Show us your Arb Diggers please.

[LGP Eddie]

14 hours ago, dig-dug-dan said:

What were the let downs out of interest? Amd will they do a dash5 to compensate?

It just wouldn’t flow share or grade anything like the Dash 3, it was slow on arm movements, but incredibly powerful.

I used to say Kubota managed to build a Crane not an Excavator with it.

 

It was much improved by some tweaks, and went on to be a top performer with me for heavy attachments, but I never looked forward to much more than a bit of scratching about with a bucket.

 

One particularly annoying feature was an air conditioning fan that was by the right hand cab window, and the noise from it was horrendous.

 

Kubota were slow to accept there were issues, but have reacted with the much improved Dash 4 Alpha version.

However they’ve done nothing more with the cab and I think many others have now caught up.

 

People ask me about them, they’re still as strong and reliable, you just need to have a good demo before purchase as they’re a bit of a marmite machine.

 

The one machine I’m waiting to get to grips with is the new CAT309 CR VAB but it’s already won the award for the worst afterthought ever seen, with what is an absolute howler of an additional counterweight!?

 

 

 

Eddie.

 

 

[BunyipBen]

Sennebogan down

[Jwoodgardenmaintenance]

Wow ? 

Edited March 19, 2019 by Jwoodgardenmaintenance

[billpierce]

How?

[LGP Eddie]

37 minutes ago, billpierce said:

How?

Almost certainly got it on fine, slewed 90 and she’s gone over backwards with arm right up and no attachment on.

Some Dealers insist you reverse these on and never slew them around in such instances.

 

Eddie.

[LGP Eddie]

I don't know if your local dealer will do you one?

 

 

Eddie.

[roseyweb]

13 minutes ago, LGP Eddie said:

I don't know if your local dealer will do you one?

 

 

Eddie.

Ideal for extracting timber in war zone, 

 not sure the timber wagon driver will like his stacking 

[Jcarbor]

Fairly dead end as will only do them out of hardox and bending it needs stupid pressure and minimum size sheet to fit the press so making them for small rams and machines is uneconomical as to much waste after its cut down to fit.

Try dave Hargreaves at coneythorpe near arkendale, he will fabricate one for you, he makes a lot of kit for us.

[jmac]

On 15/03/2019 at 21:16, roseyweb said:

Does this count as an arb digger, 

sorry no Marguard glass, or any glass at all 

That's more of a wood tink digger than a fancy, Posey arb digger ?. And for that reason I love it ?.

[LGP Eddie]

Probably a whole new thread, but most look on here with an interest in all things Excavator and Tree work related, and I just wanted to give a general heads up that the honeymoon is really going to be coming to an end very shortly on the whole explosion of their use in such work.

Probably some welcome news for guys that have seen there use erode traditional methods, but whilst I predict it's going to be an awful lot more difficult to spec and use such setups, they're never going away, such is their safety and productivity when used correctly.

 

How do I know? Basically things are hotting up behind the scenes on two fronts, with many interested but not quite fully joined up parties exploring these aspects, and it's only time now before it all gets rolled out.

 

It's time a few in the industry had a pot of tea somewhere to formulate a sensible case to argue back when it all breaks cover, in the likely event it all gets over the top. The Operator card scheme is classic example, nobody was ready for it being rolled out, and look at the mess it's got us in now!

 

Just a heads up for anyone currently running or speccing an Excavator and Shear at present.

 

First is the whole cab guarding issue, it's not gone away, it'll be here soon enough, and expect once some guidance arriving, if you're onto any of the more compliance orientated applications, expect them to go straight to wanting to see something tested on the front and top of the Cab.

Not a lot of solutions out there, Cabcare cover some not all, they're not 100% focused on this application, but I expect they'll gear up a lot more if anything comes forward to insist on it.

 

The second is the whole Tree Shear and is it a Lifting Operation debate? No point anyone arguing, the going has been good a long time now, and it was only a matter of time before someone said hold on what's this all about?

It can always be argued that how do you know how much you're lifting until you've cut it? The reply would be leave that Shear firmly on the floor if you can't prove it can safely handle the task.

Some argue it's not a lifting operation, but the HSE take the view that a Grab or even Magnet suspended from an Excavator is a lifting device, and will require a lift plan for it's operation.

 

Basically it's all being looked at, no prizes for predicting the outcome, it's going to be a Lifting Operation, you're still obviously going to be able to use Shears on an Excavator, but there's going to be a fair bit more paperwork and costs involved.

It'll require a lift plan by someone competent, and I'd reasonably expect that to include some calculations as to the maximum size of tree/limb section you can cut with the specified setup etc.

Basically a proper survey of the site etc, and possibly even a someone working with the machine to ensure it's not going outside what has been identified as safe.

As for the actual Excavator and Shear, things are going to change, as you'll need a Prolec or similar on almost all to get your full capacity throughout the whole working envelope, and base carriers are obviously going to get a lot bigger in relation to the Shear.

The current crop of 14 tonne class machines running 350 Westtech or copy of them Shears that take them outside the load chart with just the Shear and quick hitch alone, are going to be looking for much lighter alternatives.

The Shear will have to state it's SWL and be tested on a regular basis under Loler, obviously the Excavator can carry a Shear with an SWL more than it's capacity, but this will have to weigh in under the lowest rating on the duty chart, plus leave enough capacity to lift what the load plan has identified.

The current situation of Shears on machines that are outside what the Excavator can lift on it's duty chart before anything is even lifted has obviously been the catalyst for all this, and some inexperienced guys simply refusing to take a top out, before going in at the bottom to minimise the risk hasn't helped.

Big lumps in Shears look great, but not when the back track is 2ft off the ground!

 

You could go down the route of using Prolec etc to restrict radius to gain more capacity, but the reality is you're just going to be putting bigger carriers under Shears going forward.

 

Don't shoot the messenger, it's exactly the same as the bit I wrote about Unimogs the other day, some will comply, some won't whilst there's good money to be made, the difference here is that it may not just be the cab bars you're having your tea behind if you want to have a bad day out with the HSE and a big book!

 

 

Eddie.