LGP Eddie

Can you send me a picture or two of the site please Ste to see what it'll be tackling? I've had a fair old task doing some ditching to a specific profile on a site high up in the Staffordshire Moorlands. This site really is as wet as it comes, but this new Kubota really is fantastic on the soft stuff! There is 25% more track on the ground to my old one and it really does show when you travel the ground with hardly a mark. The Engcon makes this sort of work a one pass job, and minimises the need to move the machine, which again really helps to keep impact down to a minimum. Don't look too hard at the Ditching, as obviously dealing with clumps of Rush, Rocks and Clay doesn't make for a very pretty job, but it'll soon blend in nicely. Back to the woods soon, but thought I'd share a bit of what I also get up to. Eddie.

12v Volt Solar Panel Power Camper Motorhome Car Caravan Battery Trickle Charger | eBay Hardly a major hassle/investment? Eddie.

A lot of Diesel Bowsers are going down the small Solar Panel route to ensure the battery is always tip top when required. It may be worth a look into as I would think they're pretty inexpensive now and easy enough to wire in. Eddie.

It was exactly my thoughts having used the Stroke Processor that I can simply get it accurate enough by counting the strokes for my purposes. The Stroke Head has a very short, but extremely strong stroke action in comparison to the Processor. Hopefully I have something after xmas that should be the absolutely perfect testbed for the idea, and I'm certain the Kubota is more than up to it even if I'm not! Eddie.

Do you wish to keep the timber yourself Ste? Eddie.

Yes absolutely for just getting some cut to a reasonably consistent length for easier handling/stacking plus hopefully better to find a home for, but also to simply try to minimise men on saws for safety. If it does show a bit of promise, the Kubota will certainly get where many can't without making a mess, and Greg can easily forward it out with the Tracked Dumper setup to back it up. The basic shear has already taken a huge percentage of hand cutting away, especially in the really horrid stuff, and really can shift some work in a day. Eddie.

Thanks Stephen, you need as many strings to your bow as you can get these days! TCD, it was plumbed up for the Kesla Stroke Head from the start, but it's certainly not the normal setup?? I looked at the work I do and what I was aiming for, and like yourself know that you simply can't get near a roller head setup in terms of productivity, so never began to try. I did however learn what a step up the Stroke Processor was from nothing, and having learnt a huge amount from the experience decided to take things to the next level. The Kesla was purchased used through Wilson's, and I was truly delighted when I collected it, as it really is a nice unit. It was then sent up to John Craig at JCC Engcon to be incorporated into the Kubota build, but here's where it starts to differ from the norm? The Kubota is blessed with a very trick SVAB control unit for the Engcon, which in real terms is able to be expanded many many times adding more and more functions as you go. How John Craig managed it is beyond me, but in simple terms the Kesla is mounted via the Engcon EC-Oil quick hitch system including electrics. This means basically I can go from say the Engcon or FAE Mulching Head to a fully functioning Harvesting Head in around 15 seconds without leaving the cab! However it was always my intention not to have any form of measuring system, I simply don't want the complexity or have any need for the accuracy in my applications. This allows me to have the Stroke Head running through my Engcon Joysticks, via rollers and buttons in pretty much any order I want via the SVAB. It really is some setup John has done, as basically I've got all the main functions on fully proportional rollers, with buttons for the stroke and saw. We have proved it works perfectly and the Kubota throws it around as though it's not there, but I've simply not had time to finish everything off. By finish I mean having time to myself to practice enough to get consistent with it, and once I'm happy I'll get the Head fully gone through to make certain it's in A1 order. i have exactly the place coming up, so I'll let you know how I get on. The Nisula roller head has really caught my eye though! 325H Eddie.

Nothing wrong with a 50B, I worked alongside an Owner Operator on one at Macclesfield Bypass, it still had the piano levers, but he could play some tune on them! The gang he was with simply wouldn't have anyone else digging for them despite much more modern machinery available, and it held it's own no effort. Obviously a 3cx with extender will have a pretty fair height advantage though. Eddie.

It's a 3cx with extender, and the ability to get itself 3 ft off the ground before it's started? I'd have thought plenty for a Log Grab, it's not trying to lift chimney pots on! With regard to 180 degrees of working range, you don't see many roofmounts or forwarders working over the top of the cab or bonnets? Apart from stowing issues of a free swinging grab compared to a direct mount Selector Grab, I see no real reason myself not to give it a go? Eddie.

The question of a Log Grab with rotator on a 3cx is one I've never considered, but the extender will throw in a different dimension? My thoughts are assuming you are going for what would be a free swinging grab on a link with rotator, possibly picked up by a quick hitch mount if fitted? I would tap into the bucket ram circuit at the top of the dipper, with the usual 'T's and taps to divert it to the grab, thus giving you flow you require via a nicely controllable function which is obviously the lever action that would normally control the bucket. To split this circuit you will need a 12volt 6 way diverter valve, and it's really a case of getting the pipework well routed to make life easy and help prevent damage. The 6 way can be mounted either on the dipper or the grab mounting bracket depending on what works best, but obviously from the location of the diverter valve you're going to have 4 pipes to route down to the rotator. To operate your 12volt diverter valve (depending on what 3cx you have) you can fit an extra horn button into the other lever top to give you the momentary changeover from Grab to Rotate you will require. Once mastered it should work fairly seamlessly and give you a nice fairly proportional control. I would go this route instead of into the extender circuit, as you will greatly benefit from the extender whilst using the grab. With the very latest machines JCB have finally woke up to people needing to power attachments, and more circuits are now available. There is a video here of the 5cx Wastemaster in action, which is a real swiss army knife! The points of interest are routings of auxiliary hoses on the extending dipper, plus you will see it's now possible to have a fully functioning Selector Grab on the Extending dipper, which combined with the reach/power of a Backhoe would be a handy bit of kit? It would be good to see how you get on. Eddie,

Most of the extra weight is in the right place low down, and the extra undercarriage width/length makes it rock solid at full capacity. The extra length of track is really showing in soft terrain, as the shorter tracks of the previous machine would sink idler end first when things got really bad, but this machine stays level and firm. It was actually tracking out marks made by the Tracked Dumper, and that would normally just have the edge over the excavator in floatation terms due to it's tracks ability to mould to the terrain. As for turning, you can spin it on the spot if you needed to no issues, but obviously on most of my work it's the turning that makes the impact, so you tend to do it in several long moves to reduce damage. Eddie.

It's never been weighed yet but I'd suspect something like 9.5 tonne all up with Engcon Tiltrotator fitted? I think there's quite a few shots of it through this thread, but here's a few of it with different attachments. Eddie.

I like the Bombproof Takeuchi TB016 in Canopy form myself, as I prefer the extra vision in the tight places you find yourself. I had to give one a flying lesson today with the Kubota! Not bad for an 8 tonner, it would handle it easy at full stretch even over the side with the blade up! Eddie.

Some interesting points here, and the Geotextile one is really worth some consideration. I'd firstly assume that as Stone is being dug from a borrow pit, you will either utilise some form of grading device, even it's as simple as a riddle bucket to get you some basic grades of stone? You may be lucky and have something that produces a nice material straight out of the ground, but sometimes it will pay to separate some to get a larger/cleaner grade for any problem areas. With regard to Geotextile, it must be said that is some total crap stuff now available out there! You can get both the woven and non woven versions now for not much over £100 per roll, and in some basic applications it's fine, but some is only ok for putting under mulch in a landscaping application. It's always a balance between cost and the actual application and I'm a firm believer in Geotextile, but it's no substitute for getting the actual formation right and getting some decent size stone in where required. Many make the mistake of putting cheap thin Geotextile down and then place large clean angular material straight on top that will punch straight through it. I've done temporary roads across grass with a decent thickness genuine Terram and a well graded stone, and you can literally grade the stone back off, then roll the Terram back up off the grass. Try that with the £100 a roll stuff and it will be punched through all over. There is no substitutes for getting anything soft dug out of a road (I'm not talking roads over a peat bog here, that can be done but different techniques entirely!) the general rule is, if it's soft at the bottom it will carry on being so all the way to the finished surface. If it's obviously not the best ground you've simply got to get some depth into it and get some of the biggest gear possible in there. There is no substitute for getting some body into a soft spot, and some big clean stone can really transform a problem area. If you are lucky and have a nice firm ground that can simply take 150mm of well graded material as in the spec, then it really should be a good enough formation not to require any Geotextile? There should be no mixing with soil, as there simply shouldn't be any present if properly prepared? However it will certainly do no harm at this point to add the cheaper £100 a roll stuff as belt and braces. If stone was readily available in quantity that could be cheaply riddled to separate grades, then I'd be looking at putting between 200 and 300mm of the larger clean material first, toped off with 100mm of the finer grade. This would produce a much better result assuming the formation is good in the first place, and any soft spots have been fully removed and filled. As for pricing per metre, it's only a guide? Until that soil starts coming off you have absolutely no idea what you're up against. Simply doing the job 'to spec' will almost certainly produce a 6" deep 4 metre wide track for the client, but will it ever be any good? To do the job properly will require a certain amount of flexibility to deal will problem areas as they arise in the best way possible, before adding the final surface layer. I've recently been doing a job on a Moorland site where using Limestone is not allowed. It was fairly obvious that it was going to be tricky, so we simply opted for some large waste material from a sandstone quarry to get some body into the road. Right or wrong the spec includes Geotextile, so we simply utilised a reasonable grade under this larger material, but my own take would be it wasn't strictly necessary? It certainly won't do any harm though. Once down the large material transformed this piece of road, and I'll have to post a pic up of it now topped off with crushed Gritstone. We've taken nearly 400 tonne of material over this section now without a mark on it. Eddie.

What a machine! That'll not be cheap!

Here you go Stephen how about scaling up the digger a little? You get the work and I'll Operate it for you! [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtU-Cy3Ehg0]Liebherr 924 mit WESTTECH Woodcracker C550 - YouTube[/ame] Eddie.

Very interesting thread here, and I've got a friend who's just gone this way with a reasonable size Mus-Max to hopefully compete on higher chip quality plus the ability to sneak just under the big guys. He's fitted a Kesla Crane to his chipper and runs her behind a 7810 John Deere that's otherwise utilised in his business. I have always wondered how a Tracked Bandit 18svc would stack up in a site clearance/biomass crossover, bearing in mind it can be loaded by pretty much anything, plus access difficult sites. Eddie.

What would be the price difference between similar models though?, Like I say in reality some consider what is a bit of heavy flail work to be mulching, when those who are mulching doing it day in day out in real conditions can kill even the very best machinery fairly rapidly. Eddie.

Gregor Mc Arthur knows his stuff and the FAE is a good product. I did look over the Seppi from Lambhurst Engineering, and would certainly demo one myself. A lot comes down to budget and ultimately the severity of the application. People have different perceptions of mulching, one could see it as mulching, the other nothing more than heavy flail mowing. Certainly the equipment required to mulch professionally on a daily basis is far removed from what could be considered more occasional scrub removal or site cleanup. I fully agree the Denis Cimaf has always been top of my wish list, with the big bonus in us now having a UK distributor, Total Plant Solutions Exc@v8. Fantastic Avatar TCD Eddie.

Do you need a full 15 tonne machine, and do you require it operated? What's the application? Eddie.

This has come up before about getting the lightest possible trailer, and this guy who is very local to me claims to have the solutions? I'd really like to have a look over one sometime to make my own mind up, but he certainly seems to be very confident he's using materials that make them up to the job. One thing is for certain they are very light, and he can make you pretty much any solution you want which is a real bonus. 500kg for a full size plant trailer is seriously light? Plant / Excavator Trailers With regard to the actual Tractor purchase on Thread, I'd just like to add my own experience. Basically I would have rushed headlong into a Valtra N163 with Direct CVT box and all the trimmings, but basically couldn't afford at the time. I took the opportunity to hire from my local Valtra Dealer for two reasons, the first was obviously to try different models, but secondly to see how they performed plus more importantly how it was backed up? The outcome was I found the Dealer to be nothing short of brilliant, and the actual Tractor poles apart from what I actually required on a daily basis. I needed more HP, the CVT gearbox wasn't for me, plus I found the 'T' series much better for my needs. I know to every last option now exactly what I need, and the whole exercise done in the winter months has provided me with top notch tractors at realistic hire rates, with full backup to do my learning on. I suggest you find a local dealer of your favoured brands and try a few different ones out on hire to see what fits your needs? At this time of year there should be a good choice of new/used in their yards that could be hired at reasonable rates. Eddie.

You can get a 3.5 tonne trailer to carry that Telehandler at approx 500kg unladen. More an ideal tool for a 7.5 tonne Hookloader or the like, and as the Alpines do ok with a CAT1 linkage, I'd think a winch or small chipper would be ok? It wasn't really on thread so to speak, but I did think it could have a place in someones fleet? Eddie.

How about one of these Baby's! [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n816GZsk04o]Kramer Allrad 1245 Mini Telehandler - YouTube[/ame] Ridiculously compact, impressive lift capacity and reach, plus at 2.7 tonne just about trailer legal? There is a 40hp version with the 3 point linkage and PTO that will do your log splitting, and probably a small chipper? They are available on 31x15.5x15 flotations too! Eddie.

Plenty in the press about the soon to be launched 'T' series Valtra. I had a quick look and it looks like it may be a completely different proposition to take into the woods, with a lot of expensive curved glass and pretty much every detail screaming if you break me I'm going to cost a lot! It will be interesting how quickly Wilsons can come up with a new frame for a Botex roof mounting and guarding to protect this new style cab. It does look fantastic, I wonder there will be a deal or two on the current model as they run out? Valtra - New T Series Eddie.

A nice base for a project! https://customer.jcb-finance.co.uk/assets/asset_details.jhtm?q=226165 Eddie.