RichardT

Top end alpine, guarded, reversible and dual steer, hyds and pto at both ends, easy on/off loader of the Biglift type. Loadsa spools.

if it was used as a daily grafter

That's the plan, we're talking Hardscrabble Farm not Buccleugh Estates!

Present workhorse is a Goldoni 70hp conventional compact w/ loader (pic in profile), handy but I've had to max the tread for slopes, and no reverse drive: I like to be able to get out of trouble as fast as I got into it (viz Donald Sutherland's Sherman) and spending the day mulching with my head turned 180* does not appeal...

Yes, that's pretty much my ideal rig right there. Let me know if it becomes surplus! Annoyingly I just missed out on a mint used BCS Volcan with Meri Crusher, minus loader and cab. Hens teeth, etc.

That's a Seppi, yes? Cutting width?

There seem to be a couple of cheaper Italian brands around that don't have proper UK distribution, maybe not contractor grade but I don't really need that. I may explore a direct buy.

Mulchers need lots of power!!

Well, that presumably depends on what's being mulched, and how fast. A 10t 360 running a hydro mulching head doesn't have all that much power. And I wonder why all these 1.3m-odd machines are made if they need a full-size tractor to drive them.....

The economics I can pretty much figure out myself, the old-fashioned way I'll leave to those a couple of decades younger, thanks anyway.

Anyone used a small mulcher (eg Seppi Miniforst) in combination with a compact (more specifically mid-range reverse drive alpine type, +/-60hp)?

Plenty of YouTube footage to suggest the combo works ok, but I'd be interested in any experiences/opinions, what they can/ cannot realistically cope with, etc. Also suggestions on other manufacturers & suppliers.

I've lots of work in mind here - establishing rides through birch/spruce regen, opening access across oldish brash for quad/foot/pony traffic, hammering rhodi spread, etc - and I've previously hired in 360 + mulcher head, but there are access issues for these machines and the skidsteer/mulcher hire outfits I've spoken to seem pretty selective about where they'll put their machines, also costly for long hire.

ps very few used small mulchers around, so presumably resale values if bought new would be ok?

It's definitely sexier than the wee Kubota you're shifting!

Are you getting a loadernon the BCS?

Kilworth were very helpful with Multione bits, pity they've stoppeed importing them.

Well, a rigid machine has some advantages, particularly on level ground, but there are disadvantages too, particularly on uneven ground. Personally, the latter is more important and I wouldn't buy another rigid small artic loader. Your mileage may differ.

"How good are these machines on uneven ground or a side slope? "

Side slopes require a bit of care, I've put wider rubber on my little CSF, together with modest wheel spacers, but the hubs go straight onto the wheel motors so you can't push this too far. The CofG seems a bit lower on these than on small Weidemanns etc. with front articulation and seat above motor.

Worth noting re rough ground that Avants, like most CSFs ( but not Dean's GT) are rigid laterally, ie no oscillation joint, so driving over a lump means a wheel in the air and a very distinct tipover point. There is/ was a Dutch firm (Vano) that made an Avant knockoff with a Weidemann type pendulum joint.

Excellent.

presumably if I cut my own head off I can be pursued beyond the grave for damages arising from the trauma of watching it?

Thanks for that. Doable then, but this lot could easily stretch a trivial paperwork exercise into three meetings, two subcommittees and a study group, so on balance I'll just cut the tree down for them.

The local community (parish) council has asked me to donate a village Xmas tree, I'm happy to oblige and have picked out a nicely shaped Sitka that'll trim down to 20'-odd.

I confidently predict that at least one of the crew will show up with a Homebase saw and a big grin in the expectation of pulling some cool Ax Men moves. My assumption is that as the landowner, if I let them loose on my land and someone performs amateur surgery on themselves I could be royally f***ed, notwithstanding the normal liability policies in place, even in the unlikely event of pukka PPE and tickets being in evidence.

OTOH I'd quite like to stand around with a brew and film the mayhem - assuming someone can demonstrate that they know what they're doing - if there's any legally safe way of doing so. Failing which I'll fell & sned and leave them to wrestle it onto the trailer.

Any advice on the legal niceties appreciated.

I'd echo the last comment, fulfilling the occupancy requirement does not mean you can turn the back garden into a working yard, I'd talk to the planners first.

Nice machine.

I almost bought an A60 a couple of years back and at the time the German Holder owners' club was selling facsimile operators' manuals for some models. www.MyHolder.de - MyHolder geht durch dick und dünn! or something similar.

btw you still running the Mog U900 you bought my old shop manuals for?

Thanks, got a number now.

Richard.

Does anybody know what happened to their trading arm when the trust went belly up? Is somebody still working with their Alstor, etc?

Any contact details or clues appreciated.

Thanks Dean, will do.

I believe there are a couple of GT series operators out there, if anyone has parts lists/drawings I'd appreciate a copy or a lookup, I'm thinking of a modification of my little S series and need to pick a few brains.

Failing diagrams etc., a couple of visual checks & measurements would probably do it.

Thanks.

Very nice, but I'm less impressed by their current product range, overdesigned plastic mouldings and not very practical. No centre oscillation even on the big ones, which IMO is a killer on anything but flat ground. Avant are the same. Id buy a used GTxx in a flash (or one of the various 5rd party brand equivalents - Boxer, Gamma4 etc.)

"that will be good news for those in debt"

But very bad news for savers/fixed income pensioners &c.

The growth of the UK economy over the decade before the crash was comprised almost entirely of property, construction, financial services and state spending. Most of it was funded by debt. Our total debt is, proportionally, worse than Spain's and by some measures worse than Greece's. Those engines of growth are, technically speaking, knackered for the foreseeable. Consumers will be unwinding debt for some years, and discretionary spending will be tight, particularly given the real inflation rates on fuel, food, etc. The glory years will not return for a good while, if at all, but livings will still be made.

You bought an alpine for the price of a Vimek gearbox rebuild?

I'll not be buying a Minimaster then.....

We got pp on the basis of agricultural necessity - ie the house was tied to the establishment of a livestock business, and visible investment in the latter was required before the house build could start. (As it happens we didn't have the cash to build until we'd spent 2 winters in a static on site anyway, so it made no practical difference to the timing.) At least one other poster here is working through the same process, and another got pp and is building on the basis specifically of wood-based business activity on and around the site. So it can be done, but planners are certainly wise to development scams (build for business need, ditch the business immediately, flog the nice country house at a fat profit) and at the very least tend to write S75 type agreements into the pp.

Structure-wise, we though about solid log construction but for various reasons, speed among them, ended up using a SIPS system clad with larch. I'm sure they'd have equally happy with a log build .

As you can see it's mounted on springs for comfort:

Lada Niva with tractor tyres. A bit short on chip space, to be fair. But hard to stop or bog.

The Landini was briefly available in McCormick red, but I don't think it's available at all any more?

I think you can get a 3pl & PTO on the top end Weidemann teles. Not quite the same thing, I know.

Ah, I think I saw this on MachineBuilders.net a while ago. Very impressive work. I've been thinking for a while about a CADTRAC type build but the absence of a US-sized pool of cheap wheel motors &c has put me off so far.

Also thought about using my little 20hp Multione loader as a donor

"If anyone is after a project I would sell but its worth alot in parts!"

Hmmm. Ballpark numbers?