GA Groundcare

If it has been sat about a while sure its not just a flat battery? On small petrol engines they don't charge the battery back up like a traditional alternator system. Take the battery off and give it a proper trickle charge. Have you got a volt meter handy? See what you're charging voltage is whilst running.

Check the large connector plugs coming from the white junction box. See if there is any water ingress. Check your fuses and also how well the fuses are fitted in the holder. When you say power is getting to the starter, do you mean on the main battery cable? Is it a Mk1? They used to to have the starter relay down in the chassis leg near the axle. The road crap could get into it and either rot the relay and/or connections. On the MK2 it was moved further up out of harms way. Battery terminals in good condition and tight?

And could still remove the mudguards!

We have that problem on our Facebook page. You can loose your "speedy response" status overnight by being asleep and not acting on a unrelated enquiry. Can be frustrating.

On our old 200TDI Defender work truck we fitted a boost pin, front mount intercooler, exhaust, silicone hoses, wound up fuel pump all at the same time and it was like a different truck... Before towing up hill you'd go from 4th to 3rd and then down to 2nd holding it on its limit without the power to get up into 3rd again. I used to cry inside for the poor engine with loaded arctic lorries cruising by on dual carriageways... The mods allowed it to hold 3rd up those hills without ringing its tits off... Now our remapped 2.4 Puma will accelerate in 4th no sweat...

Out n about ?

We run a GX106 with the two sliding ramps. Its gives us great flexibility to put bigger tracked chippers on. We used to have a GD105 and would always worry about collecting a machine which hadn't been on it before.... Only downside is the 106 does feel wide behind the Defender.

Diesel? from memory the retail is around 22k ex vat and net something like 17-18k ex vat.

We charge £49 per hour plus vat. I can see from the invoice that you have posted the dealership uses a software called "Gold". On workshop jobs you can use a pre written description to add to the service invoice. For example your one could be "workshop story 2" and the system could have 40 service descriptions, or more. The person who's creating the invoice will just add the pre written code in. The workshop story isn't specific to your machine. I like to type everything up that we have done so the invoice is specific to the machine. Any notes can be added, customer requests, advisories, customer didn't want X done etc etc. It does take a bit of time but then there is also no grey areas with what has or hasn't been done. It also reinforces the labour we charge. People are usually happy to pay good money in return for a good job.

Sounds like its been handled wrong and you've not been kept up to speed with the job. To service a tracked 6" machine properly it will take 4 hours. Whilst you can "service it in an hour" as some folk have said that's not a proper workshop service, more of an off - on filter changed and engine oil replacement. On an ArbTrak 150 we would jack the machine up, let the tension of the tracks go. Check all the track idlers (most tracked machines we get come in their idler bearings are long gone) re tension the tracks, blow out radiator, replace / test coolant, tension / replace fan belt, engine oil, fuel filters, air filter, check fuel tank for debris (usually full up with all sorts) drain and clean fuel tank, fill tank back up with original diesel through a gauze filter, check hydraulic oil & replace if required, check around flywheel, remove, sharpen and replace blades with new bolts, washers and nuts. Check over feed rollers, check hydraulic pipe work and around the machine properly, grease up, usually rectify field "make do and mends" wash off, write up job card and carry out service check list report. If you can do all of that in an hour. Send us your CV! If we book a can of spray specifically on a job we'll give the customer the rest of the can. If we use a bit of cleaner, lube, grease etc we'll just stick a consumable charge down.

Ha, very true. I think GreenMech carry a pretty good stock of engines ?

Ooof. Watch white diesel get stolen from every building site going!

So are they saying diggers / dumpers / telehandlers on building sites will have to use white?!

The GreenMech CS80 & CS100 is made in Warwickshire. No other brand is made there. What are you looking at? Peruzzo? It is a close copy made in Italy. Equipment4Industry used to bring them into the UK. Unfortunately they went into liquidation last year. Not sure what is happening these days. But it doesn't look like you will get much out of Italy at this moment in time.... The CS100 as you know it now has been in production since around 2010. Previous to that it used to be called the GMR100. The CS80 came about last year. Feedback from end users was sometimes they wanted a slightly cheaper, smaller capacity machine but were fed up of the disposal, online, pallet chippers that just don't last. However, making a machine 3/4 the size of the CS100 unfortunately doesn't make it 3/4 of the price. With the upcoming rise of decent engines from China at a low lost, GreenMech decided to fit a 12hp Loncin engine onto the CS100 and it proves to be a good machine. A high quality, productive, professional machine with a decent warranty, supported by a local dealer at a lower price was then born. RRP £3,630 ex vat.

Have you looked at the CS80? It is the CS100 but fitted with a 12hp Loncin recoil engine. At RRP it comes in at 1k cheaper than the 18hp CS100. Three years warranty, great resale value etc et.

We’ll hire a 6” road tow for £125 plus vat a day. £375 a week.

Back in the day I am sure a few commercial mower manufacturers had issues with bio oil in their machines. It does come as standard in some golf course machinery now. Most customers / operators like it until they have a price to replace it then chuck standard back in. From memory 20L of biodegradable oil can be £150-£200. V expensive to fill a big system!

That transit wont be that much. Our L2 H2 Transit Custom is 2,600kg max. That's pretty much with an empty van.... Either way, the setup is massively over ?. To the untrained eye at a glance it doesn't look hugely out of place unless you know what weight diggers just by looking.

Very true, it doesn't! Need to be caught red handed then with it physically in the tank...

Was always under the impression once red has been used it stains the system for "life" I have been dipped for red diesel once which was about 8 years ago now. A VOSA pull in setup off the M27 at the services. Vehicle came down the slip way and overtook me, slowed down infront and put its follow me sign on... They checked the trailer wasn't stolen, new machine on the back wasn't stolen, checked my truck & load around, checked my fuel, asked if I had a tacho then sent me on my way...

What happens when you buy a used vehicle and you've only used white but the previous owner has chucked red in it?

It leaked last summer, i tightened the nuts that hold the filter housing on and all was good until now. I havent noticed a significant leak until today, but i suppose it could have been weeping a bit and i didnt notice. Will get a new filter ordered. If you don’t know of one being replaced on it. Probably worth replacing it anyway. We should have one in stock. Can post it tomorrow.

Assuming thats the bigger filter under the big red cap, it appears clean as a whistle That’s it. Possibly struggling to allow the oil to filter back through to the tank. 500 hour change interval from memory. Has it been fine and literally just started leaking oil?

Get white right and you’ll be able to reduce your prices ?

What about with the return filter taken out to trial?