Gerasimek's Tree-mek

Ben Heller · Mar 4, 2016

The behind the cab mount can be done.... nice pruning work there by the way SJ...just kidding. Say, I am wondering what your cycle times are like on that crane. Like articulating the jib completely and the swing speed. Maybe knowing how many seconds it takes to go to full reach from completely retracted and knuckled in as far as you can go on normal operation. Thanks.

james mauldin · Mar 4, 2016

SJ I know you've seen several trucks/ different setups. Do you think on the shorter wheelbase trucks, the added nose length of a conventional truck is more stable than a cabover in a cab mount situation. I finally got a side pic with the boom on. Still have the tank and bed to mount then routing everything. But the pic just shows how short the truck is overall

SJ_Treeguy · Mar 4, 2016

Oh i forgot to say 13 ft by 8 ft by 4 ft sides dump body , 1999 volvo double frame from the front to the rear, 20,000b front axle, 46,000 lb rears, front stabilizer and rear stabilizers , 31 ft total length. 20 3x6 trac mats mounted between the crane and the dump body, two 18 inch x 18 inch x 4 ft tool boxes and one 18 x 18 x 3 ft tool box, truck weighs 46,800 lb empty, 65,000 GVW .

Tanner28 · Mar 4, 2016

Something to mention is that these larger knucklebooms are a dime a dozen in Europe. One can save a chunk of money with buying the right used crane direct from overseas. This may be to risky for some but for others it could mean a large jump up in crane size and for less money. The euro to dollar is very good right now also.

SJ_Treeguy · Mar 4, 2016

The jib is an 080, i am pretty sure. With 4 hyd ext and two manual pull outs.

Thank Ben !! abstract art is a hobby of mine.

Yes James because the front axle is that much further away from the crane center. That is short truck ! I can see why the load chart numbers were changed by hiab .

Ben Heller · Mar 4, 2016

SJ_Treeguy said:
Oh i forgot to say 13 ft by 8 ft by 4 ft sides dump body , 1999 volvo double frame from the front to the rear, 20,000b front axle, 46,000 lb rears, front stabilizer and rear stabilizers , 31 ft total length. 20 3x6 trac mats mounted between the crane and the dump body, two 18 inch x 18 inch x 4 ft tool boxes and one 18 x 18 x 3 ft tool box, truck weighs 46,800 lb empty, 65,000 GVW .View attachment 36530 View attachment 36533 View attachment 36534

Rick, did you ever find out what weight you are legal for? Here in Minnesota with just 3 axles we can only do 54,000 on a 10 ton route, or 52,000 on normal 9 ton routes. I think my Tree-Mek (when it gets built) will only be legal for 48,000 because of short wheelbase, despite the 3 axles.

Ben Heller · Mar 4, 2016

SJ_Treeguy said:
The jib is an 080, i am pretty sure. With 4 hyd ext and two manual pull outs.

Thank Ben !! abstract art is a hobby of mine.

Yes James because the front axle is that much further away from the crane center. That is short truck ! I can see why the load chart numbers were changed by hiab .

I think we should Pollard more trees here in the new world. It is just getting people to accept the look and accept the ongoing upkeep. Tree-Mek good for Pollarding start.

SJ_Treeguy · Mar 4, 2016

There are many cranes to be had overseas, with that being said you need to look long and hard because their market is so different than ours, most are 24 volt, different radios, these cranes where taken off of a truck for a reason maybe an up grade who knows , you are buying site unseen and once they have your money well . I am not trying to kill Tanners idea but i was going this route and almost got burned, so if you want to go this way do all of your homework .

SJ_Treeguy · Mar 4, 2016

I am sorry Ben you did ask me that and I did not check into that question. I will over the weekend and get back to you. Thank You !

james mauldin · Mar 4, 2016

Hiab cranes are 24volt control systems. You just have to add a $75 step-up converter

SJ_Treeguy · Mar 4, 2016

Hey Ben , because of the cold weather the cycle times now are a little slow. When I set up we always try to keep the chip truck or landing zone as close as possible so the cycle time is reduced , in the beginning of the removal cycle time is very slow because you have to cut your way in,once the tree is opened up I can go pretty fast! Knowing the tree species and wood weight will tell you how big of a piece,which also speeds up the cycle time. Time at the controls ( a lot of reps) .

classictruckman · Mar 4, 2016

DMD a cab mount on a cab over is possible, that's the standard build everywhere else in the world.

If you can find a dealer that will build it, a bumper stabilizer will likely be necessary.

Ben Heller · Mar 5, 2016

SJ_Treeguy said:
Hey Ben , because of the cold weather the cycle times now are a little slow. When I set up we always try to keep the chip truck or landing zone as close as possible so the cycle time is reduced , in the beginning of the removal cycle time is very slow because you have to cut your way in,once the tree is opened up I can go pretty fast! Knowing the tree species and wood weight will tell you how big of a piece,which also speeds up the cycle time. Time at the controls ( a lot of reps) .

Thanks, Rick. The drywall delivery boom I am renting is sooooo slooooow. The full articulation for the jib/outer boom takes about 17 seconds as engineered. The main is the same, but seems a little quicker. And 24 seconds to make 360 degrees of rotation. That has me thinking about actual cycle times on the crane. Although Jamie Montgomery (I think Tree Mek 4) told me he still has the crane slowed down because it is faster than they want for now. I think he might have the same crane as you do, I know it is bigger than the 33002, plus he has the larger Mecanil head.

dmd · Mar 5, 2016

Jamie has the 40 series.

SJ_Treeguy · Mar 6, 2016

If I remember correctly the next two crane sizes above mine did not offer endless rotation that is why i chose the 40002 for that feature, some of my function speeds are turned down, now after 6 months of use i find myself advancing the idle speed because they seem slow to me. The SG 220 will cut 18 inch wood , the SG280 will cut 24 inch if Jamie has the SG 280 on the pk40002 thats a big cut for size crane. I see going bigger but over the life of the crane bigger puts much more stress, believe me with the SG 220 you can go way bigger than the crane can handle ! I didn't want to be tempted by the larger cutting capacity .

Westminster Hydraulics · Mar 9, 2016

I want to give you my two cents about buying a K boom from across the pond. I'm a Palfinger dealer I've sold Fassi and IMT knuckle booms in the past and gotten involved with cranes coming from Europe with 24 V system, you can get a step up converter but that's only the beginning of your trouble all the electronics inside the overload system and the load holding valve are very different than what's sold here in the US as well as the main control valves you really want to do your homework as Rick Yoos suggested before you purchase one from across the pond. There is no doubt you can save money but if you can't get parts what did you really save?