Avant loaders

deevo

deevo

Been here a while
Location
Horseshoe Valley, Ontario, Canada
Well finally got a chance to demo an avant loader, all they had for me to try out was a 530 with an enclosed cab, had the BMG. All I can say is wow they make a great product ! Tim the sales guy spent the whole day with us. The telescopic boom is a nice feature the machine is just built amazing all around! Felt more stable and powerful then my vermeer 725 which is a great machine. So needless to say ordered a 528 won’t be here til May which is no biggie, comes with a BMG and a mini skid mount so I can still use the bucket and other attachments I currently use with the 725. Be nice not to have to put mats down now when your going across nice lawns at long stretches.
85292828bdd9291344c9d4fdcaee35d5.jpg
94a6811ba9aadc0a2e26de08951853ab.jpg
0c6b4799cf1c32e090f68b713e3b62fa.jpg

Here’s what I ordered, still comes with a heated seat butt warmer !
2f4c3eb82b51f1c90a02eae956473f0b.jpg
that’s the 520 in that pic 528 is a tad bigger/heavier


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deevo said:
Well finally got a chance to demo an avant loader, all they had for me to try out was a 530 with an enclosed cab, had the BMG. All I can say is wow they make a great product ! Tim the sales guy spent the whole day with us. The telescopic boom is a nice feature the machine is just built amazing all around! Felt more stable and powerful then my vermeer 725 which is a great machine. So needless to say ordered a 528 won’t be here til May which is no biggie, comes with a BMG and a mini skid mount so I can still use the bucket and other attachments I currently use with the 725. Be nice not to have to put mats down now when your going across nice lawns at long stretches.
85292828bdd9291344c9d4fdcaee35d5.jpg
94a6811ba9aadc0a2e26de08951853ab.jpg
0c6b4799cf1c32e090f68b713e3b62fa.jpg

Here’s what I ordered, still comes with a heated seat butt warmer !
2f4c3eb82b51f1c90a02eae956473f0b.jpg
that’s the 520 in that pic 528 is a tad bigger/heavier


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
You won't be disappointed! Keep it greased. I have had a 528 for a little over a year now. It was a game changer for us.

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Nice deevo, that sounds like an exciting addition.

I have a 528 that I have put far less use on than optimal because transporting it was a challenge. (Just about have that worked out with a new hooklift truck coming together.)

I find the Avant to be a well built piece of equipment and the extendable boom to be in near constant use to finesse pieces into place.
 
You'll love it, I have one at work. If you're using a BMG on it, the machine can pick up bigger pieces than the grapple can clamp, especially if they are large enough diameter that the tongs can't get past the midpoint. I'm sure the manufacturer would disavow this technique, but I use a 3/4" rope tied off to the load and secure it with the bollard. With pieces that you can't access, you can use the same setup to use the machine as a poor man's swing yarder, the boom can get high enough to lift the end and keep it from digging in, and you can jog your way down the rope if you need to since the bollard is easy mid-line.

FYI the log in the picture is hemlock and I was forwarding it for a log truck. I also had to yard it to where I could pick it up: you can drag more than you can lift. The daisy chained section if rope is just keeping excess length out from underfoot.
16b20f04be42af43ee44563d6c1f426d.jpg


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fall_risk said:
You'll love it, I have one at work. If you're using a BMG on it, the machine can pick up bigger pieces than the grapple can clamp, especially if they are large enough diameter that the tongs can't get past the midpoint. I'm sure the manufacturer would disavow this technique, but I use a 3/4" rope tied off to the load and secure it with the bollard. With pieces that you can't access, you can use the same setup to use the machine as a poor man's swing yarder, the boom can get high enough to lift the end and keep it from digging in, and you can jog your way down the rope if you need to since the bollard is easy mid-line.

FYI the log in the picture is hemlock and I was forwarding it for a log truck. I also had to yard it to where I could pick it up: you can drag more than you can lift. The daisy chained section if rope is just keeping excess length out from underfoot.
16b20f04be42af43ee44563d6c1f426d.jpg


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Click to expand...
Thanks for the tip, yeah we can drag some big logs with my mini skid also, I’m getting foam filled tires as well so should help lifting or dragging logs a bit
 
deevo said:
Is anyone here using the rake on their BMG? I plan on getting the scoops, the branch manager website seems to be not in service ? @TopNotchEquipment
Click to expand...
I have the rake. I it is definitely worth getting. It doesn't work well in every situation as it can ball up the sod if it is not well rooted. I would say I can use it about 70% of the time. It also works great for moving snow on yards without damaging the lawn.

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deevo said:
Thanks for the tip, yeah we can drag some big logs with my mini skid also, I’m getting foam filled tires as well so should help lifting or dragging logs a bit
Click to expand...
Guys,

My son and I split Top Notch Equipment and Branch Manager Attachments. Dustin now owns Top Notch the Mpls dealership and I own and Distribute BMGs and Giants across the country to Tree Guys.
Our newer website https://www.branchmanagerusa.com/

I will add to this thread that no one will be dissapointed with an Avant, personally selling over 100 of these machines they are one of the most dependable machines I have ever operated or sold.
Butt I had a lot of customers who were leary of the plastic and also wanted a machine that could get under 36" wide.

After searching I found the Giant brand in Europe, I have sold over 50 of them now in the US and I have to say in the 2000 lb weight class the Giant 254 is a superior value compared to Avant 528

Thats saying a lot, until I found Giant 2 years ago- Avant would be my highest recommendation, But here is where the Giant surpasses the Avant. First of all similaritys, both weigh ~~ 2500lbs, lift ~~ 2000 Lbs, 25 HP Kubotas, Poclain drive motors, Same warrantys , Both brands highly respected in Europe (Kubota actually puts there name on Giants in Europe)
The value of the Giant 254 exceeds the Avant 528 because of the following advantages
All steel construction, True front end loader design, as you sit on the rear not the front, It has the american standard mini hitch (avant is a Euro style), It has a frame lock out pin that allows you to operate the machine in rigid or oscillating axle mode (stability/traction), The "HD" version has more torque, its 2 mph faster, has more tire options & Dual tires making machine widths ranging from 35" to 54".
a 13 function Joystick keeps all functions on one hand no need to let go of your Joystick for other functions, the centered Telescoping Boom lifts 1" higher(whoopty doo). and you can order your company color if you don't like yellow
Built by a Netherlands company, they say the Dutch are better engineers than the Germans

The Giant is a couple more grand then the Avant 528, but the above advantages make it worth it in my mind, (you have to load the Avant with options to get close to the Giants options)
I will add I have had minimal to no warranty claims in the past 2 years making the Giant equally dependable to the Avant

Either brand is a great addition to a tree company and a big performance level above all Mini skids.
I have to give the Giant the edge because of more features than the Avant. Giant254SnowDump-1920x1080.webp View attachment 50259

Disclosure - I am the founder of Branch Manager attachments, and I am a Giant authorized dealer Agent, tasked with helping Tree guys put a Giant in there operation, and helping Giant promote and find potential dealers nationwide
 

Attachments

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tnttree said:
Guys,

My son and I split Top Notch Equipment and Branch Manager Attachments. Dustin now owns Top Notch the Mpls dealership and I own and Distribute BMGs and Giants across the country to Tree Guys.
Our newer website https://www.branchmanagerusa.com/

I will add to this thread that no one will be dissapointed with an Avant, personally selling over 100 of these machines they are one of the most dependable machines I have ever operated or sold.
Butt I had a lot of customers who were leary of the plastic and also wanted a machine that could get under 36" wide.

After searching I found the Giant brand in Europe, I have sold over 50 of them now in the US and I have to say in the 2000 lb weight class the Giant 254 is a superior value compared to Avant 528

Thats saying a lot, until I found Giant 2 years ago- Avant would be my highest recommendation, But here is where the Giant surpasses the Avant. First of all similaritys, both weigh ~~ 2500lbs, lift ~~ 2000 Lbs, 25 HP Kubotas, Poclain drive motors, Same warrantys , Both brands highly respected in Europe (Kubota actually puts there name on Giants in Europe)
The value of the Giant 254 exceeds the Avant 528 because of the following advantages
All steel construction, True front end loader design, as you sit on the rear not the front, It has the american standard mini hitch (avant is a Euro style), It has a frame lock out pin that allows you to operate the machine in rigid or oscillating axle mode (stability/traction), The "HD" version has more torque, its 2 mph faster, has more tire options & Dual tires making machine widths ranging from 35" to 54".
a 13 function Joystick keeps all functions on one hand no need to let go of your Joystick for other functions, the centered Telescoping Boom lifts 1" higher(whoopty doo). and you can order your company color if you don't like yellow
Built by a Netherlands company, they say the Dutch are better engineers than the Germans

The Giant is a couple more grand then the Avant 528, but the above advantages make it worth it in my mind, (you have to load the Avant with options to get close to the Giants options)
I will add I have had minimal to no warranty claims in the past 2 years making the Giant equally dependable to the Avant

Either brand is a great addition to a tree company and a big performance level above all Mini skids.
I have to give the Giant the edge because of more features than the Avant. View attachment 50260 View attachment 50259

Disclosure - I am the founder of Branch Manager attachments, and I am a Giant authorized dealer Agent, tasked with helping Tree guys put a Giant in there operation, and helping Giant promote and find potential dealers nationwide
Click to expand...
Thanks for all that Dave! Funny thing is Giants are a lot less here in Canada and the Avants more $. I would of liked to try a giant but there’s no close dealers around me, closest is 3 hours, the Avant salesman spent the day with us and had a blast doing tree work and putting the BMG through its paces. Was a good experience for everyone all round, I’ll check the new branch manager website.
 
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