asv rc100

[Robbie Hegwood]

Your guess is dead on. I usually run in 4 hour intervals and in that time I burn 15 gal, but as you stated that's wide open for the flow. I put my 100 through her paces today. I'm on a project clearing 4+ acres where 3 acres were flooded by beavers. My bid included clearing and mulching all 3 dams and mulching there den. Let's just mention the dams were 15' across, 7' at there deepest, and 8-10' thick. Used a excavator for that, and to pull my 100 out of the mud, I had it buried up to the skid pans. This area has been flooded for 3 years now. My 100 has gone where no skid has gone before but what a mess. I've got alot of cleaning to do. I knew the likelyhood of getting stuck was extremely high, my brother did his best to make me a road across the little drainage ditch but it didn't work. I finally had him push me across and wait and pull me back. Gotta do what it takes to get that paycheck. And on the subject of fuel we are going through 25-30 gal. a day on this job. Definitly got to get that paycheck!!. Robbie

 

[paco]

Robbie, could you explain what you mean by"out perform a carbide cutter any day" Do you mean time savings, I find it interesting, I have never ran a blade cutter. Maybe I should, thanks, MIke

 

[Robbie Hegwood]

Okay Mike, Here we go. A timberax rotates opisite of carbide cutters. Carbides cut toward and against the ground leaving descent size wood "chips". You can further grind them up by "backdragging" the head. Just means backing up while making contact with the ground. This still leaves descent size chips, but smaller than first pass. My head is most similiar to a drum chipper tree guys use. My knifes run purpendicular to the tree so I can either shear the tree at the ground, or as they show in videos cut it off high and run down on the tree. Once I engage a tree the drum running up in the front lifts the tree off the ground and will feed the tree into inself. It can pull a 20' tall up to 4" tree into itself and chip it up in 2-3 seconds with the head not even breaking a sweat. It does this by using sharpened blades. It has two full width rows of blades each 180 degrees out from each other. I can also put the head at ground level and in one pass leave material chipped up about the size of your thumb nail. I can also backdrag my head but rarely need to. Also because it uses knives it is more efficent with H.P. It doesn't bog down as easily as carbides. Know all this does have a price, the knives have to be sharpened every 2-8 hours of use depending on how careful you are with them. I am pretty careful but will not comprimise time or quality for that. The second thing is the timberax has a hard time with hardwoods over 8" and pines over 10", they just become to dense at the bases, carbides bog down but if you go slow can grind up big stuff. I also have a problem with picking up trees flat on the ground, but ran into the same problem with carbide cutter so mute point. I also found a carbide cutter will clog up on occasion. If you have the optunity to run one or watch one they are impressive. Just depends on what battles you are willing to fight. My head is also a 73" cutting width, most carbides are at most 63" wide. The closest head to mine is a gyro that uses carbide size bladed teeth. They cut well but are best run on there machines, they run 6000+ psi to there heads. See if all that made any sense. One of the videos on our web site show my head sucking up a tree if you wanted to watch. Trinity Mulching - Atlanta Georgia Mulching Company Robbie

 

[Robbie Hegwood]

Side note, to be fair, someone who has been running a carbide cutter all the time would have the same opinion about there head as I do of mine. I just feel on level playing fields a timberax is more efficent and leaves a better end product, that is if you don't mind sharpening blades. Robbie

 

[rutwad]

Robbie, that timberaxe sounds pretty impressive! Especially for a 73" cut.

As far as cleaning your once stuck machine, this can be quite a chore depending on how stuck you were. I got mine in a bad situation once and it took 2 "forevers" to get it clean.

 

[Robbie Hegwood]

Hey rutwad,I remember you warning me about that. We had no choice but to go where we did and I knew getting stuck was coming. We buried it to the skid pans and to the top of front of tracks. A good stuck. I used 300 gal of water in a mobile pressure washer and could use a little more. After cleaning makes you want to avoid mud for sure. We used the kubota 161 excavator to push me on through and then pull me back.Its nice having a 12000 lbs ex. on the job with you. If you ever get this way it would be a pleasure to show you my head running.

 

[paco]

Robbie, What kind of life to you expect from the knives? How long does it take to sharpen complete set?

 

[Robbie Hegwood]

I don't recall exactly what the salesman said the life expectancy should be. I know when I bought the head they had used it as a demo and just killed the blades, that's why the included a set with the purchase. At about 100 hours I went ahead and changed them and I know have 165 hours showing on the meter today. I would safely say at least 100 hours on a set which isn't that good. A set of blades used to cost 500-600$ a set but they have changed the metal they are made from. Know a set cost 1000-1200$ but they say they will last and stay sharper longer. So I would expect 200 hours out of a set if I'm careful. I'm contimplating having a local metal shop give me a bid on making a set out of harder metal and cut out the middle man. Each blade is 10"x10"x1/2" thick. I will order a set of new ones closer to summer to have a backup set. I even considered having a second set and just changing them and sharpen later or have it done, but it takes just as long to change as sharpen.
I have mastered sharpening them and if there in bad shape it takes me about two hours to sharpen with a 40lbs 7" dewalt grinder. I have found some very course disk that help also. I was using dewalt disk and they sucked. The first time I sharpened them it took me 6 hours, I had no choice but to get better. Robbie

 

[QwikDraw]

Robbie...you seem to know quite a bit about this. I am presently looking at the Timber Ax but I was hoping to run it on an SR80 instead of the RC100. Loftness does make different size hydraulic motor for lower out put machines (30 GPM @ 3000 for the SR80). I think the lesser machine would run the Timber Ax as efficently as a bigger machine with a carbide grinder type head....

What do you think?

 

[Robbie Hegwood]

Hey QwikDraw. If you look on the loftness web site they a have a page on there that tells you what attachment, size and hyd motor size for every skid steer made. I have looked up a SR-80 and they do list the timberax and carbide cutter both for the SR. My dealer doesn't run and cutters at all on SR they recomend the 100. I think a SR could run a smaller timberax well because they would have a lighter drum weight, my only concern would be if the machine could handle the weight and how well.I know my timberax works my 100 pretty good. My personal accessment of SR's is they are the sportscars of skid steers. After spending 3 hours washing mud out of my tracks and seeing the openness of those on a SR I am beginning to like it more. I would like to have a SR-70 to do everthing else but run my mulcher, but I think I better pay for the one I have first!! There was a member on here [not sure where] going to demo a SR-80 running a mulcher. Maybe you can ask him how his demo went and get a first hand report. I'd like to see it too. For if the SR ran a carbide toothed head okay your right it would run a timberax alittle better. Thanks for asking my opinion, gives me somnwhere to release all my useless info!!! Robbie Oh yea, welcome to TBN.

 

[Robbie Hegwood]

One more quick note about cutting head widths. If you are not cutting a path as wide as your tracks this could damage, them I have seen this first hand.It tears up the outside of the tracks. Robbie

 

[QwikDraw]

Thanks Robbie..you are doing exactly what I want to be doing her in the north east...I am also looking at a few other attachments like a chipper and a stump grinder. I can't afford all at one time but that's the plan...a little of everything and one machine to run them. I will start a new post to get some feedback on the chipper and stump grinder attachments.

Thanks again!
Ted

 

[Robbie Hegwood]

I myself have thought about a stump grinder for my skid steer. Two points, there are good because the SR tractor has low ground pressure and all the h.p. of the tractor. But starting a thread for those would be good to see if anyone runs either. I have run my FIL's stump grinder and that sucked, not really the direction I wanted to go anyway. I would like to run a couple of mulchers in due time. Keep us posted. Robbie

 

[burnetma]

Robbie,

I am the individual who intends to do a head to head comparison of the SR80 and RC100 with a Loftness Carbide Cutter. I haven't set a date yet, but it will be after Christmas. I might wait a little longer after speaking with a FECON representative who told me that he will try to get a FECON unit on site for the demo. The representative is convinced that I will prefer his unit over anything Loftness has to offer, but what product rep wouldn't say that. He claims that their rotor and tool holder design decreases HP need and improves total unit life. He did say that the SR80 is a fine machine, but the RC100 would be FECON's preference.

Thank you for the fuel economy information that you posted earlier. It is very helpful in my business planning. Thank you in general for keeping this discussion alive with real world experiences, it really is helpful to us looking at the business.

QwikDraw,

I will certainly post the results of my trial with some photographs if possible. Are you anywhere near Syracuse? That is where the trials are going to occur.

I am more excited about this than a 6 year old on Christmas Eve. No kidding...

Mark

 

[Robbie Hegwood]

Hey Mark, Thanks for reading and reminding it was you. If I would have gone back through the thread I would have seen that, I'm lazy!! I am looking forward to you running your demo's and reading your reports. Talk about making these salesman put there money where there mouths are, show up with a competitors head. That sounds fun. Man what an excellent way to really compare heads. Run one then the other and the other. Didn't your rep say he was trying to get a timberax also? I hope he can so you can compare. And to be completely honest I don't think customers will really notice the chips size we were talking about ealier. As long as the brush/trees are mulched up on the ground and they can see into there woods they will be happy. Your welcome on all the points mentioned. I just hope I can help ya'll make a go of it. I know I enjoy our business, I hope ya'll can too. I hope you noticed what I put in ealier about head width, I forgot to mention it ealier.

 

[burnetma]

Robbie,

The cool thing is that the ASV dealer (Mabie Brothers) is also a Loftness and FECON dealer, so he wins all the way around.

I also spoke with a Tushogg rep this week. They made me an offer on their machine that was interesting. If either the dealer or I buys the machine, they will ship it to us at no cost. If we do not like it, just pay the return shipping and they will buy the machine back. Obviously they would prefer that one of us kept the machine, but that is another story. I really like the Tushogg design, but I have four concerns. First is the weight. Holy Cow, that thing weighs, 2880 lbs! Only the RC100 could handle it, but at what cost?? Increased undercarriage wear and so much for low ground pressure. Second is the fact that their is no dealer support network in Pennsylvania or New York. Where the heck would I get it fixed when it breaks? Third, I do not think that this design would do well on finer material (less than the diameter of the tooth). My concern is that wild grape vines or Mountain Floral Rose bushes might get caught on the teeth and wrap around the rotor body. Finally, I am not convinced that the resulting chip size would be acceptable. Now what it will do well is tackle the tough jobs like stump grinding and sub-grade grinding. Heck roto-till with the darn thing, it shouldn't care, but it would be tough on the power unit. So, I am not sure if I really want to drop $20+k for a test drive even with the buy-back option with this concerns I have about the design. I would rather spend the $800 (estimated return shipment cost) on airfare to Texas and test drive one down there.

Mark

 

[Robbie Hegwood]

Mark, That's wierd they are a dealer for both. It is good for you.
I have also seen the tushogg and it is abeast. I read a report and the guy commented if tore the ground up to much, So I think your on the right track. As far as the weight I would not recomend a head that heavy.I would consider my head at about 2500lbs to be the max,it really manipulates my tractor.If I'm mulching a hill/imbankment I have to only work uphill, if not the head will pull you down to the bottom anyway. It upsets the balance of the tractor and puts up on it's front wheels unloading the tracks and your control. You can really feel it when you pick the head up. I think it would have to have lingering affects down the road. I also like being able to take it to someone and having some kind of "factory" support. Robbie

 

[burnetma]

Can you reasonably add balast to the RC100 to improve traction and control? I see the New Hollands have bolt on weight bars to hang suitcase weights. With the big backend that the RC100 has, I would think a little balast would go a long way. Just a thought. I hate the idea of a loss of control on a slope. Nothing good can come of that situation.

 

[Robbie Hegwood]

They do have 2" receivers and now that you mention it I have seen an older asv with a 800lbs counter weight on so I guess you could. 100's already have a counter weight also. I have considered a winch on a cradle to go into the receiver but am reluctant to put anything back there for it's so long already. And in my case I'm already killing my truck so weight on the tractor is weight on the truck. But definitly a viable option. I started to mention this ealier but didn't want to info overload you but have you seen fecon's line of tracked carriers. Talk about impressive. Robbie