Melodeon

A though occurred to me: are you sure about that 290kg total? That's something like 200kg for the grab and 90kg for the rotator, and that size of kit is what's specced for 7 tonne machines rigid mounted and 10 tonners pendulum. It sounds insane for a 3.5 tonne machine.

Hmmm... I'd be shy of hanging 290kg (plus brackets & pipework?) off the end of a 3.5 tonne machine, to be honest. My brash grapple and fixed rotator totals 167kg according to the spec sheets, plus brackets and pipework, so in the region of 200kg in total I'm guesstimating. It's nicely matched to the 5 tonne Yanmar ViO 50 (zero-swing machine) it's on, but you'd still need to be careful with anything of consequence in it at full stretch out to the side. I have a felling head for it that specs at 220kg, plus brackets and pipework, so totalling at around 250kg I'm thinking, which is getting on for being a bit uncomfortable for the machine. You very much have to be careful of overloading/tipping. Can you dummy up that sort of weight on the digger (plus another 200kg+ for payload) and see how it handles?

Just another vote for the Intermercato Tigergrip. Mine's on a Yanmar ViO 50, rigidly mounted through an AVS-Hydraulikmoteren AR-H 70-2.1 (6T/14T) rotator:

Here you go: Kilkenny Garda Station - Divisional Headquarters Dominic Street, Kilkenny, County Kilkenny

Follow up on the Brunnett low pressure problem: I disassembled the seat box, control levers, and the forest of steel pipes and unions and got that valve chest out of there and onto the workbench. After much further disassembly, cleaning, and close examination of all the internal pressure relief valves and seals (all of which were spotlessly clean and appeared to be in prefect working order), I discovered that the main relief valve was loose, and took almost a full turn to snug it back against its seat. The main relief valve is the only external one on the whole assembly, and is easily accessible in situ on the machine! Feck I nailed that whole thing back together again and ran a pressure test. BINGO! 2100psi! Much success She's now lifting like a champion. Now, about those 30 year old 'flexible' hoses that aren't entirely happy with this new situation...

It's obviously too late for anyone his year, but for future reference: My biennial trip to APF via Birmingham airport includes a compulsory stop at Beckett's Farm, on the A435. Becketts Farm Shop, Restaurant, Conference Facility and Property Lets https://www.google.ie/maps/place/Beckett's+Farm/@52.3731872,-1.889187,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x4870bf3a1bb9e407:0x9edc5171a8f7a290!8m2!3d52.3731839!4d-1.8869983 Magnificent Full English!

That's fantastic information folks, thanks! According to a bit of Google image searching, the valve chest does indeed appear to be a Monsun Tison HV07. No pilot controls on this old girl, it's 'directly' operated by a system of levers and links that would please Heath Robinson! This particular valve seems to have been pretty commonly used on lots of cranes and lifting equipment, so it's not utterly unknown in the hydraulics service sector. Next task, find a schematic/exploded view of the valve!

While I'm pondering these things... Who made the valve blocks for these old Bruunetts, does anyone know? I can't see any sort of identifying mark or text on mine.

One for the Bruunett 578F aficionados: What sort of pressure should my hydraulics system be making? I ask because the main lift on the crane seems to be 'weaker' than I remember. Other functions appear to be fine. Plumbing a gauge into the lift ram service gives me 1000psi at high tickover, rising to 1100psi at working revs (1700 rpm approx.) Tapping into other services is giving 1500psi at tickover rising to 1600psi at working revs. Even these higher figures look low to me, but perhaps someone can tell me if they're in the ballpark for such an old machine? My Operator's Manual is telling me about relief valves in the system ranging between 2175psi and 2750psi, so I'm thinking that normal working pressures should perhaps be up around the 2000psi mark. All filters have been changed and the system refilled with fresh Hy-Tran. The return filter above the cab in particular was a disgrace, partially collapsed and clogged with bits of instant gasket and rubber off skived hoses! I strongly suspect that some of this debris is fouling in various relief valves and giving me my poor lifting performance issues. To my mind, it's looking like I'll be stripping down the pump and valve chest to clean it all out. Anyone have any experiences or tips to impart before I get the spanners twirling???

Another chainsaw machine I'm afraid, but I've always been impressed by the Regon R1 when I've seen it demonstrated a few times over the last couple of years. A lovely tidy little machine (up to 10" logs) with lots of nice details and features: REGON Lifts and shifts firewood processing in a new age - Patentoidut suomalaiset klapikoneet - Regon Wilsons are the UK agents: Regon R1 Firewood Processor | Jas P Wilson

I have a Black Splitter S2 630 (as supplied by the good people at Exac-1) on my Yanmar ViO-50, and it has handled everything I've thrown at it to date. This includes ugly gnarly Leylandii trunks a meter across at the thick end, and chunks of big old veteran Ash, Beech and Chestnut, in lengths of 1 to 4 meters. It IS possible to stall it in particularly large/knotty stuff, but it's really only a matter of addressing the victim from the right direction and working with the grain of the timber, exactly as you would do when splitting ugly stuff with an axe. I haven't tried it on stuff down around 6", but I have no doubt it'd be perfectly capable of doing a nice neat job. Here it is after reducing a bunch of Leylandii to manageable sizes (the log against the blade is for bracing the work piece):

The valve is a 12V 3/8" Badestnost DVS6-6/2L: BADESHTNOST Plc. - Hydraulic products, valves, > PRODUCTS http://hydraulic-vlv.com/files/mf/products/32_file.pdf Yep, the services for the crowd ram pass through the body the valve and the diverted services to the rotator (in my case) are out the top. It almost bolted straight into position, except I had to file the holes in the hose mount bracket on the dipper a tiny bit to let it all line up nicely. Using suitable connectors, all the original hoses on the machine re-fitted without modification. I also milled a few millimeters off an edge of the valve (opposite end from the solenoid) to allow it fit neatly into position on the dipper. The new auxiliary hoses duck under the end of the crowd ram and appear out the side of the dipper and terminate under the original rock-breaker hose ends. I got them made up slightly too short, so the bends in them are a little tighter than I'd like, but they appear to be working fine for the last year or so. They all terminate in flat-face quick couplings. The diverter is operated by means of a push button on the left joystick. Its default position (unenergised) leaves the crowd ram work normally. Energised (button pushed), the service is switched to the new hoses, giving full proportional control of whatever tool is out there. I can't crowd AND rotate (in my case) simultaneously, but I haven't found that to be an issue.

I fitted a changeover valve on the dipper of my Yanmar, into the bucket crowd service. The solenoid pokes out through a convenient hole, so I fabbed a cover and threaded a few holes and bolted it on. It's activated by a button on the left joystick, providing full proportional control of the circuit via the right joystick. I use it for the rotator and it's a joy to use.

Nice bit of kickback going on at the start there Looks like a Stihl MS 461-R: MS 461-R - Emergency services saw Ludicrously expensive piece of kit if I recall correctly, and replacing the fancy carbide tipped chain would make your wallet scream for mercy!

That's terrific work, well done! I'm eventually going to have to do something similar with the centre bearing on mine, but I'm procrastinating manfully for the moment