What’s better than a telescopic boom loader around the mill?

[Bibbyman]

 



TWO telescopic boom loaders around the mill! 8)










I mentioned a couple of times here on the Forum that we had our Terex TX51-19 in the shop to get a broken pin and mounting fixed.  Deer season and Thanksgiving got in the way of getting it fixed and returned in a timely manor. 

While we were without a loader, we did some serious thinking about getting another machine that could unload log trucks.  We have the AGCO 4660 farm tractor with loader but it will not reach high enough to unload log trucks.  Even if it could, it would be overworking it and dangerous. 

Our first thought was to find a well used bargain loader just for such times.  The more I searched the markets for one, the more I got to thinking I didn't want one that we only used as a fallback.  Likely when I needed it,  I'd have to work on it.  And, many of the older wheel loaders won't lift high enough to unload log trucks with high bunks.

So the idea evolved that we'd look for a bigger, newer loader and retire the tractor from the sawmill.  In my search,  I came across this Terex TX6622.  It was a 2005 model with 870 hours.  I thought it about the same as our TX5119 except for a few items that were "super-sized".  I was wrong.  This machine, although very similar to our 5119, is bigger in every area. 





The pictures of the TX6622 on the MachineTrader web site made it look nearly as new.  The best surprise was that it appeared to be priced well under market value.   We called the owner – Great Plaines Rental in Ardmore, OK – and talked to them.  Everything we wanted to hear.  So last Monday Mary and I drove down to Ardmore and looked at the machine.  I was impressed with the machine and how the company kept all their equipment on the lot,  I almost felt bad making them a low offer.  I was again surprised that they came back with a counter offer that was more than half way to my offer.  The deal was done.  We staid overnight in Ardmore and then came back the next morning to do the paper work.  They were able to deliver it on Thursday at sundown.

We got our small Terex back early this afternoon.  WE FEEL RICH!

We're not much on naming equipment but in this case we have two.  So far T1 for the little one and T2 for the big one.

[logwalker]

Nice piece, Bibby. How far will it reach and what are load limits? Joe

[Todd]

Congrats on the new equipment!  You're getting into some real machinery with that new Terex.  (I'm gonna go back out and look at my forklift and pout now :'()   ;D

[beenthere]

Nice Bibby

Are they His and Hers, or Hers-1 and Hers-2... ??? ???

[ely]

congrats on the new acqusition, bibster. had i been in town then you would have only been 90 miles from me. as it was you missed me by nearly 500 or so. maybe next time.

[Meadows Miller]

Gday

Bibby Its good to see Lil Terry coming home and and its great to see he has got his Big brother t o play with now  ;) :D ;D 8) Now you have one for logs and one for sawn timber  ;) ;D 8)

Congrats on the new purchase Bibby and Mary  ;) ;D  8)

You Know whats going to happen now Bigger logs No Problem  :D going by the pics of what Lil terry was  lifting you will be able to handel preety much any thing with the new one ;D

Reguards Chris

[Tim L]

I'd give my left knot for one of them !

[footer]

How about Big T and Little T for name?

[Ironwood]

Looks like you do like to have a spare!!! ;D :D

         Respectfully (although smiling), Ironwood

[stonebroke]

Bibbyman, Do you ever use a bucket on them? They are being sold to farmers as a do anything machine.

Stonebroke

[Bibbyman]

Bibbyman, Do you ever use a bucket on them? They are being sold to farmers as a do anything machine.

Stonebroke

Yea, we have a big 8' wide bucket for the TX5119.  The TX5119 has a skidsteer interface tool bar.  The TX6622 has a Terex tool bar so the bucket we have won't fit as is on our bigger Terex. 

BUT!  When we ordered our TX5119 we ordered it with the skidsteer interface.  At the same time we bought forks and bucket.  When the Terex came in, it had the Terex toolbar.  The skidsteer tool bar would not be avilable for two months.  We refuesed to pay for the machine until they could deliver it ready to use.  So the dealer took a skidsteer tool bar and adapted it to the Terex toolbar.  We used it like that for two months then the dealer got in the factory skidsteer toolbar and came out and switched out the adapted one.  They just left the old Terex toolbar with the adapted interface.  SO!  Now we have a skidsteer tool bar adapter we can use on the bigger Terex so we can use the bucket we have.

[Tim L]

Bibby, you are quickly becoming my idol !

[Bibbyman]

One thing we learned early on was that a large part of sawmill operation was material handling. We've put almost 4,000 hours on our LT40 Super in the past 6 years.  In respective we have put over 2,000 hours on the Terex in past 4 with probably an additional 500 on the AGCO tractor. 

I think both machines will have their uses.  The smaller one is more nimble with quicker response and will probably use less fuel. And it has a heated glas cab – something nice this time of year.  But we've overused it often.  The bigger Terex will handle the heavier loads much easier.

[zopi]

He who dies with most toys wins....Bibby is ahead...

Drive that sucker down here tonight and load that wet 28" 17' log I've got to cut tomorrow...know how much fun that is on an LT-15? :D

Merry Christmas!

[thecfarm]

We got 2 tractors,big tractor,small tractor,works for us.

[Bibbyman]

Nice piece, Bibby. How far will it reach and what are load limits? Joe

It will lift to 22'.  I've not looked up the extention specs but I'm thinking 10' reach.  It's rated at 6,600 at the center of the forks with the boom pulled in and something like 3,000 out at full extension.

[Tim L]

I have an old 1975 IH 3500 backhoe , the old girl has done some good work for me  but were not getting any younger and I would like a new store bought tractor  with a heated cab.But alas it's not on the horizon less I sell my body every day in town . At a dollar a week its gonna take awhile to raise the money !

[Hi-Country Orange]

Bibby & Mary  are you going to paint it Orange 8) 8)

[CLL]

Congrats Bibby and Mary, just one question, will it unload cedar logs in sedalia. ;D

[Bibbyman]

Bibby & Mary  are you going to paint it Orange 8) 8)

I guess we should.  We spent some money we had intended to use to upgrade our Wood-Mizer.  But we were waiting for out old WM to wear out.  It just don't act like it's going to so we thought we'd put that old moldy money to good use.

[bandmiller2]

Bibster,your in tall clover now,kinda wants to make you go out and shuffle the log pile.Frank C.

[stonebroke]

Have you ever thought about getting a grapple for it?

Stonebroke

[underdog]

That is great news.
It is good to hear someone is able to take advantage of the present market.
Are you going to have to build more shed to park them all in?

[Bibbyman]

Have you ever thought about getting a grapple for it?

Stonebroke

We have a Lund grapple with a skidsteer interface. I could mount it on the new(er) Terex with a toolbar adapter I have.

[pineywoods]

What's better than telescoping boom loader ?  TWO of em.  Congratulations...I keep looking at them machines and wondering if they wouldn't make a pretty good skidder :-\

[stonebroke]

Do you use the grapple to sort and move logs or the forks? Sorry for so many questions.

Stonebroke

[Todd]

 

guess we should.  We spent some money we had intended to use to upgrade our Wood-Mizer.  But we were waiting for out old WM to wear out.  It just don't act like it's going to so we thought we'd put that old moldy money to good use.

Stupid dirty old money lying around in our way all the time!! ;D

[farmerdoug]

So what happened to the 'we do not need another piece of iron around here' statement? :D :D :D

Looks great Bibby.  Now who is going to saw while Mary and you are playing er I mean working with the Terexes? 

[Bibbyman]

What's better than telescoping boom loader ?  TWO of em.  Congratulations...I keep looking at them machines and wondering if they wouldn't make a pretty good skidder :-\

Not a good choice.

The 6622 has a better chance because of it's big ag type tires.  But they're about useless on slick, soft or rough ground.  Biggest problem is that there is hardly any movement in the axels.  The front one is fixed and the back one only will flex maybe 3".  You get onto some rough ground and you have a pair of wheels that won't pull.  You set and spin.  Also, they're a lot heavier than they look. They are not ment to pull - mostly lift and move.

[zopi]

Yep Bibster...Wish yah'd a drove the big turkey down here last night...that big pine has kicked my...


Pretty wood though....

I made wifey come out and help me turn it....she is becoming more enthused with the notion of a hyd. mill......wonder why?

[Bibbyman]

So what happened to the 'we do not need another piece of iron around here' statement? :D :D :D

Looks great Bibby.  Now who is going to saw while Mary and you are playing er I mean working with the Terexes? 

I think that statement was in regards to buying some bargain beast that would likely require a lot more fixing than running.  In this case,  we've retired our oldest and least capable  piece of equipment around the mill – the AGCO 4660 – and replaced it with the much more capable and newer piece of equipment. 

We'll still use the AGCO for things more normal to a farm tractor like mowing, bladeing the road, etc. 

[Meadows Miller]

What's better than telescoping boom loader ?  TWO of em.  Congratulations...I keep looking at them machines and wondering if they wouldn't make a pretty good skidder :-\

I fully agree with Bibby's answer on that one  ;) ;D
Pineywoods  You will need somthing with good articulation on the rear axle and good ground clearance ive used a couple of artic loaders out the bush for skidding and loading namley Cat 910 ,Volvo 944 and a Big old 35yo+  Terex just with a couple of short choker chains on the center of the fork frame if skidding tree length logs in thinning or in clearfell id just arrange my falling so that I could just drive up and pickup a good fork full and drive back out. One thing to keep in mind with any machine your going to use on rough or steeper country is it needs to be as low profile andor have a wide foot print as possable and if driving with a full load of logs to keep it as close to the gound as possabile as they can tip over alot eayser than you think esp if your driving around with at fill lift capacity with 20's on at a higher lift hight  ;) ;D
I saw a bloke who had tiped one over when he backed over a high stump once  >:( :( it coulda been alot worse than just having a dented ego tho ;) :D :D ;D

Reguards Chris

[Captain]

Congrats on the new tool Bibbyman, looks like a great score.

Captain

[Cedarman]

Bibbyman, nice loader. 8) 8)  If you're waiting for the WM to wear out and it only has 4000 hours , you will have a long wait.  Ours LT30Super E has over 10,000 and is as good as new and the resaw has oveer 21,000 hours and is running like almost new.(Have to replace a safety switch)

Enjoy the TELEX, I had to build a loading dock so I could reach high enough.

[Bibbyman]

One of the reasons we jumped on the TX6622 was that it appeared to operate pretty much like our TX51-19.  The cab and controls looked to be identical in the pictures.  But when we got a "hands on" look at the machine, we could see that there were a few differences.  They had moved some switches around and a few things worked a little different.  When in Ardmore,  I drove the machine around in the back lot and worked the boom controls, etc.  Then Mary put it to a similar test.

I used the TX6622 a couple of hours yesterday and again today and got a lot more familiar with it.  The inside the cab controls were easily adapted.  But three other things we'll have to get use to. 

One,  the turning radii, while not big, is bigger than the smaller Terex's.  You just can't wheel into as tight a place with one turn like the smaller machine.  The overall width and length of the machine makes it take up more room and harder to get around things.  I think it'll take a few months but I suspect I'll have spread out some of the piles of logs, etc. to make maneuvering with the TX6622 less of a problem.

Two,  the forks are 48" instead of 42" on the smaller Terex.  When we had only the AGCO with 36" forks, we would make our bundles 36" wide.  Then we got the TX51-19 with 42" forks, we had to watch when we got bundles of lumber out of the shed because we would stab through to the bundle behind.  Since then we made our bundles about 42" wide.  Now we have to learn not to set the stacks of bundles so close or make them wider.  We'll likely keep making the bundles 42" wide as that width stacks well on our Dodge flat bed that is 7' wide not counting the rub rails and pockets.  I guess I could cut 6" off the end of the forks.

Three,  The hydraulics on the TX6622 is considerably faster than the smaller machine.  Even at idle, it only takes a little crack of the valve to get a fast reaction in boom movement.  So it's going to take some practice to be able to get the points of the forks just right to get a log off a truck, etc.  So far, I'm pretty bad to overshoot.

Another thing I've discovered.  With the extra boom and fork length,  I can place a log right on the loading arms of the 16' deck.  Thus I can load the whole deck without putting some logs on and then running them up. 

[breederman]

Bibby, isn't there an adjustment somewhere on the machine to slow down the hydraulic speeds?

[Bibbyman]

Bibby, isn't there an adjustment somewhere on the machine to slow down the hydraulic speeds?

I don't know, there may be. But I like it to be fast - if I can get use to it.

[Todd]

Bibby, there are times when you'll want the 48" forks...just paint or etch a 42" mark on them until you get a feel for how far to go in to the bundles. 

[beenthere]

If'n driving in to contact the load with the back of the forks is of interest, maybe a wood block (upright spacer) 6" thick could be hung on the forks to fill in that space when handling lumber piles. Then the 48" length would be available whenever, for logs and such.   

[farmerdoug]

If you slow the hydraulics down until you get use to the new machine things would go quicker.  Then you can always increase them later.

[breederman]

Less herky jerky  or is that hokey pokey? ;D

[Bibbyman]

You may think I've quit making mods.  Not so.  Seems about every thing I get,  I have to make some changes to make it work better for me.



Here is a step I made for the new Terex.  The floor in the Terex is about 24" off the ground. After a day of getting in and out of it, my knees were hurting. I spend a couple of evenings fabricating this step. It's about 18" off the ground but it makes getting in a lot easier on my knees.  My skill and craftsmanship won't win a blue ribbon at the count fair but it works!



The first time I changed the oil I found that there was a plate under the engine that had to be removed. It's no fun to get off and even worse to get back on. I had a farmer friend with metal working tools to cut a hole in the plate so I wouldn't have to remove it to drain the oil!  I did the same mod on the older Terex when I changed the oil the first time.



The forks that came with the Terex 6622 were the "swinging" type and totally useless for handling logs as you couldn't angle them down. Or you'd put them on the ground and the points would pop up.  Handling logs was like trying to slap someone with both arms numbed by Novocain. I had a local welding shop and this clevis arrangement to anchor them in place.   They work find now.



This is a mod of a Terex style adapter to a skidsteer interface onto a bucket that was made for something else all together. It was made for the old Terex but I had it modified to be able to use the quick attach feature on the new Terex.

It was just luck that we had this Terex toolbar to skidsteer plate adapter.  We ordered the small Terex with the skidsteer tool attachment.  It came in with the Terex toolbar.  The forks we ordered was made for a skidsteer so they would not work.  It was going to take more than a month for Terex to supply the skidsteer toolbar.  We would not accept delivery until we could attach the forks and use it.  So the dealer had an adapter made to go from the Terex toolbar to the skidsteer plate.  About two months later the dealer sent out a mechanic with the Terex factory skidsteer toolbar.  He removed the Terex toolbar and just left it.  I didn't have a use for it until we got the bigger Terex with the Terex toolbar.

The bucket was new but built for a backhoe or something.  The dealer had a skidsteer mounting plate welded to it.   I didn't like how it wouldn't roll back enough so I had a local farmer cut the plate off and weld a section of 3" square tube under the lower side.

I had to make one more mod to the adapter.  The dealer had just drilled holes for the mounting pins.  But to use the factory quick attach,  the holes had to be turned into hooks.  So I had a local welding shop make the holes into slots – now having the Terex forks for a pattern.   The buck works real well on the heavier Terex.  And I can still use it on the small Terex.  That's what I call a "win, win"!

[TheWoodsman]

Great looking equipment, Bibby.  That'd come in handy for trimmig my walnut trees. ;D

[Bibbyman]

It wasn't the plan that failed; it was the failure to follow the plan. We got the heavier Terex last fall to do the heavier lifting. But I had it up behind my folk's house where I was cleaning up an old hay shed and stuff.  So this morning when a truck load of logs came in, I just used the smaller Terex.

I lifted a big white oak log off the truck and started to lay it down when the forks just rolled under and dumped the log off. I couldn't roll the forks back up. Sure enough, the tool bar was broke.

I took me and Mary about an hour to take the tool bar off and get it on the truck.  Mary's off to the welding shop with it now.

[Meadows Miller]

Gday Bibby

That dont sound like much fun mate   :( but you did work it hard for awhile untill you got the Biggn ;)
I just got the chamberlain going after breaking the bloody steering box at about 6 pm on sataday night  : :( but waitin till wed morning for a $75 costom made yoke was a hell of alot better option than orking over $750 plus a 300 mile runn to go and pickup a used steering box tho    :  ;) like they say you have to earn 4 times what you spend mate ;) ;D 8)

I reckon Lill Terry will be back in action shortly Mate  ;) ;D 8)

Reguards Chris

[ErikC]

It wasn't the plan that failed; it was the failure to follow the plan. We got the heavier Terex last fall to do the heavier lifting. But I had it up behind my folk's house where I was cleaning up an old hay shed and stuff.  So this morning when a truck load of logs came in, I just used the smaller Terex.

It seems like all I do is break down sometimes. That is often the cause for me as well. :D

[Bibbyman]

We got the tool carrier back today and I already have it back on so we're back in business as far as loaders go.

The welder said the major reason the carrier failed was that a couple of the critical welds were only cosmetic.  He said they hadn't penetrated.  He found a couple of other cracks and repaired them.  The skidsteer tool carrier was an option we opted for from Terex.  It wasn't built by Terex but AMI Major.

[sparky]

I definitely know what's better than a telescopic boom loader around the mill? It would be the 6000-pound rated Lull loader that my brother just bought. My mill will be set up on his property where he has 480 volt, 3-phase, power available. His loader is a big cost avoidance for me and I will be happy to exercise his loader on a regular basis!

Sparky

[Bibbyman]

It's always nice to have a backup plan.  Last Saturday afternoon Mary was loading a bundle of lumber for a customer using the smaller Terex 51-19.  I noted when she paused for me to cut the banding that she left a small puddle of hydraulic oil.   I later checked it out and sure enough there was oil dripping from the front cylinder area.   I could roll the forks back to max travel on the cylinder and oil would run out.

If there is one Achilles Heel if the telescopic boom loader it's the hoses that run up and down the boom on the inside.  They rub as the boom goes in and out.  There looked to be some rough spots inside the boom at a weld seam where the "nose" of the boom turned down to the set of forks. 

Although the leak had to be within a foot of the front end of the boom, it was impossible to see up in behind the cylinder to see exactly where it was leaking or even what hose it was coming from.  My greatest fear was it may have been the cylinder itself leaking.  But I did figure out that it was nothing I was going to be able to fix.

Monday morning we called the local heavy equipment repair service and yesterday morning at daybreak he was there looking it over.  Even with his mirrors and lights,  he couldn't tell where the leak was coming from but ruled out the cylinder.  After about an hour of looking and prodding,  he come to the decision that it had to go to the shop to get fixed.  So about an hour later the truck and trailer showed up to haul it in.

I hope this mechanic can come up with a repair right out of their shop.  We had a hose spring a leak right after it was out of warrantee and had the company that sold it to us repair it.  They insisted that they had to use a factory new hose that had to be ordered from Italy.  The hose took a couple of weeks to get and cost over $200 – just for the hose and that was 4-5 years ago.

We've been making do nicely with the other Terex as we are sawing a lot of long stuff that takes a lot of time anyway.  That was until we snagged a hose going to the dual-plane clamp on the Wood-Mizer and had to replace a section.

I'm thinking I need to get the equipment to make up my own hoses.  But every machine takes a different style of fitting.

[stonebroke]

You can get all those different fittings. And you will probably stock what you need more than the store in town.

Stonebroke

[Chris Burchfield]

Bibby, taking the chance they're boy and girl, park them close together and maybe they'll have babies.  :D :D :D

[pineywoods]

Bibby, with all the hydraulic stuff you have, owning the means to make your own hoses would probably pay off. There is a huge markup on hydraulic parts. Example-Last week I needed a 1/2 inch swivel elbow in a hurry. Local shop had it in stock - $13 . Same part in the surplus center catalog is $3.45. Equipment to swage the ends on hoses is just a set of dies and a small hydraulic press. Bulk hose is a bunch cheaper than finished hoses. I buy most of my hoses ( mostly from surplus center) with 1/2 or 3/8 pipe thread ends and then use adapters to fit whatever I need. If the leaky hose on the terex is from rubbing in just one spot, cut out a few inches, swage new ends on both pieces and connect with a coupler.

[stonebroke]

If it came from Italy you have that great metric hose and fittings, very hard to run downtown and have one made up. I ended up putting a regular fitting on the metric hose and running new out to the tractor.

Stonebroke

[scrout]

Hey Bibbyman,
My bro in law Randy works for these guys,
http://www.pro-tec-toproducts.com/pro-tec-to-wrap.asp

Give him a call and he will sample you some product, slick stuff, just wraps right around the hoses and is very tough.

DaveInOC

[Gary_C]

With a harvester and a forwarder I deal with problems with hydraulic hoses all the time and have yet to buy a hose machine though I probably should. Last time I looked there were companies that would give you a hose machine, dies, and a power pack if you bought $4500 of hose and fittings.

With this Ponsse harvester I now have, my hose problem is much less than the previous Valmet harvester. Both machines were made in Europe but the Valmets use standard JIC fittings and the Ponsse uses BSP or British Standard. Ponsse has their factory owned dealers in the US and they can replace hoses at very reasonable prices. And because BSP is not used much in the US the normal hydraulic hose shops do not stock many fittings and especially not the four wire hose fittings on the larger hose. So there is not much to be saved over owning my own hose machine. So it becomes more a matter of downtime than cost. And with a better design and placement of hoses on the Ponsse my biggest hose problem thankfully is getting fittings knocked loose.

There is another option available that hose people do not want to tell you about. There are reusable fittings with two parts that screw on the cut hose and they do work. I have many of them on the loader of the forwarder. With those fittings you only need spare hose and an abrasive cut off machine.

If it came from Italy you have that great metric hose and fittings, very hard to run downtown and have one made up. I ended up putting a regular fitting on the metric hose and running new out to the tractor.

Stonebroke

Much of the hose in the US now comes from Europe and Italy is one of the prime supplier. So there is no reason to send to Italy for a made up hose. It could easily have been made in any good hose shop like NAPA. They might have to order the fittings, but that usually only takes a day.

[Bibbyman]

The good news is....  The hoses are fine.   8)

The bad news is...  the cylinder is cracked.   :'(

We've yet to hear if it can be repaired or how much a new cylinder will cost. 

The couple of young farmers that rent our pasture and hay ground have all the equipment and some basic supplies to make up hoses.  They have helped me on common agricultural type applications.  But I knew this stuff was out of their league and besides, they're in the field below our farm cuttin' beans hard and heavy.  Not a good time to ask for their help.







I've used the reusable fittings to repair the hose going to the clamp on our Wood-Mizer.  In fact,  pulled another yesterday afternoon and re-reused the same fitting.  Good investment!

[Gary_C]

Hydraulic cylinders can also be repaired locally. I've had new rods made and new cylinder bores made. For the cylinder bores they just cut off the end, machine any grooves necessary and weld the end back on the new bore. Much cheaper than new and just as good. In this state the Cat dealer (Zieglers) can make any hydraulic cylinder good or better than new. Also Catco can do the same. The only time they can't is when it is an odd size of tubing needed for the bore or an odd metric size for the rod.

Plus it's usually way faster than a slow boat from Europe, unless you want to pay for air freight or even a seat on a plane.

[beenthere]

Might just check with Eggimann's (sponsor on left). They do a lot of hyd. cylinder work in their Madison shop. Their services have been offered, but don't think many here take advantage of them.

[Bibbyman]

Mary is the one who talked to the shop.  I'll wait and see what the shop has to say.

My first instinct was to take it to the hydraulic shop that built the power pack for our mill.  They have helped me out a number of times with odd hydraulic repairs. 

[T Red]

Where did you purchase the reusable fitting?  And will it withstand the same pressures?


No one in my area will repair a hose that has a leak, liability issues including a little greed also I'm sure.  You have to buy a complete new hose.  On my 60' boom lift that gets expensive as some of the hoses are 100' long.

[Bibbyman]

Where did you purchase the reusable fitting?  And will it withstand the same pressures?

This one is holding up under 2000 psi.  I don't know any more than that.

I got this one from McMaster Carr but they later discontinued this specific item.

I did see some listed in the northern toolhttps://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=position"> Note:Please read the Forestry Forum's postion on this company catalog.

[stonebroke]

Surplus Center has them

Stonebroke

[Dave Shepard]

My former boss bought the equipment to do his own hoses. Not for economy, but for convenience. He has many pieces of hydraulic equipment, and some, like the truck mounted tree spades, use hundreds of feet of hose, and hundreds of fittings. He got set up I think with Lawson, and they  made a list of the fittings and hoses on his equipment and stocked a big cabinet full of the stuff. 

[ScottAR]

If I had much more hydraulic stuff than I do now,
I'd have a hose maker. 
It takes literally minutes when the materials are there to
make a hose.   Just source a brand that someone local
carries.  That way you can run up there and pick extras up.

Snag a catalog if you can, that way you can phone in your
order by part number.  Much easier and you can see an
adapter etc. that will fit your application. 

My supplier at work is Gates, I've seen their crimpers on Ebay
for $500 to $900 for the electric machine we use and several
dies.  Manual machines are some cheaper although the dies
are where the money is.  A private owner wouldn't need as many
dies as a shop as most machines use only one or two sizes of hose.

My backhoe for example is all 1/2" hose; the little tractor is all 3/8".

[Bibbyman]

We got the Terex back today.  The bill was pretty big but not bad considering we had them put two new tires on the front, service it, etc.

They had the cylinder repaired by the hydraulic shop that built the pump unit for our mill.    They only charged $227.00 to repair the cylinder.  They cut the tube off on a lathe and re-welded it.  They also replaced the spherical bearing and made a new pin.  The bearing and pin were damaged in an unrelated breakdown.  I thought that quite reasonable.  I was told that a new cylinder would have cost over $3,000.00.

Had we known that the cylinder was the problem and it could have been fixed by the hydraulic shop,  we may have been able to tackle the job ourselves.  But ... that's why they are in business.

[Magicman]

Sounds like you have all of your "babies" back in their nest.  I have a broken piston rod on my backhoe outrigger.....well that's another story..... :D

[slowzuki]

Have you tried out the bigger tired Terex in the mud yet?  Those R-4 tires on the small one are not know for good mud performance.

[Bibbyman]

We have at least a couple of packed acres of gravel to work on.  It's all around the mill and our main drive runs right through the lot.  So mud is not much of an issue. 

We do have the logs on dirt but can get to many of them from the gravel side.  When it rains a lot, there is mud on the back side of the log piles but I try my best not to have to plow into it while it's muddy.

So, the short answer is,  I don't really need the mud tires.

[Bibbyman]

I was finishing up sawing a couple of little cedar logs while Mary was unloading a log truck that had just came in.  Then she rushed past me at the mill.  I asked what was up.  She says she has to get the pry bar to bend the finder back up on the Terex - a log had fallen on it. I went out to help.



Well,  it did a pretty good job of smashing up the finder.



But an end hit the top of the cab first and bent the guards.



Here is the inside of the cab where you can see it bent in the beam going across the top of the cab.

I'm sure glad she wasn't using the small Terex that just has a windshield.

The truck was loaded very high.  Way higher than the bunks.  I wasn't there to see exactly what happened but I guess she took one or more off the side and as she pulled back,  one come tumbling off.  She said she tried to outrun it but she wasn't fast enough.

[paul case]

sounds like she is ok? glad no one got hurt. those knickle bumps on machines may make us unhappy but the bottom line is that sheild did its job, thank goodness.   pc

[Meadows Miller]

Gday

Good to hear that  Marys OK Mate  ;) ;D thats the tricky thing with using std forks to unload log trucks you will get the odd one that will get outa hand and do some damage it looks like the cab copped a fair old whack  ;)

Regards Chris

[Bibbyman]

I'm glad it hit up on top of the cab where the bars are.  If it would have hit down in where the screen is, I doubt if the screen would have stopped it.





I just had Mary out looking at the little Terex.  It just has a window - I assume of standard safety glass.  I'm equally sure it wouldn't stop a log.  I'm thinking I should put some heavy bars across the window.  The top has bars on the inside that would likely stop or deflect a log. 

I asked Mary this morning just what happened.  She explained but it was still unclear.  Clearly a log tumbled off the top and came off the side of the forks.  She said if she'd been using the little Terex,  she wouldn't have done what she tried to do.

[ElectricAl]

Are you going to start using the grapple for the over loaded trucks?

I've had to unload a couple tall stake log trucks with a Toyota fork lift.
That was scary. 
I never had one come off the forks, but it could have real easy.

The skid loader could not reach high enough.

[Bibbyman]

Are you going to start using the grapple for the over loaded trucks?

I've had to unload a couple tall stake log trucks with a Toyota fork lift.
That was scary. 
I never had one come off the forks, but it could have real easy.

The skid loader could not reach high enough.

I don't know that the grapple would have helped in this case.  I think it was a log from above that came down.

The problem is the way the logger load their truck.  They load both bunks with short longs then pile on long logs on top - way higher than the bunks.  Some are butt first, some are butt backwards, some are long some are not so long, some are big.  So you about have to take one off at a time.  Sometimes you can't get the center of balance.  Mary likely had the ones on the forks centered but the one above came down and was not center.

One thing we could do is make sure the other side is clear and just push the top logs off.  Even that may not be safe.

[paul case]

that would probably convince them not to load them over the bunks since the logs that i have pushed over my truck by accident usually hit the truck as they fall off.  pc

[beenthere]

Let the trucker know that the logs get pushed off if loaded that way, as it is better to let their truck take the hit rather than Mary and her Terex.  

I've been toying with the idea of a single 'thumb' to clamp down on logs on my forks. Might help the Terex forks too.

[Jeff]

Years ago I had a very close call unloading 10' aspen logs hauled lengthwise in log bunks using a w-14 case loader. Something we did all the time.  this one was piled high above the stakes.  I started to snake my forks between the logs, a couple down from the top, moving the forks up and down and tipping back and forth to work them into the load without splitting logs as I went.  One of the logs on the far side of the truck at the top of the load somehow spun and shot down at me end first. it was about a 12" diameter.  There was nothing for me to do but watch it rocket toward me. It happened in a moment.  Next thing I new the windshield turned opaque as the safety glass shattered. And that was it.  I opened the door and leaned out to look and saw that about an inch of the log had hit the side post of the windshield and that's what stopped it from coming in the cab.  It dented the frame arounf]d the windshield in over two inches.  If it had been over an inch farther, I would be dead. Mo doubt about it. There was no where to go, no place to duck out of the way, there would be no Forestry Forum.

I had another incident with a skidder that was as close, but that's a different sort of story.

[paul case]

those things can happen in a split second. you have to be very careful and sometimes thats not enough either.
i for one am glad that you werent hurt or killed. we kinda like having you around here boss.
and the rest of you guys too.  pc

[Brucer]

Several people have been killed over the years in this area, by shifting logs around in machines that weren't designed for forestry work. People simply don't understand what weird things a log can do when it gets out of control.

We've had a couple of cases where an excavator operator was crushed when trying to unload 50' logs with a bucket/thumb combination. Typically a log gets away, flips up onto the top of the arm, and then rolls down onto the cab. If you look at the log loaders that are made for the job, they're built on an excavator that has a steel cage surrounding the cab. The cage is usually made from 4" square tubing with 5/16 walls. Heavy screen (e.g., 1/4" thick wire) is welded to the  cage to keep stuff from penetrating into the cab.

[customsawyer]

Yes and if you look close at those knuckle boom loaders with all the right protection will have dents in most of that protection. I guess the point I am trying to make is that even the equipment that is designed for the job gets tested, so the equipment that is not just getting put on the job will not fair as well.

[Bibbyman]

 



For years we used this AGCO 4660 around the mill.  It was always a high risk when unloading a truck.  And when we started getting in the big log trucks, it wouldn't even reach high enough to get to the top of the bunks.  I had bad thoughts about a log that could come down the loader arms into my lap. 

[Meadows Miller]

I had bad thoughts about a log that could come down the loader arms into my lap. 

Gday Paul my Mate i do abit of work for up the road where the mill yard is at his place ;) only just just had that happen to him as he has about 2000 ties+ stacked in his yard and uses a little 35hp kobota with loader with a pair of fork tines that slip into the bucket to sort and shift them around with about 3 months ago i was up there milling and stoped to touch up the saw and heard the kobota revving of its head with the forks up in the air  its the quickest i have over about 250 yards in along time  ;) i got there and he had 5 6x10" x9' tie's on his bloody lap and did not seem to be moving  i got to him and he turned around saying to me just get these #$&(* things off me I flicked the sleepers off him and he was liky as he only got heavy brusing around his hip and one of his legs it took him about a month to get over it  ;) Im still on his back about fitting a proper set of forks or a four post Rops to it to no avail as i have be telling him to do it for about  6 bloody years now  ??? ??? : : :( >:(

Regards Chris

[Cedarman]

We built a loading dock beside the road that is level with the beds of most trucks.  This makes it so much safer when unloading trucks.  You can see the logs on top and you don't have to raise the forks so high.    We also are able to stuff containers from the end for export by driving the skid steer inside the trailer.  One of the best things we have done around the mill to make things more convenient and safer.

[logwalker]

That loading dock idea makes a lot of sense.

Joe

[Steve_M]

Cedarman,

Any chance of seeing a picture of your loading dock.

Steve

[Bibbyman]

 







We got yet another load of logs in today.  Note how the long log is against the top bunks.  It's holding back several other logs above it.  If this log was removed first, the other logs could come down behind it.  I suspect that's about what happened when the log hit the Terex.

I unload the logs above first.  Tough job when it's hard to see over the long log in front.

[northwoods1]

How do you get a long log like that unloaded with your terex? Looks like it would be kind of tricky. Around here every truck you see with that configuration has a loader mounted on that back of the truck and is set up to pull a pup, must not be very far to the mill for your trucker there it doesn;t even look like he is set up to pull a trailer. Those rough terrain fork lifts really are a handy outfit but I am wondering wouldn't it be more cost effective and easier to have an old yard truck with a loader mounted on it for loading and unloading, sorting?

[Bibbyman]

This logger has a couple of trucks and sometimes does pull a pup.  But they log in our area so it's a short run usually through the hills.  He's only pulled a load w/pup into our place a couple of times. 

He's had trucks with pickers (grapple loader) before and does not like them.  That's one reason we're getting the logs instead of the Amish mills.  Almost everyone dealing with the Amish have pickers so they can unload. 

I don't want to invest in yet another machine – even if it's cheap.  Keeping it up and running would be more of a headache than it'd be worth (for me).

[northwoods1]

Those terexes do look handy its just that it does look like a tricky deal to get a long one off a truck like that! A lot of small mills around here have a small yard truck with a loader that they can unload another truck with, and then they can swing some on themselves as there doing it or right over the truck on to the pile. But you probably lay all the logs out for scaling. No doubt about it loaders can be very handy too

[weisyboy]

need one of these

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alGGdv3QUJ4

[Bibbyman]

If I had the money for one of those,  I wouldn't need to work!   

[terrifictimbersllc]

I like the ending.  The "oversize" sign is on the wrong vehicle.  I would get out of there fast too.

[paul case]

If I had the money for one of those,  I wouldn't need to work!   

i have my own answer for the question ''whats better than a telescoing boom loader around the mill?''.
those terex loaders look like they are handier than a pocket on a shirt. at my mill i use a 580 case industrial with fe loader and i have a couple farm tractors with loaders. one of them actually has a front axle from a 2 ton truck under the front end. it works real good in the woods with those 20'' front tires. not that something new or even used  and made for the job wouldnt work much better, these are paid for and dont owe me much and dont cost much to operate.
i guess what i am trying to say is at my mill what i have works quite well for me. someone else might tell me exactly how much quicker and better newer, better suited equipment would work for me. they may be right but while i am trying to get started and get out of debt i will probably not experience the joy of being able to move a bunlde of 20 ties  or a 42'' diameter 10' log without special measures.
i will try to post some pictures of my loading equipment for you fellas.
what i have works well for what i am doing. pc

[paul case]

580 case



dads 460 farmall with duall loader and custom hd front axle





probably not as user friendly as bibb's terex's but we get the job done.  pc

[WH_Conley]

Paul, you might want to think about putting some kind of arms or something at the swivel point of the loader frame. More than one person has had a log or roll bale of hay sitting in their lap because of loaders with no protection at all.