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gromit
24th January 2025, 05:05 PM
I collected a Trewhella Monkey Grubber (Monkey Winch) last night.

It's complete with snatch block, rope grab (shortener), root hook and cables.
Used for pulling out tree stumps.

I went to collect it at the weekend and couldn't lift the winch, had to go back with an engine crane in my trailer !

Not sure what I'll do with it once I've cleaned it up but couldn't turn it down.

Trewhella catalogue here https://www.htpaa.org.au/images/pdfs/Trewhella_Grubbers_and_Jacks_etc_catalogue-1927.pdf
There are a couple of videos on YouTube showing one being used.


Colin

Mitch Shipman
21st September 2025, 06:17 AM
Hey Colin, would you be interested in selling the winch? I’ve been trying to find one for ages. Cheers

RANDLOVER
21st September 2025, 08:08 AM
The catalogue is very interesting, the Monkey and Wallaby jacks seem to be the forerunner of the farm jack or hi-lift jack as it is known today.

gromit
21st September 2025, 08:16 PM
Hey Colin, would you be interested in selling the winch? I’ve been trying to find one for ages. Cheers

No plans to sell it.....yet.
It would be a PITA to ship due to the weight, I used an engine crane to lift it into & out of the trailer !

I've found several advertised locally but typically not complete.
A lot of the cables had broken/rusted strands so I scrapped them. Kept the end hooks etc.


Colin

gromit
21st September 2025, 08:21 PM
The catalogue is very interesting, the Monkey and Wallaby grubbers seem to be the forerunner of the farm jack or hi-lift jack as it is known today.

The Monkey & Wallaby Jacks are similar to a Hi-Lift.
Grubbers are winches.

Colin

RANDLOVER
21st September 2025, 11:22 PM
Thanks I've edited my erroneous post.

Hi-lift or farm jacks are very useful and not just on cars, I have used mine to push a fence extension that collapsed under the weight of a creeper back into position and to get in and out of my garage when the counterweight spring broke. I also used it to get the neighbour's trailer wheel out of the hole it sunk into. Today I could've used it to help a guy lift a trailer onto a towbar it had fallen off of, but luckily there were three of us to help him. If my brother and I hadn't come along his mate was going to use a car jack, but I think that would have been a case a jacking and packing a few times to get it up to Pajero tow ball height.

123rover50
22nd September 2025, 04:34 AM
The Monkey & Wallaby Jacks are similar to a Hi-Lift.
Grubbers are winches.

Colin

Would they be similar to the Tirfor 16 I used to carry around in the camper back in the day? I still have and use it around the farm.
Tirfor TU 16 Winch - Honey Brothers (https://honeybros.com/shop/rigging/tirfor-tu-16-winch/?srsltid=AfmBOoopHUQkSdq-s8lBQuwWySKWkWw4kekYnR_RB5Hq4vlWUyUZ4JcZ)

Keith

V8Ian
22nd September 2025, 05:23 AM
Tirfor was simple, slow but reliable as long as you had a few spare sheer pins.

gromit
22nd September 2025, 06:51 AM
Would they be similar to the Tirfor 16 I used to carry around in the camper back in the day? I still have and use it around the farm.
Tirfor TU 16 Winch - Honey Brothers (https://honeybros.com/shop/rigging/tirfor-tu-16-winch/?srsltid=AfmBOoopHUQkSdq-s8lBQuwWySKWkWw4kekYnR_RB5Hq4vlWUyUZ4JcZ)

Keith

Hi Keith,
Nothing like a Tirfor, the Grubbers were made for pulling out tree stumps.
You could carry one but you'd need a couple of strong men to lift it out of the vehicle.

Click on the link in the first post.


Colin

Lionelgee
22nd September 2025, 08:07 AM
Hello All,

I bought a Wallaby Jack off a local sugar cane farmer. They were used in the industry to right sugar cane tram bins when they had come off the cane rails and turned over. Or just to put the bin wheels back on the track if they had merely derailed without rolling over.

It is important to count one's fingers to make sure they are all still there after using these old jacks. I have not checked to see what brand my jack is.

Larger versions that had a greater lifting capacity were called Kangaroo jacks.

Kind regards
Lionel

Mitch Shipman
22nd September 2025, 05:06 PM
No plans to sell it.....yet.
It would be a PITA to ship due to the weight, I used an engine crane to lift it into & out of the trailer !

I've found several advertised locally but typically not complete.
A lot of the cables had broken/rusted strands so I scrapped them. Kept the end hooks etc.


Colin

No worries. If you ever decide to sell it give me a shout and ill buy it. Cheers!