FSI B31 stumpgrinder

[Ty Korrigan]

Curious as ever about new kit.

Only 26.5hp engine coupled to a hydraulic motor at the wheel.

Tracked, compact, wide swing.

I rather like it on paper though I once rented a Vermeer tracked machine with a similar hp and was very disappointed with it's performance.

Misbehaving controls leading to delays in moving, creep and a stunning lack of power I felt.

I wonder if this new offering from FSI has better performance or is just a safe idiot proof machine aimed at the rental market?

I've a colleague to call on with a Bandit XP75 for larger stump jobs but I need to arrange at least 2k worth if I want a decent margin from his services.

My FSI B20 owes me nothing and earns great money with low running costs but is tiring for jobs more than a couple of hours machine time.

Any-one know the U.K price of an FSI B31?

   Stuart

[Mick Dempsey]

The hydraulics will rob it of what little power it has.

[marne]

Cute unit, they stated, there's very little loss due to special components, hard to imagine. I guess, only a demo will tell. 

What would be even more interesting is the price. 

In the recent past, they offered rediculous tags. 

If I should guess, I would say 28-30k, which is pointless regarding the price of a used predator 38, which is narrower and offers 150% the performance. One thing to admit, it's really lightweight. 

[tim361]

1 hour ago, marne said:

Cute unit, they stated, there's very little loss due to special components, hard to imagine. I guess, only a demo will tell. 

What would be even more interesting is the price. 

In the recent past, they offered rediculous tags. 

If I should guess, I would say 28-30k, which is pointless regarding the price of a used predator 38, which is narrower and offers 150% the performance. One thing to admit, it's really lightweight. 

It’s got a launch price of £23.5 then rises to £25k mid summer.

Had a look at it at the Arb show and spoke to the makers. Really liked the fact that all the weight has been kept as low as possible. My B22 has less power than my previous predator but I’ve never found it to be a problem so I hope this would be the same. Also like the fact that unlike my previous predator with the exception of maintenance I’ve had to do nothing to the machine to keep it running.

[tim361]

22 hours ago, Ty Korrigan said:

Curious as ever about new kit.

Only 26.5hp engine coupled to a hydraulic motor at the wheel.

Tracked, compact, wide swing.

I rather like it on paper though I once rented a Vermeer tracked machine with a similar hp and was very disappointed with it's performance.

Misbehaving controls leading to delays in moving, creep and a stunning lack of power I felt.

I wonder if this new offering from FSI has better performance or is just a safe idiot proof machine aimed at the rental market?

I've a colleague to call on with a Bandit XP75 for larger stump jobs but I need to arrange at least 2k worth if I want a decent margin from his services.

My FSI B20 owes me nothing and earns great money with low running costs but is tiring for jobs more than a couple of hours machine time.

Any-one know the U.K price of an FSI B31?

   Stuart

See above

Edited May 21, 2023 by tim361

[Ty Korrigan]

Are Bandit SG40 around the same price?

[Dan Maynard]

Is the idea of hydraulic drive to be more reliable than belts etc?

 

On 20/05/2023 at 11:31, Ty Korrigan said:

safe idiot proof machine aimed at the rental market?

I don't think I've ever seen FSI for hire, they seem to prefer cheaper machines and then move them on before going wrong.

[tim361]

4 hours ago, Dan Maynard said:

Is the idea of hydraulic drive to be more reliable than belts etc?

 

When I spoke to the bloke who makes them about the power loss with belts vs hydraulic’s he said it’s normally around 10-15% less. Then said it’s rare that the belts are adjusted correctly so probably less than that. From looking at the machine and it’s price point it’s aimed as a competitor to the SG40. 

[Ian C]

Any machine under 50hp will be very poor on hydraulic drive, that FSI will be pony at 25hp and the bandit is 5k cheaper!

 

theses will be a good hire machine for landscapers etc as they can’t easily fuck em up.

[josharb87]

The specs aren’t exactly great are they?
 

Hydraulic motor will be less maintenance, so yeah, good for a hire company

 

Bandit has 50% more engine power before the FSIs hydraulic drive is taken into account 

 

and is cheaper

 

and is proven