mini tracked wheelbarrow or dumper In the USA?

[NHmitch]

yeah i know we need to lower it. we made a really stupid mistake making the hitch high like that. but it was a trial. you would think being on a farm we would of thought about that because the hitches on the tractors are always lower than the center of the wheels. but we will fix it..

i live in central new jersey

DR makes one that looks pretty nice. I think that ditch witch makes one as well. I'll see if I can find the links..

 

[superfly611]

i can never remember the names for them. but they are a universal tractor thing. just 2 wheels that are powered, and a engine, with different attachments. and you just walk behind them. kinda like a self propelled mower or self propelled tiller. you walk behind, but you can get different attachments for.

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but if this is only for a single project, you might try contacting local "machine rental" places up to 1 to 2 hours away from you. (prices can range so much, that it can be cheaper renting something further away even after figuring in gas money and time, pending on what you rent)

you can rent mini SCUT (sub compact utility tractors) that can fit i want to say 48" gate, and some mini's can fit through i want to say 36" gate. it has been so long since i looked at rental stuff. that i do not remember widths.

errr after looking at youtube link for project. if ya call around to rental places, and then look at what they have, it might help ya find something, you could then just order tractors and gears and like.

you might try looking up *ughs* "monster machines" is that the name of the old TV show, ??? NO "battle bots" were folks built robots and put them against each other in a fight to see which one won.

hydraulic, get an engine, then hyd pump. many folks do this for DIY "log splitters"

other folks get hyd motors for bush hogs (rotatory cutters) that fit on a backhoe. or ditch mowers that go out and away from side of tractor. there are multi implements for skid steer to backhoes that use hyd motors vs trying to run a PTO shaft to the implement.

there are hyd chain saws, pull the chain off, and put on a track with some modifications to the sprocket.

heck you might look into a DIY powered wheel chair. to get links to different websites for ideas.

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look into mini tracked excavators, and see about just getting the "track base" or look into skid steers that use metal tracks.

thanks for the help. i was wanting to find something that has Most of the components already. My dad would be the one building it, which he could basically build anything but I want to keep it simple. I've looked at those toro dingos and they're going for roughly $6000+ And that's on the low side.

You're right though about the rental. I am looking to see if I can find a place around me that might have a small unit such as a tracked concrete carrier. The only problem is I wouldn't be able to try it myself without a remote-control.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

My wheelbarrow has rusted and the wooden handles have deteriorated since I bought a tractor with a FEL..

 

[woodlandfarms]

Superfly

As I understand it you are in a wheelchair, correct? How much movement do you have? I ask because there is someone in this group who is designing a tractor for wheelchair access and I believe the pt line of tractor could be easily modified for a parapalegic. If you have the mobility it would be cool to see you on a machine....

 

[superfly611]

I would love to be able to get back on a machine! The only problem is I have a lot of back pain so the bouncing around probably would not be good. I do have enough control and function to do some things. my right arm is stronger than my left and i have a little bit of triceps in my right but not in my left arm. biceps are quite good considering the injury level. I can drive my van sometimes by way of what they call it a tri pin I think where I put my left hand into these three pins and push forward for brake and pull back for the gas. my right hand is locked in as well with the tri pin sort of like a suicide knob. joystick control is really the best for me for controlling things. I have a lot of remote-control devices. Helicopters and planes an such. my father and I were in the process of converting a four-wheel drive scissor lift into something I could drive. We took off the whole scissor platform and were going to use the frame for something I could drive my chair on and drive by way of joystick. Fortunately we didn't get that far before I realized I wouldn't be able to handle it with all the back problems. so we just put it back together. I did demo a bobcat a770 With the remote-control system. It was great! The only problem is it's mad expensive. I was trying to keep the cost down and make something a little customized. My main goal was to cut grass around the house and the edges of fields where we have waterways. It's some tall grass and I usually only cut it to be about 6 to 8 inches tall. A flail mower works best with that. An added bonus would be being able to use a loader or other implements but im not pushing for that right now. The toro dingo would probably work good But even with that I don't want to spend that much money on it. I found several remote control lawnmowers but they are expensive as well. Anywhere from 30,000 to 60,000. lynex slope mower radio controlled - YouTube
McConnel Robocut - YouTube
I would love that robocut one... but I believe it's about 70,000. my dad is retired now so im trying to keep him busy. he can fabricate and build just about anything. hope that explains everything as to what i would like to do.

 

[boggen]

thanks for the help. i was wanting to find something that has Most of the components already. My dad would be the one building it, which he could basically build anything but I want to keep it simple. I've looked at those toro dingos and they're going for roughly $6000+ And that's on the low side.

You're right though about the rental. I am looking to see if I can find a place around me that might have a small unit such as a tracked concrete carrier. The only problem is I wouldn't be able to try it myself without a remote-control.

curiosity more than anything at moment for me.

all the listings for like rental place, was more about trying to "find something" that has tracks. then going back home and internet search the stuff up.

some quickly copy / paste, and edit pictures, to get idea across.



1 to 2 times a year, there is normally a "large agriculture machinery" auction near me. that blow most of the consignment auctions away, with enough stuff were there is 4 to 5 auctions going on at the same time at the same place. many times i see used mini ex and skid steers going fairly cheap.

figured since no one will be seating in the machine, you could chop off all the roll bars, dash boards, levers, joy sticks, pedals, panels, insulation, lights, etc... to just have the motor and tracks. and then setup all the things that use to be control by joysticks, levers, and pedals, with remote control stuff.

after looking at video, i quickly caught on, of having "tracks" and more so the bar that swings around entire machine, would come in extremely handy, to rotate the power unit/machine, so you could correct things. ((trying to judge distances from afar and counting down them inches trying to get up near things....)) hence the light blue thing in the edited pictures
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only issue, would be is visibility, and trying to see what is going on from afar and trying to see around a larger unit. *frowns*

and i am guessing you are wanting to deal with a smaller size engine. and as low as profile as possible? to help with visibility?

besides above, personally was thinking if you hacked at a mini ex, and had engine problems or track problems you could get parts for it. vs custom building everything. beyond remote control, that dealt with valves and like.

mini ex would most like have an alternator and battery already on unit, to power motors, electronic actuators, and small motors for remote control.

the do sell buckets vs backfill blades for mini ex. or most likely be able to even modify a small bucket for in place of backfill blade.

issue of "gas" or diesel, a larger gas tank would most likely give you a good amount of hours operating it, and relying on someone to constantly fill machine up would be much less. a mini ex should go for a good amount of hours before needing a refill. without need of putting in a larger tank.

perhaps using a generic remote start from a vehicle. that many folks have on there key ring besides the key to unlock and to start the vehicle. but use it on modified machine. to turn it on/off, without needing to climb up on the machine to get it started. (perhaps you or your dad already has something figured out for that for remote control)

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one last thought, remote control planes, that has wireless video. ((there was a thread going last month or so)) the planes with wireless camera got rather expensive, and operating time was like 15 minutes. due to how much fuel or battery life. but being that you do not need to keep a plane up in the air, and the engine on the machine can produce more power and electricty for longer time. *shrugs*

heck get a wireless network camera with titlt/angle control, and most of them run off of 12V anyhow. and use a converter between 110V to 12V. set your lap top up in front of you. along with your wireless remote.

 

[gtrippleb]

An option that you could look into would be small engine repair shops that work on snowblowers. Some snowblowers have tracks instead of wheels and you might be able to find a shop that has one that they used to fix another machine that you might be able to get cheap.

Here's a few from Honda. If you could get a parts manual you could probably order the parts to build what you need.
Honda Power Equipment: Honda Generators, Lawn Mowers, Snowblowers, Tillers

Here's a breakdown of what's called the crawler section on the Honda HS928 snowblower
Honda HS928 Crawler Parts

Here's a list of snowblowers that you can take a look at to get parts from. Some of them are tracked snowblowers.
All Years Honda Snowblower Parts

Looking at the size of the snowblower, it might be similar to what you've already built so it might not work for what you want to do.

These folks might be able to help you out as it looks like they sell some track motorized wheelbarrows
http://www.staton-inc.com/store/catalog/1_Motorized_Wheelbarrow-18-1.html

 

[Artisan]

CLICK HERE

 

[boggen]

google "undercarriage track system" a lot more links, to various companies.

Rubber Tracks, Heavy Equipment Parts, & Track Systems
Caterpillar Undercarriage Track Systems
JMAN UNDERCARRIAGE

 

[superfly611]

boggen, You really put a lot of effort into a response! Thank you for all your advice. It would be pretty cool to have a mini excavator that I can operate. I think I follow what you are talking about with the blue lines. Sort of like a gooseneck hitch. That's exactly what we plan on doing with my little robot and my mower. Like I said in my video I think, we really screwed up with designing the hitch so high. You live and you learn. As for operating time I really don't have the stamina to do things too long. So operating time really wouldn't be a concern. Also I think you are saying too about keeping it as small as possible which is what I want to do. I don't want to tear up the lawn too much. I figured a light powered wheelbarrow really wouldn't terror in tear it up at all. im not sure about a mini excavator. what do you think?

I do have a small camera for my planes that I can just swap out and use on the machine. It's a pretty cool little setup for first-person viewing. I didn't get the screen yet but I probably would just use a cheap DVD player with a video input.
We used to have a farm auction in the area which had some good deals but they no longer have it. I've been keeping my eye out on craigslist and in the Lancaster farmer newspaper Which is all types of farm equipment. I found a small powered wheelbarrow on craigslist but the ad is a little old so they probably don't even have it anymore. I will keep looking. Thank you again so much for your help.