GA Groundcare

For tier 5? Or back when you bought a tier 3a engined machine?

Are you completely sure? A tier 5 Kubota diesel engine is 6-8k more than the equivalent tier 3a old Kubota engine of the same HP. And those Doosan engines aren’t *that* much cheaper than a Kubota unit.

Engine pictures? How much more is it than the old TR8 with tier 3a Kubota engine?

The problem with cracked heads is you cannot usually tell they are cracked by the naked eye. Only when warmed up the crack will reveal its ugly head. Compression test doesn't usually show the issue either. Bottom end wise, the Isuzu lumps usually either fail big time with a rod out the block or not at all from experience. I appreciate you're referring to Isuzu but as reference. On the past 10 overheating Kubota engines (mowers and different makes of chipper) with similar symptoms to yours we have had in the workshop only 1 has not cracked the head. The last one on a commercial mower had so much water in the bores it pitted the pistons and wall behind repair!!

Check the levels, belts, grease it up, check the safety systems, stress control etc and go out and use it ? give it a few check overs whilst using it during the day. If it all seems good, earn some monies out of her ?

The 190 non turbo is a completely different machine to the 150. It'll perform better with bigger feed rollers, opening and heavier flywheel. From memory the turbo version is largely your machine with a turbo and 10hp... High chance that your machine has been repainted? Looks rather fresh with fresh decals. Any overspray on fuel lines, hydraulic pipes, handbrake cables or masking of the serial plate. Do you have an original serial plate and the invoice states the serial number? Take off the discharge chute, it'll have a second serial number etched into the machine. Make sure it aligns with the metal one...

Sounds like your man really enjoys doing high quality work, fair play to him. And I would say he is under valuing his expertise! Not seen the 25hp replacement versions of the old 34hp in a like for like format as yet. But I know pulley sizes were being changed in some machines to make the gearing better / making the most of 25hp? Forst were advertising "clever gearing allows for no loss in performance" in roundabout words...

Following.

I'm hazarding a guess that is in the region of 100k. If not more. Speaking as an ex Jensen sub dealer...

I think, if I remember correctly this was for a council in the West Midlands a short while ago. But happy to be corrected. Looks a lovely bit of kit. I hear what you're saying. Would be interested in knowing the price.

Love the project! Fair play.

Everything needs a V8.

Custom colours are great. But when you need a replacement panel, chute, bonnet, infeed or whatever when the machine gets damaged, jack knifed etc you'll instantly stick an extra week or two on parts orders. Standard colours are also easier to retail on when used too.

Agreed. We / I have dealt with many manufactures over the years in the Ag / Groundcare / Arb industry and never met one so helpful as GreenMech. Its a joy to be partnered and a main dealer for them.

How about that for free advice!!

We were a Jensen sub dealer from 2015 - 2017. This was our own demo unit which would also go out on hire to local customers we knew. We sold it in 2017 when we became a main GreenMech dealership. 540 upwards are good, robust products. Expensive chippers though. Manufacture built, exchange rate, imported by TH White, sold to a network of dealers and then sold to end users means too many hands touch the product.. We struggled to sell any as our net dealer buying price was higher than GreenMech & TimberWolf's retailing price to end users.

Having owned a A530L from new I would say that it’s the machine that lets the Jensen name down. In 200 hours mine had a cracked chassis, cracked infeed hopper, went through ignition barrels, no stress sensor and a throttle cable.

I don’t think they need to be. Doesn’t make business sense to invest in that much stock just to sell them off cheaply

Had better tell the ecu to wind some more boost in whilst you’re at it! ?

Same, cant say I know much about the engines specifically or why they're choosing Tier5 Doosan over Tier5 Kubota. I know a Tier5 45hp 8" road tow chipper will be in the region of 5k more at retail. The rail boys are just going to have to accept 8" tracked chippers are going up. I can't see how they'll carry large quantities of petrol to the worksite each day. Or whether NW will allow such activity. The problem I see coming with tier5 chippers running DPF is that they'll need to be run flat out all of the time to run hot enough to work correctly. Most road tow chippers will only be revved when the work arrives by the groundie, or a drag, chip, stop repeat method. Then there is DPF regenerations sat on / in the middle of wood chip!!

It depends on what engine stock chipper manufactures are / were carrying. If you had physical engine stock you could continue to build up until mid this year. But now with the virus that has been extended for 12 more months. But the extension is only any good if you already have engines sat in the factory. GreenMech have plenty of 45hp turbo diesel lumps left (they bought a lot of engines) so you can buy the Evo 165 with the bigger 45hp lump or the Arborist 200 with the same engine. Forst do not buy their engines directly from Kubota whereas GreenMech and TimberWolf do. Forst buy from Mitchell, an engine dealer, calling on engines when they need them. They are unable to buy in any more tier 3a engine stock to continue building chippers with "old school" engines. So their options are now all tier5. 25hp diesel, petrol or over 25hp with clean burn treatment. From what I have read recently Forst are looking to go to Doosan engines? TimberWolf are out of diesel engine stock I understand, Ben Burgess put a massive order into TimberWolf and bought all their TW230 34hp machines!! Other TW dealers are now trying to buy from them... Tonnage per hour is nothing to get hung up on. It is unregulated testing and obviously massively depends on wetness of material.

We had a job about 5 years ago on a A530 tracked where this happened. It was down a bank by a stream, blade went through the hydraulic tank. Recovery tools included a 4" fence stake, wheelbarrow, bucket of tools, oil sucker and some straps. We walked to the machine from the van, removed the flywheel on the bank lifting it out on our shoulders using the stake and straps, we then sucked the hydraulic oil down past the damaged tank, drove the machine out of its location at low revs and tracked it back to the van where the trailer was with the flywheel in the wheelbarrow. Once in the workshop we plated / welded up the hydraulic tank, replaced the damaged bearings, refitted the flywheel with new blades and the machine went on its way. Quite a fun job in some respects for us... Not so much for the paying customer.

We copper slip CS100, TW 125 & TW150 blade bolts. TW blades and GreenMech blades sit in a pocket / against a ledge so the load going through the retaining bolt is fairly low in reality.

They are M16 bolts, 10.9 grade (I think) Its the same setup as Jensen, the Forst blades look identical to a Jensen. Whether they actually fit I have not tried. We sharpen quite a few Jensen blades, never seen one crack though. Again the Jensen torque is 310nm. In the past I have torqued them to 250nm and even then it feels damn tight.

Just had a set of Forst ST6 blades in for sharpening...