Saturday, March 30, 2024

Tuatara built for Kiwi conditions

Neal Wallace
A New Zealand-designed side-by-side farm vehicle could be a replacement for those concerned about the safety of quad bikes on farms.
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Jeff Hill of Lifestyle Tractors and Machinery from Christchurch wanted to design a utility terrain vehicle suited to farming and the New Zealand terrain and the result was the Tuatara.

Salesman Jesse Saunders of Winton said the Tuatara, on display at the Southern Field Days near Gore, was variously compared to the Trekka, a NZ-designed farm truck built from 1966 to 1973, a Land Rover and a scaled-down version of the Hummer used by the United States military.

The all-steel structured Tuatara was made in response to heightened health and safety concerns with quad bikes on farms, with many farmers replacing them with side-by-side machines.

The running gear was built in China and the fit-out finished in Christchurch.

Available in two or four-wheel-drive, the Tuatara weighs 975kg, is powered by an 1100cc car motor, has a top speed of 60kmh and can carry 500kg. It can be registered for use on the road.

“We’re not pretty, we’re made for work,” he said.

It has steel trays at the front and back. As well as farmers, fencing and spray contractors, pest operators and powerline companies have all looked at buying the Tuatara.

It costs $24,000 and Saunders said there is a dealer network throughout the country.

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