doobin

The final layer of a pyramid scheme is always the hardest to recruit…

For domestic arb a mini loader like a Sherpa or Cast will take nearly all the backahe out of the job, and takes up minimal space and payload for what it can do for you. It can even fetch the logs out of the back garden too! 🤣 I really can't see the point in these mini cranes except for specialist jobs like gravestone or oil tank installations.

My first LDV had a tail lift on it, which I removed as I didn't need it. That left a wedge shaped rear which I simply slotted a scaffold board across. This wedge shaped rear came in handy once when I put the back end down after lifting it with the tractor to adjust the rear brakes (a regular occurance as I'm sure you'll know). However, I'd neglected to check the handbrake. I watched in horror as it slowly started to roll backwards out of the barn, then accelerated quickly down a short steep slope to the yard level before crashing arse first into the corner of a steel framed barn. That wedge shaped arse was the perfect crumple zone, and overall suffered remarkably little damage. One day I was popping into screwfix, and as I was in a hurry, reverse parked into one of the spaces right next to the door. These had big red bollards at the sides to stop HGVs overnighting, and more bollards at the back. I was concentrating so hard on avoiding the side bollards that I forgot about the rear. The round top of the bollard slid easily up under the wedge at the arse end. The arse end rose up slightly, I braked but it was too late as the momentum carried the back end right off the end of the wedge and dropped back down- stuck there with the rear wheels in the air! This was right in front of the store doors. I had no option. I went in, and took a bow 🤣. Then purchased a jack and found some bricks down the side of the store to free myself.

Way less than the genuine one I’m willing to bet. And the backplate is specially designed so that the weight is kept as close as possible. grab is 60kg, I’ll weigh the plate later but estimate 25kg. So as good as you can get really. Printing the bolt patterns worked a treat- everything fit straight away! I’ve been at the yard since four, now I need to go and be social with the in laws…

Made up a backing plate with multiple bolt squares on it, so we can use attachments either with digger bracket or Sherpa bracket. Four bolts with the impact gun is a small price to pay to save having to buy dedicated attachments. should fit my grab, post knocker, breaker, auger and even my mancrate for small garden hedge jobs.

Mine are flat, but edges might make you feel a little safer? I like being able to sit them side by side for pushing a barrow over a stream or something though- good to have options.

Sounds like good value to me

My grapple bucket sides unbolt.

Surely you use that often enough to run normal petrol!!

That’s why administrators are appointed, you muppet.

It's 14.5%. It's not 'a vast amount of capacity'. 800kg would still be on it's knees lifting a bag of ballast- just a slight bump could cause it to tip, so I'd always say to anyone looking to lift a certain weight regularly to overspec their choice. Also, demo first. I did, and quickly realised that the 6.3 was a toy compared to the 8.4, and that if I wanted to shift a ton bag around easily then I'd really need to find the extra £8k. MultiOne seem very open with their figures, even quoting capacity with weights for both straight and articulated.

I agree with what you said re the brochure weights- demo one first. Tipping capacity is very different from realistic operating capacity. MultiOne (and Avant as far as I know) don't loose that much capacity when at an angle. As the centre joint only pivots sideways rather than oscillating in the other plane as well (as a dumper or other loader brands do), the rear is always counterbalancing the front. You can even use this to your advantage when wrestling with a big lump on a slight slope, by steering to put the weight where you need it. This joint is what makes a M1 feel unsteady to a beginner, as it'll often lift a wheel. But once you've a few hours under your belt, it's instinctive. As an example, the quoted lifting capacity for that M1 4.2 is 820kg straight with weights, or 700kg fully articulated with weights.

lovely jubbly.

The usual haybob tines. Cheap and effective.

Finally got a couple of hours to re-do my faithful, bent, ten year old springtine rake. Was going to make proper grab pockets, but thought I'd try this first. A different way of doing it but very simple. Self centering as you grab it. It's got less flex in it than pinching a grab pocket, so for 'give' you are relying entirely upon the springs. So it makes a big difference which way you sweep. Not neccessarily a bad thing- you can be more agressive if required and as there is less distance between the ground all the way up to the hitch, there is more slew power too. I'll give it a go on a job tomorrow but it swept up the fire at the yard lovely. Slightly wider spacing than the old one too, hoping to collect more brash and less mud. The main benefit of grabbing like this that once it's grabbed, you'll never drop it by mistake, even if you momentarily pull the lever the wrong way (it happens, especially when you're tired and just want to finish off raking so you cna go home!) If anyone wants one made let me know.

My money is on bumper tie links. I’ve got a 135 and it’ll ring up all day long (albeit slowly) with a cheapy rotatech semi chisel chain on it. the other thing to do consider is where the bar is bent. Working fine on small branches but jamming in the trunk and being mistaken for lack of sharp.

Sounds perfect for your setup- the hardest bit must have been getting hold of one at the moment! Did you sell a kidney, or blow a dealer? 🤣

Alright fellow Sherpa owner! What attachments do you run?

Very good point. If you are keeping the 8 for tight spaces then I'd go up to 14 minimum.

You’re a one man band plumber. A bona fide machinery dealership should have premises and service engineers. Especially if you are asking double the ex vat price that an established ‘Chinese box shifter’ is asking.

This one you built for your mini digger. Was that the one with the petrol engine I've seen pics of on here?

Well I can manage it, put it that way! 🤣

Of course there's vat on that- it's just included in the 'no vat' price! If you're going to be a dealer then you need to be VAT reg, otherwise that's well over half of your customers gone straight away. 'No vat' just tells me you don't sell many (or even haven't sold any) Sorry to be blunt mate, and this is gonna sound harsh as we all have to start somewhere. Take it as constructive criticism. If you want to be taken seriously you need to allow business users to reclaim the VAT, you need a decent website and you need more than a mobile number. Nobody in their right minds will pay £8.5k for that Chinese machine when you can get the same thing minus the log lift from Crytec for £5.5k including the vat. I don't know why I'm posting this and I'm probably just coming across as a c**/t. It just seems like every man and his dog is a Facebook barrow boy 'machinery dealer' selling Chinese tat these days.

Front wheels are chain driven so attached to the rear motors. As wheel motors are hydraulic nothing will move when the machine is switched off.