LGP Eddie

The Komatsu Pc118mr is rare because they cost as much as the more popular 13 tonner. This will almost certainly have been one of the Hawk fleet that were utilised on a big chunk of the M6 smart motorway job. I know of only one that is an Owner Operator machine from new. It’ll have had plenty of seat fillers and lots of hours running nothing more than the heater. You’re basically paying 28k for it, the rest will go on another carrier machine if you want to trade up in future after putting some hours on it.

My Nephew has his own Garage specialising in Land Rover and makes a tidy living off the back of the Discovery 3 and 4. The speed they can split the body off these things is incredible, but literally every time I go there’s another one or two in for an engine or turbos. I’ve had a lot more luck than most with Land Rover products, mainly bought new and looked after, but no way I’d touch a Discovery 3 or 4 despite being the vehicle I’ve always wanted. I’d genuinely say if you haven’t a straightforward cushion of around 8k available to hand at any time for a big repair, then leave them well alone. As with everything there will be good and bad out there, buy as late as possible with warranty is one way, or as I say just be prepared for the worst and hope for the best from the start. Eddie.

Automatically! Just pick the grab up, as the hitch slides into position it forces the Hydraulic Connections together. Brilliant system, not without faults if people fail to look after them and bits are expensive, again you shouldn’t need many if you care for it. Eddie.

Where do you draw the line? If the guys had it refurbished that included the pins/bushes and the king post line bored etc etc, a bit of paint to smarten it up was hardly a crime I’d say? Eddie.

Interesting question that one, but depending on how the centre swivel and valve block is setup on the Ec214 you should be able to get about 140 ltr/min through with a bit of JCC Magic. That would be more than enough for an 8 tonne class Mulcher and give you full 360 rotate with out any trailing hoses. The double block Engcon top won’t be cheap, and you’ll have to pipe the case drain back through the return, but I certainly had no issues with that on my FAE. Should run a Mulcher nice, these are 100hp, which is 13 tonne class power. A call to John Craig will give you your exact options as it depends on the units build spec. Eddie.

Full package here that won’t take a genius to work out I had a fair bit of influence when being converted. The 118mr is something you don’t see that often used, and pack some serious hp, plus a good size cab in what’s virtually an 8 tonner size. Done virtually nothing since being gone through by John Craig, with the 700mm pads setting it off nicely. This is what I call a full fat Ec-Oil setup, with Twin Blocks giving maximum flow to attachments, and the Ec214 is equipped with the Hi Flow swivel. No messing about with changeover switches on this, it’s full Control System. Comes with Rake and Steel log as we nicknamed it that clip onto the blade when not in use, but are incredibly effective at clear up or woodchip levelling in combination with the grab by using the pockets to grip them. Buckets are a bit of an all sorts, but plenty to get going with. Komatsu PC118MR With engcon Northampton Crawler excavators, Year of manufacture: 2012 - Mascus UK WWW.MASCUS.CO.UK Komatsu PC118MR With engcon - the United Kingdom - Another tiltrotator machine in stock and the... Eddie.

Followed Red Winches on Instagram and spotted some Recovery Rings they do to work in conjunction with Soft Shackles. Did a bit of digging and found this video which gives a good oversight of the concept. Certainly a different way of going about things with much lighter easy to handle components, and the ability to make up multiple blocks easily could really help in many situations. Eddie.

It’s what works for the individual. I ran new, wasn’t scared to death about breakdowns, simply took a shot at going from older and handy with the spanner’s as you say to new. Best move I ever made, just putting the key in and diesel is the way forward if you’ve plenty of other stuff to get on with. It’s a little like machines, I don’t have workshop facilities, I can do a lot of stuff myself, but prefer newer kit in the hope of less hassle, and buying new Kubota’s was the best way of ensuring minimum hassle I ever found. Currently have the best I could find used 2 years ago AWD Transit, and I’ve spent a fortune on it in comparison to the previous new Defenders I ran. Simply because I can’t find a replacement, I’ve just thrown 2k at it to get it completely gone through as it’s no rot whatsoever and hope to get a while longer out of it whilst continuing the search for the newer shape in AWD. Finding a short low roof with low miles is almost impossible!! Eddie.

A lot depends on your business model, if you only go 30 mile from home you will put up with a lot more than if you need to travel distance reliably. Best thing I ever did was switch to new Defenders, depreciation was negligible and did everything I wanted. I’m running an AWD Transit now, wish I’d had one 10 years ago in many ways, but you can’t find them in the newer shape anywhere from fleets yet, so I keep looking at 4x4 sprinters. If you haven’t a reliable vehicle in the morning, it makes everything harder. Eddie.

Brilliant films, a fantastic showcase, credit to you and your team.? Eddie.

I’d recommend the Tajfun one then, you can get them from Kilworth Machinery. Absolutely beautiful bit of kit, incredibly light, no tools required and is 13 tonne rated so perfect for you. Some images here, it comes as a kit with a sling. TAJFUN PS 130 Snatch Block WWW.FORDAQ.COM CATEGORY TYPE: Accessories for Harvesting Machines; CATEGORY: Snatch Block; BRAND: Tajfun... Eddie.

What rating is your winch?

The image is straight off the guys Twitter account, shouldn’t take much finding. Eddie.

Could be some serious money just on top brackets depending on what spec you go for? Eddie.

This is a first class setup from a brilliant home, no details, just gone up on Twitter. Most on here know my thoughts on the Kx57, and this should be a full control system. He has every attachment going and is switching to 8 tonne, so they may be available. Eddie.

He’s right though! We are now at the stage that to do deals units are traded in and like anything if they can underwrite the unit being traded in, it makes life a lot easier putting together a deal. Shaun Gratton at Rototilt is a good friend and I’d give him a call. All the main players sell used units, but nobody can in reality buy them all back, so if you know what you want and offer sensible money for one they have coming in, you won’t be far off I’m certain. Eddie.

If you need that much guarding, it’s cheaper to find a new Operator! Eddie.

Many really underestimate what a difference the additional Tilt function brings to such setups. The progression from a dangle mount grab to fixed mount is a fair jump on an Excavator, but the Tiltrotator with it’s worm drive rotator that’s fast/powerful and strong enough to last the distance with solid hold, plus the way more powerful than many imagine Tilt function is the icing on the cake. Tiltrotators are under much scrutiny by users at the minute with regard to the cost/rates/return/resale values. It’s increasingly clear that they are extremely poor in terms of residual value, despite actually having a fantastic lifespan, and generally a refurb will consist of little more than cosmetics and a few hoses. Spares are absolutely savage in price, and the Engcon Ec-Oil automatic quick hitch system must come in for considerable criticism, as components for this are genuinely eye watering. With the current over capacity in the job, rates on the way down, I predict the glory days of the Tiltrotator in the UK have already been seen. What we are witnessing is purchasers opting to take slightly lesser spec setups to remove the automatic quick hitches or delete the control systems. This can make a significant difference to purchase and running costs in an increasingly competitive market. I get asked about how do you make a Tiltrotator pay? In all honesty my first was paid for in months, my latest one may take years at the current rate, the job is flooded with Machines and Hirers really don’t care what’s hanging off the end of the machine if it’s cheap. For anyone thinking of making the jump into a Tiltrotator and happy to go with a used unit, I really don’t think there’s been a better time in the UK than now. Eddie.

Stolen from the JCC Group Facebook page, but a great example of how Tiltrotators are breathing new life into the Backhoe loader. Nice little set of footings that would have been bread and butter to Backhoe men back in the day brought right up to date. The reach and power of the Backhoe combined with the Tiltrotator means a lot of the clumsy repositioning is eliminated and you’d be literally learning again what could be achieved now. Eddie

Nice to finally get the LGP Long Reach setup in action. She handles the felling head brilliantly and makes no mess on them big slippers. Takes over where a 13 tonner and Shear ends for very little more a day. Should be a brilliant Highway machine on the 700mm pads and rubber blocks. IMG_2228.MP4 IMG_2230.MP4 Eddie.

Well they don’t do a brain scan that’s for certain. If you can talk a good job, tick a box and turn a drama into a crisis you’ll be fit for the Rail! Eddie.

Put the big slippers on the JS145 long reach yesterday. First time I’ve swapped them and certainly an effortless process if you follow the procedure. Having an Engcon and Grab makes life easier, but a set of pallet forks on the Engcon would be the tool for the job. Main thing is I now know I’ll be happy to do them on site without the aid of another machine and the JS can lift a full LGP track no drama. The one application I’ll say makes a cordless grease gun welcome. Eddie.

Australian Crowd, Holland Customised Services, do some nice work. Eddie.

Here’s one with Westtech’s version of the Mecanil on it. Big mistake going with the 3 arm configuration, you actually look for limbs to wrap the 4 finger type around to ensure a 100% hold at times. Having used such a setup and another in build, I’d say 20 tonne under it to make it worthwhile. I ran mine on my SK270SRLC Kobelco with the Mecanil, she was pushing 32 tonne plus and 3.4 metres wide with no tail, but rock solid with the extension. https://vimeo.com/371818202?ref=em-share Eddie.

Yes obviously the old gag about needing it whilst you wait for the fitter, may or may not apply!!? Eddie.