Alstor 8x8??

[cousin jack]

Interesting Josh that the Kranmans haven't a good reputation. I think it was a thread a while back where you mentioning them alerted me to their existence.

 

Areleywood - glad to hear that you are doing well with yours. I don't dispute that they are quick and efficient in the right hands but there are a lot of problems with them:

 

* They do roll easily on a side slope - watched a very experienced operator go over on very little side slope combined with a stump.

* They have aspects of their design that are really poor - the brakes are awful, the gearbox is awful, there is insufficient space for a larger person to operate it comfortably or carry any tools. The underside/driveshaft is exposed. The cab option is cripplingly expensive and required if you are going to use them on FCS land.

* When you actually look at the components, they aren't worth close to £40,000.

 

Can I suggest that anyone who is skilled in this kind of agricultural welding/fabricating that there is a gap in the market for a UK built mini forwarder?

 

How about this

[NI Tree]

Interesting Josh that the Kranmans haven't a good reputation. I think it was a thread a while back where you mentioning them alerted me to their existence.

 

Areleywood - glad to hear that you are doing well with yours. I don't dispute that they are quick and efficient in the right hands but there are a lot of problems with them:

 

* They do roll easily on a side slope - watched a very experienced operator go over on very little side slope combined with a stump.

* They have aspects of their design that are really poor - the brakes are awful, the gearbox is awful, there is insufficient space for a larger person to operate it comfortably or carry any tools. The underside/driveshaft is exposed. The cab option is cripplingly expensive and required if you are going to use them on FCS land.

* When you actually look at the components, they aren't worth close to £40,000.

 

Can I suggest that anyone who is skilled in this kind of agricultural welding/fabricating that there is a gap in the market for a UK built mini forwarder?

 

How about this

got a combi drag just need to find the motive power for it

 

i have to agree with john about how well made some are made and this inferulanced my choice of getting a horse

[areleywood]

any machine rolls if you are running across a slope its basic forwarder driver skill that you plan your routes accordingly and run slopes straight or if too drastic winch down the timber and drive out straight from the bottom . its not the machine that is flawed but the operator training . i'm 6ft 4 and operate the machine fine and the machine has passed all the standards to work on fc ground with or without the full cab . All i seem to get is people who try to dismiss the machine i use it for proper forest operations where i need to make money from road side sales and i'm still making a profit. Many people have tried to make smaller machines and i have demo'd loads of them , its simple the alstor works

[cousin jack]

got a combi drag just need to find the motive power for it

 

i have to agree with john about how well made some are made and this inferulanced my choice of getting a horse

 

I've got a good mare for sale, where did you get yer kombi drag from, they are a well engineered bit of kit.

[Big J]

any machine rolls if you are running across a slope its basic forwarder driver skill that you plan your routes accordingly and run slopes straight or if too drastic winch down the timber and drive out straight from the bottom . its not the machine that is flawed but the operator training . i'm 6ft 4 and operate the machine fine and the machine has passed all the standards to work on fc ground with or without the full cab . All i seem to get is people who try to dismiss the machine i use it for proper forest operations where i need to make money from road side sales and i'm still making a profit. Many people have tried to make smaller machines and i have demo'd loads of them , its simple the alstor works

 

I'm not disputing that the Alstor works, but I do think that there is a huge amount of room for improvement. I'm 6ft 8 and I really struggle to fit.

 

I stand by my observations/comments. I obviously haven't had the same amount of time on it as you but it is over priced and I am sure that there are agricultural mechanics here that could build a better machine for a lower price.

[doobin]

I agree with Big J- way too pricey for what it is.

[RichardT]

I am sure that there are agricultural mechanics here that could build a better machine for a lower price.

 

I agree, let's crowdsource a spec, seedcorn funding and crack on with it!

[Chris Sheppard]

I am sure that there are agricultural mechanics here that could build a better machine for a lower price.

 

I agree, let's crowdsource a spec, seedcorn funding and crack on with it!

 

I reckon a smaller driven trailer with steering drawbar (of around 2.5-4T) would be a good first part to the project as there's currently nothing available like that. The only small driven trailers I've seen are tiny like the vahva jussi and kranman.

 

Once a working trailer was built, it probably wouldn't take a lot of doing to make a front end and splice the two together into a working unit.

 

If it could be kept as close to 2.5T and sub 16ft as possible then that would be a huge advantage as it would be easily transported too.

 

However, IMO, in the UK there'd probably be more chance of selling a trailer than a complete forwarder. The downside of the tractor and trailer though is that it takes two trips each time to transport it onto site.

 

When at Riko, I looked at the possibility of using one of the smaller alpines as a front end of a small forwarder or stretching an artic steer AGT but still kept coming back to the driven trailer idea - like with everything though it's time and money.

 

Slighty off on a tangent, I still think a mid sized dumper could be made into a good compact skidder. Take the tub off, make it reverse drive and mount the winch and butt plate where the tub were - mini timberjack

Edited March 24, 2013 by Chris Sheppard

[john k]

I reckon a smaller driven trailer with steering drawbar (of around 2.5-4T) would be a good first part to the project as there's currently nothing available like that. The only small driven trailers I've seen are tiny like the vahva jussi and kranman.

I agree. There definitely does seem to be a gap in the market.

 

Something like an AGT850 with a powered trailer would surely give an Alstor a run for its money and be way more versatile.

[Chris Sheppard]

I agree. There definitely does seem to be a gap in the market.

 

Something like an AGT850 with a powered trailer would surely give an Alstor a run for its money and be way more versatile.

 

For sure. Can't beleive there's nothing available off the shelf in that size yet.