# Stein Arbor Trolley Reviews



## bonner1040 (Aug 29, 2013)

I just got one of these and its beyond words. Against a standard a ball cart, there is no comparison. I am working up a full video and detailed review but I wanted to share this little clip, a few stills and some thoughts.

20 something footer - YouTube

Simply the most amazing thing in material handling, other than a diesel engine and a grapple of course.

I was all over the naysaying, leading the pack. I wish I had gotten it last year, when I was "going to just make my own"... I sure could have saved my body a lot in that time. I have used the AT on every job since I got it. 

Its unreal. oh and it fits in the chipper tray.
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Both loads can be pulled with one hand.

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Banged out a side job, half of the $ was moving the logs, would have walked away without the Arbor Trolley

View attachment 312236


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## ChockFull (Aug 29, 2013)

Agree with you, I love mine. Expensive but worth it. I can stack loads of brush and move with out leaving a trail of debris to rake up later. More times than not I leave the wheelbarrow and bring the AT instead. With the side bars I can place a tarp that can cinch down and mimic a wheelbarrow with more capacity.

Did yours come with these orange tires?
Nice pics and vid!


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## woodchuck357 (Aug 30, 2013)

I do the same thing with a large two wheel dolly. Cost all of 50 bucks.


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## bonner1040 (Aug 30, 2013)

Yes it came with the orange tires.

We have 2 of the $400+ Sherrill Ball Carts/Log Dollies, both of which are about 4 times the size of a standard dolly..neither of them even compares to the Arbor Trolley in terms of capacity or ease of use.


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## Pelorus (Aug 30, 2013)

Looks like a worthwhile piece of kit that I'd like to get. 
Also looks like you are pushing it to the max, Nick. 
Do you think your wheeled camel can sustain this kinda abuse indefinitely?


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## TimberMcPherson (Aug 31, 2013)

Pelorus said:


> Looks like a worthwhile piece of kit that I'd like to get.
> Also looks like you are pushing it to the max, Nick.
> Do you think your wheeled camel can sustain this kinda abuse indefinitely?



They can comfortably carry up to 1000lbs, made to last

When they can be used, they save ALOT of time on jobs


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## treevet (Aug 31, 2013)

I like mine a lot. Neg is it came with aired tires unlike NIck's but they have remedied that at my request. you can load brush and/or logs up to the sky and with the 2 man handle, you have 2 horse(man)power pulling up a hill, or pull it with the mini etc etc.


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## bonner1040 (Aug 31, 2013)

Pelorus said:


> Looks like a worthwhile piece of kit that I'd like to get.
> Also looks like you are pushing it to the max, Nick.
> Do you think your wheeled camel can sustain this kinda abuse indefinitely?



Its pretty simple, rugged construction Dave. I think as long as I keep the paint up, and the rust down it should last pretty well. Additionally, it seems to me like repairing it, or replacing a section would be pretty straightforward for a full time fabricator.

I am telling ya all, if you move logs regularly, without a big machine, you are crazy not to have one of these. CRAZY.


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## bonner1040 (Aug 31, 2013)

*Full video*

Stein Arbor Trolley : TreeStuff.com Product Detail - YouTube


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## Pelorus (Aug 31, 2013)

bonner1040 said:


> I am telling ya all, if you move logs regularly, without a big machine, you are crazy not to have one of these. CRAZY.



I have finally learned why my wife has been calling me crazy all these years! :yoyo:
Youse guys have got me convinced I need one of these, by gum, and if the Canadian price trends towards exorbitantly savage, I'll fabricate one during the winter starvation months.


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## sgreanbeans (Sep 1, 2013)

Reg, you built that? How much are they?


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## bonner1040 (Sep 1, 2013)

SGB,

They are $700 at TreeStuff, $665 after the ARBORIST discount code. Compared to a $440 ball cart from Sherrill there is absolutely no question. Get some and watch that man hour rate go up, uP, UP...

https://www.treestuff.com/store/catalog.asp?item=2293


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## bonner1040 (Sep 5, 2013)

Some more photos.


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## treevet (Sep 5, 2013)

Saw your vid Nick...

Watch out DeNiro and Brad Pitt et al


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## bonner1040 (Sep 7, 2013)

It even works Saturday!


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## futbalfantic (Sep 7, 2013)

Looks like that thing would benefit from float tires. How bad does it rut?


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## bonner1040 (Sep 8, 2013)

Havent had any rutting issues, Thats a pretty big log there and the tires are compressed hard because its on pavement.

Here is an apples to apples comparison between the Arbor Trolley and a competitor Log Cart (with float tires)

Stein Arbor Trolley vs Competitor Log Cart - TreeStuff.com - YouTube


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## bonner1040 (Sep 21, 2013)

Ok, so I have written and posted a lot about the Arbor Trolley, and I would like to share some specific thoughts after having it a while longer.

First let me offer some disclosure. Some of the products I review and produce video content for are provided to me at no cost. The Arbor Trolley is NOT one of these items. I purchased it at full price from TreeStuff (less 5% ARBORIST discount of course). I am in no way, nor have I been compensated by Stein or Reg.

When I first saw the AT I immediately liked the idea of it and decided I would 'make' my own. Well, the truth is I am not a fabricator nor did I ever have the time. A year + passed and I still hadnt 'made' one, so I bit the bullet and bought it. As anyone that has read this and the other threads knows, I immediately fell head over heels for it.

I am and always have been a gear junky, evidenced by the thousands of dollars I spend on random 'stuff' each year. I have bought tons of ropes, pulleys, rigging doodads, cords, tools etc. While many of them make my day to day a little easier, more convenient, or just a bit more stylish, nothing I ever bough compares to the AT. A new rope can be GREAT, a pulley can make my rigging so much BETTER or a little faster. Different things save bits of effort here and there, and there are lots of products that i just LOVE, but none has had measurable an impact like the AT.

When I started doing treework I was on a crew with a 6" chipper, an 80's chip truck and a either a $50 dolly from Harbor Freight or the cheapest wheelbarrow money could buy. Dont get me wrong, cut a 20" oak down in a back yard and wheelbarrow is revolutionary compared to carrying rounds out by hand. Where I work now we have 2 standard ballcarts which are obviously superior to a wheelbarrow or a Harbor Freight dolly. The AT eclipses all of those tools by a power of ten easily.

Nothing, in a similar realm of cost except maybe a chainsaw, offers the same return or has such an impact on production as the AT. After working with one, I literally CANNOT imagine working without it. At the end of the work day my body feels BETTER, because of the AT. Generating and removing tree debris is fundamental to what we do and just like I wouldn't cut a 18" log without a chainsaw, I wouldn't consider moving it without the Arbor Trolley.

There are plenty of jobs where we wouldntt take a traditional ballcart because it is a pain, its heavy, and its huge. The AT fits almost anywhere and goes EVERYWHERE.

I truly regret every day I have done tree work without the AT since first seeing it. It might not be for everyone, if you use a crane everyday maybe the AT isnt for you. BUT, if you regularly move logs or brush of any size without a machine, you are remiss by not having an AT.

The ArborTrolley does not disappoint!


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## TreeAce (Sep 22, 2013)

bonner1040 said:


> It even works Saturday!



How do you get a piece like that on your AT?


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## TreeAce (Sep 22, 2013)

Stein arbor-trolley - YouTube

I guess this video answers my question.


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## ATH (Sep 22, 2013)

I love the idea of fewer trips with the brush. Most of the pictures are with logs. I am wondering how much time you have to spend making brush narrower so it fits on the trolley?

I am pretty sure that brush dragging is were I 'lose' the most money. Either pay more help or get better equipment...so this is intriguing. $700 seems a little steep, but if it really saves 80% of brush dragging time (or even if that is exaggerated by 100% and it only saves 40%), it wouldn't take many jobs for it to pay for itself. I REALLY want an articulated loader (a Gehl or Avant), but I am a couple of years from paying cash for one of those...so maybe this is the next step?


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## NSchonberg (Jan 7, 2014)

Have you ever considered the Little Helper Cart. Me and my Dad and brother have a tree service, and after years of wheelbarrows and log dollies, we made this.


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## tidy (Jan 7, 2014)

ATH said:


> I love the idea of fewer trips with the brush. Most of the pictures are with logs. I am wondering how much time you have to spend making brush narrower so it fits on the trolley?
> 
> I am pretty sure that brush dragging is were I 'lose' the most money. Either pay more help or get better equipment...so this is intriguing. $700 seems a little steep, but if it really saves 80% of brush dragging time (or even if that is exaggerated by 100% and it only saves 40%), it wouldn't take many jobs for it to pay for itself. I REALLY want an articulated loader (a Gehl or Avant), but I am a couple of years from paying cash for one of those...so maybe this is the next step?



Probably is the next step if you follow the "stepping stones" ideology like myself. I just watched the demo of the "microarb truck" - 

You can load wider stacks onto it however to me it appears a "clunkier" version of the stein... imo


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## Pelorus (Jan 7, 2014)

Getting through gates / narrow walkways is less of a concern where we work. 
Wider flotation tires, and maybe a slightly wider stance on the Stein (for more stability on uneven ground) would appeal to me more. I toy with the idea of making something, perhaps more along the lines of that self propelled Little Helper Cart. Would be ideal for those jobs where the miniskid is too much machine and the donkey(s) is/are tired.


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## Levenhagen (Jan 7, 2014)

If you are on the fence about the stein AT, buy it. 
I have been wanting to buy a mini loader for a few years or more. I bought the Arbor trolley about six months ago and noticed I have thought very little about a mini since. 
Sometimes I consider hiding it. Not because someone may steal it, because it is like our secret weapon.


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## NSchonberg (Jan 7, 2014)

Levenhagen said:


> If you are on the fence about the stein AT, buy it.
> I have been wanting to buy a mini loader for a few years or more. I bought the Arbor trolley about six months ago and noticed I have thought very little about a mini since.
> Sometimes I consider hiding it. Not because someone may steal it, because it is like our secret weapon.


That is kinda how we felt about our LittleHelperCart when we first made it


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## Levenhagen (Jan 7, 2014)

Is there a US distributor of the micrarb trailer? How much?
I'm intrigued.


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## FanOFatherNash (Mar 14, 2014)

woodchuck357 said:


> I do the same thing with a large two wheel dolly. Cost all of 50 bucks.


removing trees with a pick up and a trailer can be done, but chipper / chip truck is nice also


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## ATH (Jun 23, 2016)

Digging up an old thread to reiterate that this is a great tool! It really shines when you have to drag brush long distances.

But I am posting now to give props to Stein for their support... I bent mine: obviously did a poor job attaching to the trailer tongue and when it came loose and I turned, it got smashed between the truck tailgate and trailer.

The good news is:
*I have been thinking I wanted to replace the truck bed with a flat bed anyhow...the smashed tailgate is now enough motivation to make that happen!
*More relevant to the topic at hand, it only bent the square tube that holds the handle and inserts into the body...NO other damage on the Trolley. It is built beefy for that to be the case.




The even BETTER news: I called TreeStuff to ask if that part is available for purchase. Yes...it is a simple square tube with 8 holes in it...I can handle that fabrication. But as busy as I am, if they want to sell it to me for a non-to-crazy price, it is worth my time. I sent them a picture at the end of the day...not a stock item so they needed to look into it. They replied the next day to let me know Stein would be shipping me the part at no charge!

Thanks Stein and TreeStuff!

(Warm fuzzy feelings towards Stein combined with TreeStuff's sale a week or two ago forced me to buy their MK3 Modular Guard System...but I haven't put that together yet)


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## Erwin (Jun 24, 2016)

mine is arriving in a few days. can't wait! St. Louis summer days are brutal for my brush-dragging groundies. They'll love me for that.


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## ATH (Jun 24, 2016)

Yes they will!


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## Erwin (Jul 3, 2016)

2nd time using the AT now. I hate to be the black sheep but I have to say it. Among the thousands of reviews I read there is not one negative. That's just amazing and that's why I jumped on it. However there are things about it not seem to be that positive to me. 

For example, how does one person load a large (only 200 Lb maybe, not large at all compared to its capacity)? Looks like a side ramp formed by the 2 side bars like that of the Microarb will be nice. I'm seriously thinking about fabricating it. My question is: why isn't it already there for the $700?

2nd, it's not helping at all for short distance without a gate (200 feet like my last job). It takes a lot of extra time to cut a big branch into pieces small enough to fit in it, then you stack it up, then you upload it at the street. So, for short distance jobs, I rather drag. If it uphill, the AT wont help anyway. 

The only I see to make it work I to use it as an equivalent of log arch for brushes. You tire the woody end of lots of large branches on top of it and pull it with an ATV. most jobs with a long dragging distance tend not to have a small gate. 

Anyway, just my two cents, still trying to figure out.


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## ATH (Jul 3, 2016)

For large logs, tip it up and load them like a dolly - then tip it down onto its wheels and roll like you normally wood. You could use a dolly. I think this is a little better balanced, but that is not where it is most useful. There are some videos showing that.

I agree, not useful for short drags. I'd use it for 200'... You do have to make a few cuts to fit it all on there, but here is how I see it: It takes maybe 30-60 seconds to cut a few branches (lets say 5) down to size and another 2-3 minutes to pile those on there - so that is 4-5 minutes to get those 5 branches to the truck. Without the AT, that is 5 trips. Not only did I save a minute or two per trip (so, I just save 4 minutes), but I also just walked 800' less. Seems insignificant for 5 branches. For 15 branches, that is 2400' feet less - that's almost half a mile (and +/- 12-15 minutes) saved. Do that 4 times a day...

Also really shines once you get to that 6-8-10" (or bigger) diameter stuff where you can carry one 5-'6' long bolt at a time. Pile 10+ on the AT as long as you are not pulling up hill, it will be no problem.

Powered equipment is certainly better...but to me the AT is better than not.


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## treebilly (Jul 4, 2016)

Loving mine. I took out a 30' tall dr Seuss looking blue spruce the other day and it was two trips for everything. It made my legs burn a little bit but less than making ten trips with the brush and five more with the log.


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## old_soul (Jul 5, 2016)

HA you didn't think I could stack all that brush on one load? Remembering the old days stacking brush on a trailer......

It really is a handy tool, especially for a two man crew


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## Erwin (Jul 6, 2016)

Yes. I assume that Bedford pear, evergreens like pine or spruce are perfect the it since all branches are long and skinny with very few side branches. Oak is probably the worst since you need to make so many more cuts to fit it on there. Like the last person mentioned, it's makes more sense for a small crew like 2 with a 6 inch chipper. The more cutting upfront makes it easier for loading to the chipper.


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## Gonmakeit (Aug 30, 2016)

I have a brand new arbor trolley for sale if anyone is interested. Howard County, MD. Make Offer.


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