Power wheelbarrow?

[Roy]

Loren,
What ever you decide on check the load it will carry. A yard of gravel weighs over a ton. ( 2,500 pounds) and sand can weigh more. The average pick up truck will only safety carry 1/2 yard of sand. Most of the Tree farm is flat and has 2 tack near the single track, so you will not need a mountain climber.
A low center of gravity is a must.
Happy Trails,
Roy

[PK]

Loren, have you had any time behind the DR power wagon???
(I've always wondered if it would work on the hills?)
http://www.drpower.com/power-wagon.aspx

Pete

[Loren]

Aside from our rental, I don't have personal experience with any of these products. I know some trail groups use DR powerwagons with success.

I have a lot of time in gators - both 4x4 and 6x4 - and they work great. Fast, dependable, large capacity, but not really suitable as weapons in the singletrack quiver. A number of these power wheelbarrow devices might be. They are maneuverable, can climb grades, and are about the same width as handlebars (28ish inches, more or less) to fit between trees, and so could conceivably be used to move material right to where it's needed, even if that's a long way from an access road.

I don't know what to think about capacity. Advice on the web seems to be to buy big - as much capacity as you can. Yet on the other hand, we need to cross bridges that were designed for pedestrian traffic, not motor vehicles. Also, it would be very handy to just pull into the back of the Metro South trailer next to the grill and not have to mess with a larger, dedicated trailer or find someone with a pickup truck each time you need it. That means it needs to be pretty lightweight and compact.

Anyway, appreciate the comments and advice so far!

[rsnyder]

If you are looking for a reliable tracked dumper check these units out
http://www.easternfarmmachinery.com/scr ... 4647131182

[WishIcouldcatchmybreath]

Nobody really followed up to this post, but the Metro South chapter picked up a Muck Truck. I think that I was the first to use the device, a couple of weeks back out at Maybury. I was pretty impressed overall, but there are a couple of points that need to be mentioned for future users/prospective buyers:

1) make sure you stage as close to the repair/use area as possible....traveling long distances even with the power drive is still hard work, since you have to wrestle to steer it (especially on twisty singletrack), and
2) the muck truck is very front-tippy when fully loaded. I found out the hard way. More than likely, this is so that it doesn't tip backwards onto the driver, and so that it's easier to dump....however on ANY (even the slightest) downhill grade, extreme care needs to be taken. Even a little bounce from a root or rock tends to make the muck truck want to dump forward. It can be managed, but *not* at full speed.

[froggyrider]

We are happy to have this new tool- thanks for being out guinea pig, Jon! We made sure all the Trail Coordinators know about it, and we hope it can be helpful at all of the nine trials in the chapter!

[Shrager]

An alternative would be a battery powered wheel barrow which would definitely be allot quieter, and would require less maintenance. Watch the video that I have posted here

They are available for sale at http://handtrucks2go.com/Electric-Power-Wheelbarrows/
What do you guys think?

[WishIcouldcatchmybreath]

An alternative would be a battery powered wheel barrow which would definitely be allot quieter, and would require less maintenance. Watch the video that I have posted here

They are available for sale at http://handtrucks2go.com/Electric-Power-Wheelbarrows/
What do you guys think?

Is this spam? Or is it just a joke?

[Loren]

Yeah, a typical day use for our muck truck would involve filling with 400 lbs of stone at a dump site and trudging a mile up and down hills on forest trails to where it's needed, dumping, and returning for the next load. After a couple trips, top off gas and swap operators. It's feels a world apart from moving stuff around the house on manicured lawns.

I'm not sure how usable that wide stance and those small wheels would be on trails, but let's talk about the power source:
- the batteries would always be dead from the last user. You'd have to anticipate the need, travel to fetch the batteries, bring them home, and charge them to be ready for work the next day.
- remaining capacity is hard to judge, so you'd have to carry an extra battery with you on each trip or risk running out of power a mile into the woods.
- once your last battery is dead, you're done for the day. No recharging out on the trail.

Maybe we need a hybrid wheelbarrow...