Reducing wear and tear on turf

[Koa Man]

and tires keep going flat every day

I got tired of that and bought flat free tires for my 3 wheelbarrows. Kind of pricey at $40 each, but no more downtime because of a flat tire. Nothing worse than having to move a bunch of logs and your wheelbarrow has a flat.

 

[Tree Machine]

Are those the yellow ones, Koa? I just put those on my small log arch. They're heavier than the regular inflatables but worth the extra weight. Like you said, there's nothing worse than needing a wheeled device just to find the wheel flat. I carry a bike pump in the truck, but when you hit the tire with the chainsaw, the bike pump really isn't much help. I don't know how the non-deflatables will handle that, but I'm certain I'll find out some time in the future.

I know what you mean about the weight of the heavy cart. If it's too cumbersome to put on and off the truck, it tends to not get used many of the times it should be.

I like this thread. If it saves wear and tear on the turf, there's a good chance it will save wear and tear on the manpower, increase your efficiency and be making you more money with less effort. This should be a central theme in every treeman's operation.

 

[Koa Man]

Mine are just the plain black ones. I really got to learn our to weld aluminum and get me a MIG welder this year. I spent enough on equipment last year...this year I'll get me more tools and maybe take a class on aluminum welding.

 

[rebelman]

good ideas here, even dave. I like the hand carts or small carts, even when there is room for a loader, not just because I don't have a loader, but soil compaction is lessened. Where sod is not present or not present contractors tend to run roughshod over root zones. I have noticed turf protectors adveritised in Arbor Age magazine. I don't use a bucket truck, so don't worry about that stuff. I keep fat tires on my truck, and if it's too wet, I'll just lug the brush to the pavement and hand cart or carry the wood out. Can't find the ad, it was like alterna-mat or something.

 

[kennertree]

I bought sherrill's log dolly this summer and use it when the wood is in a back yard. We put 3 feet sections on the cart, bring the logs out to the road or a driveway and then use a tractor to load the logs. The cart works real well and is easy on the turf. I think it was worth the price a paid for it, even though it doesnt get used that much. Anybody else use the dolly?

 

[Redbull]

I've been thinking about the log dolly but it is kinda pricy.

 

[bottlefed89]

I've used a regular pneumatic tired dolly a lot of times, not as handy as sherrills version, but it was a lot freer.

 

[Redbull]

Yeah I have a small dolly, but it is limited.

 

[skwerl]

I bought sherrill's log dolly this summer and use it when the wood is in a back yard. We put 3 feet sections on the cart, bring the logs out to the road or a driveway and then use a tractor to load the logs. The cart works real well and is easy on the turf. I think it was worth the price a paid for it, even though it doesnt get used that much. Anybody else use the dolly?

The Sherrill log dolly is 37.5" wide so it will not fit through a normal 36" gate. If Sherrill could convince the manufacturer to reduce the width by 1.5", they would sell 5-10X as many as they do now. I would be glad to buy one if it fit through a gate, but as it is I have no use for it.

 

[TreeJunkie]

As stated the sherrill version is too wide and in my opinion overpriced. If you look in the A.M. Leonard catalog you will find they carry landscaping ball care which i have found to be well suited to moving logs. They are built tough, less than 36" wide, and are fairly priced. Check them out.

 

[Redbull]

I was looking at those in one of my landscape/farm supply catalogs. Much cheaper than Sherrills version.

 

[M.D. Vaden]

What about those small walkbehind skidsteers with a bucket?

Might hold 5 x 100 lb. chunks of wood - if you can spare a bit of cash on a machine.

I find the two wheel wheelbarrows too heavy if more than a full load of barkdust is carried - and even that's heavy if the ground is not almost level.

We often stick to a handtruck with pneumatic tires.

A tree ball mover may be built a bit better yet.

 

[PTS]

They small walkbehinds have thier place, I have a good friend in the rental business. He has one that I have played with but it would take a long time to go back and forth.