New Beekeeping Vehicle Must Have

[Mint Bee]

I thought this was an upmarket Unimog. Turns out it is a custom-made hybrid from a sprinter van body combined with heavy-duty off-road Icelandic pick up mechanics, plus pneumatic suspension. Mainly used to take people up to and around the glaciers but will pretty much go anywhere. Cost - 'expensive'

 

[Sutty]

I saw loads of these "built up" vehicles in Iceland when I walked across it all a few years ago, the sprinter was one of the most memorable, seeing a vehicle with massive wheels barrelling towards you and then seeing it started life as a sprinter van - amazing!
Got to love the Icelanders! Great people

 

[polomadh]

I just saw the latest Merc electric Gwagon starts at £180K.

The Mercedes G-Class Electric is spacious, great to drive around town and fantastic off road – but it is very expensive and can’t tow

Seriously?

 

[Gilberdyke John]

View attachment 41396
I thought this was an upmarket Unimog. Turns out it is a custom-made hybrid from a sprinter van body combined with heavy-duty off-road Icelandic pick up mechanics, plus pneumatic suspension. Mainly used to take people up to and around the glaciers but will pretty much go anywhere. Cost - 'expensive'

Everything in Iceland seems expensive. Especially when food is demanded. My Icelandic horses used to come and stare through the blinds in the kitchen window at tea time.

 

[Newbeeneil]

Everything in Iceland seems expensive. Especially when food is demanded. My Icelandic horses used to come and stare through the blinds in the kitchen window at tea time.

Beautiful country but the only cheap things in Iceland are fish and energy!

 

[JamezF]

Most cars/vans seem to be hideously expensive these days, never mind specially modified ones. Our Octavia is in its death throes and we need to replace it fairly urgently thanks in part to me putting off buying another vehicle for as long as possible, but the prices of used cars are crazy compared with when we bought the Skoda ten years ago. And if you buy an "old banger" you still lose out because the insurance on cars 15+ years old seems to be noticeably more than newer ones, I assume because the drivers are considered more likely to be involved in an accident.

James

 

[Hedgerow Honey]

We are looking at possibilities for another vehicle as hopefully we should have a full time beekeeper with us soon.
The very shortlist is a hilux with dropside body,
Or the equivalent Ford.
My favoured option is, a local company modify land rover to accept the BMW M57 engine, this is my favoured option for our 110 and a dropside fitted at the same time.
This would give us a reasonable useful truck with an auto box. It is not a cheap option as the cost is equivalent to the new Hilux, but in twenty years the landy should be worth a lot more than the Hilux.

 

[mbc]

I've been looking at these

 

[Murox]

We are looking at possibilities for another vehicle as hopefully we should have a full time beekeeper with us soon.
The very shortlist is a hilux with dropside body,
Or the equivalent Ford.
My favoured option is, a local company modify land rover to accept the BMW M57 engine, this is my favoured option for our 110 and a dropside fitted at the same time.
This would give us a reasonable useful truck with an auto box. It is not a cheap option as the cost is equivalent to the new Hilux, but in twenty years the landy should be worth a lot more than the Hilux.

That's a lot of money to create a "unique" vehicle with a decent engine , if you can live with the know emissions related problems of the M57. The Japanese make excellent engines, if was going to spend that amount on a vehicle I would want it to be rock solid all round, is your 110 ?

 

[Swarm]

I've been looking at theseView attachment 41401

Nice looking little truck.

 

[JamezF]

Someone locally has an original shape Mini pickup. That would be quite fun. My parents used to have one when I was knee-high to a grasshopper. Bet they're not cheap these days though.

James

 

[Antipodes]

The Japanese make excellent engines

Yep....

 

[JamezF]

Or there's one of these:



Allegedly horrible to drive, is restricted to 30mph, and I think doesn't even require a full car licence. I believe they come with either a 400cc or 500cc two-cylinder diseasel engine that doubles as a driver's seat heater.

James

 

[Murox]

Or there's one of these:

View attachment 41402

Allegedly horrible to drive, is restricted to 30mph, and I think doesn't even require a full car licence. I believe they come with either a 400cc or 500cc two-cylinder diseasel engine that doubles as a driver's seat heater.

James

Very reminiscent of the lambretta 3 wheelers I used back in the '70s.

 

[Hedgerow Honey]

That's a lot of money to create a "unique" vehicle with a decent engine , if you can live with the know emissions related problems of the M57. The Japanese make excellent engines, if was going to spend that amount on a vehicle I would want it to be rock solid all round, is your 110 ?

These guys completely rebuild the M57 to rectify the issues that engine has & due to the landy age can delete the cat etc.
110 is ex raf & solid, the cost also covers making it habital and air diffs etc.
I'm not convinced in either direction yet.
A new tri axle Ifor Williams with fitted Apilifter has been mentioned, but need to check payloads etc.

 

[enrico]

The Citroen 2 CV was designed for any use. Had two in my lifetime and would buy another if available.

 

[JamezF]

The Citroen 2 CV was designed for any use. Had two in my lifetime and would buy another if available.

There was a 4x4 version up for auction earlier this year I think, one engine for the front wheels and another for the rears. I can't recall what the donor vehicle for the engines was, but I seem to recall the car ended up with well over 100bhp.

My wife had several in her teens and early 20s, including when she was living in France, and says she would like to have another whenever we see one that is occasionally on the roads around here. I suspect that were she to actually drive one now, having got used to air con, electric windows, power steering and similar toys, she might change her mind fairly quickly

James

 

[JamezF]

There was a 4x4 version up for auction earlier this year

Here it is when it was offered two years ago:

https://collectingcars.com/for-sale/1974-citro-n-2cv-rally-4x4

James

 

[Hedgerow Honey]

There was a 4x4 version up for auction earlier this year I think, one engine for the front wheels and another for the rears. I can't recall what the donor vehicle for the engines was, but I seem to recall the car ended up with well over 100bhp.

My wife had several in her teens and early 20s, including when she was living in France, and says she would like to have another whenever we see one that is occasionally on the roads around here. I suspect that were she to actually drive one now, having got used to air con, electric windows, power steering and similar toys, she might change her mind fairly quickly

James

In a previous life I spent a lot of time at Santa Pod & York raceway. A friend of mine ran a street rod which I helped with.
Anyway, there was a three wheel Reliant fitted with a 2.4 turbo pinto plus nitro, all road legal.
To put it midly, there was not much quicker at the time, but corners were somewhat hairy.

 

[JamezF]

I'm now reminded that decades ago I went to a race circuit, possibly Mallory Park, where they were running a single make 2CV race as one of the "warm up" events. I nearly died laughing. Watching 2CVs barrelling into quite a fierce hairpin with at most three wheels on the tarmac, clearly being raced with a significant amount of commitment, was absolutely surreal.

James