TR8 woes.

[topchippyles]

They must mostly be fine or how the hell would they still be in business ? 

[Khriss]

28 minutes ago, Stubby said:

They need a revamp of their QC .  Or maybe they don't have any at all ?

Might need a proper  QC  if summat clouts a bloke   😕   ( as in Queens Counsel)   saddening to hear all this, have used most brands n models n Bandit n TP  only ones that stood out on build quality, others were variable and built ' to a price'  and it showed  😐  K

[lux]

I think that part of it is that when folk buy a new machine,they don't want to admit it might be absolute pants.
 
So they put up with the problems untill they are finally ironed out,or they get rid of it and not talk to much as to not look the fool.
 
Forst used to offer 3 year warranty, then reduced it to two.
 
Some gear you just can't economize materials extensively .Woodchippers should be built to a standard, not a price point .

I’m not fussed about admitting it’s poor quality. I’m hugely disappointed with it. I really feel this model with the new engine was probably pushed to market too soon to cover the sales potential of its closest rival the tracked tw280 sliding off the market. On paper the TR8 is bang for buck one of the best 8” chipper packages available. It’s not living up to its company logo of ‘rely on it’ in any way though.

I like to think I can be quite reasonable in these situations. If forst are committed to quality and building their reputation as a market leader I’d happily stay with the product and have a 2 way process with them feeding back , making improvements/ modifications that we have encountered if it means my capital investment results in a better machine in my company.

If they had 2/3 firms doing this they’d iron a lot of issues quickly. They must be haemorrhaging money on warranty fixes and sending out engineers to site up and down the country. That’s got to batter the profitability of the sale of machines massively.

[lux]

Does anyone who uses these machines find them good is the question or is it just a certain model

4/5 years ago people raves about them. These people are out of their warranties now .....

[lux]

To be fair the problems your having ain't a patch on what I had!
Yours are definitely annoying don't get me wrong.
Sheered of feed roller motors resulting in pipes ripping off and bending shafts X 2
Spout wearing through
Accel mounts cracking
Hopper weld's cracking
Stop bar falling off like yours
Bonnets cracking and hinge's shearing off, got to site and was only gas struts holding it on
Final straw was chip chamber cracking open and as much chip coming out the bottom as out the spout.
Fair comment every time we had a problem it was sorted but down time was definitely becoming a issue.
In the end they told it back and completely referbed it which took nearly a month and 2 lone chipper's also broke down. so I had a brand new chipper with a 200hr engine and chip disk in it but by that point I'd lost faith in the machine so invested in a bandit.
Took me way to long to shift the st8 and made a massive loss on it just to clear the remaining finance and fuel left in the tank!

I still find it such a shame that if they put as much effort into sorting out some stupidly simple engineering falts and just spent a little more on longer weld's and final finished it wouldn't add that much to the cost of making the machine and they could truly have a size class flagship machine as hell they can be a productive machine with fantastic feed potential.

That’s some list

It’s not just forst.


Wasn’t so long ago Timberwolf were recalling their tw230 with cracked chassis’

My pals TW230 has spent months back at Timberwolf fixing almost untraceable serious faults. The tw230 performs seriously well but keeping under 750kg has made it too flimsy To match its performance

Those first bonnet hinges are junk. It’s a seriously heavy bonnet for such small hinges. It must have uneven forces on it opening too as only has a gas strut on one side.


It’ll be an interesting chat next week. !

[butters]

I have a forst tr6p and now a second hand st6 not one has put a foot wrong. Paint and welds are all holding up fine only rust is from where the machine has been hit against something not forst fault. Did have a small relay issue but wouldn’t call that a fault as it didn’t stop the machine working just a bugger to start.

There parts backup are spot on ring at 3pm they are still there next day. Parts are reasonable as well. Ran a Jensen before and parts was expensive and also a wait for them.

They chip like animals and I follow the service manual and generally look after the machines which in turn look after me.

I’ll always use forst never change to other brands. But you’ll only ever hear the bad they are selling more chippers than any one else.

Just look at Ford rangers sell the most but you also hear about the most problems yet people still buy them.

[Stubby]

1 hour ago, lux said:

I’m not fussed about admitting it’s poor quality. I’m hugely disappointed with it. I really feel this model with the new engine was probably pushed to market too soon to cover the sales potential of its closest rival the tracked tw280 sliding off the market. On paper the TR8 is bang for buck one of the best 8” chipper packages available. It’s not living up to its company logo of ‘rely on it’ in any way though.

I like to think I can be quite reasonable in these situations. If forst are committed to quality and building their reputation as a market leader I’d happily stay with the product and have a 2 way process with them feeding back , making improvements/ modifications that we have encountered if it means my capital investment results in a better machine in my company.

If they had 2/3 firms doing this they’d iron a lot of issues quickly. They must be haemorrhaging money on warranty fixes and sending out engineers to site up and down the country. That’s got to batter the profitability of the sale of machines massively.

You would be better off with a second hand Jensen A540 .

[lux]

I have a forst tr6p and now a second hand st6 not one has put a foot wrong. Paint and welds are all holding up fine only rust is from where the machine has been hit against something not forst fault. Did have a small relay issue but wouldn’t call that a fault as it didn’t stop the machine working just a bugger to start.

There parts backup are spot on ring at 3pm they are still there next day. Parts are reasonable as well. Ran a Jensen before and parts was expensive and also a wait for them.

They chip like animals and I follow the service manual and generally look after the machines which in turn look after me.

I’ll always use forst never change to other brands. But you’ll only ever hear the bad they are selling more chippers than any one else.

Just look at Ford rangers sell the most but you also hear about the most problems yet people still buy them.

I’ve been very complimentary of forst in terms of service and assistance.
They are nurturing an excellent culture for their workforce and service standards.

I too think their powder coat process is a lot better now. It was something I explored with them before buying. The early machines suffered corrosion because they weren’t media blasting the tin work after it was laser cut. The laser was leaving an almost invisible residue which reduced the ability of the powder coat to adhere properly. They now blast off the panels post laser and pre powder coat. The finish seems good.

The only reason mine suffered a dink was because the bonnet hinge failed. Powder coat is worthless after it’s breached. In fact it harbours moisture between loose coat and metal.

It’s always the way with people calling out faults. If it did what it was supposed to hassle free I’d have absolutely no reason to write about the machine. It would do what I bought it to do, chip wood and make me money. That’s about as exciting as a fully functional chipper gets, making money.

Sadly mine also costs me money in down time , having to return to jobs a second day to finish up etc etc.

I’ve maintained the machine as I should yet its still failing. The fails on this machine are not even parts on the maintenance schedule.

In terms of servicing it, it’s not even done enough hours for an oil change yet.....

Forst have been exemplary so far in fixing the faults but with new faults occurring over the Christmas period and them being closed I will only be able to discuss further next week.

In terms of Forst - rely on it - sorry, mines totally unreliable.

[lux]

You would be better off with a second hand Jensen A540 .

Ha. Buy a machine that size without a full warranty. No chance.

A new one maybe Mr stubby.

Id be interested to see a schleising. They have a good reputation. The engine for the 8” tracked chipper seems very small on paper. But as always the proof is in the pudding !

[Stubby]

1 minute ago, lux said:

Ha. Buy a machine that size without a full warranty. No chance.

A new one maybe Mr stubby.

Id be interested to see a schleising. They have a good reputation. The engine for the 8” tracked chipper seems very small on paper. But as always the proof is in the pudding !

Once someone has fired some chip through them they are all second hand . We had a 540 from new some 12 or so years ago . Had the rollers sharpened a few times , a new solenoid and a new battery lead .  Its still going now chipping as good as ever .