tcfengineering

Still working on this one. What are peoples thoughts about articulated steering versus front steering ? My gut feel was to go for articulated steering, but I have had a few people say go for front steering as it is much nicer. I am a bit suprised by this. What is the real world feedback ?

The Ferrari looks very nice, similar prices too in Europe. Spoilt for choice now ! Guess I need to do more looking/homework.

I would like a reverse drive, but I dont want to spend that much. I can get a new AGT835 in Europe for 10k (I am VAT registered, so wont pay the VAT) I have a compact now, and it is fine for mowing, and running the splitter, but it is rubbish in the woods. I will sell the compact to help fund the new one. I will build a timber trailer with a crane for it, and they look ideal for this. I want to buy new, and I dont want anything Chinese. I have a bobcat also, so I dont need a loader. My gut reaction from looking around the internet was the AGT, so it is good to hear good things about them.

Thanks for the reply. How long have you had the 835 ? Any issues so far ?

I am in the market for an alpine tractor. It will be for personal use only, bit of mowing, bit of firewood extraction and processing, bit of snow clearing, bit of rotovating the veg patch ! Will probably only see 3-400 hours use a year. I am going to buy new, and have about a 10k budget, so looking at one of the smaller ones, 30-35hp. The AGT ones look very basic which is appealing for reliability and futureproofing. The Carrera ones look a lot more refined, but not everything I have read on the internet is good with reference to reliability. The AGT is articulated steering and the Carrera is front steering only. If it was your money and you were going to buy this type of tractor, which one would you buy and why ?

If you measure the diameter of the roller sprocket to the outside. Then mark the bar where the sprocket comes to. Then, you want to be at least 15mm back from this mark to your hole centre if you are drilling a 10mm hole. This means that if there is any swarf or jagged edges inside, then they wont foul the sprocket. There are usually some little indentations around here where they have pressed the laminates together, it is OK to drill through these. I have done loads when we make the mills. Just take your time, drill nice and slow with plenty of lube, start with a small hole and work your way up.

Will do, Thanks Tim

The fast tow trailers we are going to be building are coming in at £9500 plus VAT for the trailer with 3.5m reach crane, 2 sets of timber bolsters, twin axle setup. Powerpack, removable sides, tailgate, etc... add to the price.

When we have made the first one, you are welcome, I will put pictures on our facebook and website. Just drawing it up on CAD now, but only half way through. We have ordered the crane and we will be starting in a few weeks. Really interesting project, I am looking forward to it

We have quoted up for many fast tow timber trailers, and finally in September we will be making two of them. Be warned, they are very expensive compared to a standard timber trailer. Happy to quote if you would like Thanks

I had a very small narrow access bobcat - I forget the model number - and it was totally terrifying on side slopes and I am quite brave. Now I have a Bobcat 741 full size machine and I am amazed by it, I am quite comfy on reasonable side slopes even lifting quite high. Driving down a slope forwards is perfectly fine as is backing up a slope, but backing down or driving up a steep slope can get quite tippy with nothing in the bucket Skid steers are not everyones cup of tea, but I absolutely love mine. I am just building a log grab for it this week. Should be great to help processing firewood.

Hello, We might hire you one. Are you after a simple timber trailer, or a forwarding trailer with crane/grab, etc.... How long do you want it for ? Any idea what you would expect to pay ? Let me know Tim TCF Engineering

Hello there I had the same thing on one of my import 5100S. On mine it damaged the piston and ring, and the pot looked like it was damaged, but when I got into it, I managed to polish it out. Got a new piston and ring from the US and it was a cheap repair. I still have the saw now and its still going strong (Think this happened about 2 years ago) I also modded the exhaust at this time to help it run a bit cooler. Worth checking it out before you write the saw off as it was a cheap repair

Good morning, We make the trailer being discussed so thought I would add my views. The mini timber trailer is a very low cost item indeed. It isnt as good as a larger trailer with rocking beams and various other features, but it is less than half the price. That being said, it is a very sturdy little thing which stands up to a lot of abuse in the woods. Many people enquire about the mini timber trailer to us and end up ordering our larger trailer with the walking beams for the reasons stated above. However, many also order the mini timber trailer and are very happy with it for their job. Its a classic case of you get what you pay for. I am quite certain that an Alstor would be infinitely better than a quad and a logic timber trailer, but we all know that anyway, and few will actually be able to justify the extra cost. On a seperate note. The chainsaw storage side of things is developed and being tested right now. What would people call a reasonable price for a good quality chainsaw holder with the mounting bracketry ? Cant show any pics yet as we are just going through design registration, etc.. Thanks Tim TCF Engineering

Do you envisage that this unit is setup in situ over the log like a lucas mill or would you be bringing the timber to the mill ?

We would custom make this kind of thing at the right price. Everything already exists to do the job, if you look at Holtec crosscut saws in commercial sawmills, they have every you describe, but working vertically in a cross cut scenario. I have repaired, installed and commisioned a few of these, and they are a simple thing. Wouldnt be too hard to use this type of technology and make it into a large slabbing mill. Cost is another issue, I expect that it would not be a cheap item, but this would depend on the spec you drew up for it.

Hello again Thanks very much for all of your PM's. I have got quite a few people interested in having a trial now so I dont think I can cope with more. Thanks

Anyone interested in trialling a new product for skidding timber ? PM me if you are interested Thanks Tim TCF Engineering

Oh and another question, would people prefer to have 8 wheel drive, or 4 track drive. If you could have 4 tracks like the ones they put on Quad bikes but more heavy duty, then it would travel extremely light on the ground, and they would also pivot to climb up and over obstacles. This is what I had planned for mine

I have long thought of making something similar for myself. In fact I have the main spine, pivot and engine mount drawn up in CAD, just have never taken it further. There is a fair bit of development work to get this right, I dont think its as simple as some are making out. The big question is, what would people be willing to pay ? The concensus seems to be that the Alstor is too dear, but what would be the price ? £20k, £25k ? This would have a big bearing on weather it was worth putting the effort into development and testing/certification, etc...

I have a 2nd hand Lucas Mill for sale if anyones interested. I dont know too much about it, only that its the 9" cut version, it has spare blades with it, and also has the slabbing attachment with the chainsaw bar. It has been mothballed for a couple of years, so will need checking over and a bit of tlc, but doesnt look like it has done much work. Price will reflect this ! If you need any more info, you can get me at [email protected] Thanks