Ryan's Equipment Dangle-saw

[Big Rooster]

Anyone have any experience with these guys.  They seem good over the phone.  I am out west so their stuff is non-existent here.  Was specifically wondering if anyone has any experience with the DS-20 or DS-28 dangle saw on an excavator.  It looks like a good set-up.  They look good on youtube though I have not seen the smaller model yet on video.  They are a pricey attachment so I'm really trying to do some due diligence on this before I would purchase one. 

[oldseabee]

I know about the heads, basically improved version of the old Bell dangle head, totally redesigned and now offer 3 sizes. the guy that is distributor for US was a Bell dealer when I was at bell, so has a lot of experience on the dangle head that Bell had on the three wheeler. Good guy, helped Ryan with design. They have quite a few here in the Southeast on excavators doing a good job.

[chester_tree _farmah]

How much Rooster?

[Big Rooster]

Hey oldseabee why are people choosing the excavator with danglesaw vs a full on fellerbuncher down in that southeast country?  Are they in hill country or flat ground.

I am trying to fill a niche for smaller jobs, fuel reductions, etc.  where we would not bring in the fellerbuncher and instead just use the excavator which would be there already.  It definitely won't compete with say a 445 timbco but for smaller jobs or jobs with an overall profile of smaller wood it may work.  My machine is already guarded up and works in the woods.  The excavator does have its limitations especially with a dangle head on instead of a bucket to push/pull oneself around.  We can work 50% ground with a bucket on but with the dangle head I would guess about half of that and it would start to be a pain in the butt.

BUt....I do think there is a niche for this setup I just don't know if a $40K attachment price is justified instead of just purchasing an older buncher.  We currently subcontract the feller bunching out right now and process with a sideboom delimber.

Hopefully maybe someone on here actually has one....I was really looking for some video of the DS-20 on a excavator mount!

[snowstorm]

why not buy a used dangle ctl head? it will do everything plus a lot more

[Big Rooster]

I tried to purchase a 2006 deere 759g with waratah 470 ctl head this fall.  The deal did not quite work out so I made some other larger purchases end of year 2015.  This is where I would like the company to head eventually. 

As for putting a CTL head on my excavator it is a deere/hitachi 135 and a CTL head will just not function like one on a purpose built high flow carrier (deere 759g). 

[snowstorm]

are you in the south? you should have 65 to 90 gpm and 4000 psi to run a ctl head depending on the head. how much oil dose the ryan head need? i ran a 150 keto on a 546 valmet for several years with only 65 gpm and 3000 psi and it worked ok. no where near as good as on the rottne with more oil flow. how big is the wood you cut?

[Big Rooster]

Our flow is only 56 gym so I've ruled out the full CTL head.  I didn't ask what the flow requirement was for the ds-20 head but they said it could be run off of the thumb aux. circuit.  All the valves are on the head and the only new piping would be a case drain back to the tank.  Remember this is only a felling head.....only functions are grab arms, rotate, saw motor, up/down head.

[oldseabee]

You can go on you tube under Ryan Equipment and see a 20 head on a skid steer  tracked machine. That video is titled Ryan Equipment, no other description. Most of the heads on excavators are 24 or 28, they do have a larger head 35" I think. Most of the excavators go to hilly or rolling terain like the Carolinas, but do go all over the mid west and down to Texas.