ARBORISTS TAKE ON THE PIONEER 520
When family means business
For Joe, Leon and Ethan Hottinger, climbing trees and spending all their time outdoors didn’t stop after childhood. The three brothers have now been specialist arborists for over 10 years, and together they make up the Trinity Tree Arborcare team.
Tree maintenance goes hand in hand with the need for a compact yet powerful machine that's capable of carrying equipment around, and moving easily over tough terrain.
With an upcoming job that involved felling a dead tree that was no longer safe, we loaned the brothers our Pioneer 520 for the day, and asked them to put it to the test.
ClimBing To the top
Although the Hottinger brothers run their own business in Milton Keynes, they are often called upon by other arboriculture businesses across the country when a job requires some serious climbing expertise. Each of them is a highly experienced climber with a national diploma in arboriculture.
“When the job involves climbing, then at least two of our team work together for safety so that there is always someone able to perform a rescue and call for help if an accident occurs, so we need something capable of carrying two people.”
Sounds like a job for the Pioneer 520. UTVs are usually associated with farming and estate management, but this versatile machine is an ideal choice for most professions that take you off the beaten track. Arborists and tree surgeons often find themselves needing to transport heavy equipment and more than one person, to and from work sites that are inaccessible to other types of vehicles
“We had the opportunity to try Honda’s new Pioneer 520. Like other UTVs it has a rear load bed and a second seat for a passenger.”
It’s crunch time
On the day, the brothers joined forces with the Canopy Climbing Collective and The Tree Expert Bedford, to fell a dead willow tree that was high risk and unstable.
“We lose a lot of time walking between the vans and work areas, and it’s tiring carrying the equipment long distances.”
When working across large sites and restricted routes, the Pioneer 520 really proves itself as the perfect all-rounder. At just 1270mm wide and weighing only 483kg, it can weave around trees easily with power and agility, thanks to its fully independent suspension.
When the going gets tough
The Pioneer may be petite in size, but you’ll soon realise that looks can be deceiving. This powerful piece of kit comes equipped with a 518cc engine, and can carry an impressive 204kg in its rear load tilt bed.
For tree surgeons and arborists like Joe, Leon and Ethan, these features are invaluable. The team tested the UTV’s strength by packing up the tilt bed with harnesses, heavy equipment and logs throughout the day.
“It saved a lot of time transporting people and kit from the van to the work area, then it carried wood to the van during the day and then returned all our equipment. The rear load area isn’t huge, but with the addition of the trailer and its quick travel speed, we cleared work areas quickly.”
The crew also found that the tipping bed helped shave time and hard labour off their work day. With a strut-assist and tailgate that opens flat, unloading this UTV becomes effortless.
“Even fully loaded it tipped easily and saved time as we didn’t have to unload the wood by hand. We don’t often stack cut wood but leave it in piles, and with the load bed tipped there is still plenty of space under the tailgate so it empties completely.”
Say ‘timber’!
The Pioneer also had another trick up its sleeve for Trinity Tree Arborcare. Prior to sending them the vehicle, we attached a front winch to assist them on their job.
“Having the winch was a big advantage. As well as using it to handle wood, knowing it was available to help recover the machinery we used if it ever became stuck, was reassuring.”
Once the willow tree was cut, the team used the winch to ensure the tree fell easily and safely in the intended direction. It was then used to pull the felled timber into a different area, ready to be cut into manageable sections, and loaded onto the tilt bed.
What’s the verdict?
“One of the biggest problems we face when working in UK woodland is that it is often dense with limited space between trees for access. This has a major effect on the time it takes to complete jobs and so it is also a big factor in what we have to charge for the work.”
“The Pioneer 520 is a real game-changer. It can travel almost anywhere without making a mess. The purchase price is reasonable and the running costs are low. It’s an ideal size for operating in and around woodland and it carries two people and a load with ease. Running on petrol rather than diesel it is smooth and has plenty of power, and we all found it easy and enjoyable to use.”
Thank you to Trinity Tree Arborcare for testing the Honda Pioneer 520 and taking us along for the ride.
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