Beware tracked equipment

[Dean Lofthouse]

Just a bit of a warning or tip for you potentail tracked equipment hirers.

 

Mewps especailly, are very very unstable sideways. They will climb 45 degress slopes even stairs but will tolerate very little sideway lean. The centre of gravity is very high.

 

When tracking a MEWP where there is a slope always put the legs out on the downward slope a couple of inch off the floor, then if it does tip it just goes down onto the pads and you can then right it easily.

 

A local tree surgeon hired a 15m tracked, he went off a shallow curb at 45 degree to the curb and the machine fell into the road.

 

First pic is a demo of my MEWP coming out the barn, you can see by the upright poles there is very little slope. Normally it comes out no problem but today I placed a small log 3" infront of one track and ran over it. The machine is actually on balance point, I could push the top of the machine by hand and could have pushed it over.

 

Notice I have the two legs out on the downward side, they needed to be a couple of inch off the floor but couldn't because of the log pile. The machine, if it had gone over would have sat on the leg pads and I could simply remove the log and push it back up.

 

Second piccy is her safely on the trailer

 

Third a typical setup.

 

I do believe chippers have a similar problem of very little sideways slope tolerance, you would have to plan for that by placing thick scaffold boards under the downward track to make the chipper more level.

[Big 'Ammer]

Dean, do you not have to set up the RQG18 the other way round on that slope?

 

Only because I'm guessing the tree to be worked on is right of the picture and the MEWP doesn't have continuous rotation?

 

Push the valve in and raise the basket and then park it uphill.

 

I have done this with this model of mewp before.

 

BTW, the RQG18 is a one of the best machines for dismantling I've used.

[Lancstree]

http://www.clitheroeadvertiser.co.uk/clitheroenews/Lucky-escape-as-runaway-truck.4321457.jp

 

worth a read when talking about mewps.

[madmatt]

Tracked kit like mewps and chippers are fun on side slopes if you don't know what your doing. to be fair unless the chipper is specifically designed to be worked on a side slope they should be avoided. oh and if your driving a chipper up or down a slope you want to be on the top side of the machine its amazing how many numpties stand on the lower side!

 

 

Dean how does the mewp tow on your trailer?

[Dean Lofthouse]

Big 'Ammer, that picture was for a demo. But if you are tracking up anything really steep always put the basket at the rear, take the basket off, lift the boom a little and extend it out, that way if it tips backwards it sits onto the boom and can be pushed back up again.

 

I knew straight away you have used one before, not many know about the little cheat valve

 

Madmatt,

 

It tows better with the lower profile tyres I have fitted but you have to get the weight smack on, I never go over 50 with it because it's smack on 3.5t and it can get a bit hair raising behind the landy. The landcruiser amazon plays with it though.

[madmatt]

Madmatt,

 

It tows better with the lower profile tyres I have fitted but you have to get the weight smack on, I never go over 50 with it because it's smack on 3.5t and it can get a bit hair raising behind the landy. The landcruiser amazon plays with it though.

 

I thought thats what you'd say Dean. the local big arb contractors for the local CC have a mewp like that but after a "mishap" on an Ifor similar to your trailer they swapped to using a mini digger trailer with out board wheels and a much lower centre of gravity.

[Big 'Ammer]

Here's me knocking the top out of a big poplar at full stretch in an 18.

 

Stem had a big lean angle and was 28" diameter where I felled it with bore and dog tooth and deep side cuts.

 

Pictures a bit poor as its scanned from a paper copy of photo an old guy took from a third floor window.

[Dean Lofthouse]

Here's me knocking the top out of a big poplar at full stretch in an 18.

 

 

Still looks to be a little more outreach left yet judging by the hose carrier ontop of the boom.

 

It looks like it stopped you before full outreach because you had the legs on the middle setting ??

[Big 'Ammer]

Your right Dean,

 

it was at full stretch at the other side so I could bore out that side first, I was using a 20" bar.

 

I deliberately parked it as far away as possible to minimise any mishaps.

 

It went exactly where it was supposed to.

 

I wouldn't have cut a piece of poplar like that off stood below it on spikes!

 

I had cut all the low crown off from the mewp, the majority was over the road. You can't really see from the picture but it was a wide footpath, bus lane and three traffic lanes. The crown spread over the middle of the traffic lanes. The footpath and bus lane were heras fenced off.

 

I then felled the two side sticks and we made a rack with them so as not to wreck the drains (marked with the small cones) and then felled the middle stem on to the rack between them with the remaining top on in one go.

 

It was a big day for four of us, early start on a sunday for less traffic etc.

 

Only other picture I have is of the finished site on monday lunchtime.

 

You can see from the size of the buses she was a big old tree! We measured it and if it had gone backwards it would have reached the checkouts in Lidl over the road!

[skyhuck]

I deliberately parked it as far away as possible to minimise any mishaps.

 

 

Good point!!!!!!!!!

 

The best place is to park MEWP's, IMHO, is at the hire center:001_tongue: