Plantshite

[warch]

A few years ago a friend of my parents rang them up and asked them if I'd be interested in a 'dumper'. I literally couldn't get around there quickly enough. Imagine my surprise when I turned up to find this little beauty buried in a hedge under a tarpaulin. It's a Powerfab 180c, with the 11hp Honda petrol engine. As the name suggests it digs 180 degrees (actually slightly less due to the design of the slew), but due to the lack of a turntable it is much lower and more stable than a typical 1 ton minidigger (it weighs only 0.9 tons so is ideal for light towing vehicles). The hydraulics are pretty sluggish by modern standards but that makes it much less jerky to drive. It does have a dozer/levelling blade. Top speed is apparently slightly over 1.1mph. No idea when it was built but I reckon it was around 1990. The initials H.S.S stencilled under the seat suggest a previous history as a hire machine although it is far from clapped out (despite appearances). They were built by a company in Gwent, who are more famous for towable diggers, that came on non powered wheels which could be towed into position behind a small car or van.

It's been used for a bit of trenching, a fair amount of landscaping and for grubbing out tree roots. It really excels at the latter, it is so stable and has massive breakout power so roots don't really stand a chance. It's pretty good on fuel, you can manage 6 hours on a gallon of unleaded. Being a Honda it starts first time, every time.  

 

http://www.oilyhands.co.uk/images/Powerfab_180C_Brochure.pdf

 

[Sir Chocolate Teapot]

Bigger than I was expecting. Do these things really have only 11hp! 

Much want, fancy a drive over to Italy on it so I can have a go. 

[Saabnut]

Much wantage! If it ever fancies a holiday in France, do give me a shout!

 

[Aston Martin]

This is the worst raffle I've ever seen and yet, not the slowest vehicle to be on the site...

[shedenvy]

Does it have VTEC yo?!

[sutty2006]

2 randoms please. 

 

 

At least you can dig dig your way out of things now. 

[Sir Chocolate Teapot]

I see a European tour forming, I'm sure free accommodation is available in France, here in Italy no problem, get those driving goggles on Warch. You do the maths, 11hp, 1mph, a few mountain passes. Could be the grand tour of the century, could even take a century. 

[Cavcraft]

That's kwal. In fact, it's the kind of thing most people would never ever need, but you'd have to have it just to find something to try it on.

[Aston Martin]

48 minutes ago, Cavcraft said:

That's kwal. In fact, it's the kind of thing most people would never ever need, but you'd have to have it just to find something to try it on.

Take it to Tesco and claim it's a mobility scooter.

[somewhatfoolish]

In my corner of the blasted wasteland that is Argyll & Bute there's one of these kind of things that is the 'village bike'; no-one wants it cluttering their drive but it's useful when the drains back up and the victorian that laid them skimped on rodding points. No fancy caterpillar tracks though, just wheels and anchor spikes. The last time I saw it the arm pivot bushes were proper fucked(and the pins too probably) as no bugger ever lubed them. Beats using a pickaxe and a shovel.

[warch]

1 hour ago, Aston Martin said:

Take it to Tesco and claim it's a mobility scooter.

The ditching bucket would easily accommodate my weekly purchases, plus the high seating position would allow me to access those high shelves without dismounting.

2 hours ago, Cavcraft said:

That's kwal. In fact, it's the kind of thing most people would never ever need, but you'd have to have it just to find something to try it on.

It especially appeals to me because I love scaled down machinery, especially small horticultural and groundscare tractors, and miniscule tracklayers. My absolute favourite are those tiny Ransomes crawlers they designed for market gardeners.

 

 

 

[DialATune]

Nice little project for somebody?

[busmansholiday]

Ex military Coles / AEC Matador. Yes I would, no I don't have the space, or time.

[warch]

Is the rear axle driven on these or is it still a 4x4? It is awesome incidentally, and one of the few vehicles that makes a Series Landrover look a bit effeminate.

The crane would be ideal for doing odd jobs, engine changes, shipbuilding you name it.

[somewhatfoolish]

Now that's an engine crane! 

[busmansholiday]

Looking more closely and it's actually a Militant, not a Matador.

The Militant is a six wheeler, and was available in both 6x6 or 6x4, bonus of the 11 litre diesel, not the 9 litre.

[warch]

Spotted in scenic Mid-Wales, a lovely but shite 50s or 60s International BTD6 crawler. These are absolute teeny little things. I was wondering about the broken track, presumably it happened there and it was parked up where it failed. 

[warch]

Spotted right outside my house, and making itself noisily apparent every night for a week was this awesome double cabbed rubber duck hedge trimmer thing. I was hoping it needed a double crew working in unison to drive it (like an Imperial AT AT) but I suspect it's required because of elf and safety and being able to see exactly what you're brutally destroying shit out of with that huge cutting head. Note the rail wheels, I'm assuming they're powered and driven by hydraulic motors. Not strictly shite but so interesting I felt it needed posting.

[wuvvum]

Aren't the rail wheels on those things driven by the main wheels, kind of a friction drive setup?

[warch]

Very possibly. It was dark when they fired it up and put on the rails so I didn't see how it worked sadly.

[ETCHY]

On 8/23/2019 at 4:42 PM, warch said:

Spotted in scenic Mid-Wales, a lovely but shite 50s or 60s International BTD6 crawler. These are absolute teeny little things. I was wondering about the broken track, presumably it happened there and it was parked up where it failed. 

That is so Cool, lovely little vehicles. Deserves to be saved.

[timolloyd]

All of these have the makings of epic collection threads.

[warch]

Fun at the tip  recycling centre. Liebherr kit too, check out the maahosive zorst on the loading shovel.

[willswitchengage]

On 9/27/2019 at 7:58 PM, warch said:

Spotted right outside my house, and making itself noisily apparent every night for a week was this awesome double cabbed rubber duck hedge trimmer thing. I was hoping it needed a double crew working in unison to drive it (like an Imperial AT AT) but I suspect it's required because of elf and safety and being able to see exactly what you're brutally destroying shit out of with that huge cutting head. Note the rail wheels, I'm assuming they're powered and driven by hydraulic motors. Not strictly shite but so interesting I felt it needed posting.

Probably a Rexquote conversion. Rare British company that actually still makes things and bashes metal.

I have also noticed the unnecessarily massive zorsts on construction equipment. But why? Noise reduction maybe by making the orifice larger?

[warch]

Before I forget, have a Grimme self propelled spud harvester. This spent about a week marooned outside my folks place during this year's unusually wet potato harvesting season, whereupon the contractors basically gave up and went home. 

[warch]

Finally got to see a Unimog up close in action this week. I absolutely love Unimogs, and 4x4 lorries in general, they're an absolute jack of all trades and frequently a bit shit (like a brickie on roof framing) but so so utterly cool. If my numbers ever come up I can easily see myself popping down to my local 'Mog dealership and buying something like this U400. I love the purely functional design, its the sexeh!

First impressions are that it should be amazing off road, with those huge tyres, diff locks aplenty and decent ground clearance. This might have been true if it had agri tyres fitted, the road biased tyres and huge mass conspired against it to leave it bogged in a flat well drained field, and needing rescuing by a Massey Ferguson. It also had a running and overheating problem. 

Even so it is very impressive. It has front and rear power take off shafts and a three linkage with twin rams on the rear. It also has a swing out sister  tow hitch. So far so tractory. It also has air brakes and an engine brake like a truck and an interesting semi automatic gear setup which apparently changed the gears but required the clutch releasing to do so (sort of the opposite of any autobox I've ever heard of. The dropside tray on the rear can tip in three directions. It is registered as an agricultural vehicle and can be driven on a normal licence.  It is supposedly limited to 55mph which is probably quicker than my Land Rover.

[warch]

I was delighted to spot this lovely old girl still doing the business out on site this week. Its a Massey Ferguson 40E, an industrial model introduced during the 70s and based on the 135 (itself the direct descendant of the iconic little grey Fergie). These were built in Manchester and were specially designed for industrial and amenity customers like local authorities. This spent most of its working life in London. They were frequently used for things like mowing and hedge trimming, but were also commonly seen on building sites and roadworks before small excavators and telehandlers were common. I especially like industrial tractors because tractors are widely regarded as a farm vehicle and associated with the countryside whereas loads of them were and still are used in urban and industrial settings and never see a field or a plough. Most British manufacturers had an industrial range, these were usually painted yellow.

It has a 2.5 litre three cylinder engine developing an impressive 60hp, and 9000 hours on the clock. 

[808 Estate]

Ahh - ha. Nothing to do with vegetarians then.

[castros_bro]

I mainly like this,

Though it was in better condition before the briefcase photo, Soviet drill rig, 6 cylinder flat head with starting handle in the front, whilst on the back a diesel tractor engine with PTO as kelly drive, flat head single with pull start as donkey engine to start diesel engine., winch drum and cable to lift mast. And it all worked. And It was mine but unfortunately still in Kathmandu

[rickvw72]

Good thread, I teach at an agricultural college and we have many shite plant vehicles. At leat four old Massey Ferguson’s, Grimme harvester as above, but my favourite is this:

1989 JCB Telehandler. Still in use, this old things do much more reliable than the newer ones (not much change from 60k!)

it’s done 9000 hrs so not bad for age, Perkins phaser powered and complete with four wheel steer, four wheel drive, and a couple of ton lift. So useful.