The Classic Machinery Network

MrF wrote:I know your probably going to go onward with the skid steer from a playing with making something perspective, but having to tackle cutting and attempting to do something to the 1/2 acre of bog we laughingly term a garden here, I'd go with a old small tractor out of practicallity any day of the week.
Ive had my landrover stuck in there and had to hilift jack it out the resulting mess with a tractor pulling it out at the same time. I sank the jcb up to its axles on one occasion and left some horrid humongous ground scars walking it out on the buckets, but my tiny little petrol 2wd 1946ish vintage pre-fergie massey harris pony never gets stuck. Theres a absolutely soggy bit near the bottom that you can hardly walk across and that nearly gets it but I can just bounce on the seat a bit for traction and escape.
I am amazed how those thin skinny tyres and portal axles and complete lack of suspension actually work in real life. And if you do leave a scar, the marks are so skinny its easy to push the sides back in and trample it down with a boot ready for when it dries out next. The tractor itself is so tiny and light I can roll it round the yard by winding the rear wheels around on the flat to save starting it.
The pony with a little trailer on or the finger mower is the first weapon of choice for anything in the garden. And we pull a heavy roller with it at times, and use two ploughs on the back when doing the veggie plot prep etc.
I wouldnt however go get a bigger leyland or something if I didnt want to leave any marks and the neighbors valtra 4x4 monster certainly has more impact on the ground

MrF wrote:There was also a guy a while back on the mig-welding.co.uk forum that built a hydraulic drive 6x6 garden crawler, it might be worth going there and scouring the forums for his build pics and steer round his mistakes instead of making them all again for yourself

Jeremy Rowland wrote:Hi Andy I spoke to Tony Flint who is willing to offer advice on this project.

Jeremy