Tool-Challenged Alternative to Chalkley Cup

   / Tool-Challenged Alternative to Chalkley Cup #1  

glennmac

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2000
Messages
1,591
Location
Western Connecticut
Tractor
2003 Kubota L3430
I agree that maximum cerebral power must be focused on the installation of a useful cupholder, the most important attachment for any tractor -- indeed, for any vehicle. The Chalkley Cup is apparently functional and particularly appealing to genetically-endowed gadgeteers. However, it is rapidly approaching false idol levels of reverence here, and its continued worship may therefore violate the Ten Commandments.

For the more tool-challenged among us, there is a commercial product that is much easier to install and more versatile, albeit less Tom Swiftian: the Spillmaster. This product comes in several models and is available in some autoparts places. Its virtue is that it is adjustable and can hold small cups, large (degaussed) Chalkley Cups, small bottles, big bottles, paper towel rolls ... you name it. I have an older model attached with velcro tape on my right fender.

The manufacturer's website doesn't have much info and only pictures the dual Classic model, but here it is:

http://www.hopkinsmfg.com

This (German?) site shows the various models:

http://www.silvicamp.de/e_spillm.htm

The old model I have is somewhere in between the Junior and Senior models. What looks especially avant garde is the Twin model -- shown holding two beverages and a cell phone. This model would fit perfectly on a Crisler Shelf (aka ROPS rack). In case you wonder what the Retro model is, those prongs adjustably fit inside your car's current cup holder (which are cleverly designed to hold no known cup).

My Spillmaster has held everything so far through 70 hours of vibrations, bumps and humps. The adjustable feature is great. You can take out your small/big coffee cup when it gets hot out, slide the adjuster clamp, and put in a small/big bottle of cold drink. And if you drink from bottles, you don't need a Chalkley Dust Cap for your Chalkley Cup.

Glenn
 
   / Tool-Challenged Alternative to Chalkley Cup #2  
OK, you caught me, too. Before I owned a Kubota and faced the challenges of being able to take a beverage with me without wearing all of it while putzing around on my JD 316, I came across the spillmaster in a local auto parts store. And like you, I used velcro to attach it to the tractor. It's still there after 4, maybe 5 years and works just fine. Although it works best with a coke bottle with screw on top, I still try and put a coffee travel mug in there on occasion and even though it splashes some on me occasionally and always on the tractor, I keep it.
In the car business everyone jokes about the number and size of cupholders in vehicles today. Our exchange student from Germany is fascinated with them. She says people in Germany just don't seem to care if the cars have them or not. Anyway, I've seen cupholders now in some of the garden tractors and I'll bet the bigger machines see them before too long. We North Americans seem to have a fascination for bigger and better and more cupholders.

But see, making the Chalkley Cup available to the masses would solve that problem. Right?

Bob Pence
 
   / Tool-Challenged Alternative to Chalkley Cup #3  
Glenn -

A totally viable alternative, fer sure!

All of this stuff is a matter of personal taste and requirements. The more alternatives we can come up with, the better off we'll all be in the long run.

As an admitted tinkerer I still like the concept of the Chalkley Cup for my personal needs. There is also something kind of cool about the fact it was invented by one or our own members and not some faceless corporation. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

HarvSig.gif
 
   / Tool-Challenged Alternative to Chalkley Cup #4  
Bit of a side note here. Amongst cars, it seems that Mercedes alone has elected to have no cup holders. When asked why, one of the company spokespersons said that they could not imagine a circumstance in which a person driving a Mercedes would need to be drinking at the same time! Since in Germany on the Autobahn they legally drive at 120+ speeds, I get his point. I also use a cupholder, but wonder if this could be (another) tractor safety "distraction"???

BobT.

A Indiana Boy
 
   / Tool-Challenged Alternative to Chalkley Cup #5  
BobT -

Ironic you should refer to it as a possible safety issue, when in fact this whole Chalkley Cup thing was born of inspiration by a man who nearly croaked on us for lack of proper liquid intake while working in the sun.

Good question pops up, though -- I personally don't attempt to drink while the tractor is actually in motion, does anybody else? I pretty much always take a sip while the tractor is stopped, sometimes while in the seat, sometimes just standing next to it. Never really thought about it much -- with all that bouncing around it just seemed easier to wait for a calmer moment.

HarvSig.gif
 
   / Tool-Challenged Alternative to Chalkley Cup #6  
Harv, there is no doubt it's a little safer to stop for a drink, and I frequently want to take a break and get off the tractor anyway. HOWEVER, when you have a lot to do, like when we were cutting and baling hay, or brush hogging big pastures, you sometimes don't want to stop, so I've drunk a lot of coffee in the mornings and Gatorade in the afternoons without ever slowing down. Sometimes had some snacks to munch on at the same time, too./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Bird
 
   / Tool-Challenged Alternative to Chalkley Cup #7  
I'm like Bird, I do it both ways. I snack and drink mostly when stopped, but I do some while moving.
JerryG
 
   / Tool-Challenged Alternative to Chalkley Cup #8  
Bird, Jerry -

Oops! Thanks for the reality check.

With a total of 20 hours and 1 project under my belt, I was starting to think of myself as an old pro. /w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif

Yeah, I can see there's a big differenece between building culverts and hoggin' the south 40. I've spent nearly all my time so far jumping on and off the tractor every few minutes. Haven't even tried out my bush hog yet.

So you say there are times when you keep the wheels going the same direction for more than a minute? I have so much learn... /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif

HarvSig.gif
 
   / Tool-Challenged Alternative to Chalkley Cup #9  
Harv, wait until you try 10 to 12 hours straight, cutting or baling hay. You get all the tractor riding you want./w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif At least it was on a bigger tractor, better suspension seat, and generally smoother ground./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Bird
 
   / Tool-Challenged Alternative to Chalkley Cup #10  
Harv - I thought I should stay out of this thread because of my obvious inability to remain objective on the subject. But I will answer your question about drinking and driving. With this cup, I rarely do, except in the safest of situations, because I find that it's so big that I have a hard seeing over it when I tip it up to take a sip! /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

And I'm not kidding...

MarkC
 
 
 
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