Help with an idea

[smhardesty]

There is always the Rickshaw method. Lol

LOL! Yeah, that method might be the best yet. The cost of doing ANYTHING is just out of control. When I bought my 14' trailer several years ago, I got a heck of a deal on it. It had been purchased by a farmer that wanted to put two 450 gallon tanks on it to haul water and chemicals for his spray rig. It was a 3500 pound, single axle trailer. The dealer I bought it from said the farmer made exactly ONE load trip with it and came in to trade it for a much bigger trailer. I was kind of surprised that there was no damage done to the thing, but it was still just fine. I got it for $875. Then, a simple hitch mounted on my Ford pickup for $89 (I think, but it might only have been $79) and I was in business.

Now, I'm only looking for a nice, used 5' x 8' trailer and a hitch for the car and I'm going to be in it for well over $1,000. Half as much trailer and a cheaper hitch and it'll still cost me way more than I paid for the old setup. And then a customer will grumble when I say I have to get 'X' amount of dollars for a used mower or for a repair job.

I don't question my auto mechanic when I take my car to him for something. He's damned good at what he does and has never failed to find and repair any little problems I have had. He just tells me what I owe him and I pay it. Period. I look around his shop art the tools and equipment, including that ungodly expensive diagnostic computer and I know that he is charging what he has to in order to stay in business.

But as to the rickshaw method, it might be cheaper and easier to just go push the equipment to the house. LOL!
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[CraigH]

Have you considered getting an atv/quad and a trailer?
I have an old klf 300 and a ropey old trailer for moving bits around the garden and sometimes take the quad to move a mates 17ft boat as he can't get a truck in his garage.
It's a very capable quad even if it is 30 years old. One of the newer ones would fit the bill perfectly I'd have thought if your just collecting/returning mowers?
Though I will admit, I have no idea how the laws work where you are regarding quads and trailers.

 

[smhardesty]

Have you considered getting an atv/quad and a trailer?
I have an old klf 300 and a ropey old trailer for moving bits around the garden and sometimes take the quad to move a mates 17ft boat as he can't get a truck in his garage.
It's a very capable quad even if it is 30 years old. One of the newer ones would fit the bill perfectly I'd have thought if your just collecting/returning mowers?
Though I will admit, I have no idea how the laws work where you are regarding quads and trailers.

As far as I know, quads are completely street legal inside the city limits here. Several of the towns around here have legalized quads, golf carts, mopeds, scooters, gas powered bicycles, and a few others. And yes, that idea had run around in my pea brain a couple of times. Picking up and delivering OPE here in town is my primary concern. I also have to consider the possibility of needing a trailer to go get some piece of equipment that I buy off of Facebook Marketplace or Craig's List. That is the only reason I haven't gotten serious about a quad or something similar. I'd hate to buy the quad only to realize I really need a hitch on the car to go pick up stuff I buy. I haven't done anything yet. I told my wife I may want to see how this summer goes before I buy anything. If I see I'm going to have only calls here in town, then a quad would be a serious consideration. If I get even a few calls from out of town, then I'm going to go the route of a hitch for the car and a little better trailer. I'd just hate to do something now that ends up being the wrong choice down the road.