monkeybusiness

I'm just putting a set of bearings into a 1928 Greenmech that we have put 1350 hrs on, but had done a lot of work before I owned it (had a new clock fitted so unknown hours but had been a railway contractor's machine so unlikely to have had an easy life!). I grease them every 40 hrs religiously. In over 6000hrs of use across a number of Greenmech machines these are the first bearings I have fitted (but I am anal about greasing!).

If it took 3 men 6 hours with that kit on site then they must be pretty useless!

Very tidy job but I think you have your weights a bit wrong. Looks well done though!

It isn't mine by any chance? Where is it Pete (PM if you prefer)?

Hi - I'm looking for a large hydraulic winch to mount on the front of a 150hp tractor. The tractor doesn't have a front linkage or PTO. I saw (from a distance) an Environment Agency John Deere with exactly what I am looking for fitted - it had spade legs and looked really substantial. Does anyone know where to look for these? I am not concerned about fabricating a mount, and weight isn't an issue as the tractor needs ballasting at the front anyway. Any advice/makes to look for would be gratefully received! Cheers.

The tw190 is a 7.5 inch machine - the equivalent GM (on paper) is a 1928. I'm not sure of the price comparisons but you should definitely try one if you are considering a machine over 750kg. The GM150 in reality has a similar sized throat to the TW190, but you notice the difference in the bigger (ie 7.5inch class) machines in the size of the feed hoppers - you can get a lot more brash to the rollers much more easily with a bigger machine.

If it is blocking I would check to see if the baffle at the bottom of the output chute flange is damaged/missing (this can happen if a very hard foreign object finds its way through the machine)... Open the flywheel housing (as if checking the blades) and look up into the hole where the chip is sent. There should be a curved plate following the curvature of the chipper chamber that protrudes an inch or so across the opening, directly above the serrated edge of the flywheel when everything is closed up. This plate stops any unchipped pieces (potentially over-long and liable to cause blockages) from exiting the chipper chamber without first passing through the flywheel. Alternatively, blunt blades and/or anvils can lead to stringy chip. Combine blunt blades with the discharge flap pointing down on its lowest setting and you will get blockages. Good luck with the chipper - I imagine it is a road tow for that money? I think they are fantastic machines personally - there isn't much out there in the same class that will keep up with them!

Bang on! And be careful that you don't hit the tractor with anything - it is easy to stack alongside yourself nice and high but it can all go wrong very quickly if a log is dropped too early (wrong lever etc) or isn't balanced on the stack very well. Watch out for stumps as they don't mix well with tyres... Be careful of side slopes, especially with an empty trailer (fold the crane down low when empty, so the grapple is near the tractor and the boom is low to the spine of the trailer to keep the centre of gravity down). Watch your hoses and rams - they can be easy to snag and fittings can quickly get damaged. It is unlikely that you will break a timber trailer (other than lights and tyres), but it is easy to damage parts of the crane and really easy to smash up your tractor and/or any bystanders... Take it steady and get used to the crane controls before picking up anything too long! And take some pics.

Cheers for the heads up!

I don't suppose anyone has a 7900 exhaust for sale (sorry for the derail!).

MS261 has some serious design flaws with the clutch/crank/bearings, that may not come to light within warranty period if you are an infrequent user but will effectively write-off the saw if they occur out of warranty (potentially uneconomic repair). Stay well away - I was told recently that Stihl are discontinuing this saw due to the poor reputation it has earned itself. The ms362 is a good reliable saw, but IMO not as exciting as a husky 560xp. I would always pick up the 560 before the 362 unless wanting to pull a 20" bar. The 550xp is the closest equivalent to the ms261 and would be a good saw for your requirements I would imagine, and is cheaper than a 362 or a 560.

Can it hold what it cuts (ie if you sever a tree do you have any control over where it goes?). Not all the pics have downloaded on this computer so apologies if the answer is in the photos!

After the greenmech you will probably be disappointed with anything else that you buy, as nothing else on the market is as good at accessing difficult sites. There isn't much point in a tracked chipper if you still have to drag stuff to it IMO!

What engine has it got? It looks to be under 750kg (no brakes) which makes it more valuable to a lot of people without the correct driving licence for towing. Is there VAT on top? I'd say it has to be around 5k personally.

I'll get some up once the insurance is sorted.

Yeah - it turns out a 1928 is a lot tougher than a Peugeot and a Toyota Dyna though!

Pete, can you tell me the RAL code for GM green please?

I'm going for Komatsu...

That is very worrying! Is there any possibility that the flywheel mounting is damaged/out of line and the blades have been stressed when fixed to the machine? I am unfamiliar with TP machines so don't know if this could play a part or not.

Not that obvious - they are a bitch to check (and even harder to swap!).

The Greenmech has a 6"x9" infeed throat, compared to 6"x6" for the TW. This makes a massive difference to what it will pull in (in terms of brash/thorn) and equates to a lot less snedding. It is more on a par with a TW190 for chipping ability in reality. There are many other reasons that I would personally chose the GM but I would suggest that from a day to day operating point of view that is the big difference.

Blunt blades will create more blockages. Check your anvil/bedknife (the non-moving edge that the blades cut against). This needs to be sharp too!

Get the most torque you can! If you only ever use your trailer on very flat ground it makes no difference, however if you pick timber up on the downhill side of a leaning trailer (and it doesn't need to be leaning a lot) it requires a lot of torque to twist all that mass back 'uphill' to load.

There isn't one machine that will do every job. If you are looking to buy something specific and can build a business plan around it (ie buy it to hire out, including back to yourself for treework at a cost effectively passed on to the client) then it may be worth looking into. How many times do you need a MEWP on a job personally? If a lot, then buying a machine similar to what you regularly hire could make sense. If infrequently, I would be inclined to just hire a task specific machine each time you need one.