LGP Eddie

Never, so if you can’t beat them join them? Same opportunity is there for all, I could buy a Fastrac, low loader, 14 tonner with a Shear and Grapple Saw, no guarding, full Harvester speed Saw, no paperwork and be flat out busy in the local area running on Red as Forestry. I choose not to, (at present) but a seemingly ever increasing number seem to go this route and it’s very tempting. However can you blame them, nobody’s policing it, every opportunity to do something about it comes with a ‘Agricultural and Forestry’ exemption just to muddy the waters, and if the clients doesn’t care, why should they? I’ve had Tractors and Low loaders, they’re good earners, and the ability to move kit exactly when you want can make a huge difference. Quite simply only one way to end it and that’s movement orders for Tractors moving any kind of plant or hauling material that is not produce. They would have to state where to/from with holding numbers etc etc. Simple online format, register where you’re moving to/from etc and pay your small fee. The genuine guys would still be getting away as good as free in comparison to hiring haulage, but get caught off route in the middle of a housing estate with your dump trailer and you’re for it. Wouldn’t be rocket science to introduce, would be self funding and simple enough to get your movement orders in place if you planned your work. Eddie.

I’m pretty certain it’ll impact many businesses running kit, both from theft/damage, cashflow and straightforward unfair competition from those running bent. Many will have seen the increase in projects now coming under CIS and Reverse Vat, as they’re Construction despite you actually dealing with trees and wishing to be classed as Forestry/Arb. They’re really tightening up on this now as the main contractors come under ever increasing pressure. Get yourself involved in this triple whammy and not only will you get dented cashflow, try running Red on such projects and you’ve just hung yourself if caught. Those who do a portion of Construction bits and pieces are really going to feel it from the Farmers running tractors, low loaders, dump trailers and machines on Red and undercutting them even more than they do now. It’s going to be a real mess, the temptation of any Operator to fill a couple of cans for the wife/mates car, pressure from idiots on site with the “fill me a couple of cans or I’ll not be able to get to work” despite spending £20 a day in the shop on pop and crisps!🤦‍♂️ Eddie.

I was kindly called in by Justin Kingwell to carry one on my JCB JS145 Long Reach, with the narrow tracks and rubber block pads working off the road reaching up slopes. A range of stumps, to go at, and in reality this thing is made for a 20 tonne machine. The JS145 in Long Reach form comes down to only 8 tonne class mountings, but has good flow from the 14 tonne class engine/pumps. Obviously I had to take things steady as it was always going to be hard on the long reach arm, and this setup is never going to do much about it should it decide to head off sideways. Some buried conifer stumps they wanted just sending under a bit more were ridiculous easy, but bigger stumps and multi stem took a bit of common sense and patience. Not rocket science that if there’s not a good face for that centre screw to get hold of, you’re into about as much use as one bloke on them petrol powered post hole borers! On large stumps take 4” off and move over, keep working it down as a face and just don’t get greedy in one spot. Blades were totally unmarked at the end of the shift. Very well built unit, it’s just a track motor really, and the packaging is incredible, proper chequer plate box it came in. No thrown debris and chunky arisings pretty easy to clean up. It’s got it’s place, good to send stuff just under and in Forestry it’s perfect for getting stumps gone from access routes etc, but still leave the guts in to help the ground hold up. My advice, try before you buy Eddie 9CCD5D72-A1C5-434D-812C-406782572533.MP4 IMG_0056.MP4

My vote goes for the beautiful item from Tajfun, incredibly light and top quality. 13 tonne rated and comes with a very good quality sling. I’ve had a couple from Kilworth and they’re highly recommended. Eddie.

Top advice here if you wish to remain firmly in the do it all yourself when it comes to maintenance. A sensibly done 2.8 with the right Turbo, Intercooler and setup would be a great piece of kit and at present if done well a good chunk invested would go straight on the value. Icing on the cake would be a GKN overdrive if you could find one, it transforms them, without interfering with the standard gearing. However you’d have to weigh up if the additional cost would get you into a 2.4, which for me anyway is the best they’ve ever built, my 2.2 doesn’t come near it. Very simple to tweak a 2.4 without any issues and that 6 speed as standard is a revelation. The TD5 has all the characteristics of a two stroke when towing. Only a Valtra with the Direct gearbox could give you more of a scare trying to get a heavy trailer going out of a junction! However once moving, a good TD5 has got some go, and a great soundtrack too.

Give it a spray with neat Vodka in a small spray bottle, if you want a perfume to it then add a couple of drops of tea tree oil to the Vodka. Straight from my Wife who ran a team looking after a fleet of very expensive costume characters, and them heads get hotter than a furnace inside. The only thing they ever found that could keep the heads clean and fresh enough for multiple wearers. Handy excuse for some Vodka in the filing cabinet anyway! Eddie.

Worm drive so always going to be expensive if it’s of good quality.

Back when HS1 was built I did a lot for a local outfit who’s biggest jobs were an occasional few weeks Muckshift. All of a sudden work exploded and quite literally some fantastic seemingly closed shop work came along that kept us absolutely flat out on big name sites. Basically all the big boys had gone to HS1 and left them in the lurch. Taught me, you can have the biggest projects on your doorstep, it can bring work both ways, either on it, or in the void left behind as they suck up guys like a sponge. From my experience on HS2, if you could just about cut the leg off a coffee table, you’d get the start! Eddie.

It was HS2, many have the idea it’s free cash on there, you want to try the reality of working on it. The bits I’ve done have all been specialist tasks and omg the hoops you have to jump through are next level. I know some fantastic Operators who simply won’t go back now. Eddie.

I just turned up late to the party and initially lent a hand to bundle material that was literally everywhere, so it could be carted off by the stream of ants running on plastic bog mats. You need an awful lot of ants to keep up with my JCB setup as I didn’t need bog mats and can reach a fair swath without moving. Real eye opener on the capabilities of these things, but what stuck out was how well they travel the ground, how much they could move in a shift, and the forks/RSL combo was the tool to have here as it could move more brash, plus the stacks of plastic mats easily. One caught my eye with a worm drive rotator on the grab. Eddie.

Have to ask a mate, he’ll have a shot of it, and I think it was perhaps a Norcar. This was the overspill car park! Eddie.

We had absolutely no issues, but we were making the bundles for them with an excavator and grab. They will still clamp/blow off at different places if piped together. That perhaps explains why they were set above the forks then, someone must have done their own setup with the RSL clamps set directly above the forks. This was taking almost half again of any other type, and their were loads of the bloody things coming at us! Eddie.

Having spent a considerable time making brash bundles to be carted away by a never ending stream of Avant/Norcar loaders it came as quite a surprise what was certainly on another level, not only in terms of the amount it could carry, but it’s reliability of hold in what was quite a long forwarding trip. We used to ask for this setup to be continually sent to us, such was it’s production advantage, and again always sent for it to move the stacks of plastic bog mats. The clamps give a massive grip area and being independent can adapt to awkward shapes much better. Quite simply a pair of the RSL clamps onto the pallet fork frame. I haven’t an image, but I’m certain the one I worked with had them placed above the forks, but I could be wrong. Absolutely brilliant, grabbed anything and everything we bundled up for it. Eddie.

I’ll give them a try, many thanks. Eddie.

Just looking at any options locally to go straight under a big biomass chipper setup, and cart straight off site in Bath. It’s sadly big Conifer, but they are sizeable so won’t be the worst of chip, and we can keep the best of round to one side for a few nice loads. It’s a bit of an odd site, but basically great hard/clean access for Tractors and Trailers right under the spout, which will save double handling if anyone is local. DM Thanks. Eddie.

You’ve plenty of options here, but something as simple as an in-line pressure relief valve put into the ram pipe that’s feeding it, with a suitable return pipe, will allow it to blow off at whatever setting you choose, and the excess oil return to the tank. You could get as fancy as a sequential valve that would actually reverse the ram a few moments after full pressure has been held constantly on. Eddie.

You need to get out more! Been done in Sweden for years now.

It all depends what configuration you want it in, (there’s many) and there’s actual capacity on the chart and clear working capacity minus the attachment. I work the solution to the job.

If I need max capacity I’d take the Liebherr and Westtech Grapple Saw, if I need maximum reach I’d use the JCB If I need fastest cycle times and the ability to reach down slopes then the excavator based solutions can’t be beaten. If I need maximum height I’d just use the heads on a Rotating Telehandler to get the tops out, and let the excavators pick up the rest. Horses for courses.

Depends on what setup is fitted to it, but approx 22 metres and 500kg clear capacity at that reach full 360. Eddie.

Took a while to have them both in the same place with the right attachments to get a shot, but the Liebherr with Extension arm and 22 metre Long Reach JCB with Mecanil head really does make for an interesting comparison. The Liebherr is just such a versatile all rounder and the extension means it can go out to around 18.5 metre reach up or out, but still be about as easy to transport as a 20 tonner. The JCB was bought for a specific project that sadly didn’t come, but try and find a decent Long Reach at present so it can stay a bit. Felling Heads really are taking the job by storm at present across a range of carriers and I’ve had great success with them. Need a nice small LGP unit back in my life now, some great base machines out there to do them on now. Eddie.

I’d try and pick up a tidy Brendon unit, absolutely loads about in a massive range of prices, the hire guys buy them in huge volumes, so plenty of spares/knowledge about. Doobin is spot on with water flow, once you’ve experienced washing your tracks out with a 4” pump down to a fire hose nozzle, you’ll know where he’s coming from. However I actually often go the Honda generator and standard domestic Karcher route myself, with just a couple of 25ltr drums of water. Setup in minutes, sucks out of the drum perfectly, little bottle that sprays the TFR detergent, and can clean up a real mess of a hydraulic leak or hose burst effortlessly. I’d often wash the Kubota’s off like this and 50ltr can go a lot further than you think. Eddie.

Love them or hate them, your money is generally safe in them. I have a queue to buy my current Commercial 90, but they won’t be getting it as LandRover have basically told me they have no idea when it’s replacement will be delivered, and expect 12 months delay!🤷‍♂️ This 300tdi 130 project I had came straight out from about 5 years in the nettles, jet wash and gone on e bay at over 5k in 2017. Even the trade are desperate to get hold of anything these days, we buy any car are really causing them issues. I’m not surprised, my Nephew in the trade was sorting out my wife’s Evoque sale and a text came through to me upping the previous we buy any car offer by £1800!! I called him, he said fetch it back and run it down, they’ll knock you a couple of hundred for the stone chips but the offer is absolutely crazy so go for it. In and out in 20 minutes sold, and he was spot on, knocked me a couple of hundred for the stone chips and that was it.

CM Engineering Dumfries, well worth a try. Eddie.

Yes it does have that system, but in this instance it’s slowed due to restriction that’s been fitted to slow the saw speed to the required speed for no chain shot risk. I have a few people gathering their thoughts on it. I can certainly live with it, just be nice faster. Eddie.