I've got a New Holland EC25 and am looking for a laser. What would you guys recommend?
Machine mounted such as topcon or tripod mounted with a stand alone staff and receiver?
I was thinking of a receiver mounted on the boom. Do the magnetically clamped ones hold up well or should I be looking at something that clamps on mechanically? I purchased this excavator just over a year ago and am new to the whole field of laser leveling. I'm planning on installing some tile drain as well as doing some ditching projects. Last fall I did some ditching and found it quite frustrating to work without a laser.
Thanks for the info. The Apache 6 looks ideal, since it will compensate for the excavator arm angle while calculating grade. What do the Apache 5 or 6 sell for?
Never heard of the apache range but I am in the UK not the States!!!!
Here's the Bullseye 6 model on the Apache website: http://www.apache-laser.com/product/bullseye6.htm If you look further into the website they do list a European distributor.
I have the old bullseye unit all it does is tell you up down or level. I had to send it in once it was acting up and they fixed it under warranty mine mounts on 1 1/2" pipe and rides on the boom of my trencher I would not trust magnets if its my money riding out there
They certainly seem to be easier than jumping on and off the machine to check the level with a staff and receiver!!
I have magnetic boom sensors and would never go back to a pole mount. My whole dipper can be used instead of a short length of pipe. It has only fallen of once and that was my fault. I was trying to remove frost from my bucket by pounding on the ground and forgot about the sensor. U only do that once. It didn't hurt the sensor just picked it up, cleaned it off, and reset my grade and continued digging. I use it on all my machines; mini, 50,000lb ex, trackloader, and skid.
The 6 model is around 2400 I believe. The 5 can be had for 1800-2000. If you shop it on the net you can get a good deal. Apache gave me the mag mount as a Conexpo promotion they had going. I cant imagine losing the mount, short of scrubbing it off the boom while digging some how. You have to pry the thing off the stick. Trimble has started marketing these as well since the two merged. So the red ones are same as the yellow ones.
I actually think a 2.5T machine is way to small to be investing in a boom mounted receiver. Realistically with a machine that small, you will be spending most of your time bailing out dirt to get to the level you need, and only a little of your time finishing the bottom of the hole. Additionally with a small machine your stick and boom are much closer to the banks of dirt or whatever else it is that you are digging against. This gives more opportunity to strike your expensive receiver and end up busting something. Thirdly, with a small machine often the entire stick and boom end up in the hole to get the dig depth you need. You would need to set up your transmitter in the bottom of the hole to get a signal. I'd stick with a traditional staff and receiver. Hop off the machine from time to time and check your work. The boom mount is a nice toy, but it really won't save you a bit of work on a machine that size. I wouldn't mount it on anything less then 12T. Pete
Those are my concerns with these, however if you do alot of grading/excavating for driveways, patios e.t.c then they must be helpfull. I assume with these machine mounted units you have to put the dipper and bucket in the same position each time to check the level.
I use the receiver on 6 ton machine and a 160. I don't have a 3 2.5 ton but it would depend on what your doing with it. I don't have any of the issues mentioned with my small machine. Digging footings it works well with plenty of room on the stick and with additions I dig down to grade and then move the laser and tripod to the floor level and its all good. It costs money to have someone hold a stick and jumping in and out of the machine is a waste of time as well, so anything that keeps the guy in the machine is bonus. The postion of the stick is somewhat compensated for in the receiver. The 6 has more compensation than does the Plus 5. The 6 I believe is 30 degrees total of plump and it will compensate for straight up and down.
I've used a magnetic mount on the stick of my 2ton mini a few times. Usually it's digging out for gravel for concrete pads, so I'm not going deep. If I were to do trenches with it, I've thought of a way I can setup a mount for it that would extend a surface up past the top knuckle of the stick. Magnetic is convenient, it can be stuck on the stick of an excavator, the arm of a loader or skid steer, mounts could be made for graders, all it needs is a flat surface of some sort.
anyone from the UK run these machine mounted lasers??
Thanks very much for all the helpful advice, guys. Since my excavator work is, at present, just part time, I might purchase a sloping laser and check my grades manually until I acquire a little more capital and experience.
If your work is part time, I wouldn't even bother with a sloping laser. Save yourself a thousand bucks. I cut swails for survey grading without a slope laser. 2% slope equals 1 inch every four feet. I pace out three yards and drop the receiver two inches on the rod. I can cut hundreds of feet (could even be a thousand or two) a day, and when I check the elevations I'm spot on. You need to understand grading, grade stakes and elevations. When you understand and can run a machine half decent, it's easy to shape the planet to match the plan. Pete