Tree shear for 7.5t digger - is it worth it?

[Doing it for the kids]

The other nice thing about taking the blade out is you can pick up some properly big timber and log it up with thechain saw while holding horizontal in the grab

do you need to get out of the cab for that

what cab protection do you have?

 

[zr105]

One double acting hammer circuit. Ours is only single acting so that ruled it out but we are hoping to change it over to double. We also learned that some makes have higher pressure hydraulics than other sand so are more suited. Our JCB runs at 200 bar but I believe some run at 250-300 bar which would be better

Would it be possible to use a 1/2” diverter the same as on a loader set up to cross the ports? I know it would be a pain having to press the switch each time to open it but may be a cheaper option than having to re plumb a digger for an occasional user.

 

[cb387]

Would it be possible to use a 1/2” diverter the same as on a loader set up to cross the ports? I know it would be a pain having to press the switch each time to open it but may be a cheaper option than having to re plumb a digger for an occasional user.

We did look at this but it’s actually cheaper and easier to change the plumbing about. It’s only a few connectors and a tee I’m told

 

[spikeislander]

Had a chat with jak guy before Christmas and again today , just about to order the 250 with rotator but got to get rotator line piped in, sadly he said the buncher cannot be added as well, it’s rotator or buncher? But I’m wondering if they could both have quick hydraulic couplings so that you could swap, as if bunching lots of small stuff it will be straight up won’t need a tilt, and vice versa if cutting over hangers which need and angle I wouldn’t need the buncher.
He also said there’s no point having a much heavier 30 cm cut if you haven’t got the hydraulic power as it’ll only cut a smaller size , and recommended the 250 which is a lot less weight for not much less output.
I think they look good , the rsl is the only one with a true hold and cut which some sites insist on, but looking at videos the non grab ones look pretty safe

 

[Wombat]

do you need to get out of the cab for that

what cab protection do you have?

I just have the standard cab, but apart from lopping the odd tree branch and I normally do that in stages if big. Most of mine is hedge work so out in front of me.

 

[Doing it for the kids]

Had a chat with jak guy before Christmas and again today , just about to order the 250 with rotator but got to get rotator line piped in, sadly he said the buncher cannot be added as well, it’s rotator or buncher? But I’m wondering if they could both have quick hydraulic couplings so that you could swap, as if bunching lots of small stuff it will be straight up won’t need a tilt, and vice versa if cutting over hangers which need and angle I wouldn’t need the buncher.
He also said there’s no point having a much heavier 30 cm cut if you haven’t got the hydraulic power as it’ll only cut a smaller size , and recommended the 250 which is a lot less weight for not much less output.
I think they look good , the rsl is the only one with a true hold and cut which some sites insist on, but looking at videos the non grab ones look pretty safe

What machine is yours?

 

[spikeislander]

Hitachi zaxis 85

 

[Richy12]

Had a chat with jak guy before Christmas and again today , just about to order the 250 with rotator but got to get rotator line piped in, sadly he said the buncher cannot be added as well, it’s rotator or buncher? But I’m wondering if they could both have quick hydraulic couplings so that you could swap, as if bunching lots of small stuff it will be straight up won’t need a tilt, and vice versa if cutting over hangers which need and angle I wouldn’t need the buncher.
He also said there’s no point having a much heavier 30 cm cut if you haven’t got the hydraulic power as it’ll only cut a smaller size , and recommended the 250 which is a lot less weight for not much less output.
I think they look good , the rsl is the only one with a true hold and cut which some sites insist on, but looking at videos the non grab ones look pretty safe

I know what you mean, but we use a selector rotating grab. When the rotating pipes arent in there is no pressure to hold the grab at the angle you need, it will just free spin

 

[Grassman]

What model do you have?

A 200. Plenty for what I do

 

[Zetor]

I have a bucket warehouse shear, on this one the blade is removable which makes it perfect for handling/setting in telegraph poles logs etc, obviously the tilting quick hitch is a huge advantage.

 

[spikeislander]

I know what you mean, but we use a selector rotating grab. When the rotating pipes arent in there is no pressure to hold the grab at the angle you need, it will just free spin

Ah yes that could happen , I’m not sure if the rotator is a worm and gear style which should stop this? Some are some not and I’ve looked at so many I’ll have to check

 

[ORRA LOON]

Ah yes that could happen , I’m not sure if the rotator is a worm and gear style which should stop this? Some are some not and I’ve looked at so many I’ll have to check

We have just bought a used Rsl and it has worm drive on it , we need to change the pins to 45mm and fit a 2nd set of pipes to our 4cx and we should be good to go .

 

[Timmer]

We run a RSL rotator shear on an 8ton Doosan. It works really well and it’s amazing what you can clear in a day or even just a few hours! Spends most of the time sitting in the shed! All I would say is you need to be very careful as it’s very heavy especially when holding a tree or limb so you need to learn how to handle the cuttings in the same way a tree harvester would to reduce leverage on the machine as you could cause a lot damage very quickly. I also find the grader blade on the machine is useful to have down as extra support

 

[Timmer]

I can cut up to 20cm comfortably, sometimes you need a couple of bites and rotate around it for larger stuff. I always carry a chainsaw in the cab and cut anything down manually if the shear can’t handle it. I then use the shear to move it around or process on the ground.

 

[Red Rider]

The weight of the shear is something to be aware of, tmk, omef etc tend to be a bit lighter than most of the claw designs so effectively you’ve got more capacity to handle bigger trees with the lighter shear if you’re working to your machines capacity.

Depends what you intend to cut with it and the lie of the land but in some circumstances a rotator is invaluable, it also allows you to maximise the capacity of the shear as you can always position the blade at 90’ to the tree/branch so getting the most effective cutting position.

 

[Grassman]

The weight of the shear is something to be aware of, tmk, omef etc tend to be a bit lighter than most of the claw designs so effectively you’ve got more capacity to handle bigger trees with the lighter shear if you’re working to your machines capacity.

Depends what you intend to cut with it and the lie of the land but in some circumstances a rotator is invaluable, it also allows you to maximise the capacity of the shear as you can always position the blade at 90’ to the tree/branch so getting the most effective cutting position.

Totally agree if you have a large enough excavator to cope with the extra weight and bulk a rotator is well worth it. But it does come at quite a large financial cost.
Im sure a rotator is like a telehandler. Once you have one you wonder how you managed without one.

 

[Richy12]

 

[Lukehaynes]

We use a tmk300 on a Kubota 8t machine. It's brilliant, it doesn't like oak, but most other woods handles nicely.

We have two aux lines so the shear on one and a tilting headstock on the second makes the machine incredibly useful.

If I was buying another, they do it with a collector, great for small stuff, saves multiple trips in and out of the small stuff. Also they do the main cutting ram with the option of a two stage ram to give more cutting power.

We bought ours from nick dinsdale at NCD equipment, very good bloke to deal with.

 

[spikeislander]

Decided on a jak 250 with rotator, got to have a diverter or rotator line fitted, and I was thinking of the buncher as well but it’s £3000 extra and I’m conscious of keeping weight down.
I’m thinking that if it takes a bit longer to clear up whispy bits then it’s not too bad and we could always leave then for the hedge trimmer to get after ?

 

[Wombat]

Decided on a jak 250 with rotator, got to have a diverter or rotator line fitted, and I was thinking of the buncher as well but it’s £3000 extra and I’m conscious of keeping weight down.
I’m thinking that if it takes a bit longer to clear up whispy bits then it’s not too bad and we could always leave then for the hedge trimmer to get after ?

If it gets very whispy we just tidy up with the hedge cutter later. Get the main bits down onto the floor and pushed up into a heap.