Matthew Storrs
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Everything posted by Matthew Storrs
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Isn’t it just sub 2 tonners that have ram on top? Can’t think of any heavier machines like this..
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Would that be Barony college?
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Yes, Tak was £16.5k, Volvo £18.6k and the wacker came in at £21.somethingK. It wasn’t specced with the VDS system. The Tak was definitely lacking in features- basic things like no proper foot pedals. But as far as I could see the Volvo and wacker were on a par in both feature and on paper specs. £21k on a 1.8t machine just seemed excessive... nothing against the machine though.
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I looked at Wacker when I was looking at 1.8t machines. The only thing that put me off was the price. Happy to pay for quality but our local dealer wanted an extra 3k+ over comparable Volvo and 6k over equvilant Takeuchi. Shame cos wacker looked like a top machine- but couldn’t see where the extra £6k was really going.
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In particular I’d be keen to know how you find the 75mm bucket. Would it not be jamming up all the time with small rocks and soil?
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Not all Kubotas are singing and dancing though- we had a kx080-4 on hire all last week and the operator very experienced who runs several Kubotas himself reckoned it was a dreadfull machine. It would cut out operation on occasion I think something to do with the DPF and the fit and finish was pretty crude- a lot of things were clearly an afterthought. I had a quick go in it and personally didn’t like the geometry when sat in the seat- the joysticks felt too low. Still each to their own- no doubt Kubota making quality kit but I just can’t get excited about the ones I have operated. Tak may well be lacking in operator features but you can’t deny they are beefed up appropriately in all the right areas and i feel less ‘snatchy’ for grading then other brands. well done on your decision- let us know how you get on with it when it arrives.
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Also depends what your towing with- Landy pickup for example you can tow the 3500kg whilst still putting a ton in the bed which means all the buckets sand other garb can go in there- some of these new fangled pickups claim to have a 3500kg towing capacity but in fact their lower gross train weight means you can’t put bugger all in the pickup bed- personally not how I roll- much safer with the weight in the towing vehicle.
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Unfortunately not- my dads case digger had a new track motor costing that kind of money. i haven’t the know how to rebuild myself so not much help to the OP
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As far as I know there is no easy way to tow a 4 ton digger short of lorry or tractor and trailer/mog The yanks tow their 4-5tonners behind dodge rams and the like, unfortunately we are not blessed with such setups in this country.
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Depends what you’re planning on running off it. Definitely a second auxiliary service is almost essential if your planning on running grabs and rotators- proportional control is almost a must otherwise it’s an all or nothing affair- giving you so much more control over opening and closing grabs/rotating etc. like you say depends on cost. Surely the kx040-4 is the replacement for the 4 ton kx121 isn’t it? The kx71 is under 3 ton....
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No this is a hire machine, love an 8 tonner though but I wouldn’t want to move it regularly with my tractor- too much strain on the transmission. yep tractor is a Same peasgood
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Dunno if this is overloaded- but pulling this 8+ tonner off-site made my tractor sweat a bit up the mile long drag up a steep hill. No brakes on the trailer either- not a public highway before anyone asks!
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I personally think HS2 is a complete waste of time- and would prefer to see the money spent else where rather than tearing through good countryside!
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At least not when they think it’s at their expense!
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IMO, a worn out piece of crap is never a viable option regardless of mechanical competence- downtime is downtime regardless of who fixes it. However on the other toss of the coin I can’t think of a quicker way to lose money than by buying a brand new vehicle. I’d prefer to spend on something that is a few years old, tidy but basically done the lions share of depreciation.
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Not directed necessarily at the OP, I’m sure we’ve all done it but there is an awful lot to be said for just sticking to your guns and with what you know and do well/regularly, iv nearly always found that every time I take on either a job I’m not familiar with or a one off type job it bites me in the behind and usually the wallet too. Stick with what you know and do it well- turn down the unfamiliar jobs and save yourself the grief!
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Best 7 or 8 ton excavator for forestry work ??
Matthew Storrs replied to njtimber's topic in Large equipment
That sounds like an awful machine. It should have no trouble lifting its self of the ground even with the blade down so your pivoting the machine off the blade. of course there are always going to be dogs out there but having owned 3 Takeuchis now they have all been more or less faultless. One did 5000hrs with barely a spanner to it. I can’t help thinking though if your not planning on transporting the machine and have the space would a 13tonner not be a better option? -
Most of my work is within 15-20 mins from my house so tend to get up for 7ish, ish, ish. Spend an hour getting ready, porridge, tea, discuss the days events with my 2 year old. usually get to the job for 9 and usually knock of work around 5- later in the summer, with a break at 11 and lunch at 2ish. I sit in a machine most of the day with an occasional spurt of manual labour throughout, so quite happy to keep working into an evening if I like the job.
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Best 7 or 8 ton excavator for forestry work ??
Matthew Storrs replied to njtimber's topic in Large equipment
A friend has a case cr75 (8 ton) and reckons a Takeuchi tb145 (5 ton) more or less has similar digging performance just lacks the weight behind it. I honestly don’t think you will go wrong with the Tak and I personally think the older ones seem better build quality than the current ‘2’ Series. -
Best 7 or 8 ton excavator for forestry work ??
Matthew Storrs replied to njtimber's topic in Large equipment
At The age of models your talking about I’d doubt you will better the Takeuchi tb175, contractor near me has one for stone walling and it has a pretty rough time I think. The tb175 is built better than any 8 tonner I have come across, with features more similar to 13 tonners ie twin lifting rams on the boom and dozer blade. All steel body work- good for rough and tumble work. The trouble as you say is not many to be seen on steels, but generally the case with 8 tonners on the whole- that said you’ll get a lot more for your money the bigger you go and all 13tonners tend to be on steel. -
For the money I don’t think you can go far wrong with Yukon’s, I wear type A yukons and they are one of the few ‘budget’ trousers that don’t make you feel like your wearing a duvet wrapped round your legs.
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Smallest tractor that can handle 1000kg on a loader?
Matthew Storrs replied to Woodworks's topic in Large equipment
Oh no! Doesn’t look good- what was the cause of that do you thinking, excessive loader work? i looked at turning circles of the Kubota ME5700 and I think it was just under 6m full circle dia. My Same by comparison is just over 6m on paper. they are similar size tractors in dimension but Same has an extra 30hp and weighs another ton or so. that Kubota could be a good option for you I think if your not in need of much more HP, as long as you have a good counterblock. -
The thing with Landys (or any 4x4) is they really rely on momentum when it gets really sticky- if you have to stop and yours tyres are clogged then it becomes about as useful as a fiesta! The problem is compounded severely if trying to draw a trailer over the same ground. I think Landrovers are great workhorses myself and mine has been very reliable over 10 years of ownership- but increasingly I’m finding I use my tractor now a lot more when the job is wet and off-road just to save the faffing around getting stuck. It means I can get trailers and equipment right where I need them rather then compromising and making the job more awkward.
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And to add, bemuses me when retired people use the supermarket on a weekend to do their weekly shop just because it’s habit. They have all week!
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Sub 4 ton? Sub 3 ton maybe. Kubota kx101 is sub 4 ton but much better reach. Have you looked at the Volvo Ec27c, I found the specs very comparable to the kx71 but it was 80kg lighter- which in my case was the difference between being legal or not- Takeuchi tb125 is another good un.
