Anyone use diggers?

[baz]

I'm having a 3T digger delivered this week for digging footings and general jobs around the farm.

 

At the moment for cord I run off a pile onto telehandleer forks. I was wondering if the digger may come in useful for pulling logs down off a pile and pushing them onto forks. Has anyone every tried this with a digger to good effect or otherwise?

[Graham]

You can get a grab for that. Can't remember what they're called but someone will.

[mdt]

If type log grab in eBay you will come across grabs for mini-diggers, are they called thumb grab possibly?

[marlon]

Diggers are great I use mine to sort the cord out into different size diameters so the processor has the correct size splitting knife it makes it quicker to process. But be careful as I've managed to smash two windows this year from cord rolling down the heap etc, and I've been driving them for 15 years!! It's also been so good loading the new splitter (30 ton binderberger) just need some snow now to shift all this wood.... Never known it so quiet at this time of the year.

[Stephen Blair]

diggers can do wonderfull things in the right hands.

we have a 2tonner on site just now and we have just put a thumb on it( or the owner has) its really good in the few times i have used it.

 

If you have a telehandler, get a brab and rotator for it.

 

This is on ebay just now, not a log grab but a bargain all the same

 

grab clamshell for forklift telehandler loader digger logs | eBay

[doobin]

Don't piss about with thumbs and the like. Get a dedicated grapple. Was using mine the other day to top a blackthorn hedge- one man chainsawed the stems (about 4-5") then stood clear while I simply grabbed the tops and positioned them behind me for the loader to push up onto the fire. Bugger doing that sort of work by hand!

 

They're great for timber handling, but have limitations compared to a proper rotator and grab. In the right hands, you'll be amazed what you can do with them.

 

Here's mine.

[Chris Sheppard]

Don't piss about with thumbs and the like. Get a dedicated grapple. Was using mine the other day to top a blackthorn hedge- one man chainsawed the stems (about 4-5") then stood clear while I simply grabbed the tops and positioned them behind me for the loader to push up onto the fire. Bugger doing that sort of work by hand!

 

They're great for timber handling, but have limitations compared to a proper rotator and grab. In the right hands, you'll be amazed what you can do with them.

 

Here's mine.

 

Was on a job a few months back where they had a grab almost identical to that - also dealign with some skanky thorns. Was really impressed with what the guy could do with it. Wasn't bad for shifting chunks of wood about either, maybe not as easy as if it had been a normal grab with rotator but stil la lot better than handballing it

[robbo 110]

rotators on a 360 are great... when new, very vunerable pipework on most, esp if you have a clumsy employee on it!!

 

id go with the grapple all day long!!

[baz]

It looks like diggers have all kinds of uses which is good to read. I'll see how it is tackling the wood without a grab first as they seem to start at about £800. Tracked down a couple of companies that do replacement glazing as I'm sure there will be a few logs that end up knocking on the windows.

 

I'll start playing this weekend after I've serviced it, oil looks like its been there a while and the water looks like its been filled up with pond water. All round though looks like a reasonable ebay purchase.