Best mini digger?

[Matthew Storrs]

Having a full length post knocker mast can be a right faff on a digger, its great on a tractor because you have hydraulic adjustment in all angles to keep the post in line/plumb with the mast. However with a digger you don't have such adjustment and if you are on awkward or steep terrain it can be a fiddle or should i say unprofitable to have to faff around so much for every post, this is why IMO the best post knockers for diggers are these

 

Model 6: Mini-Excavator Post Driver | Vector PowerDrive

 

You can press down on the post whilst hammering which makes it more effective, steadys the digger and it doesnit matter if the mast is not quite straight as the post cap does not follow the mast but you just follow it down with the digger whilst hammering (watch the video, explains it better than me!)

 

I converted my Protech on my 3 Tonner to work in exactly the same way and I find it easy to either work on your own or with someone else 'feeding the machine' so to speak. Another advantage is that you always get maximum drop on the hammer and its easy to reach over walls/obstacles/between trees etc.

 

If you insist on the full length mast then if your on your own you certainly want a control for the hammer on the mast itsself, this way you can activate the chains on the postcap and hold the post whilst you lower the postcap on to it prior to hammering. It just means if the post wanders of line or hits a root or something its back to the cab to make re-adjustments.

You could hang a plumb line from the mast to give you an idea that you have it vertical before getting out of the cab to start post driving.

[dent]

Having a full length post knocker mast can be a right faff on a digger, its great on a tractor because you have hydraulic adjustment in all angles to keep the post in line/plumb with the mast. However with a digger you don't have such adjustment and if you are on awkward or steep terrain it can be a fiddle or should i say unprofitable to have to faff around so much for every post, this is why IMO the best post knockers for diggers are these

 

Model 6: Mini-Excavator Post Driver | Vector PowerDrive

 

You can press down on the post whilst hammering which makes it more effective, steadys the digger and it doesnit matter if the mast is not quite straight as the post cap does not follow the mast but you just follow it down with the digger whilst hammering (watch the video, explains it better than me!)

 

I converted my Protech on my 3 Tonner to work in exactly the same way and I find it easy to either work on your own or with someone else 'feeding the machine' so to speak. Another advantage is that you always get maximum drop on the hammer and its easy to reach over walls/obstacles/between trees etc.

 

If you insist on the full length mast then if your on your own you certainly want a control for the hammer on the mast itsself, this way you can activate the chains on the postcap and hold the post whilst you lower the postcap on to it prior to hammering. It just means if the post wanders of line or hits a root or something its back to the cab to make re-adjustments.

You could hang a plumb line from the mast to give you an idea that you have it vertical before getting out of the cab to start post driving.

 

Several of the post knockers ive seen have a sideways tilt as an extra option would need some extra plumbing tjough depending how u go about it

With that and the tilt on the crowd ram you have all bases coverd and can pretty much do anything

And its not like extra plumbing on a digger is a bad thing can run grabs and tree shears and alsorts with 2 auxiliaries

[Matthew Storrs]

Several of the post knockers ive seen have a sideways tilt as an extra option would need some extra plumbing tjough depending how u go about it

With that and the tilt on the crowd ram you have all bases coverd and can pretty much do anything

And its not like extra plumbing on a digger is a bad thing can run grabs and tree shears and alsorts with 2 auxiliaries

 

You can have side tilt, but the knocker needs to be offset from the arm by quite alot else when you tilt it sideways the mast comes into contact with the digger arm,

 

TBH you can go along way using the blade to level the machine. I think really to be efficient with a full length mast you really want to be working as a team of two so that one person can stay in the cab and make adjustments as required and the other can give guidance to the opertaor and get the next post ready.

[Matthew Storrs]

Bit of a thread hijack but I'm working on a new knocker now, based on the one developed by Mark Hibberd for his 1.8 Tonne machine.

 

His mount is about 1.02M up the mast for his Cat 301.8c and he's thinking of lowering it by about 150mm. I wonder what the optimum height is and how to determine it . . . is it based on the geometry of the machine's arm and stick, or how it's operated or both ?? If I can figure this out I can measure the machines I'm considering and make sure my mount height is optimal, or adjustable .

 

I am also hoping to do the hammer control from the mast, anyone got ideas on how best to achieve that in a cost effective manner??

 

Thanks

Foster

 

If you have it so the mast is offset from the digger arm, the post knocker weight raising arm won't bang against the diggers, Also means you can bring it in a fair bit closer.

 

Some pics of mine, the one where the leg down is how i don't like it but show you an example

[dent]

You can have side tilt, but the knocker needs to be offset from the arm by quite alot else when you tilt it sideways the mast comes into contact with the digger arm,

 

TBH you can go along way using the blade to level the machine. I think really to be efficient with a full length mast you really want to be working as a team of two so that one person can stay in the cab and make adjustments as required and the other can give guidance to the opertaor and get the next post ready.

 

There is on desighn so at fully crowded back the mast is only just over parralel with the boom there fore no offset required only downside is you cant work quite as close to the machine but when its coupled to a 4-5 foot telescopic leg and the mast is mounted at tje correct height on a long diiper machine it should allow you to work tlwith the main boom fully back so between that and an offset boom will give you a fair range of work and telescopic legs are great always very firm work position

[Matthew Storrs]

There is on desighn so at fully crowded back the mast is only just over parralel with the boom there fore no offset required only downside is you cant work quite as close to the machine but when its coupled to a 4-5 foot telescopic leg and the mast is mounted at tje correct height on a long diiper machine it should allow you to work tlwith the main boom fully back so between that and an offset boom will give you a fair range of work and telescopic legs are great always very firm work position

 

Yes,, I agree, i think this would be the ideal, with the telescopic leg etc. Its like anything the bigger parent machine you have the more you can add in terms of adjustments and additional hammer weight. Anything on a sub 3 ton machine needs a bit of compromise to reduce the overall weight of the knocker.

[csservices]

Well took a day off today to go look for a digger 150 mile round trip to go see a man who reckoned he had 250 machines in stock and could definitely find something in my price range, to get there to be shown a kubota with nearly 4000 hrs and badly worn dipper beaten up panels and a seat held in place with a plank and bungy rope, a Volvo ec15 that he couldn't start as pinched a valve off it for another and a well specced Terex which I was very interested in had two extra hydraulic services and showed signs of being well maintained, but hours clock didn't work and was a pig to start, dealer seemed to have zero interest in selling anything and in the end just wandered off and didn't come back, f'd off doesn't even start to cover it 😡

[Matthew Storrs]

Thats bad luck, made worse by the distance you travelled. Would you mind me asking roughly what price range you are looking at?

[csservices]

Was looking upto 7.5k, he wanted £6500 for the kubota, £5950 on the Volvo and £7200 on the Terex, spoke to another place in way back and I'm waiting to hear back from thier finance people with regard to looking at a newer Takeuchi 016

[Tentman]

Hmmm - I knew I shouldn't have used this thread - sorry CSS.

 

Mathew - can you remind me what size hammer you are running (and if you used it on the TB016).

 

Ta