With his mini truck-mounted Tree Chopper, Steve Walnofer can cut young cedars in comfort. The Tree Chopper, which uses no hydraulics and has no moving parts, was designed to be mounted to an ATV. Not surprisingly, the farmer and mini truck dealer prefers to use his 1995 Mitsubishi (see Vol. 28, No. 6).

"It's got a heater and radio and a good seat with a full back," he says. "Also, with a mini truck, you have 1,500 lbs. or more pushing power and a stronger frame, a steering wheel, foot pedal and gears. If you want more traction, you can even put ATV tires on it."

To mount the Tree Chopper, Walnofer designed his own frame mount. He started with the cross frame about 3 ft. back from the front end and bolted the long end of an L-shaped steel plate to butt up against it.

Walnofer then welded small pieces of iron with holes drilled for bolts to each of the tow hook supports on the front end. He also welded nuts in the ends of a section of 2 by 2-in. steel tubing that was long enough to fit between the tow hook supports. Bolts through the support irons secured the 2 by 2 in place.

Walnofer then ran two more lengths of 2 by 2 from the L-shaped steel plate on the truck frame to the front. He bolted them to the plate and welded them to the tow hook-supported tube in front.

"The two 2 by 2's tied the mid frame support with the front-end support," explains Walnofer. "Then I welded a 2-in. receiver hitch to the front end support where the tubes were welded."

The Tree Chopper ATV connection consists of a steel plate and four clamps that connect to the frame. To adapt it to the receiver hitch, Walnofer removed the clamps and bolted a length of 2 by 2 to the plate.

"To hook it up, I simply slide the 2 by 2 into the receiver hitch and it floats along at ground level," explains Walnofer. "I can take two bolts out, replace the clamps and use it on an ATV again."