"I built it because I wanted to free up a tractor. It's a cheap source of power," says Roger Nikolai, Loyal, Wis., about the portable power unit he built for both pto and hydraulic work. The self-contained unit can be used on a pickup, trailer, or even as a stand-alone unit.

It has its own engine so no modification of the pickup is required. It mounts on vibration-free rubber skids and simply anchors itself in the pickup's stake pockets. A throttle controls engine speed which in turn controls pto speed, and a lever puts the pto in and out of gear.

Several models are available from 6 1/2 to 24 hp and they come with or without hydraulics. They can operate any hydraulic or low power pto equipment such as self-unloading forage wagons, fertilizer spreaders, power gravity boxes, manure pumps, hay or grain elevators, wood splitters, hay rakes and small augers. Models sell depending on design and horsepower.

"It's an entirely new concept because it doesn't operate off the pickup or interfere with it in any way," says Nikolai. "The big advantage is that you can get around faster with a pickup than using a tractor. Models equipped with hydraulics have pressure and flow rates comparable to most 80 to 100 hp tractors."

The engine belt-drives the pto and uses a chain-driven gear reduction system. Models with hydraulic capability have remote outlets and are equipped with a direct-drive hydraulic pump that operates independently from the pto.

The smaller units can be lifted by two people. Larger models may require use of a loader.

"It works better than anything else on the market. A lot of people want a pto in back of their pickup, but they don't want to tear their truck apart to do it," says Nikolai. "The whole idea for this started five years ago when I wanted to use my ATV to rake hay. I started with a 5 hp Briggs & Stratton engine which I mounted on a small metal frame with wheels. But once I started building it, I wondered if I could make something to put in my pickup and use to operate a self-unloading forage wagon. I was able to haul loads from fields five miles away to our farm and unload into a silo blower. I pulled up to the blower with the pickup and unloaded the wagon, then went back down the road at highway speeds. It eliminated the need to switch back and forth between tractors and pickups all the time."

Nikolai says he has taken the unit to several farm shows where people often come up with new uses. "One farmer said he might use it every day with a self-unloading feed wagon to feed his cattle on a farm two miles away. He would save time by driving at highway speeds. Another farmer said the hydraulics could be used to operate a big bi-fold hay rake without the need for a tractor. The hydraulics could also be used to load seed and fertilizer into a planter."