leveling or non leveling???

[bkellyvtme]

Been looking a few different bunchers and I am wondering about leveling cabs. Is a leveling cab just a false sense of security and make you to go places that you shouldn't, or is it extremely beneficial?

[tw3006]

My 653 is non-leveling and if i buy another buncher, it will be leveling. If you work any amount of steep ground, i think a leveling cab is the way to go as it allows you to work off the side of the machine on steep ground, whereas with a non-leveling you are more or less forced to work in line with the contour of the hill. If you are interested in the leveling 608 as your other post may indicate, i heard TJ had problems with their earlier leveling systems. whether this is true or not i dont know.

[bkellyvtme]

I heard the same thing about the 608L.

[chevytaHOE5674]

Wouldn't have anything but self leveling on steep ground. It allows you to work hills much safer and more efficiently.

It is more stuff to go wrong and have problems with, but from the cutting I've done the risk is worth the pay off. 

[Ron Scott]

Ditto! Sure makes working on hill terrain safer and more efficient and makes for a better harvest.

[Rob]

Leveling is the way to go if your from New England like me..I've run 425 and 445 Timbcos both tilters and non-tilters and well spent most of my time in the tilter...makes working steep ground a breeze.. simple way to put it.. go for a tilter if you wanna work up and down hills and look at the timber your cutting and ground..get a non-tilter if your on mostly level ground or enjoy felling timber and looking at the sky with your hyrdo alarm going off all day long  ;D

Honestly I've spent 3 years running leveling bunchers , even had a bout in a 608 TJ non tilt for about a week and had enough of that real quick . For most of new england area go with a tilter w/ 20-22" hot saw...You'll be knockin down timber faster than you can put ur thumbs on the buttons..

I have actually been thinking about doing something like this , picking up a buncher and contract cutting for other loggers but not much demand for it here in Southern NH anymore..Hey if you pick one up and need a good operator let me know been in the search mode for getting myself back into a buncher for the past 6 months since the Co. I was working for had big time layoffs :( or heck if you know anyone lookin for a buncher op let me know...send me a PM..I got a resume and all kinds of good stuff

                                    Later Rob

[BCtimber]

To me it depends....  A flat bottom is a good all around machine.  Tilters make it more comfortable for the operator but they have quite a few more parts and complexity. If you are going to be bunching in 35% or greater slopes more than half the time then the trade off is probably worth it.  Don't buy a machine for that 5% of the time you might be on steep ground if you don't need to.  I have ran mostly timberjack 618 and 850 and they will work on ground up to about 50% if you care to sit in the seat.  I ran a (tilting)2628 timberjack and I found myself taking it stupid places because it was easy to do.  If you ever do roll a tilter backwards you are probably in trouble because you are probably way higher than you should be. 

[bkellyvtme]

well, it seems thing are not good around here either. I haven't talked to the guys around here for a while and when I went to line up work for a buncher.. what I was told was interesting. Out of 5 guys, 3 are not having there contracts with a couple of local mills renewed by the mills. The other 2 are reduced by about 2/3. Well there goes my idea. Good thing I didn't make any investment. Maybe later.