Are diggers like mewps and cocks?

[Chris Murphy]

….We all wish we had a bigger one?

 

I’m currently looking at purchasing an arb digger(yanmar 19vt). This is my first dalliance with diggers and have speced it with dual services and a rotator grab, controls on the joysticks and all that. 
 

my question; will I immediately want a bigger one? There’s plenty of reasons for a the 1.9, it’s weight is preferable for staying on the right side of the law l, not horsing the arse out of the trucks and think it will lend its self to be more use on a variety of domestic and commercial sites.
A lot of our work is domestic where access and space is never an issue. Hoping to use it for stacking brash, moving logs and doing more of the donkey work, feeding a 8 inch tracked chipper; maybe even some standard digger work on the side. 
 

We’ve had a larger digger in recently and it was striking to see how effective it is with large quantities of brash and I want in on the action albeit on a smaller scale.  
 

 

Those that have a 1.9 how many times have you wished for more girth? 
 

I’ve had a little read through the arb digger thread and got super lost…

 

Thoughts and considerations appreciated.

[waterbuoy]

We have an older Volvo EC15B (approx 1.7 tonnes with a grab) and have hired in a 2.5 tonne machine for various tasks - the difference in capacity is significant given the relatively small difference in mass.

 

If a 1.9 tonne machine will do what you want then press on, but I really wish we had put our money into a Kubota KX61-3 or similar, even though it would have been a financial stretch at the time.

[Chris Murphy]

You have confirmed my fears but in my mind a bigger digger will be a bit more of a pain in the arse with weights, we have to drive past a VOSA weigh bridge most days.

In what way was it significant; speed, size of logs/brash piles you were able to move? I was surprised by how small the grab opened but then my reference point is someone else's timber crane and grab on an 8tone machine. 

[woody paul]

Digger size is down to access, small digger of course lacks lift capacity but will all ways lift more than any lad can or even two. 

It is down to operator on machine that makes it all work, if they have never moved brash it's interesting watch them make a mess. 

[topchippyles]

The yanmar machines really hadle weight well I think you will be surprised. As you said it's more suitable to your needs than a larger digger. There is no one fits all trust yourself.

[doobin]

There’s a world of difference between a 1.9t and 2.5t digger. 
 

Whatever you do, if you do go with a 1.9t, spec short dipper. Otherwise you will

be out of lift on the main boom before you start- which means you try to lift with the dipper, putting the load further away from you. I can’t stress this enough. The standard UK spec long dipper is totally the opposite of what you need for lifting things into the air. The Yanmar shown below with a grab perfectly illustrates this. He’s out of lift on the boom before the grab is even off the ground.  

 

Below are my two. Both ultimate spec with every option. The e19 with short dipper and a speciality light grab and rotator. I’d still only take the e19 over the e27 if there wasn’t access. Its simply painful to use over the e27. 
 

Try both before you decide. With the right truck/trailer combo and  possibly putting the grab into the truck for transport you can be squeaky clean past vosa. 
 

 

[waterbuoy]

2 hours ago, Chris Murphy said:

You have confirmed my fears but in my mind a bigger digger will be a bit more of a pain in the arse with weights, we have to drive past a VOSA weigh bridge most days.

In what way was it significant; speed, size of logs/brash piles you were able to move? I was surprised by how small the grab opened but then my reference point is someone else's timber crane and grab on an 8tone machine. 

 

The most signifivcant difference is in lifting capacity - but as others have said it has to do the job you are buying it for, which means getting there in the first place!

 

What are you towing it with?  A 2.5 tonner with suitable plant trailer should come in at under 3500kg even with an extra bucket etc.