Matthew Storrs

Grapple definitely, nice secure hold on it. screw splitter would be a nightmare trying to get into smaller diameter stuff enough to hold it whilst you saw. My grapple is 2ft wide which always means I’m left with a 2ft log at the end which is a bit of a pain!

Most machines from the hire co will have a quick hitch- so you don’t have to physically remove pins to change a bucket. However the grab you buy will need pins in its hitch for the quick hitch to couple onto. If the pins on the grabs hitch are loose (so they are held in place by a Lynch pin or bolt and thus removable) it means you can take them out to use bigger pins in another set of holes for the larger digger. I think this is the most cost effective way of enableing one hitch to cover a few different size diggers but someone may have a better idea...

Might be worth phoning the hire co where you get the digger from and getting the measurements for their hitches as all machines vary a little even same size machines can have different pins/dipper width etc. Probably best to get a hitch made up with loose pins (instead of welded) and you could probably get the hitch made with 2 sets of holes to accommodate a 5 and 8 tonner.

I had one once, was my first digger. fantastic machine. Nothing out of the ordinary to really look for- just usual pins and bushes , make sure slew is smooth, tracks in a straight line etc. If it’s been looked after than those hours shouldn’t be a problem. Good luck!

Don’t look under the bonnet!! Each to their own. I’d personally never buy blind, and when I do view it- i do as much research as possible and write a list of things to look at/check and tooth comb the machine and make by decision based on that. Totally know what you mean by polished turds though- can’t stand it when a dealer has a machine on his forecourt with a brand new lick off paint- usually over half the engine too!

Awesome! It always amazes me how quick you get your kit sign written- I got a new digger last year- still haven’t got round to getting it sign written!

Well, relatively speaking. Obviously nothing like a tracked machine- however it is on quite wide tyres (wider than normal 3cx etc) and at 8 ton isn’t overly heavy as backhoes go. Local groundwork contractor has one and its 11 ton.

https://www.davewhitakertractors.co.uk/fermec-terex-860-elite/112 anyone any experience of these- lovely low houred wheeled digger with wide front tyres. No servos though- having been on tracked diggers for 10 years I may struggle to adjust- but quite relish the challenge! the water board have one of these for cleaning out the leats accross peaty sections of Dartmoor- they wouldn’t have it if it was a sinker...

Nice old thing! Looks more like 1.5t to me. You don’t have a 3rd service hydraulic line which means you’d need a manual thumb- bit of a pain TBH but at least it’s always on the machine when you need it. Grapple much better for timber work- brash though.

Although I do wish the rSL one had a bit more curve on the tines as would make it better for holding big timbers- that’s its main downfall

Possibly- someone I know brought that grab you linked to for his 6 tonner- he bent it on first use- the whole thing was misaligned- surprising as it looks well built- but those cross bars between the tines are not strong enough and bent too. I don’t what steel RSL uses but the thing is indestructible.

That tractor far out performs it’s size!

I have this little Same Dorado 86. Low center of gravity, goes anywhere, pulls around 8 ton (had 13ton behind it once!) without too much drama, and really is like an oversized compact tractor. Quick on the roads to jobs- frugal on diesel. Can’t say a bad word about it really. Used to do a lot of post driving and being a bit bigger than compact it could handle a decent post knocker with rock spike etc.

If your work is reasonably local would a smaller full size tractor not be better- more capable, no loading, unloading, no truck and trailer required, just drive straight to the job and your ready to go.Opens up lots of options for more attachments etc and compact tractors and their implements don’t seem proportionallly cost effective against full size gear...

Nice one Stephen! What made you go for a wheeled digger out of interest? I.e what kind of work do you have in mind for it? must admit I’ve been dithering for years over this- as in a wheeled digger provides a nice solution of getting a lot of digging power on site without the hassle of low loaders associated with track machines.

Kind of- although that one you linked seems far too cheap- can’t see how they can put anything together worth having for that money- perhaps Chinese job with poor quality metal- with bend easier than lead!? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/excavator-grapple-log-waste-scrap-grab-suit-360-diggers-and-backhoe-new-pins-inc-/181046126928?nav=SEARCH I’ve had the 3 ton version of this for 5 years- absolutely abused to death grappling with granite boulders far too big for it! Honestly it’s hardly worn at all- well worth the money..

Would you not be better with a grab. Nothing fancy just a fixed braced grab like this one I have on my 3 tonner. I’ve nevet used a thumb on something as small as 1.2t but I’d imagine becasue the dipper arm is so small it might be hard to get a thumb on without it easily folding back and/or fouling on the main lift ram? Grapple are great for scrub and brash- grubbing roots all sorts...

That looks superb Marcus. i did a little pond for someone last year- frankly it was just an easy solution to a area of otherwise utterly hopeless ground- springs everywhere. I dug our the peat until I got to rock with a 6 tonner. Because of lack of reach I dug it out sitting in the pond and it was filling quicker from the springs than I could dig it out- by evening it was filled! photo 2 was a few months later.

Just the job- having the grab also makes it easy to give the roots a good shake to get all the soil off if it’s dry prior to dropping them on the fire

Yeah that sounds good. I did think about filling with gravel too- but wanted the water to fill the chamber with the least amount of resistance in case it tried to find another route- but probably would have been fine anyway. water testing? Absolutely no idea. My parents live on a farm where the drinking water is pure spring water-no filtration no testing- been that way ever since the farm was built 300 years ago- we all grew up on it and no ones died as a result as far as I’m aware but living at the top of a hill on Dartmoor there is little chance of contamination from human/agricultural activities.

Ok first go at trying to draw a diagram on an iPhone! should give you an idea of how I did it- very easy way of doing it without concrete etc , the outlet pipe would flow to a holding tank/trough or whatever you wanted.

put a plastic manhole cover over the top of the twin wall chamber ‘well’ to stop little animals and anything else falling in.

I did one for a customer of mine. Hasn’t stopped working in 2 years since I’ve done it but springs are fickle things. Make sure you have traced it to the actual spring as often they can travel for a while before breaking surface which means once you start messing around they can change course if you’re not at the source. anyway I did it quite simply by using a 4ft section of 2ft dia twin wall pipe. I dug this in to the ground vertically (so the pipe was standing vertically flush with the level of the ground, once in place of filled rapidly with water and I made a hole the diameter of the outlet pipe (4” land drain pipe in this case) about a foot from the top into the side of the twin wall which I put the the outlet pipe into and then once the twin wall chamber filled it just flowed down the land drain all the way to the paddock, by having the outlet pipe high in the chamber it kept any crap from going down the pipe and the chamber was easy to clean out with a pair of shoveholers if it started to silt up.

I learnt to swim in an old flooded Tin mine pit- until we learned it had high levels of Arsnic present in the water!

Won’t most quarries and mines have a tailing damn in one for or another? I know they have similar thing here on Dartmoor where they have one of the worlds largest tungsten mines which closed down operation a few months ago- what will become of the waste pits/lagoons is anyone’s guess- they’re pretty vast and I doubt habitable by any form of wildlife- hopefully better managed then other parts of the world perhaps....