Logan

Quite right Pedrod and Eddie, it is after all a forum. Eddie, that's interesting that even with all the spec on your machine you prefer the grab operated from the bucket crowd position (if I read you right). Do you have other timber cranes currently, with joysticks, if they all this config too? Just wondering. As you say, it's what you get used to or feel works best. Cheers, John. (also known as Bungalow, and the man with one brain cell).

Gosh. I privately am uttering other more expressive words. Machinery, you have got to love it. Hope those good old Italian engineers can find something to fit between the engine and the wheels. What hp version is it? Cheers, John.

hello mate, basically I cut them half a metre wider than the log length of the stack, and try to buy the best sheet that allows for this measurment. this works ok if stack is fairly straight. That picture posted there, I love everything about it. Logging heaven. Cheers, John.

Did you drop many hints about courtesy saw...?

22t, must have a decent knife in there for 16" logs hey. Good output I bet.

Serious bit of kit there mate, looks like it means business:-)

hey Callum, that's answer right there!:-)

We also use truck curtainsides here and there, but sometimes find they leak where they've been repaired. Also, if the stacks are in an area of natural beauty, several hundred tonnes under matching clean green sheets blends in better than a dozen different colour dirty old truck sides. Maybe more expensive though you do get a lot of strips out of a large tarp. You people finding batches of 12m sides for £10 a sheet? Cheers, John.

excellent load there mate. You say ton bags, what volume of logs you reckon those bags hold? Cheers.

hi jnoon, I'll ditto TCD, avoidance of backache by using a saw/bar that cuts things near the ground without having to lean over too much! Normally use 60cc stihl on 18", but occasionally have to put short bar on 660 if a saw down, and fell all week with it, find I quite enjoy it once I relax into the weight of it. I would use it more often on a 20" bar if it weren't so thirsty. Or if the timber averaged a bit bigger.

hello Steph, we've been using topgrade green tarps from Tarpaulins Direct Home Page Been buying from them for 15 years or more, and are still using some of the original sheets! We buy the larger sizes and cut them into strips, they don't unraval at all. Even if accidentally smash log on them, any small tears don't seem to get worse. Bit of gaffer tape. We used to buy the special tape from them for sticking the cut edges over, but found didn't need to. We use large penny washers and a impact screwdriver and short screws and only sheet over top, sometimes the sheets cover the rows for couple of years til it gets sold. Cutting up a 20 x 30m sheet feels like a crime, but we like long strips, so... Topgrade does it for us! I should get commission for this:-)

Oh, pedrod, the 2 way valve we have for diverting the bucket ram oil is electric for the use we have, you'd be better with two times 2-way valves (3port) with the handle you can crank over which way you want, or a "T" and a tap on the bucket ram side as someone rightly said. I've not seen a 2-way six port that's hand operated, might be available, don't know. Ours is electric solenoid for another function and it's a complication you probably don't need!

Yo Pedrod, We use the bucket ram oil for the rotator (mainly because it's this way on our other machine's joystick- botex roof mount). There's a solenoid operated 2 way valve mounted on the boom where the bucket ram oil hoses have connector. This has 6 ports. 2 from valve bank, 2 going back to bucket ram steel pipes, 2 off to rotator (through flow restrictor) these 2 hoses run down one side of dipper as our rotator has ports this way. The rotate function is controllable, maybe still set a little fast, but ours is 8t. The grab is run off the aux. From where the foot pedal was, although we complicated this a bit by putting another solenoid down there instead meaning our grab is run from 2 finger button, and is a bit jerky. Foot valve more controllable smooth-wise. The 2 grab hoses run down other side of dipper. Basically we added one new hose down each side, but reconnected them at the beginning to get the aux all on one side, and the rotator oil on the other. This means we have nothing crossing over down by the grab! While I've seen machines plumbed in every different way, it seemed logical to me at the time to fix ours this way. The other factor is that if you put the grab on the bucket oil it is too easy to let go of log in mid swing! Cheers, John.

Hi there all, sounds good idea Steve, just to add to this, We filled 3 x wooden boxes dimension 1.05m x 1.05m x1.0m ( we figured is fairly genuine 1m3 box!) with mixed hardwood 9" logs that showed between 17 - 22% moisture, on weigh bridge, went and chucked off logs, went back and weighed and hola! Just over 1200kg for this 3m3. On the strength of this, we built a 3m3 divided log cage on a lr130. Our logs aren't always down to 17% (it was dry summer few years back) but I feel I am mostly legal as long as it doesn't rain, herr. Then of course, can put 4m3 in caged trailer too, but rarely need to as LR dashing about and tipping is more pleasant. All the best, John. Ps if I knew how to get pictures from this Nokia onto this forum, I would put something up... Cheers

Yes, I wondered if you were headed over the bridge. You'll have yours back soon?

Did you sort out a tractor? R C Boreham over near Chelmsford might have something small, they're helpful people. Would land rover tipper with driver on a Sunday combo get where you need to go?! Cheers, John.

Yes, understanding and "feel" make a lot of difference. Further, after spinning clutch all the way back on, one single tap with the gun holds clutch nipped nicely until the chain tightens clutch naturally during work. seems safe to me. Cheers, John.

Shavey, we're using stihl 404 1.6mm rapid super on our 084 for cutting up hardwood and it's good fast chain in clean wood. Eddy, I have a 404 1.5mm gauge chain gathering dust in back of cupboard that I believe came off an old husky. I think it's Oregon. 108 links, might have been a 3 ft bar? Keep trying to throw it in the scrap... Cheers. John.

Hey there. Those five methods cover it. What do you reckon is wrong with the nut runner method, as this seems to work a treat. Too much shock to bearings or rings? Putting a load of torque on a piston stop worries me just as much, if not more? Cheers all, John.

Hi Shavey, can you not use standard 404 stihl rapid super on that? Cheers, John.

Excellent post, people. As the 'nut says, would the "profit margin" handle another handling process? Having seen the village idiot's impressive quality charcoal and neat system today, one of the best bits was that he was cutting bendy understorey hazel to the short lengths that make it look a whole lot straighter and stacking them tightly in the kiln, all with relatively minimal equipment and low diesel use. While this process may seem labourious, the stacking of 1m lengths into a billet bundler takes some patience, and after being handled a couple of times must be fun to fit in a round hole? Especially if bendy wood was involved. If you have to transport the sticks, a bundle might be a good option. Cheers, John.

They looked fantastically well built, but outside of my budget at the time (4 years ago). So I bought a Balfor, which can be very quick but leads to painful bruised thighs! So now am trying a rotomat! Would be interested to hear an update of how fast or pleasant your posch is to use. Cheers, John.

Hmmmn. I was a bit disappointed when I first saw the extent of the under guarding.