Lil' helper cart

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Anybody have one of thoes little helper carts that they wanna sell me? I'm always looking for one but never see them used. I guess people hold on to them. Well worth it IMO.

 

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[PCTREE]

I had that idea years ago but wanted to put a hook up for the handle on the truck with a small cylinder like a trash truck to tip it in, frig getting it to the truck if I still have to lift it

 

[flushcut]

I think a mini would be far more useful.

 

[Page]

I have used this cart for years when I worked for another company. It's faster than any mini. Cart logs right into the trailer or roadside for the log truck. Two people can lift it, not that you need to if you have a trailer. It fits in tighter spaces and it's pretty much maintenance free. If somthing does break in it its gonna be cheaper to fix than a machine. I've been going back and forth on what my next equipment purchase will be and I'm leaning towards the cart and a full size skid steer. If anyone out there has a used cart they don't use I'll buy it.

 

[HolmenTree]

Beautiful little machine if you're removing oversize hardwood all the time hauling rounds to the trailer.

I made a plate that hooks onto the front edge of my Muck Truck's bucket. When the bucket is in the dump position the plate is flat on the ground like a dolly. Roll or tip the oversized round on it and then pull the bucket back into transport position. No lifting.

 

[Page]

Yeah I've seen some of the pictures you posted awhile back. I used to make fun of this little cart till I worked with it. Now I think it's invaluable. The price is a little high but considering how long they last, how little maintainance they need, and how much they do I think I would pay it. Even still I'd buy a used one first if available

 

[HolmenTree]

Page here's a powerbarrow for $600 Canadian

 

[squisher]

How is this hand cart faster than any mini? You've worked with minis too? I can't see that cart being faster say uphill? Or after say the first handful of turns. Also in the picks it looks like the cart is labor intensive(obviously) but if it takes two guys to operate than there goes the economy of the cart. Lost to wages.

Once you've worked with a mini with a grapple. One guy, pulls some levers picks up say 400pd piece of wood(smallish mini) and motors off any distance effortlessly?

Put it this way, if there was a race between this cart and a mini. I'd run the mini. All day long.

Don't get me wrong I'd use one of those carts or Willard's powerbarrow. But I'd be making plans for a mini of some sort.

I know Willard you mention it's no big deal to load the powerbarrow because you know how to lift properly. Still I say no lifting at all is a giant step up in labor and effort savings.

 

[Mick!]

Agreed, it looks really handy, but if it delays the purchase of something that can actually pick up and place the wood where you want it then I wouldn't bother.

 

[Marc-Antoine]

The mini is obviously more powerful but it's way more heavy and expensive. Surely they all work well on the right job but they can't be directly compared side by side. Bring the arbor trolley in the game and you would have a hard time to elect THE best tool.

 

[squisher]

I guess I got hung up on the statement in the OP that the cart is faster than any mini? I'm not seeing it?

Certainly it would have its place but in my locale/market once I had a mini.......there was no looking back.

 

[Marc-Antoine]

Maybe a motorized arbor trolley with a small hydrolic arm would be the cat's mew for the small / medium stuff
I have to think on that

 

[Page]

what I meant by faster is that the speed in which it moves across the yard is faster. We can't always compare these machines side by side because they have different applications. Pros and cons. The mini is awsome no doubt. But I'm getting a skid steer anyway so I don't know if I need both. The cart is fast and it is not hard to load. Sure it's not just picking it up with a grapple but it's still pretty easy. It is also more stable on hill sides and uneven ground.
I just looked at a job clearing around a big pond with a 100 yard or more drag. A lot of material and tight spaces. I won't say the cart is twice as fast but maybe a third faster. Over the course of the 5/6 days it would take to do the job, that's a lot of time saved.

 

[flushcut]

Your cart is spec'd for 3mph and my mini is spec'd for 4.5mph just saying. I can't say what is the best fit for your operation but minis are the shiznit and mine has made me some nice dough.

 

[sotc]

Doesn't matter if the barrow runs ten mph, if you have to cut chunks into sizes you can pick up, hand load, hand unload, make more trips, clean up the extra sawdust compared to a mini skid running 3 mph that picks up 6-800 pounds, sets it in the truck. The mini will pay for itself faster and have a higher roi

 

[MasterBlaster]

Words of Wisdom

 

[Page]

I didn't know the mini moved that fast. The ones I used in the past seemed slow in comparison. I don't plan on lifting the wood other than putting it on the cart. Just rolling up on the trailer. Plus like I said earlier I am going to get a skiddy with a grapple for the big stuff. I am not opposed to the mini and I'm taking all your suggestions into consideration. I just want to make sure I get what is best for the company. Right now a light weight cart that will fit on a trailer full of wood sounds like it will help me afford a skid steer sooner. If I get the mini that's probably all I'm getting. I move a lot of big wood. For now it can be brought to the trailer in smaller pieces but what I need is to bring 9' logs to the road for the log truck. I need it all of course!

 

[squisher]

There's so many options out there it is hard to decide. A mini can move some pretty big wood though.

Certainly not like a full sized skid but still it can salvage some logs with a little ingenuity.

 

[squisher]

Also of note that mini there was extremely stable and had incredible traction. It went places I could never envision a cart going.

 

[Page]

Nice pictures. Did you drag those out or were they close to the trailer? Got any pics of your grapple or do you just have forks?

 

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[Altissimus]

What's one of them cost new ?

 

[Page]

That's pretty nuts. I didn't realize they could lift so much. Looks like it should be tipping over.