Just curious as to why side shift hoes are so popular in Europe and so seldomly offered in the states? A side shift hoe would be worth its' weight in gold to me. European backhoes seem to have some dynomite features on them.
Europe is MUCH different than the US. Most of the town streets are hundreds of years old and were built around horse drawn carriages. They a machine to be as narrow as possible. The S/S backhoes have vertical outriggers and as well as the ability to dig along the outside track of the machine. JCB will still build you a (US Spec) full size S/S backhoe if you want it. We have a few customers that demand S/S. No extra charge for the S/S. Only cost upcharge is if you want a hydraulically operated S/S.
Dumb question- how else would you shift it from side to side without hydraulics? Do you just move it with the dipperstick? Seems like a common sense feature, but the outriggers wouldn't be as stable.
The backhoe slides on a rail, and yes, you can shove it back and forth with the boom and dipper. I'd guess a hydraulically moved one would allow more accurate placement on the rail, I had one on a German built J/D 410. They have their advantages, but there are disadvantages as well. Because the stabilizers are in closer to the tractor, the machine is less stable than with conventional stabilizers. You have to be careful with a fully extended boom at 90° to the machine. My machine had a swing motor rather than hydraulic cylinders, the swing in the boom had less power than with cylinders. There were times I could not shift the machine around by raising it and trying to swing the rear with the boom.
I've never actually seen a sideshift hoe in person. If the hoe slides on a rail as Steve wrote, What keeps it in place while digging?
I;m glad that they don't have them here the only advatage i see would be digging close to a building othere than that I don't see them being better but more of an issure for extending out to lift or dig.
JCB use what they call "hydraclamps" which are basically a large bolt and nut passing through a hollow hydraulic cylinder. No hydraulic pressure = loose bolts and the kingpost can be moved. Hydraulic pressure = bolts tightened and the king post is locked to the carriage by friction. Father tells me that the early JCBs didn't have the hydraclamps. You had to get out and loosen the four bolts with a big spanner, slide the kingpost and then tighten them up again.....
Thanks Cmark, makes sense. I'm gonna keep an eye peeled when I'm out and about in case I come across one and get an up close look.
Different strokes for different folks, I guess. I could definately see them being an advantage while I'm digging footings. Easier to keep my machine straight without jockeying for position & knocking dirt in the trenches. Next to a building they're a no-brainer.
My J/D had a hydraulic clamp with a valve on the left side of the lever tower. When you released the pressure, the boom assembly went limp on the rail and you could slide it, then throw the valve back on and hydraulic pressure clamped the boom to the rail. As Cat mentioned, it's a great machine for digging next to a wall or off a road shoulder, my machine was an '81 which was before the days of the smaller excavators with the boom and house swing. Another thing I could do was dig a square hole for a septic tank without moving the machine, I'd center the machine in position and slide the boom from one side to the other. When i dug the hole for my tank here at my home, the driver who dropped the tank for me said he'd never seen a hole so precise, lol!
side shift here are some pictures of the sideshift setup on a 590 case /new holland 110b jcb and cat do have a hydraulic assist to slide the arm across stability is no problem ,and as already stated we have very limited space here cheers graham
I'm jealous. Some things ARE better in Europe/UK!
i found the cat version, never been around one.
My father ran a sideshift JCB in either the late 70s or early 80s when JCB first became available around here. He told me exactly what Steve said. He did not like it because it wasn't as stable as a regular backhoe. I believe that's why they didn't catch on here. Also, nowadays you can get a mini-excavator if you need to dig next to buildings etc.
well I have used both one was a jd with a scissors jacks and to be honest it was a pain in the neck on our minor roads,as well as that with the side shift you have nearly 8ft more reach available . Never could say that there was any issue with stability on either machine type ,but given choice I would like the massey fergie 60hxt full spec machine
I have never played with a centre fix scissor leg machine but did cut my teeth on MF40R & JCB 3C and have operated the 3CX I cant honestly say I felt them unstable, having said that after being on tracked exc many operators feel ducks are unstable but I've seen more pictures of tracked exc laid over than I have ducks
I have a friend that also has a German 410 Deere. Its never been shifted since he had it. The legs are scisor type but have telescopic extensions. I worked for a man that had a Cat with the side shift and also a Grey market Komatsu compact loader that had the same set up. I liked them working in tight areas fo sideshifting one sidethen slewing all theway over to the other side. It made it balance good and save alot of space in traffic.
I had a simular discussion with a deere dealer over a 315j or a 415j. He said side shift was available in the us if i wanted to order it. He also sugested that I stay with a center swing for ground clearance... Experience wise I've never ran a sideshift, but it looks like a nice theory, and I can see where they could be tippy with verticle stabilizers, but when you get next to something, you only use one stabilizer or none in some cases. With that in mind, they could be more stable because you can actually use them. all in all I wanna drive one to come up with an experienced opinion.
Its funny how things vary from country to country. I haven't worked backhoes for years but in this part of the world I don't think you could even sell a scissor lift with fixed stick. Maybe some of the Eastern States guys could comment. There's a bit of thread here:
I found several used side shift LB 115's in France & Netherlands. Maybe I have tripped, fallen & hit my head on a rock, but if they're priced cheaper than USA units and they come equipped with everything I always wanted (4/1 bucket, side shift, great tires) but can't get in the US, would it be crazy to consider having one shipped to the US? I live on the far east coast of the USA-closest to Europe..... Don't laugh too hard- I thought it might be worth at least getting a shipping bid. Here's one in France set up the way I'd like it: http://www.machinerytrader.com/list...6637280&GUID=26B4C63FD89043D8BA9B54CA2410ED52
I have had oprated both center mount and offsets when it was time to buy had to an offset the view is one of the best thangs about it. When diggin footings I can slide it over and look sraight down the line. For me offdiggin is rhe only way to dig!:scool
OffDiggin: Thats some neat excavation, thanks for the pics. ...What is it? BTW, I wish I had dirt that would standup like that.
I agree with Sqizzy What is that? It does look like dirt but holding like that is the dangdest thing.
Looks like clay. You're seeing it in a fairly dry state, add water and you've got a whole different animal on your hands!
IT is a surge pit for a large olimpic size pool at a boy scouts park. yeah alot of the dirt I dig in is over X and recompacted then I dig. This was the 2nd time I dug this it sat for 2 months the rain hit and filled it up so we had to dig the mud out and filler up compacte it. the large pit is 10' deep and the small one is 5' deep
That is one neat excavation .........dont matter how many times you had to dig it :notworthy
Have you seen any of these, Squizzy? Apperently they try to sell them down there, I found the pic here: http://www.hydrema.com.au/
I have a Case 580G here in East Central PA. Have not had it long. My first backhoe. I like it. Trying to post a pic. I figure as a newbe I need some posts under my belt. Great site very informative
^^ up the post count^^
Ahh lets see if this worked
What the heck? I've never seen a "G" model. I'm jealous-it has a slide shift hoe, too. That's a real keeper! I'd paint that old girl and keep it forever!
Duke that G model was very short lived here I don't even think it was a model for a full year before the K model came out. It was one of those cross over type machine not really a full new model of it's own but a hyped up E model at least the one here in the states over seas i think it ran longer. all i know is very rear to see one around here .
Don't forget the 4WD, Extendahoe and high power sony radio lol. Some people don't like the perkins diesel .......but it runs great
Yes, A big contractor who works for Multiplex has one, or maybe two, working in an inner city demolition and development job.
It looks like the offset would have an advantage for visibility.
To the best of my recollection (dimmed some what by the demon drink presently) the 580f and more so the G was the most successful rubber tyre that Case sold here ,and I also stand on being corrected but I thought they had a David Brown engine with the latter end of the run (G) having cummins fitted. Hic:drinkup:drinkup:drinkup Nice digger mate. Stock
Look at the skinnier taller tires-different from the typical 580.
The 315SJ I think is basically the same chassis as the 310SJ, so there is no difference except for the s/s. It's nice for travelling because you can fold the backhoe in towards the cab and thus get a shorter travel length. It would be a SA made machine as well, so it might be very different in price, but i don't know which way, up or down. Is this scissor outriggers thing the same as having sideshift but having fold down outriggers behind it? I have seen something like that on an ancient **(?) It looked very interesting
The Finnish point of view on the subject. Majority of backhoes sold here are center mounted propably for the same arguments you have in the states. I drive a side-shift for these reasons: a) when the stick is placed on the right side of the machine(usually is) I have a clear view of the area i'm digging b) More compact, come's handy when using the loader. This due to the fact that winter is about 5 months long and for that time it's nothing but loader work. c) Digging ability near walls, trench etc. Stability has never been an issue for me. Machine(Fermec 965 4ws and servo assisted) can be driven while facing backwards, so I just relocate the machine when needed. All-in-all, I like the side-shift, not going back to center mount. Suits my needs better. Lännen backhoes is the biggest reason the center mount is the most common here. Those machines are great for digging, beats the hell out of any other make/model. The price is just way over my league.
Welcome to the Heavy Equipment Forums Hempo. :thumbsup
Gotta love it when the Euro-guys check in. So much can be shared/learned here when you get all the various points of view. :drinkup Love the old slide shift Case-what a unique, retro, cool machine. :cool2 Most slide shifts I see are huge. That Case is a real manageable size:usa
what kind of inner city demo is he doing with them? got any pictures of them in action Squizzy?
I dunno Wolf, I'll see if I can find out. I have a cousin who works for Clough construction which is very near the job...but that was some months ago I heard about that job.
ive driven massey 60hxt they were brilliant ive also been on jcbs case cat and newholland i now own a volvo bl71 2007 they are the best all with sideshift i cant imagine operating a backhoe with the hoe stuck in the middle all day with the sideshift i put the clamp to one side and u can see evrything in front of you you get used to sideshift with its stability id have to have sideshift anywhere i go.
If given a choice Id stay with center mount but a side shift would probaly make life much easier working in the street. Especially digging "tie in" holes. I always have to think how I set up the machine so I can get the best view of what Im digging around and at the same time interfear the least with traffic, then add in add in the truck if the material has got to be hauled away.
ok You ever tried on offset on the backhoe boom, does akmost the same trick as the sideshift but you could keep the centermount (this meaning the boom has an extra cylinder which can swing the second boom 25* degrees in both directions. Common in Scandinavia. Look at the picture and maybe you'll understand what i'm saying E.g. http://www.mascus.com/images/productimages/f9c90f86/a091f9d8.jpg (hopefully the link works)
seen them on excavators alot same principle if i ever go to usa im taking my volvo bl71 with sideshift with me
sideshift here are some pictures of me digging and new trench for a watermain on a average sized road in the UK this road is used by all traffic up to 44ton trucks as you can see room is not great ,hence the need for side shift and vertical stabilzers cheers graham
Great pics d4c24a. Thanks for sharing
Hi ,Where i am in queensland a centre mount machine is hardly ever seen. We have case ,cat ,deere , new holland ,terex komatsu and jcb ,plus a few different european brands. As the first four are american i always thought you guys had sideshift over there. In over 30years of operating i can only remember being on a case 780 with a centre mount .If you think about what your doing they are fairly stable or we sideshift breed get used to lifting a leg every now and then. iI rather operate an excavator now over a backhoe and the backhoe operators are being out numbered by mini excavators. I still have one but hardly ever use it and dont intend to replace it with another one. Here all backhoes are four wheel drive ,4in1 bucket ,extender hoe with quick hitch.ian.
From what I understand my 580G is a rare breed around here
Well here they were the most popular Case digger you could find,then about 10-15 years ago some company in Asia bought the assembly line and set up a plant to remanufacture them ,many of the dealers started buying the F&G models for export two wheel drive were worth a premium over the 4x4,all had 4cyl David Brown engines in them so as a result they are a very rare beast here now.
:thumbsup great pics Graham that shows the point perfectly. I cant begin to imagine my frustration should I be stuck with a centre mount, although I suppose I am really,.... having the duck I got to play for an hour or two on this as it fitted better than the duck, I had to concentrate but was suprised how I quickly got back in to the ...........swing
Been trying to locate a repair manual for the G. If anyone can point me in the right direction.
The JCB 4CN has just featured in Earthmover mag here in the UK and is the first time I have ever encountered such a piece. Apparently it has been available in your part of the world for a long time and made especially for that market. JCB recently added it to some online listings and brocheres and were stunned by the intrest :beatsme as a result what seems to have been ( quite unintentionally) a very closeley guarded secret is now in the public domain. On edit,...... the tester did state that to gain full benefit from the machine it needs a tilty thing on the end, but that is standard in your part of the world anyway.
jcb rob how did you find the jcb did the x pattern get you for a while i also still have sticks in mine and not servo,s i did have a demo case with servo,s for two weeks while mine had some warranty work done and did not like them ,lack of feedback from the controls for utility work we also have an owner operator where i work with new holland lb100 he had pilots but did not get on with them so traded in for a new one with sticks i will add that loading the dumper this way sucks :Banghead cheers graham
Although most of um wont admit it, many 360 pilots started out ( as I did ) on a JCB ( ** first actually but then a Jake) and I was quite pleased with myself for not stuffing the bucket into the side of the new offices, it took some serious concentration though A few years back I borrowed a JCB 3CX to do the sister in laws drive. I managed the removal of the old hardstanding, grass and topsoil etc, loaded it all away and placed the type 1 without too much of a drama. Then it came to the final trimming and placing of the 10mm topping :Banghead I resorted to the one arm bandit or pine handled shovel as our brothers over the water refer to it. I feel your pain with loading the dumper, in that situation you have no other option though.
** 40 b hi rob ,i started on the above done quite a bit of 360 work ,a few years doing ground work but i enjoy the utility work ,the main of which is 180 work but we do occasionally have a 360 in on the bigger greenfield jobs had this a few months back for a couple of days never piloted a duck ,but would like the chance too cheers graham
You'll love this then its big brother a 50B My first was what became the MF40R ( it had torque convertor, instant reverse,) great for a wheelie :tong but to start with the seat was out back in the cold over the kingpost a 2203 I think!
I myself was bought up on the x pattern jcb controls and along with the + pattern massey on the sticks i prefer the x when i get into it i have naw the volvo bl71 with pilot controls as a 360 it was a bit confusing at first but got into it like yourself i love the utility work do electric here in mid wales but its gone quiet there naw credit crunch no sub contractors at all but we are on residential work for naw. I tried the bl71 on the trenching and really liked it its so smooth you can feel the services with the bucket i no your not supposed to but if youve been on the game you learn the tricks. Haw do you find the case for your work we did a job like that loading the dumper all the way through the job cos i couldnt block the road with the grab i just managed to get the 3 and a half tonner beside the trench and loaded the type 1 int the trench with the ditching bucket there wasnt even room to side tip along the side of the trench with the dumper.
case not impressed with the case really from day one it has had many issues some were sorted but the hydraulics never have been sorted even a two week trip to the dealer had no joy not well balanced ,i do not like the front bucket control one of the owner drivers a work has a 6000 hr 53 plate jcb he got on my case and asked what was wrong with it ,he was looking for the tortoise switch like the jake has to see if it was on :Banghead on the trench side we foam concrete so i just stand in the skip and shovel the shingle out into the trench and the trucks straddle it to concrete only ever sat in a Volvo at the sed and found little headroom but would like to try one along with the latest cat cheers graham
I do utility work to. I dont like pilot controls all that much either, I like 4stick Case with swing pedals.
d4c24a is that the new zx135-3 hitachi? Any noticeable improvements or just new paint scheme?
i have a jcb with slide shift and like it, the very good for along basement walls and i can set in one place and dig a 8 ft wide square hole that dont taper in to the hoe like a (v) and can do it with out moving, my jcb will dig 15ft deep and it is just a backhoe
no time to be honest i was only there for two days and spent about 3 hours on it we were very busy ,so did not look around it much ,the only other machine i have had that was similar was a case 135 reduced tail swing and that was beat to death the Hitachi was smooth and comfortable ,it had 80 hours on the clock but had already had a ding
I went on a case some years ago 1997 brand new then the jcb L reg 93 was gon for a service and had this to try and found it very slow on the backend and that had the horrible front bucket control and as being on jakes alot on the case i though that the boom was going to kill me it was nearly in the cab i thought a 3 ton mini digger would do a lot more work than it. I was very disapointed with it. It was not long that the jcb was back and respected it. I did think that there was somthing wrong with just that one but youve proven that one wrong hawever there is a video on you tube of a bloke operating a case in the us and the backend was so fast maybe its a fault on the european machines they are a NAIL of a machine at the end of a day.
Can you find that video, lol, I might know who it is.
Something you want to tell us? Very intresting set of pictures, thank you for posting. It took me a second to spot the welder in the trench, thats not something we do here in the UK, ( that I am aware of ) its all Vicking couplings ( other makes are no doubt available )as far as I am aware. I should state that we do weld steel main cross country pipeline, just not on utilities.
I have a youtube page with stuff from a while ago on it. The first pic with the welder, he's joining 2 pieces together. Had to do it in the hole because of phone cable, water main, and drain line all close together. It was a 8inch service to feed a resturaunt. The second weld picture is a tie in hole were we connected the new plastic to the old steel. My crew does nothing but gas. 98% of them time we do main work. We just started a 5,000ft 8inch plastic job this week, nice close to home job.
I am a panelbeater here in Australia and am doing quite a bit of work on these lately and the blokes that use them swear they are the best thing since sliced bread, specifically due to the reasons above.
We had a Case 580g gray market sideshift hoe in the late 70's. The tractor itself was of David Brown orgin. We used it to dig along exsisting prison fence. The new fence needed to be in place before we could remove the old one. Surprisingly, it was a good digging machine. Stability was not an issue as most installations were on fairly level terrian.
its good to hear that you have got loads of that work on utility work takes of a lot of getting in with the right people but as soon as youve got your foot in the door you are more or less in through the door altogether. Is there much electricty underground work out there to. As here they like to see more cables in the ground than overheads
Majority is still over head but the company we work for does have a crews that do just electrical underground conduit as well. Most new residential developements have underground electric now around me. I lucked out with my job. Back in Feb I saw the add looking for a backhoe op. Anticipating the possibility of a slow season with this economy and it being somethan I wanted to do more off I jumped at it. Im 21 now, 20 when I started, fortunetly I grew up around the business and my boss was willing to give me a chance instead of jumping ahead to someone older with more experiance. I had an in with another utility company my dad use to sub contract for, they didnt have any room for me. Were Im at now I came in a total stranger just did my job and fortunetly my boss chose to keep me. Very thankful to be working everyday on a great crew of people.
"Driven while facing backwards"?! If Hempo23 is still visiting the forum, I wonder if he could teach my this neat trick There is lots of buttons & switches on my machine which I have no clue what are. Rgrds.
The 580F & 580G units were built in Case's France manufacturing plant for distribution in Europe and Middle East. I might be able to search and tell you the approximate number of F & G series manufactured there. The number might surprise you! There have been some gray market sideshift 580's showing up in auctions here in the USA.
An awful lot of F&G were exported out of Europe to Thailand back in the late 80's early 90's where they were refurbished,all they wanted were two wheel drives,I know of one man who swapped a 580f for a newer 4x4 machine,condition was not important all they had to be able to do was get on the lowloader and off at the dock to be loaded on the boat.
I have operated hoes for a tad over 15 years and am yet to see let or even operate a "center mount". Closest thing i've operated that even comes close was a Case side shift but with "sissor legs" mounted centrally underneath the sideshift frame - very frikin unstable past 60 degrees slew and full reach even on flat ground. Good thing is that now i've learnt and have graduated to excavators - more comfort and my left knee loves me again.
I bet that machine went through some seats.............operators backsides eating all the stuffing everytime they slewed sideways
I do mostly small jobs. I had a Earth Force EF-4 and it had the sizzor stabilizers. I sold it and got a JCB 212 with the side shift. Love it. I agree probably not as stable on a steep hillside but all in all it does a good job. You cant have your cake and eat it too. Nice how for digging along sidewalks, without getting your tire on the sidewalk, or digging a hole and not having to move.
Side shift back hoes are very handy,reasons:- don't have to move machine as often can reach futher by shifting hoe to the left or right as required can see past the hoe while it is off center, even by a little can tuck the hoe neatly across the back of the machine for taveling, or while using the loader, no hoe hanging out the back to knock into things, but still have the option to center position it to balance the machine not a tipy as others seam to suggest - a good operator isn't going to tip over his/her backhoe??? Allows the operator to work close to the side to the road, wall, house etc
thing is with sideshift always make sure youre front bucket is flat on the ground she wont move then
hydraulic clamps. witch can be activated[locked] from the cab while digging, then unlocked so it slides to your chosen position,
My 2 cents is I think the states should be using alot more side shifts and we should be using alot more thumbs.
The Axial backhoe has NO advantages over a sideshift whatsoever. So to clear it up, here's a list.. 1, Vision, you can't see both sides of the bucket unless you're on an angle. Vision is less than 45 degrees each side of the hoe..unsafe. 2, With the hoe stuck in the middle... adds 5' in length to machine, not good for working in traffic or sidewalk. adds more weight to the back. Not good for grading with the front, no weight when dragging back with clamshell. Dig next to a building, wall or fence, then a full lock turn away. the back will hit the wall. You can't dig next to a building, wall or fence unless machine is angled. 3,Jacks, or Legs. Stay within width of the machine, digging within confined spaces legs are not sticking out 3' both sides. Digging sidways close, leg is in the way. Lifting the leg up with any amount of throttle, throws dirt and rocks against the window. On hill, one leg will lift, one will push. No power with that geometry will lift evenly. put them down on grass and they damage the grass pushing out and scratching in. Legs have to travel 3/4 of thier stroke to contact ground, waste of time + fuel Dig next to a building, wall or fence, you can't but BOTH legs down. Machine is now unstable and unsafe. With a sideshift, Digging full left, hoe on the right, stability, and distance in relation of the kingpin and jackleg are the same as axial hoe. Im afraid ther is NO comparison. An axial would never match a day against a sideshift. I had 10 yrs in the U.K. on backhoes, now in Canada, I pull my hair out at this 50yr old design. the only answer I get from dealers.....Operators like what they're used to. Can you believe the mentality of that!!
There is one advantage, they are more stable swinging over the side to load trucks due to the width of the outriggers. Having had many hours on both, I prefer the sideshift design, especially when using the front bucket, but if I was working where space was less of an issue would far prefer the centre pivot machines. One disadvantage of sideshift machines is that by comparisson with centre-pivots, the buckets tend to be like teaspoons.
sideshift Remember, you can sit the machine closer to the truck, and move the hoe to the middle or other side of the machine, which more than compensates for the stability issue. In the UK, most backhoes come with 36" digging and 60" ditching [clean-up] buckets. Here in Canada and what I have seen in the States, they only go up to 24" digging and 36" clean-up buckets. Looks like I'm gonna have to arm wrestle ya over this one fella!!
You can bucket wrestle me if you want, me old mate. I can only speak for Cat centre pivots, but compared to sideshifts the pin size and spacing on the buckets is different, and for the same width of bucket, the cross section and thus volume of the buckets are greater. So your 24" centre-pivot bucket is close to the same capacity as a sideshift 36". So whatever bucket width people choose, the centre pivot bucket wins out, certainly on Cat machines. Now, back to stability, with a centre pivot you have max stability to both sides, whereas with a sideshift you only have it to one side. This can limit what you do, and certainly if you were loading into a wagon and space is no object, the centre pivot would be faster. Where in the UK are you from?
Hey fella, I was in finning here once and asked the sales guy if he could get me a sideshift, he did'nt know what one was. Here we go!!! I've seen the actual bucket sizes on case, jcb, deere, cat and volvo are roughly the same. It's just on this side of the water, they don't, and won't, use a 36" with teeth! For digging volume they will use a clean-up, a 36" with NO teeth. O.K. we're digging town centre water or gas. Limited space so machine is straight on the road with wagon next to you, but you're truck is an extra 3' away from you, so you NEED that extra stability! Another quick annoying problem is you're other leg is stuck out the other side it does'nt know whether to be on the pavement or the road [sods law it's half 'n half eh, we've all been there!!] I'm afraid the stability candle you're holding is flickering my friend. I'll bet you never had a problem when operating a s/s. Remember, the jackleg is right next to the wagon, the kingpost can be 1' to 5' away so stability would not be an issue. As you will know any back hoe is designed to reach out full stretch on either side with a full 36" bucket, with the hoe moved to the middle, it will reach with extendahoe out. Turning jackleg feet out will assist. so there... I lived in Swansea for a long time, then Derby and Notts area. Been to Peterborough almost every year though, East of england showground. I have'nt seen any axial backhoes in UK, where did you ride one?
I have had a stability issue with a 36" on a s/s. Across the machine with a full bucket of clay, and it tipped. Remember you hardly ever get the wagon tight up to the jackleg. What the manufacturers claim and what a machine will do don't always coincide. The axials I've operated belonged to the manufacturer rather than a contractor. Can't say more than that. Remember there are three companies in the UK manufacturing backhoes, and they all do a centre pivot version. What were you doing in Peterborough? East of England show, heavy horse, truckfest?
Yeah I know they all do a centre pivot, but most operators have more sense to keep away from 'em [present company excluded!] So O.K.......... I'll give you the 1/2 point for being soooo persistent on you're one time stability issue, but be honest, it does'nt stack up to the 214 points the s/s has over it. does it. I was at the BMF Rally most years. are you still operating, what are running? I'm on a 330 volvo at the moment in DownTown Vancouver. I took the gopro camera to work last week and stuck it on the machine, if you go on youtube and checkout Excavation 745 Thurlow [the movie] Thats me! Now you can put a face to the bloke with the s/s fixation....Cheers..
To be honest, it wasn't a one time thing. Experienced it and saw it many times. But also to honest, though I prefer centre pivots for some jobs, if I was buying it would be a side shift. Most of my time on backhoes was on Cat 428's and 432's or JCB Sitemasters, the old black cabs and some of the grey cabs. Five years ago I had a bit of time on a Terex, and to be honest it seemed a well sorted and balanced machine. It seemed a little more stable than the other machines. I had one day on a Case 580 a long, long time ago and didn't really gel with it. I'm still operating, tends to be more dozers and drotts nowadays with a bit of instructing thrown in. How long have you been over there?
Sounds good chap. This will be my 5th year here now, got out just before the economy crash thing. Could'nt stand looking at Gordon Browns face in the paper every morning. Where I live it's beautiful with peace and quiet, the downside is not much work in the winter. So the guy I work for sends me down here to Vancouver for a few months til the snow has gone at home! Is there much work around peterborough way, I hear things are picking up slowly.