Been using a Cat 518 with the larger model swing boom on it and myself and the other operator like it. At this point the only draw we have found is the lever controls. Knowing what you want it to do and knowing that the attachment can do it doesn't do any good if you can't communicate it to the attachment with the lever controls. So we are going to convert it to either joystick control or a touchpad with electric valves, and that should solve that problem. The problem with the lever controls is you can't get enough or multi movements very easily with the levers so in certain situations when you can use both hands on the levers it is great but other times it could be much faster with the joystick control.
Additionally, while I know that Esco grapples have pulled out Billions of feet of wood .................. they suck when compared to a Deere grapple's continuous rotating motor and Deere's much more precise angle control and stronger rotating motor, plus I like the bunching grapples on the Deere's better, so we are going to cut the Esco's grapple part off and put Deere's grapple system on the end, which should work much better.
As to the other spaceship stuff, don't know, I run kinda a low budget setup, so one of you guys will have to give that a try, but I guess it would be more in line with the helicopter type of "skidding" that they do.
Later,
Sam