LGP Eddie

Just a couple of things I supplied last week. One of the new Intermercato T-Cut 25, which is a new improved model giving the ability to cut either side of the blade and a true 250mm capacity, rather than just a larger blade fitted to a smaller unit. This Bobcat is at the lowest end of its weight range, and being long arm I specced the guy loose pins, in case the quick hitch needed to come off. However it’s worked out brilliant, he’s absolutely delighted with it and no handling issues at all. His plan is to take an extra head bracket or two for 6 and 8 tonners, then Hire it out locally. The second is the Intermercato TG12-UG7 fitted to a Volvo Ec18. First I’ve supplied of these and the guy is absolutely delighted with it. It was a tight deadline as he’d a Project for it, so a bare 6 way valve was dispatched with it and he’s simply fitted it himself with a foot operated switch to get up and running asap. He plans a neater install, with properly guarded valve and neater pipework when time allows or the valve could actually go on the machine if he wished. A couple of good setups and Yes the Bobcat owner has fabricated a Screen Guard now as recommended. Eddie.

Probably what a lot thought when the actual Forwarder was built? We could do this with a horse! You can innovate or follow the pack, no rights or wrongs, down to the individual. Eddie.

Why would you stop at just the One application, when this setup could be attractive to a much broader range of clients. It would be a good setup with a demountable turntable chipper, hard enough to find decent guys, the more one man can do the better. Eddie.

I’d do it a simple 4 leg system and a hi lift jack like a portacabin. I’d say that Jensen off it’s Chassis would sit on this machine fine, if I’ve looked at the right link. I nearly built such a setup until Lincoln came along and filled the niche with his Tracked Woodsman, but he can’t forward much with it!? Eddie.

I think the main idea is to take advantage of the forwarders off road ability with driven axles, combined with the crane setup to carry a chipper unit besides its main forwarding role. The fact that the Chipper Unit could be retained as Road tow or Forwarder based would be a bonus. Eddie.

I use this.?

Blown to waste on a huge percentage of jobs that small kit is involved in? Eddie.

It’s turntable so you swing it around from the travel position, crank the steering a bit and you’ll see straight in it? Eddie.

That’s odd because I’ve sat on enough jobs and fed 8” Först’s and the like with an 8 tonner an awful lot faster than guys by hand, simply because you can pick something up much bigger a lot more often without breaking sweat? I have Lincoln Ashton sit behind my Liebherr with a small crane fed Woodsman, it’s remarkable what can be done in a shift by that setup, this just scales it down a notch. Having the crane handles everything oversize easily too. No need to look at it as just brash, plenty of jobs need chipper setups, look at the popularity of the mini and Bandit setups about now, this would be self contained and do the forwarding after if required. Maybe I just work on different type of projects? Eddie.

Just put an image of the Jensen up so people can grasp what we are talking about? Basically demountable from such a road tow chassis on to the back of that compact Forwarder to feed by crane or hand. Eddie.

I think the Jensen will be a reasonable solution when you balance up, bang for buck, capacity and weight Again it’s available with the engine alongside so a very compact unit and will come as a road tow turntable, so easy conversion. Eddie.

I’d have thought 2.5 tonne wouldn’t trouble it at all? I’m certain it’s all hardox chassis etc, it doesn’t bother your average Ifor Trailer and they’re nothing special in build. However a Jensen A340 turntable is a more realistic proposition financially to get going as they’re available used, and will undoubtedly be lighter in build. Eddie.

Think you’re on the right lines to be honest, just you need to go a bit bigger on the chipper to get the best from it. However if you can crane feed 12” stuff and also forward some product with a low impact unit, that’s a very valuable service. A demount Bandit 105 that can be both hand and crane fed on a turntable is the one to aim for. Have a setup to use it traditionally on a road tow chassis, then 4 legs (hi lift jack) setup to demount and back under with the Forwarder if required. The 105 is a fantastic size unit, the engine is side mounted so almost a square super compact machine, but typical Bandit tank build! Eddie.

What’s the Forwarder? Eddie.

CPCS Scheme doesn't exactly work like this and certainly doesn't require 3 years or a higher standard to attain a Blue supposedly Competent Operator Card. This Scheme has killed Plant Operating skills stone dead, it's called a "Ticket" because that's all it is, an entry to site, box ticking for HSE, arse covering, money printing racket! I know lads who've got a Blue Card from a standing start in 6 months and only attended one Saturday morning for the paperwork and a few photos in a machine to get the Red. The card gives absolutely no indication of an Operators previous experience or skill level, and leaves a lottery for employers/hirers who have to literally wait and see what they've got in the seat? Please don't even think of modelling anything on this scheme! Eddie.

Last bits of info come in on this Rototilt R1 and it's all good news! The unit with Gripper fitted is only approx 145kg, and the Gripper itself opens to a useful 400mm. One to put on anyones list in this class. Eddie.

Just checked up and the Rototilt R1 does cover from 1.5 to 3.5 tonne in its class. For the smaller machines you can have it on S30, but for the larger carriers you can go S40 and this is where the Gripper Unit mounting is added. The Gripper is a full retrofit setup, so can be purchased at a later date or fitted/removed as required. Certainly a Unit to take a look at in this class. Not the best image, but this is the R1 Unit in S40 hitch form with the Gripper fitted. Eddie.

You’d normally go under on what is a full fat tail machine, but wrap around especially lead filled to keep it most compact will do the trick. If you can get 300kg on it should transform it nicely. If you want to leave the roof on the parish Church then guys like these will fill your counterweight for you. https://www.midlandlead.co.uk/products/other/ Eddie.

Just do the counterweight yourself it’s generally a simple process if some suitable mounting points under the machine can be located. Shaun was very lucky with his Komatsu, some good big mounting bolts underneath already that could be simply sourced longer to retain the counterweight nicely. Making it is as simple as propping up a sheet of thin ply under the machine that’s sitting perfectly level and marking out the shape you want with a spirit level around the back of the machine or whatever method you come up with that works for you. Steel weights are easily calculated and you can see what clearance you have on things like the Blade Ram guard when it’s slewing. Once you’ve got your pattern sorted get it cut at your local profilers and source the longer bolts. Sean made a great job of his, it’s really not hard, I did the patterns for my Liebherr, it was profile cut in Wigan and fitted in Scotland by John Craig. I’ve not studied it thoroughly myself but talk is of the just launched Rototilt R1 being where it’s at with these smaller machines. I don’t know what hitches are available, but it looks configured to take a detachable gripper unit and is classified up to 3.5 tonnes carrier weight. If that’s the case, it’s ideal as the gripper can be removed when not required or even added after the initial purchase when funds allow. Engcon have this ability on their larger units, where users can keep adding things like the Gripper or Ec-Oil automatic hitches as you go, but not on the smaller stuff. Eddie.

It’s a valid point, but the nature of the work leads to a Grab and then it needs to be a fixed Grab to get the best from it and ideally worm drive too? The potential for a Tiltrotator to be the worm drive rotator with the added bonus of tilt thrown in, just add the Grab, can’t be ignored by many on here. I was first using a Powertilt in 1996, they are fantastic units and you would think many more would utilise them. Come to think of it, you’d think as just about every machine is piped you’d see many more Tilt buckets about? Eddie.

Richy B has a 2.7 tonne machine so he’s able to go with an Engcon Ec02 on s30 type pickup with a top hitch so he can drop the unit off and easily go down to a 9” Bucket if so required. Its always preferable and forget what any dealers tell you to run a Tilty right at the top end of its weight class to ensure the machine is more than up to handling it and you get less ‘dulling’ of the machine functions. If you don’t get what I mean by ‘dulling’ just imagine a machine with a full bucket or not, totally different feel to them. Dealers want them at the other end of the weight class to help protect them a little from the forces of larger machines. Trust me they can run right to the top of their weight class and a touch over no issues. The Kubota here is a classic example of a carrier machine handling a unit that really needs an extra tonne of carrier machine to get the best from it. Combine the integral gripper weight and the fact it’ll almost certainly be on s40 hitch which really is 4 tonne and above territory, and you start and see why an extra slice of counterweight is required. Donnk isn’t alone, my good friend Sean Gratton took the Ec204 in full spec with top hitch and s40 on his 3 tonne Komatsu and has ended up putting a slice of counterweight on it to settle it down. It really is a total and potentially expensive minefield out there! Remember the ‘S’ type hitches are denoted by pin size, 30mm, 40mm, 50mm etc, you don’t have to match your carrier machines Bucket pin size to this! For example a Kx080 Kubota which has 60mm Bucket pins as standard will run a S45 hitch which is obviously 45mm pins. Do your Homework, ask existing users they are generally happy to share knowledge and regardless of your brand preference to purchase, get yourself off to one of Engcon’s brilliant dig days they’ve been running. You can see many setups, try them and speak to the actual owners. Eddie.

All depends on the specification you finally settle on. You’ll be having something starting with a 6 to just make it Tilt and Rotate I’d expect, pinned to the machine, running off your pipes and controls. By the time you’ve got a top quick hitch, full control system, new Joysticks etc, you can double that. Absolute minefield and everyone has a different opinion, but the general consensus now is how can we take something great and make it cheaper. If one UK supplier could sell you a unit that operated by pulling it with blue bt cord out the front window they would!? Personally I just tell guys to wait a bit longer until you can afford a control system and take the full benefits. Eddie.

Just a heads up to this as the listing doesn’t show the machine in the first image. Don’t shoot the messenger, nothing to do with me if you think it’s cheap or dear. What I do know is it’s from a good genuine home, the Steelwrist is full spec with control system so no issues using a grab on it through the auxiliaries at the same time as Tilting/Rotating. https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/VOLVO-ECR48C-with-Steelwrist-X06-25-500-plus-VAT/323371446235?hash=item4b4a70afdb%3Ag%3AHw0AAOSwWo5bXP0c&_nkw=steelwrist&_from=R40&rt=nc&_trksid=p2380057.m4084.l1313.TR1.TRC0.A0.H0.Xsteelwrist.TRS0 Eddie.

Hard to put a scale, but it looks perfect to work with a decent loading shovel for all them bloody pieces that are a nightmare to chase about with Excavators in any quantity. A good setup yard with a suitable bay and room for trucks should be cleared out in no time. Wouldn’t be hard to find a local silage gang with a loading shovel resting between seasons too. Eddie.

No problem, hat off to you for the investment and great to see more product being utilised where possible.? I went off and found a video, words wouldn’t do it justice!? Eddie.