Belt driven or hydraulic cutter heads

[Ty Korrigan]

We've just changed our 4012D over to metric bearings.

One new jackshaft and one re-machined.

Bigger better bearings, less expensive than US imperial, sealed and greasable, not the purge type.

480 hours on the clock before the belt shredded due to worn bearings which is normal.

Bearings though, silky smooth, just worn.

The toothed belt is a shocking price though eh?

I did read of one guy who has changed over to using 2 motorcycle chains instead.

I've spoken to others who have used the hydro head and they all had serious issues and have gone back to belt driven machines.

I have a suspicion that I may a bit unique over here in bothering (almost obsessively) to sharpen the grinder teeth.

Whilst our 4012 was down having it's work done we subbed out to a local competitor with a tracked 5014 44hp.

Aside from being better able to work on poor terrain than our 4012 wheeled, I observed that the actual grinding was no faster than ours.

Later, Seb got a look at the teeth and was amazed to see them almost totally rounded off.

This company had previously been running a Bandit with a hydro head and had no end of issues with it.

I'm not saying that blunt teeth are the cause but a company that ignorant about maintenance of teeth probably can't see other problems as the arise.

I can see that a hire compnay might like hydro machines because of their low maintenance but there again, they shift machines on to the likes of us after a couple of years...

So your likely to get some-one elses dirty laundry to wash by buying a high hours used hydro machine.

Having said that, when I replaced a hydro motor for a chipper, I was a bit shocked by the cost of an original spare.

Later, I googled around and found that for 3-4 times less I could have bought one online.

Ah well, next time.

Ty

[Mick Dempsey]

I would get use to hydraulic as that's where it will end, only Carlton are dragging their feet and I know they made a hydraulic grinder but it wasn't successful. Bandit now only make a pedestrian belt grinder, the lack of maintenance & downtime outweigh the other options as it is the downtime that costs the money although polychain belts are getting more expensive.

 

Personally we have only had two motor faults to date but they have since been uprated, it is impossible to proportion costs as each manufacturer and the quality of machines are different. I don't know of one customer who would return to a belt machine to date and I've shifted a few.

 

What about Rayco?

A quick check on their website shows that they don't start hydro cutter wheels till 70 hp.

Edited April 4, 2016 by Mick Dempsey

[Ian C]

That's the problem, it's the power loss, god knows what that vermeer is like with a 30hp petrol and hydraulic head!

[Mick Dempsey]

I think I can guess and it rhymes with logsbite.

It's a case of engineers getting carried away with themselves and forgetting about the end user's priorities.

I was using the grinder today (rather I was lying down in the van with my bad back and the lad was grinding) made a tidy sum in an hour. €500 or so euros once a year is no big deal for a quicker machine.

I got a new chipper lately and the salesman started quoting fuel usage to me.

I had to stop him and explain that I don't give a toss about a couple of litres a day, GIVE ME MORE POWER!

[aspenarb]

I would get use to hydraulic as that's where it will end, only Carlton are dragging their feet and I know they made a hydraulic grinder but it wasn't successful. Bandit now only make a pedestrian belt grinder, the lack of maintenance & downtime outweigh the other options as it is the downtime that costs the money although polychain belts are getting more expensive.

 

Personally we have only had two motor faults to date but they have since been uprated, it is impossible to proportion costs as each manufacturer and the quality of machines are different. I don't know of one customer who would return to a belt machine to date and I've shifted a few.

 

Not convinced, have used both and the power loss on the hydraulic grinders is not acceptable, its like stirring mud with a stick. I also cant accept the high wear rate of the drive motors or pumps nor how all that debris from the associated wear gets trolleyed around the entire hydraulic system. I had a guy here a few years ago that had rather a lot to do with the development of a well known brand of hydraulically driven grinder, we were talking spanners and comparing notes on some stuff going on here and he confessed that there were issues with longevity and that their own hire fleet were in trouble with the above . Belts , bearings and most of the horses at the wheel for me

 

Bob

[GlobalNewark]

Hydraulic drive has come from larger hp machines but is coming down to smaller machines as technology gets better, our 25hp grinder works a treat but we don't fit small pumps and motors

[simonm]

I will tell you what the hydro grinders are like in a few weeks as i have just put deposit down on a Bandit from dean

[Mick Dempsey]

Congrats, what model?

[aspenarb]

I will tell you what the hydro grinders are like in a few weeks as i have just put deposit down on a Bandit from dean

 

Report back this time next year.

 

Bob

[simonm]

2250, Built like a tank, its worth going to global if only to look at the tackle they have got, some cool machines.