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[ZinTrees]

Isotunes review: fuc*ing awesome, go get a pair for working in the shop and mowing
Won't regret it


P.s only used for an hour so far and feel like I got my moneys worth out of em

 

[Rabid K9]

My bad, just the "Brush grapple", these grapple bucket names confuse me sometimes

This grapple and forks for 9k, just ordered a bmg at vermeer, should arrive in 2 weeks time, just got the machine ready for tomorrow's job, small oak with a 6-800ft brush drag to a burn pile, leave the log, the skidsteer will be nice to have for this one, no chipping at all

What model Boxer is that?

Pa’w is going to blow a hydraulic with excitement, or isn’t he allowed on it?

 

[ZinTrees]

What model Boxer is that?

Pa’w is going to blow a hydraulic with excitement, or isn’t he allowed on it?

Its a 526dx, PA has ran it for a few minutes, if anyone will blow a line it's me lol

 

[Rabid K9]

Its a 526dx, PA has ran it for a few minutes, if anyone will blow a line it's me lol

Seems cheap for a diesel machine? Will save a mountain of labour.

Couple of things with the Boxer design:

* Twin hyd. pump (instead of four).
* Front mounted cooler (radiator or hydraulic), limited guarding.
* Two speed travel & expanding tracks. Certainly the Vermeer & DW could do with two speed, but seems like a lot to go wrong as well, could properly buck yourself off a stand on machine in higher travel speed.
* Those damn sticking out fuel tank fillers. Not sure how they possibly expect them to survive!!

 

[ZinTrees]

Seems cheap for a diesel machine? Will save a mountain of labour.

Couple of things with the Boxer design:

* Twin hyd. pump (instead of four).
* Front mounted cooler (radiator or hydraulic), limited guarding.
* Two speed travel & expanding tracks. Certainly the Vermeer & DW could do with two speed, but seems like a lot to go wrong as well, could properly buck yourself off a stand on machine in higher travel speed.
* Those damn sticking out fuel tank fillers. Not sure how they possibly expect them to survive!!

2 speed, mine has a hole for the switch, but no switch lol
the radiator is screwed (pressure washed, bent fins, overheated and boiled over while I was running it today)

tracks are stretched, and I had one come off today, ordered new ones, should be here in a few days

it can certainly buck you around, especially with the drive controls it has, but it has really great handles to hang onto, im yet to come off
"high speed" is only around 4mph, so not very fast really, although with nearly a mile long brush drag to a burn pile today, 23 minute round trips werent fun
I find my legs hit the filler necks when I am sideways on a hill, or when turning sharp, other than that I dont think they will be an issue

 

[ZinTrees]

lucky I was on pavement when the track came off so I felt it, had been paying extra attention to that side because of the "skipping" as the sprocket didnt line up with the holes due to stretch
took about a minute to get back on with a large stick as a lever, ive also got an idler that I should replace, but its still turning lol, it is sitting like a quarter inch higher than the rest (bearing is shot)

 

[ZinTrees]

I need a GRCS, too many short but wide trees over houses
with the new boxer and groundie, we are going to be sending some really big pieces, time to upgrade to 5/8 or 3/4" rigging lines and blocks, probably a large stein as well, for the most part I try to make stuff so my ground guys dont have to pick up a saw, but with the boxer and BMG we are going to be chipping almost everything that is 12" or smaller, anything bigger will go in the dump trailer, ive got the wood pirates that will take most firewood, and I can split some at the house to sell, cover the weeks fuel bill
between the bucket truck, boxer, chipper, dodge, saws, and anything else (blowers, capstan, etc) my fuel bill is quite large, probably going to start running old engine oil and offroad in my skidsteer and chipper

 

[mikewhite85]

I need a GRCS, too many short but wide trees over houses
with the new boxer and groundie, we are going to be sending some really big pieces, time to upgrade to 5/8 or 3/4" rigging lines and blocks, probably a large stein as well, for the most part I try to make stuff so my ground guys dont have to pick up a saw, but with the boxer and BMG we are going to be chipping almost everything that is 12" or smaller, anything bigger will go in the dump trailer, ive got the wood pirates that will take most firewood, and I can split some at the house to sell, cover the weeks fuel bill
between the bucket truck, boxer, chipper, dodge, saws, and anything else (blowers, capstan, etc) my fuel bill is quite large, probably going to start running old engine oil and offroad in my skidsteer and chipper

You are quite the young entrepreneur.

GRCS is a nice tool worth having. but I would reconsider using old engine oil in your equipment. You want that stuff to last. 15-40 isn't very expensive.

Do you have a transfer tank on your truck? That will be great for offroad diesel.

It's pretty impressive what you've built in 6 months. Stay safe, kid!

 

[ZinTrees]

but I would reconsider using old engine oil

not as actual engine oil
take to 100 gallon tanks, stack them (gravity feed), dump old oil in top, it gravity feeds through some CAT oil filters, fills the bottom tank which has a pump, cut the filtered oil with diesel for viscosity, since diesel is just oil almost any diesel engine will run on that (some say better than straight diesel)

plus lubrication is no longer an issue like it is with straight number 2

 

[ZinTrees]

Do you have a transfer tank on your truck? That will be great for offroad diesel.

not yet, only truck I could put one on would be the new dodge, but we use the bed space to carry lumber way too often, having an 8ft bed is in valuable (the toolbox doesnt sit in the botton, leaves about 6" height all the way to the front to carry lumber, and saws)

It's pretty impressive what you've built in 6 months. Stay safe, kid!

thanks

 

[ZinTrees]

gonna miss having a trashcan holder when I get that BMG lol
trailer loaded with brush to haul the mile round trip to the burn pile, was much easier to load the trailer with the grapple and take one trip in 5 minutes vs 30-40 trips at 23 minutes each (yes, I timed them)
I need a new radiator on the boxer, it is running at 220, had it boil over yesterday, and those drive control levers get way too hot, probably going to fab up a firewall/heat shield to go between the engine and operator/levers
other than overheating and knocking the track off I like it, still getting used to operating on hills (and when crossing small dips, holes, and ditches (erosion in the field im working in on this job makes 6x14" or so ditches everywhere, this little guy will stand on its nose through every one of them)

 

[Rabid K9]

Do you have a transfer tank on your truck? That will be great for offroad diesel.

We don't have 'off-road diesel' as such, although some cheaper diesel would be nice.

I use the 350L fuel tank of the tool truck as a transfer unit, saves doubling up carrying another piece of equipment, tank is nice & high, easy to access, portable 12V electric pump does the transfer to other machines quickly & cleanly.

I think the compact tracks & probably wheel loaders are by far the most fuel efficient machines, even with the price of fuel currently, am nearly always pleased how little fuel my 35hp Vermeer uses, particularly for how much work it gets done. Average about $400 of fuel per day in recent months, lucky if 5% of that is for the Vermeer.

 

[ZinTrees]

I think the compact tracks & probably wheel loaders are by far the most fuel efficient machines, even with the price of fuel currently, am nearly always pleased how little fuel my 35hp Vermeer uses, particularly for how much work it gets done. Average about $400 of fuel per day in recent months, lucky if 5% of that is for the Vermeer.

ran mine for a few hours yesterday at WOT and max load tracking up hills, of course both fuel gauges dont work, looked in the tank with a light and used almost ZERO fuel

 

[mikewhite85]

We don't have 'off-road diesel' as such, although some cheaper diesel would be nice.

I use the 350L fuel tank of the tool truck as a transfer unit, saves doubling up carrying another piece of equipment, tank is nice & high, easy to access, portable 12V electric pump does the transfer to other machines quickly & cleanly.

I think the compact tracks & probably wheel loaders are by far the most fuel efficient machines, even with the price of fuel currently, am nearly always pleased how little fuel my 35hp Vermeer uses, particularly for how much work it gets done. Average about $400 of fuel per day in recent months, lucky if 5% of that is for the Vermeer.

Not sure if off road diesel works the same way in every state of the US. If my understanding is correct it's the same as highway diesel but it's not taxed as such and is dyed red. Right now highway diesel is something like 5.80 per gallon and off road is 40 or so cents less.

Thats a clever idea to use your fuel tank as a transfer unit. Not sure how AU dollars convert to US but we are spending a few hundy per day too!

I flew my guy and his wife to the upper peninsula of Michigan today to pick up that elevator truck. After 30 mins of driving it appears that the Cat C7 engine is overheating. Here's to hoping cleaning out the radiator solves the problem! It's about an 11 hour drive. Would hate that towing bill.

 

[tree MDS]

Not sure if off road diesel works the same way in every state of the US. If my understanding is correct it's the same as highway diesel but it's not taxed as such and is dyed red. Right now highway diesel is something like 5.80 per gallon and off road is 40 or so cents less.

Thats a clever idea to use your fuel tank as a transfer unit. Not sure how AU dollars convert to US but we are spending a few hundy per day too!

I flew my guy and his wife to the upper peninsula of Michigan today to pick up that elevator truck. After 30 mins of driving it appears that the Cat C7 engine is overheating. Here's to hoping cleaning out the radiator solves the problem! It's about an 11 hour drive. Would hate that towing bill.

I hope it’s going better and she stopped overheating!

I’ll never forget when my dt466 developed that piston slap knocking sound. That’s the only time it ever ran hot. I remember listening to that noise and trying to tell myself it was normal. It wasn’t. Cost me about $6500 or something like that years ago for the in chassis rebuild. I hope it’s just a dirty radiator!! Fingers crossed, bud!!

 

[Helmstein]

Vice mount for the chip truck. This has been in the works for a while now. Took me a while to find a vise worthy of mounting on the side of the truck. Made out of stainless steel. I've got a great guy who does my fabrication work.

 

[tree MDS]

These f’n trees. I remember when trees like this were an entirely different game from what they are now. A grcs and an omme makes things a hell of a lot better. Just better know what you’re doing or it’ll all turn south in a flash. This ain’t no childrens work. Lol.

 

[mikewhite85]

I hope it’s going better and she stopped overheating!

I’ll never forget when my dt466 developed that piston slap knocking sound. That’s the only time it ever ran hot. I remember listening to that noise and trying to tell myself it was normal. It wasn’t. Cost me about $6500 or something like that years ago for the in chassis rebuild. I hope it’s just a dirty radiator!! Fingers crossed, bud!!

Thankfully, it was just a dirty radiator! They're currently in Toledo, Ohio looking for a hotel, so they should be back mid day tomorrow. Truck needs a little bit of cosmetic work but I think 37k for an '07 75' bucket truck is worth it. Fingers crossed!

 

[mikewhite85]

These f’n trees. I remember when trees like this were an entirely different game from what they are now. A grcs and an omme makes things a hell of a lot better. Just better know what you’re doing or it’ll all turn south in a flash. This ain’t no childrens work. Lol.
View attachment 1006499View attachment 1006500View attachment 1006501

Pretty slick! Nice when you can use 2 lowering lines.

 

[tree MDS]

Thankfully, it was just a dirty radiator! They're currently in Toledo, Ohio looking for a hotel, so they should be back mid day tomorrow. Truck needs a little bit of cosmetic work but I think 37k for an '07 75' bucket truck is worth it. Fingers crossed!

Awesome. Now that you’ve saved all that money getting the second crew armored up you can think about a new lift next lol.