Two Get Seared In Wales
By: Buffs
Readers of this blog will be aware of the Bucket list of
items identified as being wanted to support the activities of the volunteer
workforce of the Trust. It was in pursuit of possible solutions to meet one of
these items that two WD volunteers left the safety of the East side of the
Severn and ventured deep into the heart of Wales. Their target was to be
reached through the ice carved valleys and sharpened hills of mid Wales with
breathtaking views and broad winged raptors soaring above green wooded
hillsides and yellowing meadows.
The Bucket list, so called because we need to shake a bucket
to acquire the funds to buy the items on the list, includes a heavy lift
capability for Western Depot. It is listed as a fork lift truck but further
thought has expanded this to include lifting and moving heavy items not just in
WD but across the whole SVCC estate to support both maintenance and restoration
tasks for the foreseeable future. WD has widened its scope of possible solutions
to include a class of vehicles known as mini loaders. These are a versatile
group of agile wheeled and tracked vehicles which can be fitted with a variety
of attachments for construction, grounds maintenance and agriculture.
Several different types of mini loader were on display at Builth
Wells, the home of the Royal Welsh Agricultural Show.
After a draft requirement was worked up for the two WD
volunteers they visited a number of stands at the show. The type of mini loader
which meets many of the lines of the draft requirement, including being able to
work on the towpath and not cause damage to it, is a four wheel drive
articulated machine with a hydraulic drive which supports both traction and
working equipment.
The WD volunteers left the stands with day sacs weighted
down with brochures and with a better understanding of the machines and their
utility on the canal. Now for some serious deliberation and to work up a
requirement set for a possible future purchase, either new or second hand.
The RWAS is huge with kit on display ranging from handsaws
to tractors and trailers the size of a small terraced house. We took the
opportunity to talk with grounds maintenance equipment manufacturers gained
some useful nuggets of information to add to the knowledge pool at WD.
Here is one for our logging team
