Show us your Arb Diggers please.

[gdh]

3 hours ago, Marc Lewis said:

On 05/11/2019 at 12:56, gdh said:

I'm starting to get the hang of ours now after having other people on it for a couple of years, biggest advantage for us has actually been having it on a postknocker but it's mostly been on a grab or tmk tree shear.

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What size machine is that gdh?

It's an 8 ton tb285.

[donnk]

On 05/11/2019 at 19:29, Matthew Storrs said:

I’m in a real dilemma at the moment. Money is useless in the bank and I want to invest in another machine- my choices as it stands are between a Kubota KX080-3 very tidy on 600mm steels OR a Case 590 Super backhoe in servo controls. Obviously totally different machine but that’s half the trouble. I’d sooner the Kubota any day on the job- but no getting away that the logistics and expense of getting it moved to a job which may only be a few days work whereas backhoe just turns up under its own steam but limited when it’s gets there. main works is dry stone walking with big rocks, erosion/bridleways, ditching and usual rural groundwork’s like ponds, landscaping, scrub clearance etc...
 

can’t make my mind up!

how about a small duck - best of both worlds.

[richy_B]

There is a decent looking kx080 on steels near me. Been up for sale for a good few months. 

[Gray git]

Spotted on insta so thought I'd share [emoji7][emoji7]

[Stephen Blair]

Very very cool!  An Urban harvester and trailer, can’t get much better I reckon.

 

thats 6 years tomorrow since I ordered my Cat, time flies.

  Just heading out to work with her after my bacon roll.  She runs as good as the day day I got her.

[doobin]

How many hours on her now?

[Stephen Blair]

2700 hrs

[doobin]

Nice. My Hyundai has nearly 1900 hours, that's three and half years old now. Doesn't time fly.

[LGP Eddie]

Backhoes fell out of favour due to the fact the perfect storm of a card scheme that prevents people actually learning in the seat of the machine from the ground up, coupled with the fact that anyone can jump on a servo 360 and make it go.

The Backhoe never lost any of it’s versatility, we used to have to do everything with them utilising what you could carry to site in the front bucket.

 

Take a look at Scandinavia, they’ve never fell out of favour much there, skilled operators that have taken the already versatile Backhoe to another level with attachments.

We’re just starting to see the tide turn now, with guys taking a second look at Backhoes in the UK.

I think the trend for Tiltrotator equipped Owner Operator Backhoes will grow, especially if a clampdown does ever come on moving kit behind Tractors or even a Telehandler??
 

If they can ever get this Wheeled Excavator and Trailer thing sorted I think that many would go that way.

 

Same as everything really, if you buy well and it doesn’t work out, how much are you actually going to lose trying it out if you’ve done a few jobs with it.

 

Eddie.

[LGP Eddie]

Been a bit of a JCB week all round with one thing and another, but an emergency call with a list of machine requirements/restrictions as long as your arm had me hiring in a JCB 55z and fitting a Kinshoffer HPX 09 grab more usually installed on 8 tonne carriers just to get something together.

 

This was actually I believe the first 55z sold in the UK, and the guy who bought it had literally every option on it.

I’ve done a couple of days on it and what a tool it is all round.

Yes the grab is too big, it’s not the full size 67 version as zero swing machines are not my thing, so it nods a fair bit, but the power and speed in it is brilliant.

Cab is a real nice place to be, plenty of space, air seat/heated seat, great heater, controls are very good with dual auxiliary pipework and proportional rollers for the grab.

 

Lacks a bit of vision to the offside as the bonnet is square edges not sloped off, but it does house everything very nicely and easy to get around for checks. 

A decent refuelling pump setup was welcome, but hardly needed, seemingly very economical in comparison to my Kubota Kx57.

 

Downside the paint peeling off certain bits with absolutely no sign of anything applied to make it stick!

I know JCB have worked hard on this especially on the new X series, so I don’t know how new versions are lasting.

 

Been said to me a few times now the 67c would kick the Kubota’s arse, well I know it would in the Cab department, but after this little 55z, I wouldn’t be surprised if it did in the performance either?

 

Just don’t try to take any of the new JCB Midi range Tree Shearing, be some long faces all round real quick!

 

 

 

 

 

Eddie.