So do you still do trees Carl ?
What setup are you using, last I recall you sold your treemek didn’t you?
Yes sir, still doing trees.
I sold the treemek and grapple truck back in October 2017, the deals were too good to pass up. Spring of 2018 I built a single axle hook lift truck with a tag axle and still had my excavator. For accessing trees I still use (and sell) a Nifty Lift SD64.
Normally the tag axle is down with the 13klb excavator in the back, but I can pull it up for tight turning and such.
Carl how do you like gas vs diesel.
Its criminal that rayco can't sell diesels in the US
They have the RG74 for $20k more... so far gas vs diesel is a non issue for me. Burn 25% more gas, but diesel costs 25% more so fuel costs are a wash. Engine longevity is a practical wash. Maintenance costs favor the gas. In the unlikely event of needing to repower the gas cost will probably be 1/3 of the diesel cost. The RG80 has an 11hp advantage over the Carlton 7015TRX and I paid $17k less for my RG80 vs a 7015TRX with the 7015HD TRX costing an additional $5-7k plus however long the lead time is to get one.
The Rayco controller with engine speed, wheel engagement, and swing speed adjustments all being on the remote plus Command Cut (basically like autofeed for a chipper) is leaps and bounds better than the 7015 remote. The swing speed adjustment plus command cut means keeping the engine in its peak power band is fairly easy, allowing a real world advantage of the 85hp gas (smaller RPM power band) over the 74hp diesel (wider RPM power band).
The extra cutting depth of the RG80 vs the 7015 (21" vs 15") is substantial, especially on larger stumps where the chips pile up. The 7015HD has a 22" depth and 80" swing, which is well worth the added expense over the normal 7015.
As always, things are subject to change with time and perspective, but the RG80 so far is a clear winner over the 7015 or unavailable 7015HD.
Here's a pine stump I cut last year above the old fence line. Took 11 minutes to grind, guessing it was 4' tall, maybe a pinch over. The top of the white clamp on the cutter head's hose holder is at 55".