CT_Tree_Guy
Platinum Member
5030 \"skidder\" pics - the \"tree-bota\" in action
Hi all -
Here are a few pics of my 5030 in action (8 in all). It's set up specifically for use in tree removal, with a Bradco brush grapple on the front and an Implemax 4836RW grapple on the back. In 1 1/2 years and 540 hours, the Bradco has come off 3 times and the Implemax never.
I want to thank you all again for the help you all gave me in making the many decisions that went into this purchase. When I first came to this site 2 years ago, I knew that tractors had engines, wheels, and 3-point hitches. Now I have a machine that suits my needs nearly perfectly and has made my work a pleasure and my life better.
The extent of my gratitude is expressed in my post "Our 5030 - thanks TBN for all your help!". Please check it out if you can, it sums up how I feel about this site and all the people in it. I apologize for not joining in sooner, and hope that as a newcomer I was not too "familiar" in that post. I just feel a strong kinship to this bunch and am looking forward to getting to know you all better.
This first pic shows her picking up a 26" diameter, 10 1/2 foot red oak log that my chart tells me weighs 2,436 lbs. The Bradco weighs 800 lbs. for a total of over 3,200 lbs., so it seems the rated lift capacity of 1,874 lbs at bucket center is conservative indeed. This is with a Kubota quick-attach which I'm thinking of eliminating for some added lift, but my front axle might be of another opinion. I've boosted the relief valve setting to 2,500 or so PSI (the max is 2,560). It was at about 2,300 from the factory, and the boost made quite a noticeable difference.
In the pic I've grabbed a smaller oak log with the rear grapple to keep her butt on the ground. The Implemax grapple has a "heeling area" which allows the log (or entire smaller trees) to be lifted clean of the ground, so she's not really a "skidder". Very important for doing residential work. Plus, the 18" turf tires are very easy on all but the softest ground.
Hi all -
Here are a few pics of my 5030 in action (8 in all). It's set up specifically for use in tree removal, with a Bradco brush grapple on the front and an Implemax 4836RW grapple on the back. In 1 1/2 years and 540 hours, the Bradco has come off 3 times and the Implemax never.
I want to thank you all again for the help you all gave me in making the many decisions that went into this purchase. When I first came to this site 2 years ago, I knew that tractors had engines, wheels, and 3-point hitches. Now I have a machine that suits my needs nearly perfectly and has made my work a pleasure and my life better.
The extent of my gratitude is expressed in my post "Our 5030 - thanks TBN for all your help!". Please check it out if you can, it sums up how I feel about this site and all the people in it. I apologize for not joining in sooner, and hope that as a newcomer I was not too "familiar" in that post. I just feel a strong kinship to this bunch and am looking forward to getting to know you all better.
This first pic shows her picking up a 26" diameter, 10 1/2 foot red oak log that my chart tells me weighs 2,436 lbs. The Bradco weighs 800 lbs. for a total of over 3,200 lbs., so it seems the rated lift capacity of 1,874 lbs at bucket center is conservative indeed. This is with a Kubota quick-attach which I'm thinking of eliminating for some added lift, but my front axle might be of another opinion. I've boosted the relief valve setting to 2,500 or so PSI (the max is 2,560). It was at about 2,300 from the factory, and the boost made quite a noticeable difference.
In the pic I've grabbed a smaller oak log with the rear grapple to keep her butt on the ground. The Implemax grapple has a "heeling area" which allows the log (or entire smaller trees) to be lifted clean of the ground, so she's not really a "skidder". Very important for doing residential work. Plus, the 18" turf tires are very easy on all but the softest ground.
