LGP Eddie

I’ve ran an ex water board Transit AWD for some 4 years now, (wanting to replace it with the MAN, but nothing about) and it’s been a real handy bit of kit.

Just given it a 50mm lift and put some 225/75x16 BFG’s on with a high load rating.

Brilliant tyres, and will certainly last a lot longer than the pretty expensive all season options I’ve been using.

There are a few of these about in tipper version, single rear wheel and worth a punt with similar tyres if it suits what you do.

I ran Defenders for years with great success, but travel a lot now and the Transit holds so much more kit.

Eddie.

Just something I’ve been working on, as I needed to reduce weight from the previous Westtech c350 Shear setup (gutted to see it go really, awesome shear) and took the opportunity to go with a saw for more capacity.

The idea was to utilise the Westtech CS750, so I can use it on my Liebherr, but easily switch it back to fit on a Merlo rotating Telehandler if required.

No way was I willing to go back from having two 360 worm drives and the 45 degree of tilt for manipulation, and it all has to run through the Ec-Oil quick coupler system.

Delighted with the results, the Westtech has a huge gripper ram ensures solid hold, automatic chain tension and unusually grease lube for the chain, which is ideal for the angles achievable.

The ability to power the saw box down out of the way is unique to Westtech, and can save many bars.

It should take around 20 minutes to switch it back to a Merlo and the Westtech is unmodified.

Saved around 500kg in the end which is a worthwhile gain, and the whole setup feels good.

Bar return is a little slow, but I’m working on it.

You look back in this thread at the Case material handler with Selector Grab back in the day, and you realise how fast things move on.

Eddie.

Duplicate post!🤦‍♂️

Good to hear, did the unit have any adjustment of the bar feed speed as standard?

Eddie.

Found a complete Steel 8 tonner track on one job and a rubber 5 tonner one on another.

Both were turned into pretty effective clear up tools simply by turning on edge and using them as a rake.

I do think a used rubber track clamped between suitable channel or whatever and a grab pocket would be a fantastic all round clear up tool at minimum cost.

Same with the Steel one, the pads flexed a bit on the ground, left a really nice finish, but obviously no use on a road/lawn.

Eddie.

Your saw bar feed should have an adjustable flow restriction valve, usually with a grub screw so you can lock it.

I’d junk the 1mm restriction idea and fit an adjustable valve into the ram feed out side, which you can then adjust according to the type of wood.

My GMT, and Mecanil never really need adjustments for type of wood, but my large Hultdins unit would required quite a bit of fine tuning on site.

With regards to Grapple Saws and their use plenty of stuff going on, but the basics are the Manufacturer will set the risk zone of the unit, and also say if you have Chain Shot risk or not.

Eddie.

On 25/08/2021 at 20:05, John Shutler said:

out with the tree shear on my jcb today. the tilt rotater really transforms the shear as you can double or triple cut if needed. I went through today and took the tops out and il go back for a couple of hours with one of my guys to cut the thicker timber with a saw and stack on the chip piles 

Bloody good Machines now the JCB Midi range, use them and work alongside them loads.

Nice places to spend a shift and some great features.

Still won’t cut for shit with a Shear unless sorted.

Eddie.

A little outing to the Staffordshire County show yesterday, where the ARB Tree Care Menzi was getting fair attention from pretty much everyone passing.

I’m more realistic than most of what a Menzi’s abilities are in a UK setting, but quite simply if you need one, there’s nothing else that will do the job.

Interestingly they also have a custom Post Knocker setup for it, which should open up some odd applications.

The other stand out was this TB370 Takeuchi with Two Piece Boom and Kinshofer Nox Tiltrotator in full spec with Control System and Gripper.

Really does demonstrate just how far the job has come on now, when our local Takeuchi Dealer is now able to put such a setup together in house and out the door.

Lovely setup for someone, stability will be the main question asked given the spec.

Eddie.

Going to show my age with a “don’t make them like they used to” but never had so many issues over the last couple of years with dowty washers.

Some absolute crap about and no logic to it sometimes, you can put a brand new one on and it’ll leak, then pull a used one off an old fitting to keep going, and it’s perfect.

As for hoses I try and get Manuli Rockmaster now for the attachments especially, seems to last the distance.

Eddie.

It’ll take no harm at that, can’t be pulling on it too much or you wouldn’t have managed to join them.

Eddie.

Obviously can’t see how it’s piped or the other auxiliary coupler, but if there’s enough hose and they are male/female of the same size then simply plug them together when being stored.

All the required info already posted to replace the coupling.

They don’t last forever, but cleanliness is the key and always wipe both the faces before connecting.

Eddie.

Good question here, I’ve seen pretty much everything used to blow chip into and only two stood out, the first being a straightforward grain trailer that the guy had built a reverse silage type top for that simply dropped on when required.

Saved a huge amount of mess blowing over the back and you could get a fair load on.

The second was a straightforward huge silage trailer, one side fitted with the extra high side to deflect material and it did just that, giving consistent tidy big loads with very little mess, but it was a proper up and over spout on the large chipper loading it.

I’ve given it much thought and often wondered if a converted bin lorry body was the way to go for the smaller chippers, by blowing into the hopper at the back and compacting it in as you go.

It would then eject the lot and not require any tipping.

The bodies come in all sizes from 7.5 tonne up, it’s just could you retain the material enough in the hopper portion when being blasted in?

A pto pump/tank on tickover should power it easy for the filling process.

Eddie.

6 minutes ago, monkeybusiness said:

Looks like winter’s come early there!

Didn’t say the job was this week, the client contacted me for something similar and the images came to light.

Three great shots I had this week from a client.

The Liebherr out to section down these Willows over a public footpath and garden, dropping down into a tight headland drop zone for further processing.

19 metres Reach up or out with the GMT050 Head on the two stage telescopic extension.

The Total Tree Control is a game changer giving fantastic hold and control.

A long way from the first outing with a Material handler back in the day, still on page one of this epic thread.

Eddie.

Anything with a motor will generally benefit from least back pressure possible and certainly generate a lot less heat than back through the block.

Eddie.

46 minutes ago, Matthew Storrs said:

Might be ok for some attachments. But for example when I’m using a post knocker it needs to be in proper single acting mode so that when I press side B of the pedal it dumps the fluid back to the tank  as the hammer falls. My old TB016 and subsequent 216 had a lever next to the offset ram to easily change between the two…

They simply weren’t piped up like that as many Minis were simply single acting at the time and unusual to be two way facility.

Not a huge job to put a tap in and back to tank on the return if required.

Eddie.

TB016 are a bit of an oddball in this respect.

Most think they’re one way piped because they can’t find the taps, but the answer was under their foot all along.

You’re just the other way around going from two way to single.

Simply adjust the foot pedal stops to suit.

Eddie.

1 hour ago, Chalgravesteve said:

You guys have got too much time on your hands......... that pile must have taken about a month or more to create at that pace. 

That ain’t me!

It’s just food for thought.

Eddie.

It’s all what works for you really.

I supply the version of cone splitter by Approved Hydraulics and these are cheap enough but very effective units.

However as you’re basically sitting on a mobile warm dry powepack, and if it’s for occasional oversize rings then a whatever works for you solution I’m certain could be engineered cheaply/easily enough.

Eddie.

3 minutes ago, doobin said:

Good idea, but the problem will be trying to get the round into the splitter so close to the blade. Geometry will be all to cock. 

I think an 8ft plate would keep it far enough away and be easy to push/drag slide about.

Scratched my head a bit with this and thought If it was me simply trying to split some big rings to something more manageable and already had excavator with Intermercato grab.

I’d probably look into purchasing or building a simple big vertical splitter and putting it on a mount or base plate (road plate or the like)that the machine can put it’s blade down on to keep solid.

Put a couple of taps and quick fits on the blade to plug into the pipework and power the splitter from the comfort of the cab whilst you feed it.

Ideal if you can still make use of the splitter elsewhere on three point linkage or the like.

Eddie.

Just for information, I’ve not done much winch research in a while, so assume other manufacturers have similar alternatives now, but this was one of the main factors I purchased the ZS version of the Tajfun 65 Winch at the time.

It has twin pto inputs so can easily be switched from 540 conventional to 1000 reversed speeds for front mounting.

It proved to be a very capable and reliable unit.

Eddie.

24 minutes ago, MattyF said:

I'd be wary of getting any hydraulic pto as they seem to come in higher speeds ...There's a hydraulic pto moter on my alpine mounted on the front.. I've disconnected it at the seals on the front spline went and also it was 1200rpm so only suitable for mowers and would of been dangerous for a winch !

I’ve had two different pan mixer ones and neither made the full 540 rpm even  with plenty of revs on.

Best was the one that slipped straight on the shaft with no adaptor.

Plenty of torque though.

Eddie.

Hydraulic motors that slip straight onto the PTO shaft can be sourced from Concrete Pan mixer suppliers.

They have them to convert the mixer from PTO on a Tractor to running off Hydraulics on a Telehandler.

However like everything at present it’s a complete lottery if they’re in stock, what lead times are like, and the price is guaranteed to have gone north!

Eddie.

Done loads in my time, stack the mats on top of each other, chain to blade and simply skid to where required with you, keeping the front just up off the ground.

Drop on where required and you’re good to go.

These are 5m x 1m x 150mm thick which is a very common size and my Kubota Kx57 would handle them if called upon.

Just make certain they’re good quality mats, if they’re light, they’re almost certainly shite!

Eddie.