It’s cheaper than an ATV, has greater output and is vastly more comfortable to operate.

Warwickshire contractor Joe Forrester put this outfit together in response to the demand from farmers to have slug pellets spread quickly on their crops when slug damage was first noticed.

“I purchased the pick-up – a 2.4 litre diesel Toyota Hilux – on eBay and paid £1500 for it,” he said. “It had about 115,000 miles on the clock but it ran very well and was ideal for what I wanted.”

Mr Forrester then set about sorting out the running gear by fitting large 36 x 15.50 R15 flotation tyres, a size which meant the chassis had to be raised by 15cm (6in) to allow space for the larger wheels and the suspension to operate.

“The wheels and tyres, at £1800, cost more than the truck running on them,” he points out but adds that, come the day when he needs to change trucks, he can put the wheels on the new vehicle.

At the business end, he fitted a Stocks Fanjet 36 spreading system, two hoppers and electrically driven spinners which can spread pellets at a rate of 5kg/ha to a width of 36m. A GPS guidance system keeps the truck on course when spreading.

“Working at a speed of 16kph, I reckon to get over about 120 acres an hour in a reasonably sized field,” he says. “The seat is comfortable, there’s a heater, a good radio to listen to and when I’ve finished work I can drive it home without having to worry about securing an ATV, so it’s still there in the morning.”

On its first outing last autumn Mr Forrester reports he spread slug pellets on about 2000ha (5000 acres) for which he charged a flat rate of £1.50/acre.