Matthew Storrs

Agree, I’m on my forth Takeuchi. First was a TB016- belter, 2x TB125s both faultless and barely had a spanner to them in 5000 hrs. Recently got the new TB216 (new version of the TB016) it’s good but would prefer the TB016 again if they still made them. I think they lack a little in lifting capacity compared with some others but for their reach, bucket-blade cleanup, heavier duty dozer blade and general robust steel bodywork they do take some beating- smooth as anything to operate.

This is why I have cabs on my machines! But get your points.

Much as above really- if I think the battery saw can handle it I would take that all day long over the petrol. I love the cleaness of it- no mucking around with petrol and two stoke, no fumes, can have the saw in the passenger seat and it doesn’t stink the truck out. Will handle most brash and timber up to 8” pretty well. Anything bigger I’d begrudgingly get the petrol saw out!

Fairly sure that’s exactly the same tractor that Woodworks posted above.

Hurlimann is also part of the SDF line- along with the 3 you mention. There’s Hurlimann models exactly the same as my Same in every way except the paint job. DiffLock- well worth considering- good well engineered tractors in my opinion...

Given how cheap it is to rent larger machines and throw in the transport hassles on top, it’s a wonder anyone bothers owning anything bigger than 2.8t! Unless of course its specialist. I think if I go down the route of getting a 5-8 tonner I might find it best just to use a local beaver tail guy to move it around, generally not too bad if it’s on a job for a while.

Yeah that’s fair enough- I wasn’t really thinking about lawns and more manicured environments though. Just saying that for those considering a machine with expanding tracks generally sub 2 to they have their downsides in a woodland/countryside setting. This picture is a pretty standard ground condition for me- soft and deep peat and I know a digger with expanding tracks and the low undercarriage is a pain in the arse here.

It’s a shame you can’t get the Case cx23 new anymore. That was a 2.3t digger which basically had the undercarriage and counterweight of a 3 tonner. My Dad has one and I always think Case missed a trick by not keeping that going with a few modernisations. https://www.ironandearth.co.uk/product/case-cx23/ would make someone a great towable machine for not much money- getting a bit long in the tooth now though.

I think 3 tonners (or 2.8t ) are a fantastic size. The difference between a 2.8t and a sub 2ton is night and day. I always feel my 1.8t is a bit of a toy really- useful for the odd jobs and narrow access stuff whereas 3tonner is far more capable of ‘proper’ work. For me the 3t size is a real money earner- it uses minimal diesel, can be towed behind truck to jobs, can get in through a 5ft gate (just!) and I’ve yet to find terrain I haven’t been able to take it on. The expanding undercarriage of the smaller 2 ton machines are ok- but if your on soft bogey ground- there isn’t much sinking to be had before it’s sitting on its belly- best way is to lift the machine at the front as you travel to keep on top of the soft stuff rather than just trying to push through it- makes far less mess, there’s also the hoses that go to the expanding tracks that you have to be mindful of when travelling on brash- the 3t undercarriage is far more robust in that sense.

I’d agree for the most part, I always said to myself if Tak brought out a model weighing 2.3t I’d get it. Reasons being mainly for transportation ease with attachments etc and less stress on tow vehicle. Personally I think the expanding tracks on the TB225 is going to be too much of a Niche. When I think about all the jobs where access is an issue for my 3 tonner it’s generally a garden gate or an alleyway, usually both would be under 1 meter meaning an TB016 would get in there but not the tb225. Even a 4ft gate would be unlikely for it as usually the posts are a bit closer than 4ft in reality. So then I start thinking that the expanding undercarriage only really is going to get to very few places that the 2.8tonners won’t get to? Also it only has an extra 1ft of reach over the TB216/016 which hardly seems worth it for the extra £7k it costs... Time will tell I suppose.

Not sure how keen you are to get one- I may possibly be selling my Takeuchi tb125 in early spring. It sounds like it would suit you fine. Almost immaculate condition and only 1800hrs 2007 model. I’ve put 800hrs on it in the last year and it was sat in a barn for the first 10 years of its life only doing 100hrs a year- I’m hesitant to get rid as I know I’d never find a used machine in that condition again but could really use a bigger machine (5ton) to run alongside my 1.8tonner. here she is (the nearer one) when I first got it last year. original paint work- not bad for 10 years.

The Takeuchi tb225 looks good but a few things put me off it. The ground clearance is pretty poor to accommodate the expanding tracks. Lack of proper track pedals too. Personally I live with my feet on the pedals and find work so much more productive and flowing- when I get in my smaller machine which has no pedals i feel a bit disabled. lastly- price. I was quoted £24k+vat. You can buy a Yanmar sv26 for this which is still towable has great ground clearance and ultra stable being 1550mm wide with proportional rollers for attachments. Guess it depends how much you’d benefit from the expanding tracks of the tb225?

Also avoid bonfires if you can. Sometimes find I get sore throats after a session of burn ups. Can’t really be doing the respiratory system much good.

Lovely tidy setup, ? is that your winch too?

Hi Doobin, my dad has a 135, I haven’t used it for a long time but I think the Makita has a lower chain speed. Although being electric and not being able to hear the revs like a petrol saw it’s quite hard to know for sure. If you have Makita batteries and charger anyway (the expensive bit) then you can get the mak for £135 or so. It’s absolutely brilliant for fencing and landscaping work (railways sleepers would be its upper comfortable limit) but it’d do them anyway. Like any saw but perhaps more so with electric a tip top chain is the key. I love the fact that I can have all my drills/grinders and chainsaw all running off the same batteries.

Nearest I can find near me in elevation is Holne and that’s saying 466mm in a month- surely that’s not right???

It’s intersting actually. Beau seems to have 325mm of rain in a month near Tavy. Plymouth weather stations are mostly recording sub 200mm that’s a big difference in such a small distance. Must get one up here in Princetown although might just make me depressed!

500mm of rain in the last 6-7 weeks? Blimey that is a lot. Certainly feels relentless. Looking forwards to Christmas break from it now.

I have NPORs excavator- the assessor came to by yard- did a touch screen test, discussed the machine for a bit, then I had to dig and backfill a trench. Job done! Cost me £220! All a bit silly really considering I’ve been operating my own diggers for 10 years now. Still boxes must be ticked!

I honestly can’t believe every one doesn’t have a battery saw in their arsenal. Similar money to a 550xp for example. Ok they probably aren’t the weapon of choice if your ringing up timber all day but just can’t sing about them enough on general crown/brash processing/ hedging etc. I really can’t be arsed with petrol anymore if I can help it.

I was kind of set on the husky simply because of the 9.4ah battery. However 2x Stihl 6.2ah batteries can be had for not much more money. I believe the chain speed on the Stihl is 17m/s compared to 22m/s on the husky. Makita is 20m/s but I’m taking that with a pinch of salt cause it feels pretty slow so can’t imagine the pro Stihl to be slower still...

Interestingly let’s say a tank of fuel costs 40p. A battery is expected to be recharged up to 1500 times .if a battery charge is the same as a tank of fuel as husky claim then that’s a saving of £600. Buying a top spec battery saw pays for itself in the fuel saving alone.

I purchased a makita 36v battery saw back in the spring- I absolutely love it ad as I already had the batteries for drills the saw only cost me £130 as a bare unit. Anyway just been on a eeek long hedglaying job and despite having a 357xp and a 550xp there I picked up the Makita every time. Just perfect for stop and start work, no faffing getting it started or smelling fumes and the noice etc. Anyway It does have its limits -over say 7” dia cuts it starts to be inefficient. It does it but obviously 357xp is far quicker. so I’ve decided I’m up for spending £600 on a top of the range battery saw setup in the hope that it will be that much better than my makita. But technical specifications from all manufacturers suggest otherwise. They all have 36v motors. Chain speed of around 20m/s (I always thought makitas was a little slow but on paper same as stihl and husky) So can someone convince me that buying a stihl msa200 or husky 536LI is actually going to be worth it over what I already have. I’m not overly clued up on battery’s etc so perhaps that’s where the difference lies? Mak runs on 2x 5ah (which are cheap to buy) the other two vary depending on what size battery but both are hideously expensive when it comes to batteries..... My Dad has a 40v greenworks battery saw and it blows my Makita out of the water so perhaps I should go for that...

Golly- reading this thread makes me realise how hideously boring my life has been so far. Grew up on a hill farm on Dartmoor- spent early life messing around with rocks, daming streams and generally making a nuisance of myself. Left school at 16 with dreams on life on the open seas.joined the Navy- left/discharged 5 days later- dream over. Thought I’d go up to Scotland to become a forester- attended 6 months at Barony didn’t really work out. Went to Leamington Spa- trained as a tree surgeon- worked as that for about 5 years. Returned to Dartmoor and started my own business building Devon banks/walling and digger work- been doing that for 10 years now and probably always will until I fall of the perch!

This- definitely hard to keep it going over the winter months when there’s no one to share the strain/problems with or just to laugh at stuff. I work in remote areas on my own and often don’t even see the customer. My wife (bless her) tries to listen any problems when I get home but in fairness she has her own stuff to deal with. So in short working solo and having depressing weather on top, trudging through jobs just to keep things afloat can be be a recipe for loneliness/depression/lack of motivation. There’s always someone worse off of course and the main thing I find is to make sure there’s always something in your life to look forwards to- holiday/nice evening out/going to visit friends/family etc. Make little breaks in your day to look forwards to- I always bring nice coffee and cakes with me. Just the thought of that at the next break will get me through the next few hours and so on...