JCB hydradig

[Alistair Nelson]

Read the article in FW about the JCB hydradig and it got the old dry matter going which is very dangerous and can be expensive but you were always going to be left with a digger. I couldn’t quite see the necessity for the rotator which are v expensive? on the end of the arm apart from it meant you could cut in either direction.

what did other people think and why aren’t more people already doing it?

your thoughts

alistair

 

[Chae1]

They look like fun. Think there very expensive.

 

[Alistair Nelson]

They are but a tractor and comparable reach and output hedge cutter isn’t cheap and then you have a tractor. In this case you have a digger and all it has to offer and all you appear to be taking off is the cutting head.

obviously a hydradig abit more than your average rubber duck but it really has got me thinking.

 

[Yale]

Not sure how it would grip on greasy banks and wet bits.

Looks like it’s more prone to brown trouser moments.

Heavy too?

 

[How much]

it could be quite a handy tool the advantage of the rotator would you could cut in either direction on one side so no need to reverse to make the next cut just spin the head and travel back in the direction you came from that alone means there is one less pass over the ground for each cut made as you don't need to back up to do the next cut that may be 4 or 5 less wheeling's per hedge cut so not a likely to rut the ground up as much weight wise they are around 11.5 ton so probably a bit heaver than your average hedge cutter/tractor combo but its down to tire choice i guess

 

[TripleSix]

Have seen people stacking bales with them too.

Be mighty handy with a tree shear on, and a little trailer and a concrete breaker.....

 

[deleted user 837354]

The way I see it: it's an excavator that can get from place to place on the road by itself. It's a bit overkill for a hedgetrimmer and you are relying on the rotator/steel wrist thing to make it versatile as a lift and shift and digger? Without that you are basically driving a 360.

I can see how it would fit for someone with a tree shear, who does a bit of excavating and breaker work etc but you probably wouldn't want to take it 40 miles down the road- I don't know how fast it goes though? Be handy if it could tow a wood chipper behind it.

 

[Steevo]

I always thought hedgetrimming was a break-even job you did with a tractor in the winter to pay the finance/wages and keep things ticking over but that it never really justified buying a machine specifically.

Whatever works for each person.

 

[Wombat]

I always thought hedgetrimming was a break-even job you did with a tractor in the winter to pay the finance/wages and keep things ticking over but that it never really justified buying a machine specifically.

Whatever works for each person.

Guy who does ours is a one man band and only does hedges in winter so i suppose it depends what you charge

 

[Salopian_Will]

Guy who does ours is a one man band and only does hedges in winter so i suppose it depends what you charge

Or you lifestyle expectations...