The Official Work Pictures Thread

SouthSoundTree- said:
Your tractor looks very useful.

My mini is 34.5" wide when retracted, fitting through a gate, and tight quarters. Into a pick-up. Runs lots of attachments, like a tractor. You can steer a trailer in places like mad. On and off is quick and easy. Riding would be nice sometimes.
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Yep, I can see that aspect being a real advantage.
 
squisher said:
You mean plus you actually have to sit down. I owned both at the same time. Mini skid > tractor, but tractor > nothing at all by a long shot.
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Been meaning to ask...I'll bow to your simultaneous experience of both machines in tree work, Sean has mentioned that the accessibility thing is a bonus, but in what other way is a mini skid better?
 
That's a mean looking grapple you've got there Mick. The tractor works well for most everything we do too but in tight residential areas I can certainly see where the mini could shine. Thankfully we don't have many of those.:)
 
La becasse said:
Been meaning to ask...I'll bow to your simultaneous experience of both machines in tree work, Sean has mentioned that the accessibility thing is a bonus, but in what other way is a mini skid better?
Click to expand...

I can't tell what exact model your tractor is but I can make out the loader numbers, my l3400 has a la463 loader on it, which I believe is a heavier tractor and loader(you can correct me if I'm wrong). I've used my tractor to push up my giant waste wood burn pile and have used it on a handful of actual tree jobs.
1. Capacity for the size goes to a mini skid imo
2. Accessibility/maneuverability. Where a tractor can fit basically a full-size skid steer can fit which will be much more maneuverable, be faster, and have more capacity.
3. A dangle grapple(like a BMG) can handle and feed chippable material much mor efficiently than any type of fixed/bucket grapple
4.impact, your tractor has turf tires and mine has ag tires so not really a fair comparison, but I can cause basically zero impact with a wheeled mini skid if that's what's required.

5. Bottom line I'd run it, but if I had a mini skid with a BMG I'd be taking it every time.

6. KUBOTA RULES!!!!
 
I've checked the specs mines 36hp about the same as yours.
I think the feeding of the chipper with a bmg would be a really big plus. But my "big" chipper is 8.6in capacity and 55 hp not really ideal for machine feeding. Although with the right sort of tree you can hold the branches at the right height for the groundsman to slide them into the jaws of the chipper.
I'm unlikely to fork out for a tracked mini skid ATM but you never know. They're quite rare in Europe but I've noticed a few of the more forward thinking blokes on Arbtalk are using them and singing their praises.
Thanks.
 
Heh. I love my tractor don't get me wrong.

My set up had a 140hp 12" bandit as the chipper so the 'drag, swivel, and feed' with the mini and BMG worked really well for me.
 
Well no pics of it from me now, I've posted many over the years but that was a computer or two ago. Equipments gone and so are my old pics. I can find the pics I've posted in my 'collection' of pics on here but I've no idea how to repost them or 'capture' them again.

'Puters or pics have never been my forte.
 
The BMG dangle grapple is killer.

I've skidded a couple logs close to 2000#.
I lift one end of a log, set it on the chip truck bed (42", about 1.2 m, I'd guess), then lift the other end and slide it in.

Mine is medium sized. Ramrods and Thomas machines look like they'd access crazy places, as they are really short.

I will sometimes feed my chipper with the machine, but I don't have feed wheels, so I have to be careful not stall the machine by putting in too much. Setting the stack of branches on the chipper feed tray is a help. I hold over the tray, and slowly open the grapples to help the material de-tangle.

The BMG is set up like a mini logging 'shovel' machine. Can pinch a pile, 'heel up' the butts, and hold the whole thing off the ground, tips of brush or logs going out a long way. Leverage dependent.

A BMG allows front end hitching to a trailer/ chipper, for really good steering.

Visibility on a mini is great.
 
The grapple is a killer part of the set-up.

I take my tracked machine where people probably wouldn't/ couldn't retrieve their tractor from. I bet they could get it to some of those places.

I was wondering if you could have a mounting plate fabricated for your loader arms for a mini-mounting plate, and if the machine could handle the leverage, as its built.

A BMG is the cheaper end of the equation. I'd planned to buy the BMG first, and rent a mini, when needed, but it was too useful, and the 32HP machines were coming to an end.


Mick, what is your lifting capacity like?
 
Ha you'd be surprised Sean where a tractor can go I think. With 4wd and diff locks my tractor is a beast. Also that little ramrod in the pics has gone up and down some crazy slopes, I flopped it a couple times to though.

Mick the grapple once you're good with it is hands free chipping, you don't handle th rush by hand at all.
 
That cedar log was about the limit, I've been warned about too much crazy lifting. Apparently because its hydrostatic the pump could let go with wallet busting consequences. I don't think a grapple (with its relative heavy weight, on top of the arms themselves) is an option. Nice thought though!


Ok, guests arriving for a bbq, gotta go.
 
I'm (in a way) sorry to bust/butt in here guys, it's just that I'm so proud of myself for learning how to email pics from my company's flip phone (read dumb phone) that I felt like doing a little show-off session. These are some shots of some jobs that I've done over the last 18 months. A very few of these are--to me at any rate--interesting for various reasons. I'm cussing myself for not shooting a really nice Fir I had last year plus a couple of Cottonpigs... Anyway, we'll see how/if this works out:
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/1/?u...s=1437859288054&rm=14ec7117ec870e63&zw&atsh=1


https://mail.google.com/mail/u/1/?u...s=1437858964531&rm=14ec6f570f0c5413&zw&atsh=1
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/1/?u...s=1437858964557&rm=14ec6ee643f82c15&zw&atsh=1
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/1/?u...s=1437858964585&rm=14ec6e529be7f6f8&zw&atsh=1
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/1/?u...s=1437858964610&rm=14ec6dd7e7866b01&zw&atsh=1

Justin: Man... Really nice Fir, btw.
 
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