LGP Eddie

Quick heads up, probably too late as only been sent them tonight , but don’t know if you can buy online? This is through Euro Auctions Leeds tomorrow. If you’ve ever enquired what them stroke heads cost, it could be a bargain in a raft of Construction guys? Eddie.

Finally found it, yes it looks exactly like that Teufelberger Compacted stuff. I had this auto stop retrofitted on the Tajfun absolutely brilliant, stops idiots smashing the sliders back into it, just cuts straight off as it presses the plunger.? Eddie.

Just a heads up that John Craig still has the Kubota Kx57-4 in ‘L’ spec complete with Engcon Ec206 Direct Mount and three Buckets that was on his other company A&B Services stand at the APF. I know what you lot are like so yes I do know what he wants, 50k for the package. It’s new unregistered for warranty. I really rate the Kx57, John can do whatever mods you wanted or extra attachments. Nice setup for someone on here no doubt.? Eddie.

Hopeless image, but may just show what enough for a supplier to know what I’m talking about. Its good stuff, no real issues whatsoever in comparison to standard cable. Eddie.

Hard to describe, but it’s actually round if that makes sense and pretty smooth, with wide strands that don’t seem to fray. We had another brand delivered new, lovely Winch, but honestly I thought the cable was that big old three strand stuff they brace electric poles with! Absolutely horrendous and hasn’t lasted 5 minutes. Eddie.

Ring A&B Services Scotland. They had a stand at the APF, I was picking up the various pieces of cables they had on show saying “that’s where you get that from”. You should get some sound advice. I found the cable supplied with my Tajfun Winch to be far superior to anything I’ve used before. I don’t know what it’s called, but they do it. I’ll see if I can get an image. Eddie.

Give a guy called Ross at Sandhill Plant a call. Absolutely brilliant service, he will give you all your options on your finance and sell it for you as a Dealer so other prospective purchasers can also get finance on the unit which opens up the market. He did me a fixed fee on two Kubota’s I’ve sold, sorted the listings on Mascus etc and more importantly weeds out all the tyre kickers. He moves a lot of kit and has a great reputation. Eddie.

I’d go with 75mm of base course in one layer. Bombproof once laid and open enough surface to get some grip. We have a hill up this way the council stick the planer over after resurfacing to give the artics more of a chance. Many driveways I’ve done went the 75mm single layer of base route, it works well, no topping peeling off or sinking into. Used to leave it down enough for a top over if they ever wanted to sell, cheap to do and looks like a new coat of paint.? Eddie.

Try and eat your dinner with a broken wrist? Basically Forestry cranes don’t come with the additional Bucket ram and tipping links, but on an Excavator you’ve got this extra dimension, so best to utilise it. The Tiltrotator just adds a couple of things in the form a very heavy duty worm drive rotator that will hold things solid where you want them, and a degree of tilt in the 40 to 55 degrees range. You can spec a worm drive rotator on a fixed grab which is the halfway house solution. Going from a standing start to a fixed grab like the Intermercato is a huge leap in productivity for most. Tiltrotators are another minefield and price range altogether! Eddie.

It’s always been the Backhoe that will perform best, but the gap is closing. Properly specced Hydradigs and Mecalac are getting very useful bits of kit and will surprise just what little impact they can make on some big single tyres. If impacts not so much of an issue then take a look at this. May surprise a few?? Eddie.

Taxed as a ‘Digging Machine’ no need for White Diesel to and from places of work. Ducks will surprise you where they will go off road if sensible, single tyres help. Eddie.

Just add the Forks. https://www.mascus.co.uk/construction/used-wheeled-excavators/takeuchi-tb175w/rcmbqmnm.html Eddie.

I know, you need a Hydradig but they’re not down in money enough yet! Any of the Ducks, Takeuchi, Neuson, Komatsu etc would fit most requirements. The Takeuchi almost certainly being the safest bet. You could go 13 tonne Duck but only you know your applications. Just showing how things could be done an awful lot differently than a standard Telehandler for not crazy money. Eddie.

Spotted this, might suit a few on here, great machines. https://www.mascus.co.uk/construction/used-midi-excavators--7t---12t/other-takuchi-tb175-with-engcon-tb175/zcyoyesp.html Eddie.

https://www.mascus.co.uk/construction/used-telescopic-handlers/merlo-roto-30-16/mflkoqzf.html

It’ll not need a crane boom on the average Rotating Telehandler and often they come with the additional crane winch and man basket. Plenty in the UK Eddie.

So I’ll leave this here whilst I have a little think, and the fact rotating Telehandlers drop in money like a stone secondhand?? Eddie.

Hard to convey in words, but this is what you see when you open the side door and bonnet on a JCB JS131, the absence of all the DPF and AD Blue stuff really does make it look like a 90’s machine and full marks for service access on the filters. Eddie.

Digging a new Muck Pit is exactly type of application you’d not take it on. This one is fine and probably it’s that quiet he can just hear different things, it absolutely has a soundtrack like no other machine. As I explained it’s like going back to 1990 machines you can just jump in, get on with, no scary bits under the bonnet to worry about and you can easily maintain it yourself for a lot of it. Your mate needed a JS145 if he was taking it to proper production digging work. One main point I forgot to add was I’m probably looking at this from a pick them up used after they come off the Hire fleets perspective. They are perceived as the poor relation, when you could end up with a bargain machine that won’t cost hardly any more than an 8 tonner to run, but will give a lot more capacity with simplicity. Eddie.

So for my sins and the fact that the much anticipated rush of work in September never materialised I ended up doing a rare bit of Bucket work to construct a road with of all things a JCB JS131 13 tonner this week. It’s the machine itself that prompted me to post, basically because it’s perceived as the poor man’s 13 tonner, Plant Hire spec model of the range. What JCB basically did was build a machine that eliminates the hassles associated with DPF and Ad Blue which can cause major headaches, especially with self drive machines. To achieve this they took some larger pumps and matched them to an engine tuned to produce the perfect power/torque for them at low revs. I tried one at a JCB event and jumped out pretty quick, I like my machines lightening quick and very sharp on the controls. This just felt slow and woolly, with no sparkle. Fast forward to this week and one drops off the low loader for me when my hopes were on the latest Hitachi!? After a few days on it, I now really get it! This machine has a soundtrack like an old three cylinder engine chugging away in the back, peak revs is only 1800 and you’ve already decided it’s not up to much? First daily checks I was nodding to myself thinking everything is well placed, you can service this yourself in minutes, it’s actually got all the bits and bobs on , and is really quite a nice spec. Under the bonnet it actually looks like an engine and probably something you’d tackle a few jobs on yourself. Cab is a good place to be, has everything required and no complaints. It’s beautifully piped up along the boom/dipper with twin dual acting auxiliary circuits and hydraulic hitch, so all good for a Grab or whatever and you can set the flow too. Why post up about it? Well I think it could be a totally hidden classic in the making? The fact it’s no DPF or Ad Blue, you can service it easily. It’s all the spec you need without too many frills and the engine/pump combo means it’s almost certainly going to have longevity. Combined with the fact it’s fuel consumption is on a par with the average 8 tonner, it’s an attractive package. Anyone looking for a machine that may have multiple Operators, isn’t going to be flogged in a high production digging role such as loading Chippers etc then this could be a good choice. However it’s also got larger pumps than a Js130 and this engine is good for 150hp and a lot more revs which would make it fly!?? Will it dig, yes, can you do the job with it? Well I muddled through. Eddie.

Plenty of chip to waste applications out there where a low impact Forwarder that can do the chipping and forward out the best of the timber for a return, would be a great solution. They also pay a lot better than Forestry as it’s niche. If you can’t crane feed more in a shift the Chipper is the weak link. You can load all sorts of trucks and Hooklift bins with a Hi Lift Trailer, but depends on your actual trailer. Eddie.

Simple answer is we are the UK which has a total Sales cultute of cheapest spec possible, three buckets, quick hitch and out the door! Blades are available, generally specced by Owner Operators and the odd Groundwork Company or Specialist that’s got with it a bit. Exactly the same for Two Piece, Split, TAB booms, whichever you want to call it. If you search abroad then much higher spec machines can be sourced, often at excellent value for money. Eddie.

But at £450 a week tops for a brand new latest 13 tonne machine that’s fully backed up on site and reasonable transportation costs, then is it worth owning? If you can get your work into week blocks, then almost no notice is required to hire and attachments are easily sourced too, because these latest machines are piped for them. Eddie.

It’ll be a lump, there’s no plastic in it!? No way you could bend the 200 type blade, I make no excuses for the abuse I gave mine with an 8 tonner and yes I blew all the bolts off a few times. Cutting Willow up to about 20”!? This type is different, but again I’d doubt it, bolts would almost certainly go first. I rate the TMK and would sell them if I could alongside too. There’s little in them, just the Intermercato is as simple as they come, literally just keep the blade bolts tight and that’s it. Eddie.

Not tried it myself and the guy hasn’t come up for air with it yet, he’s having a real old sort out around the place with it. The build is typical Intermercato like a tank, huge ram, so should be no issues. He’s had Willow down well up to around 16” with a few cuts and 10” Hawthorn no problem. This would be a good unit under a Tiltrotator, where the ability to rotate around the tree whilst cutting, helps go way over rated capacity. The exposed blade makes this manoeuvre better with an Intermercato than a TMK. The hold is always very strong on Intermercato, but you’ll never replicate something like a Westtech with it’s height and extra grip in this class or price range. Not an expensive Shear and a good upgrade from the previous model. Eddie.