Agri-Fab or Polar Mesh?

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D8Chumley

D8Chumley

Minister of Fire
Jun 25, 2013
1,885
Collegeville PA
Looking at a trailer for getting into the woods when the leaves fall, have a bunch of trees down after the derecho a month-ish ago. I’m looking at these 2, price difference is negligible. Got some money from homeowners because I had to cut up several trees to get into the driveway so I’m going to treat myself . Both these have decent reviews but I want to hear from guys that use it like I’m gonna. I was kinda leaning towards the Agri-fab just for the ground clearance but it’s not a deal breaker. I’ll be pulling it behind my Honda Rincon 650
[Hearth.com] Agri-Fab or Polar Mesh?[Hearth.com] Agri-Fab or Polar Mesh?
 
I've looked at those as well since my 11-year old Agri-Fab trailer is nearing the end of it's life (and they discontinued the model I have). I've had overall good luck with the Agri-Fab, and have hauled countless cords of wood over the years with it, but am leaning towards a Polar trailer for my next one (they just seem to be better built). A friend picked up one of the Polar mesh trailers earlier this year and has hauled a lot of wood with it (behind a Suzuki ATV). He's had that thing loaded with a lot of rounds and it was no problem. He swears by that thing now. Of course it's not great for hauling loose items (gravel, soil, etc.) so that's a downside. One thing to check is the overall width of the trailer. To get the ground clearance, some of those trailers stick the wheels outside the cart, so if you're snaking it between trees in the woods that could be a problem. I'm considering the dual axle pictured below but it may be too wide for my needs.

(broken link removed)
 
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That tandem is nice but more than I need. I’ll be working the blowdowns at my own pace as I’m 3-4 years ahead now so no rush. I usually drag my splitter to where I’ve cut, split and throw them right into the trailer. Then haul them and stack them
I’m not sure on the poly tub, and still not sure about the expanded metal either. I won’t be hauling anything that would fall through the bottom, I have an M101 I pull behind my truck if needed. I could also throw a piece of plywood on the floor of the Polar if need be. This will just be a wood hauler, those storms knocked down a bunch of trees in my woods around the house, it’s a pretty decent swath so maneuvering won’t be an issue. It would be nice if they had each of them together and on display so I could kick the tires. I have an old Bantam trailer I used to drag behind the quad but a tree fell on it and the garage. It needs a little fixin up so I figured this would be a good time to upgrade I was hoping one of y’all had one you could recommend over the other. Thanks for the input
 
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[Hearth.com] Agri-Fab or Polar Mesh?

my vote
 
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(broken link removed to https://ohiosteel.com/project/12-5-cu-ft-poly-dump-cart-4048p/) This is the model I have and it has been flat abused! I had reservations about a poly cart but no more and I will not own another mesh cart...they rust out and the mesh pops loose at the welds...over and over again...got tired of rewelding this crap..my ohio steel cart is 6 years old and does got any special treatment and is left outside year around...I cant not tell you how much firewood this thing has hauled....its many,many cords...you cant overload it no matter how hard you try...I added side boards to mine as I usually go in deep to get wood and haul it back to load my tandem dump trailer....the frame is very stout...the tub is replaceable...I dont for see replacing mine anytime soon as it is still in excellent shape with no cracks but plenty of scratches! lol I pull it behind my 2004 Arctic Cat 400 with no problems..
 
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Well, it happened. Stopped at TSC on the way home from gun shopping last night. Can’t find a Sig P365 anywhere around here! Anyway, they had several out front assembled but we were in her car. Went and grabbed some breakfast this morning and hit TSC right after they opened with my truck. Ohio Steel 4048P-HYB ATV cart $349.99 American plus tax, and of course I had to grab a few smaller loads and haul them to this stack. Seems pretty sturdy like Tar12 said, I like the greasable wheel bearings although I need to get some 45* zerks from one of our mechanics tomorrow I can’t get my grease gun tip on the ones on it now, and it’s made in USA!
[Hearth.com] Agri-Fab or Polar Mesh?
 
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Chumley....you will like that cart! I started off with smaller loads as well....now I run side boards and stack it in as deep as I can get it!...your model what not available when I got mine or I would have got it instead! We do deer depredation control on 6k acres and use this cart year around...you can stack 5 in it with a ratchet strap! lol I have a ball style hitch on my Arctic Cat and swapped my cart over. Still running the original tires! My grease gun worked on my zerks....wonder if they went metric on you? I put aluminum angle on the front corners to keep everythng rigid and I used steel angle brackets for the rear to keep the treated wood from splitting...so far it has held up extremely well...
[Hearth.com] Agri-Fab or Polar Mesh?
[Hearth.com] Agri-Fab or Polar Mesh?
 
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Mine has some kinda hybrid hoop/pin hitch that fits over the 2” ball on my Honda and it has a pin for use without a hitch. Kinda slick and it works. Saved me from buying the 2” adapter like you have on yours. I’m sure when I get into the meat and potatoes of the blow downs this fall I’ll be putting it to the test!
It wasn't the zerk itself, I have a heavy duty tip on my grease gun from when I was still an operator ( I’m a foreman now) and a heavy duty hose made by one of the mechanics where I work out of hydraulic line so it has a crimped end where the threads are. It made it too long, the rigid end plus the tip, to get into the web of the wheel onto the zerk straight enough to pump it up. 45* fittings installed and bearings are greased
 
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I use mine a lot cutting up tops from logging operations....if I get in to tight I just drop the trailer as it is light enough to move around with ease and hook it back up and away we go...
 
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D8Chumley said:
Mine has some kinda hybrid hoop/pin hitch that fits over the 2” ball on my Honda and it has a pin for use without a hitch. Kinda slick and it works. Saved me from buying the 2” adapter like you have on yours. I’m sure when I get into the meat and potatoes of the blow downs this fall I’ll be putting it to the test!
It wasn't the zerk itself, I have a heavy duty tip on my grease gun from when I was still an operator ( I’m a foreman now) and a heavy duty hose made by one of the mechanics where I work out of hydraulic line so it has a crimped end where the threads are. It made it too long, the rigid end plus the tip, to get into the web of the wheel onto the zerk straight enough to pump it up. 45* fittings installed and bearings are greased
Click to expand...
Cheep bastard by a normal grease gun with the flex hose.. ;)
 
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[Hearth.com] Agri-Fab or Polar Mesh?
Good one Sean! I’ve had this hose on several grease guns, it’s probably 15 years old and just doesn’t have any quit in it like the cheap ones that come with the guns today
 
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