Travels with Terry

Homemade chipper box

This 2008 Ford F350 dump truck was fitted with a homemade “chipper box” that is easily removed when switching from tree work to snow plowing. It measures 81⁄2 feet in length by 82 feet by 6 feet and is built with pressure treated 2x4 secured together with 3-inch deck screws. Four-inch and 6½-inch carriage bolts with flat and lock washers are used at the four corners to attach the frame together and the box to the truck bed. Nineteen-gauge PVC coated hardware cloth was attached on the sides and top (with overlaps in the corners and on top secured with zip-ties) with ¾-inch-by-1-inch fence staples, to keep the wood chips from scattering outside the chipper box. Two additional 2x4 were installed perpendicular to the three top braces on top so the box can be removed with a fork lift or it is light enough that 2-3 employees can lift it on and off. A 5⁄8-inch thick 29-inch-by-79-inch plywood sheet was fitted in the front inside of the box to keep the wood chips from damaging the truck cab. A red-colored Rust-Oleum oil-based paint was used to match the truck color. The tailgate can be fully closed with the box in place and the dump body can be fully extended when dumping the wood chips. The materials cost about $220 and it took about 20 labor hours to build. Kyle DeNuys, assistant superintendent, at the North Jersey Country Club in Wayne, N.J., designed and built the box. Tyler Otero is the superintendent and Simon Quinoa is the equipment technician.

Modified hitch pin

The hitches were modified on the mower trailers because the pins were being lost. A ¼-inch thick piece of 2-inch-by-8-inch steel, bent in two places, was welded to the existing trailer hitch frame. A 6-inch by 5⁄8-inch diameter lynch pin was installed with a spring and flat washer and is held in place with a cotter pin and the flat piece of steel. An employee simply lifts the pin and hooks the trailer to the tow vehicle and the pin falls securely in place with the spring. Materials cost about $16 and it took about 30 minutes to build and paint. Bill Brousseau is the director of golf course maintenance, Steve Judd, superintendent of the Golf Village, and Blair Kirby, superintendent of the East Course, John Lombardi is the equipment manager and Clay Bormuth is the assistant technician of The Club at Admirals Cove in Jupiter, Fla., a 45-hole venue.