Goodbye Kubota, hello EarthForce

[Anonymous Poster]

Re: More EF-5 info, pictures

<font color=blue>...a picture of the crab steering in action?...</font color=blue>

Oh... you sly dog.... /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[MossRoad]

Re: More EF-5 info, pictures

Whaaaat? I caught the other features, didn't I?

<font color=green> MossRoad </font color=green>

 

[MChalkley]

Re: More EF-5 info, pictures

Hmmm, not being very smart, I must've missed something here myself... Like an inside joke, perhaps?

At any rate, MossRoad, you're correct: there are no steering pictures yet. I'll see what I can do.

MarkC

 

[MossRoad]

Re: More EF-5 info, pictures

I think Mr Miller is insinuating that I was using a round about way of getting you to post pictures of the crab steering in action. I would never do that and am insulted that someone would think so /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif. OK, that was my real motive, I want to see the crab steering in action./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif Please and thank you in advance!

<font color=green> MossRoad </font color=green>

 

[gordon]

Re: More EF-5 info, pictures

That bobcat quick release is great, on and off in seconds. I don't have that advantage on mine./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Now that you mention it the guy at the rental yard said that hydraulic controls were real nice---feather touch. But it was the gear shift that was on the fender that could be ripped off if you get on or off the tractor and hook it with a jacket or something. Speaking of jackets, on my last one I ripped a couple on the handle of the cab jumping out to quick./w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

Something tells me that once you have it a couple of months you will be making a trip back down south to the metal shop for more add-ons./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Glad you like her
Merry Christmas
Gordon

 

[MChalkley]

Re: More EF-5 info, pictures

Gordon,

<font color=blue>it was the gear shift that was on the fender that could be ripped off</font color=blue>

That must be something else they've changed. I don't know what that would be, but there's nothing on mine that's in the way, unless it would be the loader controls coming up out of the floor on the right side. But I pretty much consider getting on and off a tractor like I do a horse - from the left side only, so, while it's possible to get on and off from the right, I think it's pretty dangerous, because of the possibility of hitting the loader controls. Of course, none of us gets on and off with the tractor still running, anyway, right? /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Another feature I like about the EF-5's hydraulics is that the quick-disconnects are all the flush style, "zero-leakage", high pressure disconnect kind. I didn't realize they were so much easier to use.

I suspect you're right about the future trip back down to D&E. I'm already thinking about skid plates... /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

MarkC

 

[MChalkley]

Re: More EF-5 info, pictures

MossRoad - That's really cheeky of John to even think such a thing of you. I'd be insulted. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

Since I'm the impatient sort, and haven't gotten tired of playing with the EF-5 yet, I figured you might want those pictures of the different types of steering pronto. (Well, I realize you only asked for crab steer pictures, but everybody's used to seeing a flood of stuff, mostly drivel, from me, so I can't disappoint...)

So, with very little further adieu, here's a shot of the EF-5 in 4-wheel-steer mode. (It's hard to get an angle where the turning of both axles shows up well, so I took several pictures of each steering mode. Do you want to see 'em all, or just the ones I think are best?)

MarkC

 

[MChalkley]

Re: More EF-5 info, pictures

And a picture of 2-wheel-steer mode. Exciting, isn't it? /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

MarkC

 

[MChalkley]

Re: More EF-5 info, pictures

And, now (see, I said "very little further adieu...) the first picture of crab-steer mode.

MarkC

 

[MChalkley]

Re: More EF-5 info, pictures

And another one of crab-steer mode from the other side.

MarkC

 

[MChalkley]

Re: More EF-5 info, pictures

And a final picture of crab-steer mode (unless you're a glutton for punishment and beg for more). In this one, you can see the tracks of the right-side tires as the EF-5 moved diagonally sideways. It's a really weird feeling driving it that way, I can tell you...

MarkC

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Re: More EF-5 info, pictures

Hi Mark,

/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif I thought he was busting your chops... and read his post as: "...a picture of the crab,... steering in action?..." /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

So, you can "wack" me in the head Mark... /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

On to important stuff... what is the maximum steering turn angle in crab mode...(55 degrees?)... so for example, in crab mode, you want to drive "sideways" 5 feet... how many feet forward do you also end up travelling...?

 

[MChalkley]

Re: More EF-5 info, pictures

John - I didn't even realize you knew me well enough to consider me a crab...

The turn angle is the same in all modes, except, of course, that the turn angle for the rear wheels is 0 degrees in 2-wheel-steer mode. But I don't know what the angle is. I do know that it's very adjustable, and that it's set from the factory to an angle condsiderably less than the Carraro spec. (I'll see if I can find the Carraro info I have somewhere.) I know this because the EF-4 uses the same axles, and can turn considerably sharper - the factory feels that, for safety with the greatly increased load handling capabilities of the EF-5, it shouldn't be set to allow as sharp a turn. This little deficiency in mine is going to get corrected, I think...

But, for now, in measuring the tracks, it travels a little over 1 foot sideways in crab-steer mode for every 2 feet it travels forward.

MarkC

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Re: More EF-5 info, pictures

Mark,

I think most of Carraro's axles are 52-55 degrees... and depending on your wheel base and overall weight, it could be slightly unstable with crab-steering cranked all the way...?

Now, I feel bad with my off the wall sense of humor.../w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif

Ya got to admit...it is funny though.../w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[MChalkley]

Re: More EF-5 info, pictures

John - My wheelbase is about normal for bi-peds, but my weight is a little high - so is my CG - so that makes me always a bit unstable. Oh, you meant the EF-5! Sorry...

I can imagine it might tend to get a bit unstable in crab-steer mode with a turning angle of 55 degrees. One thing in its favor, though, is that the weight wouldn't tend to shift away from the turn the way it does in 2-wheel-steer.

I haven't tried it yet, but I've got a suspicion that road grading in crab-steer mode would be as easy as falling off a log. If you think about it, you're always pushing in the direction you want to go, and the blade never swings - it just moves diagonally in the direction you need. It'll be very interesting to see how it works in practice.

MarkC

 

[MossRoad]

Re: More EF-5 info, pictures

Oh man! The crab, steering! I laughed hard. That'll teach me to choose my words a little better.

Thanks for the picks. They are great! That would be great for getting into and out of many spots. That's gotta feel strange moving to one side or the other without changing your forward axis.



<font color=green> MossRoad </font color=green>

 

[MChalkley]

Re: More EF-5 info, pictures

Well, here's a pic of the EF-5 doing it's first real work (not counting the 2/3 yd of gravel it picked up just to check it out). There's a story here. (Who'd a thunk?)

This past summer, I was using the Kubota to clear some small pines, and found a hornet's nest in one of them. Unfortunately, I didn't realize it until a couple of them got me. So, a couple days later, I sprayed the nest, but I never got back around to finishing pulling the trees. So, today, I decided I'd try the 4-in-1 out on them. Trees that would almost pick the Kubota's rear end up off the ground didn't hardly unload the rear tires on the EF-5. So here's a pic of one of them. It's not much, but it's the biggest one I had that needed pulling...

MarkC

 

[JATO_RaT]

Re: More EF-5 info, pictures

Mark, I hope I can say this and not get into trouble, but here goes, Cool man, bitchin, daddy O. I will eventually get my loader switched to Quick Attach style implements including getting a Bobcat retro plate for my exisitng bucket if I can figure how to get a good bite into it as the one I saw was a weld on type. The loader you have looks impressive, are those self leveling pivots coming off the dump/curl cylinders? Great machine, would enjoy stopping by to try it sometime. I look forward to hearing about the extremes you put it through as I know thats what some of us here at TBN do with our stuff. Thanks for sharing all the great information, Rat...

 

[MChalkley]

Re: More EF-5 info, pictures

Rat - Yep, those are self-leveling pivots. They work pretty well, too. I have to say I really wished I'd had a self-leveling loader on the L4310, so I'm pretty sure I'm going to enjoy them.

As for extremes, you bet I'll putting it through its paces. And I'll report what I find, of course. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

MarkC

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Re: More EF-5 info, pictures

Mark,

Forgive me, I haven't read all your posts.../w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif{I'm sure you've already explained this elsewhere...?}

How did you originally run into the "EarthForce"? Did you see one in person, magazine, internet...what?

In other words, what really caught your attention to basically go after an essential no-name company and pursue it to this end...?