Ongrizinal Lorry Low-Loader

1-tonne tipper lorry is a very useful machine for a urban landscaper like myself, working within a township.  It is easy to maneuver, cheap to maintain and very fuel economic too.   Yet, it still has limitation.

I hope it have a detachable trailer.  The trailer should not be too high from ground level, light yet durable, and can easily fit into lorry’s back carriage ( to carry to other sites ).

But, in reality, it don’t have a trailer.  Can’t even find one in the market!  So, I improvised.

First, I put 2 holes on one end of a 4’ x 8’ x 12mm plywood, 

then pass a rope through the holes. 

The plywood is place on ground and cow grass is unloaded onto it, 

from supplier’s 10-tonne tipper lorry.  

If the trailer is too high from the ground, 

unloading from 10-tonne tipper lorry would be a hassle, 

maybe even impossible.

Previously, the grass was unloaded on ground,  

and workers had to manually uploaded them onto 1-tonne lorry, 

to send to designated planting areas.  

The double-handling was a waste of time and energy.

Then the rope is then secured to the rear of 1-tonne lorry.

As the lorry pull the plywood, 

workers unload the grass on designated areas.   

It is a bit hard to pull due to the friction and the weight of the grass.

The plywood will surely damaged after the task. 

If only the plywood is attached to a metal frame with wheels.

A whole-day task completed in 2 hours !   

Jewels of Sg Chiling Fish Sanctuary

Sg Chiling Fish Sanctuary is located in Sg Chiling Recreational Forest, Hulu Selangor.  It is accessible by road en-route from Kuala Kubu Bahru to Frasher’s Hill.  Sg Chiling is  gazette under Forestry Department, yet managed by the Fishery Department.

Tor tambroides

As the name suggested, Sg Chiling is a safe-heaven for Malayan mahseer ( Tor tambroides ), locally known as kelah.  Here, the kelah are mostly juvenile, swimming upstream against the rapid.  In the market, kelah fetches very handsomely, due to scarcity and its fine texture.   Its population is critically endangered due to overfishing, habitat loss, and pollution.

Kelah lives in rivers and lakes, ascending to rapid stream for breeding.  They are omnivores, eating small crustaceans, insects, frogs, and also fruits and algae.

Trogonoptera brookiana

It is not difficult to spot a Rajah Brooke's Birdwing butterfly here, at least once throughout the journey.   Yet impossible to photograph.


Rajah Brooke’s Birdwing butterfly ( Trogonoptera brookiana ) is named by Alfred R. Wallace in 1855, after James Brooke, the first White Rajah of Sarawak.   Rajah Brooke’s Birdwing is  a protected insects in Peninsular Malaysia ( Protection of Wildlife Act, 1972 ( Act 76 ) ), Sarawak ( Wildlife Protection Ordinance, 1998 ( Chapter 26 ) ), and Sabah ( Wildlife Conservation Enactment , 1997 ).

Nepenthes ampullaria

Nepenthes gracilis

Nepenthes are found along the trail, thriving where sunlight are more abundant, especially right after the suspension bridge, long before the first river crossing.  There are two types of Nepenthes I spotted along the way, perhaps more.  N. gracilis is a common type, a climber with a slender green cups among the paku resam ( Gleichenia linearis ).   N. ampullaria has a smaller, shorter cups with red-brown spot, with cups grow closely together on the ground, hidden beneath the shrubs, thus more difficult to spot.


Nepenthes are popularly known as pitcher plants, monkey cup, or periuk kera in Malay.  They are a genus of carnivorous plants in the monotypic family Nepenthaceae.  Nepenthes are native to the Malay Archipelago.

All Nepenthes are protected in Sarawak ( Wildlife Protection Ordinance, 1998 ( Chapter 26 ) ), and Sabah ( Wildlife Conservation Enactment , 1997 ).