding one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arjan Posted April 11, 2020 Author Share Posted April 11, 2020 Yes - JD Gators we know. They fetch serious money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozzy50 Posted April 11, 2020 Share Posted April 11, 2020 John Deere = Dear John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oneandtwo Posted April 11, 2020 Share Posted April 11, 2020 7 hours ago, Arjan said: @oneandtwo : interesting... even in Cornwall. You know anything about them ? @Badger110 : It is mainly about manure / muck transport. Hay is less of a problem.. @Bushwacker : Yes, I totally agree. However, the Mrs. sees it quite differently @Gazzar : we had one and the Mrs. was not happy with it for various reasons I totally support the LR option - but she's not convinced and the "Paddock Paradise" it not very LT friendly It was more tongue in cheek! I know all about them, they were purchased by local council for use in emergency twenty years ago. They arrived, got parked up with no protection and that is where they have been ever since. I had forgotten that they were still there until recently when I decided to hunt for them. That one I took a photo of is the only visible one, the other two are completely overgrown and you wouldn’t know they were there now. They are all completely rusted out. One used to have a matching water butt on the rear cargo section. 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arjan Posted April 12, 2020 Author Share Posted April 12, 2020 What a waste......😩 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troll Hunter Posted April 12, 2020 Share Posted April 12, 2020 One disadvantage with a skid steer is that they can chew up the surface if it is soft, eg a lawn after a wet period. OK if you're prepared to re-level and possibly re-seed, but can be a disaster otherwise. In my innocence I once allowed a contractor use his skid steer and the lawn was cut up inches deep. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mutley Posted April 13, 2020 Share Posted April 13, 2020 Is it me!?!.....I would have thought the ANSWER to this was staring you in the face!?!?!?! Make use of what you have and at no extra cost!!! 🤣🤣 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arjan Posted April 13, 2020 Author Share Posted April 13, 2020 Don't go there..... Just...... Don't.... ☹️ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nonimouse Posted April 14, 2020 Share Posted April 14, 2020 Skid steer only chews up the ground if it's misused - like the Argocat Like I said, grab a tracked unit, get one with the flat bed tipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbeaumont Posted April 14, 2020 Share Posted April 14, 2020 28 minutes ago, Nonimouse said: Skid steer only chews up the ground if it's misused - like the Argocat What's wrong with the skid steer on the the Argocat? Genuine question - I know nearly nothing about them beyond thinking they're rather call and always fancying owning one (for no good reason). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Poore Posted April 14, 2020 Share Posted April 14, 2020 3 hours ago, geoffbeaumont said: What's wrong with the skid steer on the the Argocat? Genuine question - I know nearly nothing about them beyond thinking they're rather call and always fancying owning one (for no good reason). Argocats are very good at what they were designed to do (swampy grounds / tundra in Canada) but there are, particularly I've found for Scottish Highlands use, some rather annoying design flaws / decisions. They are quite a simple mechanical design (at least the majority of them) which means their transmission is quite efficient compared to hydrostatic drives which means they are light. Coupled with lots of wheels then have incredibly low (sub 3psi) ground pressure. However they have naff all ground clearance which means whilst they go over bogs superbly, should you break the surface you are well and truly stuck because of a flat bottom and 2" of clearance. The drive system is basically light engine up front, a CVT driving a 2 speed + reverse gearbox which drives the pinion of an open diff. Each "half-shaft" has a brake on it and you steer by locking up one set of wheels. The drive usually goes to the 2nd axle and then has chains to the front axle and the third, the third drives the fourth. Due to the relatively long wheel base compared to tyre size when you turn you inherently scuff up the surface as the front and rear most wheels tend to swing around. On older Argos the axles are all at the same height with no suspension (22x10s? if I remember correctly) which is what causes the low ground clearance. You can't go up in tyre sizes because there's no space. Newer Argos have the front and rear most axles raised slightly because they are a bitch to steer on grippy surfaces (such as tarmac) so they raised front and rear axles to make them easier to steer. Only person I've met who's driven both hates the new ones (not just because of that) because it feels unstable, he knows it's all in his mind but he can't get it out of his mind. I've found Argos to be quite highly strung and finely balanced. If they are running perfectly they are a joy to drive, if one tiny little thing goes awry then they're a sod to drive. The recommended way to make a turn is actually go straight and turn on the spot, (imagine following an octagon rather than a circle). They're immense fun to drive (you should have seen @miketomcat's grinning Cheshire cat face when he had a play in ours at 7 sisters). Due to their amphibious nature they don't have a tailgate which makes loading a couple hundred kilos of red deer in the back a bit of a sod on your own if you're out stalking. Got plenty more information / opinions if you want them as over the last couple of years used ours quite extensively and found it's foibles, quirks and problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deep Posted April 14, 2020 Share Posted April 14, 2020 3 hours ago, geoffbeaumont said: What's wrong with the skid steer on the the Argocat? Genuine question - I know nearly nothing about them beyond thinking they're rather call and always fancying owning one (for no good reason). I used one for work, quite a few years ago. It was the six wheeled "Big Foot" version with larger tyres. That highly reduces the scuffing when turning, compared to the eight wheel versions and also gives usefully more ground clearance. I absolutely loved using it. It was just amazing what it could do and where it could go. We bought it for weed control in an estuary, at which it excelled. I frequently used it to cross short stretches of water, though the speed without an outboard wasn't much. When the ground got even softer, we fitted tracks. That meant taking the wheels with the big tyres off and fitting another set with "normal" sized tyres, not a quick operation. Less than a pound per square inch pressure - I was happy to have it run over my bare foot on concrete, to demonstrate. I remember getting out once in a particularly soft area and dropping up to my waist in mud, while the Argo just floated on top. I guess those plastic tracks must cost a fortune but so does a powered barrow, so worth looking that up? You definitely get more load in, even with a six wheeler. I think an eight-wheeler is too much for a tight location. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arjan Posted April 14, 2020 Author Share Posted April 14, 2020 The Mrs. loves the ArgoCat and after a small modification they are very good for manure transport... They're variomatic driven and unless the mud is really, really soft they leave no damage. Horses ignore it - unless she's bringing hay... Once the new engine is in, she 'll be very, very happy again ! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nonimouse Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 16 hours ago, geoffbeaumont said: What's wrong with the skid steer on the the Argocat? Genuine question - I know nearly nothing about them beyond thinking they're rather call and always fancying owning one (for no good reason). Geoff It's like anything steered by braking one side, if you drive it like you stole it , you will trash the ground. The Argocat is a great bit of kit, but needs gentle input Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbeaumont Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 Okay, so it's not that the skid steer on the Argocat is worse than any other - it's just that it's skid steer. I still want one 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve b Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 Many years ago I had one of these ** It's a Max ATV , floaty and skid steer but that's where the common ground with the Argo ends - this has a Kawasaki twin 2 stroke motor as used in snow-mobiles and vari-drive to a rather neat annular double gearbox , each half drives one side iirc . It could do all the slow and demanding stuff as an Argo but on the right ground was ridiculously fast . Parted it out in the end for a Honda 4x4 350 cc quad , on 12 x 12 x26 Terra tyres , even more fun . ** pic's from the internet All a bit irrelevant , hope you don't mind cheers Steve b 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missingsid Posted April 18, 2020 Share Posted April 18, 2020 Nice, looks fun, wish I had the land to need/play with one. The tyres are on backwards for mud! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve b Posted April 18, 2020 Share Posted April 18, 2020 They swim much better with the tyres on that way and on mud I never really saw much difference . Steve b 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigj66 Posted April 18, 2020 Share Posted April 18, 2020 What about one of these? It’s called a Land Rover or something, strange name 🤷♂️ Look a bit boxy and not very comfortable but I’ve heard good things about them in the press and they seem quite versatile for doing various tasks around the farm. I’m not sure if the idea will catch on though....🤔 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.