Domino

Yep I get what you are saying and was of the same opinion before I got one. The reality is because of the way the shear is mounted, you can crowd up stuff from the floor so it is standing up, like when a tree is in the ground. This means a long section that maybe 30ft long, for example, becomes only as long and wide as the Avant itself. This provides an amazing ability for getting large sections through tight areas to the truck/chipper etc. Other plus points are the strength of the grab itself, you can literally split wood with it. And of course the optional shear function is HIGHLY efficient on the right job. Also by holding a section loosley at the butt end, it is easily possible to drag and allow the section to take it's own path, like with a freely rotating grab. If you were timber stacking lengths all day long, obviously the rotating timber grab would be better for that, but for all round tree work it's gotta be the shear, hands down.

Question 2). The tree shear outperforms any other log/brash grabbing attachment whilst on site, HD log grab good for larger sections and the yard. Ripper attachment is very effective and good value for what it can do.

Thanks for that. I am based in North Norfolk so will read with interest. Cheers

Sent you a PM, Cheers.

Erm.....What do people think about this? Gets very interesting at 3 mins. I'm thinking it looks pretty good. [ame] [/ame]

Pictures from a cracking job in the summer, fine weather. Horse chestnut fell, standing dead, Armillaria mellea. Climbed to drop off a large limb weighting it towards the road, then felled.

Looks good Mick. I like the fact it's of the 'front seated' variety, they are definitely more stable under articulation. Avant do a rear seated model 'R' series, which all lift 170kg LESS under full articulation than their respective double in the normal range, and that's quite a difference IMO. But rear seated loaders seem so much more natural to steer and have a better/narrower turning circle for access, but I am aware you are on the continent and their gardens seem to be far more practical, so access probably ain't the same problem as here.

Ah, I misunderstood. I have no experience of the 'cut only' type, but would say that is more suited to an excavator where you would have more push power and a safer cab, should things go array. As you say there are various companies that will happily make what suits your needs/machine. Get on it! Good point, worth stating for sure. But with those little sticks you could rag around all day at full height/boom extension without a worry. There ain't no point increasing the wear by pushing the tele in and out 50 times when its not necessary.

750, nice. Yep you should be fine with it now, but you do need to have the grab switch on the joystic, as when you shear things and lift off they move about in the grab for a second and you need to be pressing the grab buttom frantically (in my case) to make sure you've got hold of it. Hope that makes sense. Also I dont know if you have a roof on the ROPS, but i'm constantly brushing it with sticky out bits (arboricultural terminology) so wouldn't want to be without it.

Cheers. Glad you found it of use. I love tree work, but the things that make it easier and safer are without doubt worth the investment. Its a 500 serires LPG model, made for construction really - heavy duty panels, foam filled tyres (25kg each), extra work lights, 2 x auxillary hydraulic pumps. I spose you could attempt to feed the chipper with it, though we have a TW125 which requires 'persuasion' at the best of times. Giant looks great, I like the no nonsense design. Anything compact, articulated and telescopic and you can't go far wrong, IMO I hasten to add!

Pants were fine, thank you kindly! In all seriousness you can barely feel that kind of weight, even at full extension. Cut and hold units are not really an option for me, too large, too bulky and unnecessary for the type of work we generlly do. And there's the cost, I shuddered at the price of this type, wouldn't even wanna know what cut and hold shears start at, that would affect the state of your pants.

A good example from this week of using the shear/grab. Mega time saver. In case anyine is still mulling over all the options out there. [ame] [/ame]

Possibly the fastest learning curve ever?!? Good on you for being open minded and seeing the actual 'value' of that wood in this situation. There is money in your arb waste, but it's a more long term type of income that needs to be considered carefully.

Giant looks great! The plastic/metal thing is a bit misleading. The multione/avant outer build is predominantly metal, but with polycarbonate panels covering the metal, giving the metal an extra layer of protection.

This is also my understanding of tipping weight and max lifting capacity. Therefore the tipping weight will always be less than the lifting capacity (in the case of articulated loaders). For example - My Avant 525 lpg has a Max lifting capacity (hydr) of 1350kg. At the standard weight of 1250kg (including inbuilt 170kg weight) the tipping load is 800kg. I have added 100kg of counterweights, so the tipping load has increased to circa 900kg. And yet on the Multione website, if you look into the technical data for the models it all seems to be the opposite, for example - Multione 25hp S525 Tipping load (w/backweights) 1020 kg (2249 lbs) Lifting capacity (straight and w/backweights) 820 kg (1808 lbs) So yes Shillo, you are in my opinion right. The lifting figures are not as they appear at first glance. I'm honestly not as sad as this post makes me look , but when I was looking to buy a machine I trawled through as much info as I could to help make the right decision on something very important. And I don't think it's particularly helpful when inaccurate opinions are given. The simple fact is, a loader is not going to lift it's own weight at an extended point beyond the front of the machine, that's just bloody obvious. The visibility factor of the Avant boom is much better, but fair play, I get that the original 'H' design used on the Multione may need less service attention and therefore be sturdier in the long run. To anyone who is actually looking at buying their first loader, the Avant and Multione are basically the same. If you are lucky enough to have both dealers in your area then try both, and then I suggest you play them off against each other to get the one you want at the best price you can. IMO that is

Oak tree for sale on Gumtree!! Just needs sectional dismantling, and all waste removed.....Yours for only £250 Kill me now

The design is basically identical, the Avant being the original version of the two. Something that I think is worth noting is that the telescopic piston on the Multione is exposed on the top of the boom, whereas on the Avant it is enclosed, which is something you would have to take care about in tree work. Also there is no mention of 'self levelling' on the Multione machines, but it must be an option, it is standard on the 500, 600 and 700 Avants. I personally really like the boom design of the Avant being off to the right leaving a clear line of sight through to the attachment.

Yes the jutting out of the seat area is different to other articulating loaders, but the theory that they can lift more compared to rear seated loaders is correct. Avant and Multione sell rear seated loaders now, but those models typically lift 150kg less on full articulation. Having the weight of the cab in line with the boom improves the lift and stability under full articulation. Had a great day this week thinning an understorey of holly. Was able to pull most straight out, roots an all.

Certainly sounds like this Avant 750 has been through the wars and not maintained. Thumbs up for the Avant from here too. Regularly used in the woods, and copes well. Heavy duty panels are a must for arb work. What are the advantages of the Mulitione over Avant? I didn't test drive one, but specs seem similar to me. I was led to believe that Norcar are the premium compact loader brand, though they only offer the rear seated chassis, which is compromised on lift and stability for smaller loaders, IMO.

Cheers. I'm quite pleased with it, nice to have in the yard. Not sure really, 6 or 7 cube?? All the lumpy bits in the centre must be nearly 3 I reckon.

Thought I'd give the old 'round wood pile' a go! I'll wait to see how well the roof holds up under high winds, only 300m from the north sea here

I was just thinking what would be the best all round 'grab' attachment, and the tree shear that Avant offer suited my needs best. Primarily it's just a grab, with the option of letting the blade in when the situation requires. Obviously yes, if the machine (and bank account) is big enough to run a beefier cut and hold shear, that's the way to go, though we would be talking more forestry or vegetation clearance type work I suppose, to justify that. Personally, the 'cut only' system looks precarious to me. But I have no experience of them, someone else on here might be able to offer their experience. I did speak to 'approved hydraulics', and they seemed to be happy to make to order ie. fitting your attachment plate, blade size, rotating options etc... Hope that helps. Defo worth looking into.

Yes very confident. In that instance though you would fold the blade out of the grab (locking spring bolt) to make it just a grab giving maximum purchase, then do a step cut below, break off the tree towards you using telescopic funtion, hey presto!....I would probably still stick a pull rope up also, just to have some extra control if there was a problem.

Get the shear, you'll love it. It can be mounted on a 90degree tilt plate now also, to give it some rotation. [ame] [/ame]