READY for the ROAD!

Christopher Serju, Gleaner Writer

Veril 'Bigga' Chambers has a dream. He hopes one day his 'off-road utility vehicle' will be allowed to share the same thoroughfare as the 'big boys'.

A pipe dream? Well, not for this man who hails from Summerfield,
Clarendon.

The 64-year-old has converted a two-wheel Nibbi walk-behind
tractor head into a fully operational vehicle by adding an open body at the
back.

"It originally 'come down' with a plough and harrow to plough the
land, so that we could put in crops," he said. "But I use it as a tractor
trailer. Is somebody first I see do that ... now plenty of them are around
here."

Chambers' utility vehicle has no ignition switch, pedal controls,
no headlights or seatbelts. Instead, the pull-start vehicle uses a
hand-controlled clutch and accelerator similar to that of a motorcycle.

"It has four forward gears and a reverse gear," he said proudly.

When Automotives caught up with Chambers in Summerfield
recently, he was getting set for his journey to the neighbouring district of
Morgan's Pass. The four-mile trek would be considerably reduced to a mile and a
half, as Chambers had plans to take a short cut to his destination, by
travelling on the bumpy and unpaved cane roads in the parish. But, most
important, he was confident about the reliability of his vehicular 'creation'
and that it would take him safely on his journey.

Chambers - who makes a living cutting wood and burning coal -
added an open body to the hand-held tractor to enable him to carry tools of his
trade, as well as agricultural produce.

"I use it [the vehicle] to draw my little coal wood. I draw my
little board and plank and carry my saw up and down. It's a big help," he said.

non-mechanical limitations

However, he confessed to experiencing 'serious' non-mechanical
limitations with his modified vehicle, which often hinder his movements.

"The main thing, though, is that I would really love to get it
licensed to travel on the road because some places I really want to go I can't,
because of the police," he said.

Chambers said while he has had a few run-ins with the lawmen, he
has never been prosecuted. He, however, would wish to legitimise the vehicle's
roadworthiness and would appreciate the Road Traffic Authority's input in
addressing his major concern.

"I want you to help me to get them to license it, because I want
to be the first one licensed to drive such a vehicle on the road," was his plea
to Automotives before driving off into the
sunset.