What GVW Arb Truck

[Billy]

The cranes too small for dismantles tbh. You'll be on max reach then need to lift higher which you don't have the capacity to do, if you do need to strop something you can still do that with the grab on. The grab makes loading and unloading so quick and easy especially if on your own. You can also do things like grabbing whole hawthorn trees to take to the yard and burn rather than mess about chipping them. As long as the boom is leaven when loaded you shouldn't have a problem as it won't be any higher (I had it pointing a bit up when it sat on a big load and clipped a petrol station roof once!)

You'll find so many advantages to having a grab and rotator

 

 

By dismantle I just mean the last 5-6m of stems like in the pictures and as the crane is relatively small, just using a strop give you max height. However I am sure a grab has many advantages, I may need to revise the front of the chip box so the crane can sit lower in the bed if/when I get a grab been looking at a few on eBay but they don't come cheap !

[aspenarb]

Hi all, my truck which is due soon is piped for a grab and rotor but I'm not sure what size or manufacture to go for. The crane capacity of 2.8t @ 4.5m and 2t @ 6.2m. My gut feeling is go big, but as I don't know a lot about these things thought I'd ask those who use them😀. Any thoughts?

 

Cheers

 

Mark

 

I would get the biggest one you can. Ours is a bit of a beast and opens up to about 8`and that will only just go round a 4` diameter log , not that the pos will lift a full length stick that big but once you grab one end you can normally wrestle them onto the trailer. The big ones are also better for grabbing up big piles of brash and crushing it down before loading it on .

 

 

 

Bob

[fen01]

Thanks Bob, are there any manufactures that are particularly good? As Billy says they don't come cheap and there dissent seen to many second hand ones around.

 

Cheers

 

Mark

[skyhuck]

I would get the biggest one you can. Ours is a bit of a beast and opens up to about 8`and that will only just go round a 4` diameter log , not that the pos will lift a full length stick that big but once you grab one end you can normally wrestle them onto the trailer. The big ones are also better for grabbing up big piles of brash and crushing it down before loading it on .

 

 

 

Bob

 

A big grab is good, but it can dramatically reduce your lifting capacity, I prefer a smaller grab and simply use a strop on the very large logs.

[Peter]

Doesn't matter how heavy the grab is if you've taken it off....

 

Mine is 6' tip to tip open, handles most stuff, and if it's too big to fit in the grab chances are it won't lift it with the grab on anyway.

 

You're looking at £5-7k for a big grab and rotator new though. You do need a proper forestry rotator too, the little ones that come on clamshells and block grabs just won't be up to the job.

[aspenarb]

A big grab is good, but it can dramatically reduce your lifting capacity, I prefer a smaller grab and simply use a strop on the very large logs.

 

I cant think of one occasion where I wished our grab was smaller, it can grab four or five of those sticks on the trailer at a time so all a smaller grab would do is take longer. Also stropping would be a pain being a top seat , I am nearly always loading /unloading on my own and would be up and down like a yoyo.

 

 

 

 

Edit, my only regret is that the grab cant be dropped off, its hard piped and every now and then it would have been handy to use it as a normal crane.

 

Bob

Edited September 7, 2014 by aspenarb

[skyhuck]

I cant think of one occasion where I wished our grab was smaller, it can grab four or five of those sticks on the trailer at a time so all a smaller grab would do is take longer. Also stropping would be a pain being a top seat , I am nearly always loading /unloading on my own and would be up and down like a yoyo.

 

 

Fair does, but thats not really the way Fen who asked the question will be operating.

[fen01]

I think most of the time it will be used for spring tree surgery not forestry operations. So may be a 6 foot opening would do. What's the difference between a clamshell by Icker and forestry rotor?

 

Got to go now the long hair business manager is giving me evil eyes because we have to go out and I just let the tractor and winch on the lawn😁

 

Thanks

 

Mark

[Peter]

Forestry rotator is much heavier duty. Think about the forces generated by rotating a 15' long log as opposed to a little clamshell bucket. Loading logs would destroy a little rotator in fairly short order.

 

My rotator is an indexitor.

[fen01]

Makes sense! I'd better start doing some research.