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Reference
Section: Home-Built ATV/UTV Skidder |
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My home-built ATV/UTV
skidder trailer, for use while being towed by my ATV. If
I need to lift and move a large pole or piece of pipe, or
some other long and unwieldy item, I simply back this trailer
over the item, use the chain from the hook stowage to wrap
around the item, and attach the chain to the hook roller
while in its lowest position (nearest the drawbar hitch).
Then, all I do is slowly drive forward, which causes the
roller hook to rise on the angled tube steel beam to its
highest position (shown above), which allows me to "skid"
or drag the object to wherever I want it.
This skidder was built almost entirely from salvaged and
scavenged parts from my Grandfather's old farm, so many
of the pieces were extremely rusty but still useable. Many
parts came from an old boat trailer I also salvaged from
his farm, and the only things I had to purchase separately
were the wheels, tires, and welding rod. If I had the luxury
of being able to purchase new steel to build this, it wouldn't
look so hodge-podge with all the patchwork pieces. But other
than the wheels/tires and welding rod, I really didn't have
to purchase anything else to build this skidder. And it
works quite well! All that is left to do is add some tire
guards to the frame rails, sand-blast the rust & welding
slag off of it, and prime/paint it someday.
Follow along as I piece together this skidder trailer from
a hodge-podge of salvaged and scrap pieces of steel I recovered
around my Grandfather's farm; I needed to build this in
order to lift & move large poles & pipes so I could
expedite the cleanup of his property. Loggers have used
this prinicple for more than a hundred years to move logs
around and out of forests. How it works is that the skidder
is backed over large pipes or poles (or other large, unwieldy
objects), chain is wrapped around the object to be moved
and then attached to the rolling hook assembly. I drive
my ATV/UTV or tractor forward, which forces the rolling
hook assembly to travel up the center raising beam to its
max travel limit at the top of the upright frame...this
lifts the nose of the object upwards, making it easier to
drag or "skid" to wherever I need to move it.
This way I can move large, heavy, unwieldy objects easily
around my Grandfather's old farm, without having to use
a forklift or other large piece of equipment. |
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Silver State Specialties was created in 1999 to offer quality resin
accessories, replacement parts and conversion kits, suitable for
many 1/25-scale plastic model kits. SSS specializes in accessories
and parts for plastic model pickup, SUV, 4x4, and heavy truck &
trailer kits. 1/32-scale and 1/35-scale parts and accessories
will be available in the future for model truck kits, such as the
1/32 Monogram Snap-Tite and ERTL snap-together kits, as well as
1/35-scale Revell, Italeri, AFV Club, Trumpeter, Airfix, Heller,
Tamiya, and other military model truck kits.
Some of these smaller scale model kits are quite well detailed,
and a wide variety of photo-etched, resin, and other accessories
are widely available for most of these military truck model kits.
What's even more exciting is the line of 1/24th & 1/25th-scale
military model kits and conversions we are in the early stages of
developing, to nicely compliment your ERTL, AMT, Italeri, Revell,
and other brands of truck models.
Silver State Specialties is working on resin accessories and complete
kits for G- gauge outdoor garden railway trains ("Large Scale")
in 1/24th-scale. Some patterns have been completed, and many more
are under construction. These kits and accessories will include
complete Beyer-Garratt style of locomotives and Narrow Gauge ore
hopper cars, as well as 24-inch & 30-inch gauge industrial equipment
in this same scale.
SSS also has master patterns partially completed for many 1/16-scale
model truck accessories and conversion kits, mainly for the Monogram-Revell
1/16-scale model truck kits. Some projected accessories for
these 1/16-scale kits are front drive axles, different wheels and
tires, air cleaner accessories, pusher and tag axles, oil filters
and engine accessories, and possibly different engines. Cab
& hood conversion kits remain a possibility for these monsters
as well, but are still years away from being offered as there are
more pressing projects to push forward with first. But someday
they should be available!
Thank you for your continued support!
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