Hydro Ax 411EX

[northstar47]

New to site but need some advise.We have land in government program that has gone to brush that is quite thick, 10' to 15' tall and averages a 2" to 4" base. The thinner scattered areas have been done with PT100 and mulcher but is getting too expensive to hire on the heavier stands and we have a couple of hundred acres left. I'm looking at a 1999 Hydro Ax 411EX with about 5500 hours that has been used as a feller/buncher. Price seems right ($30,000) as he will keep the cutting head but I will have to buy a 8' rotary mower or a Fecon type mulcher for it.
Any thoughts on this machine would be appreciated. The horsepower on the 411 is about 150. Is this enough power for the job and would there be a hydraulic flow problem? I know condition of the machine is everything as repairs are expensive. I plan on running it myself and will take several months each summer to complete the job. Is there much of a market to resell a machine like this? I can't find anything big to rent in our area and even so the rates are very high. Thanks.

 

[Robbie Hegwood]

The use of the Hydroax is a great idea. But there is a problem. The machine that are used with hot saw (feller buncher) the pump is only a 55 gpm pump. They are not suited very well to run a mulching head. You need to call ROWMEC in Conroe, TX and talk to them. They specialize in them and they can tell you better. Good idea, good machine, needs tweaking.

 

[Scooby074]

I dunno about this.

Hydroaxe can handle the job (most common ROW mower in my area) but I see a big bill in converting a feller to a forest mower if you have to get into swapping pumps . You likely would be further ahead to find a low hour HA that is already set up as a mower, either that, or find a mower parts machine / or used mower parts cheap from a dealer and swap them into the feller.

Just one of many examples. Some more, many less expensive.

1987 Hydro-Ax 621b, Placerville CO - 115429607 - EquipmentTraderOnline.com

 

[northstar47]

I dunno about this.

Hydroaxe can handle the job (most common ROW mower in my area) but I see a big bill in converting a feller to a forest mower if you have to get into swapping pumps . You likely would be further ahead to find a low hour HA that is already set up as a mower, either that, or find a mower parts machine / or used mower parts cheap from a dealer and swap them into the feller.

Just one of many examples. Some more, many less expensive.

1987 Hydro-Ax 621b, Placerville CO - 115429607 - EquipmentTraderOnline.com

Thanks for the input. I have pretty much decided to look for a machine already set up. My budget means it will be an older one that I will resell in a year or two when the project is over. Hoping for no major repairs and luck in finding a buyer for something I buy from the late 80's or 90's - possibly a hydro ax 621.

 

[redprospector]

Good luck with the resell when you're done. I'm not having much luck moving my Hydro Ax 311C with a 16" shear. Doesn't seem to be much call for older equipment these days. I'm thinking about making "yard art", or a mail box, or some such out of it.

 

[Bill Stecik]

Take a look at my U Tube channel and see what I do . It works

 

[treemuncher]

421, 621 and 721 series were set up for use as mowing machines as well as cutters & stump grinders from what I remember when I was researching the purchase of a unit. I came close to a 721 several times but never went through with the deal. I made other business choices at the time.

As stated previously, the 11 series DO NOT have the same hydraulic pump capacity to run mowers, mulchers and other high demand attachments. Only the 21 series were set up for this type of work. 21's are not as common but they are the right tool for the job if you want to do more that shear or saw.