Need advice on a knuckleboom

R

rangerdanger

Location
Lexington, Kentucky
Well, my Dad came home today and asked me to research getting a knuckleboom put on his chipper truck, where the toolboxes are. We would remove those and put the boom there. I immeditaely thought of asking people on this forum. My first question is can it be operated from both sides of the truck. Since we'd put it on the back of our chipper truck, visibilty would probaly be an issue. I know the big ones have remotes, but do the smaller ones??? Second, what is a good capicty and reach for one. Were looking to spend around $25,000, so nothing fancy. Maybe around 8 to 12 tons. Thanks and heres a link to a few pics of the truck itself.

http://s172.photobucket.com/albums/w40/t...nt=IMG_0248.jpg

thanks

ps: WoodlandTC, where did you get yours. I remember the bossman telling my Dad, but we forgot. And do you know where he got it. Thanks
 
Ok, thanks. We would like to be able to lift trees up also, like the small ones and be able to use it for landscaping also, so the knuckle boom just makes more since, unless we get the fold behind cab loader, which may work. Anyone else
 
Hey Rangerdanger, Do you want to lift logs off the ground? or pick tree stems out of the air? That freightliner is nice with those removable chip tops and would be great for one of those "Z" loader arms that fold behind the cab. If you want to pick wood out of the air then go with a heavier truck and crane!
 
Well, mostly just to pickup the wood and do some of the stem plucking. Like on stump cuts, it would be nice just to pick up the stump as its being cut. The problem with the loader is we don't know if it would handle the loads, and to lift a tree up by its rootball(talking landscapeing here for a minute) then the knuckleboom could come in real handy. My Dad's not real hot on the loader, just the crane, since we used to have a cable one(really old, sold it awhile ago, truck sucked, but the crane and hydrulics ROCKED) so I guess he just remember how to use one. Plus the logs we would need to pick up probaly could't fit into the grapple, which is another concern, is the grapple size if we bought a loader. Thanks for the advice.

ps: Mike, do you have any idea what a knuckleboom in the 4.5ton range goes for. Thanks
 
Also, do you know the price of the log loader Z style, and who best to buy from. Thanks. My Dad just checked out a pic and agrees the visibilty might be better, since you look down into the body, and on the boom, someone has to guide you. Thanks
 
Mirk Equipment, a large company up in Northern Ohio put the truck together for me. Google them and you can find the website.
 
Ranger,

Small knucklebooms (length that is) can't pick too high. The truck gets in the way. So, if you don't have a 30' boom, then it might be better to get a more efficient loader. We ordered a loglift z-loader recently. Should be a good smaller rig for us. I think it reaches about 28' and the grapple stows behind the cab. It will be much faster than a knuckleboom crane.

We ordered it through Southco Industries in NC.
 
The knuckleboom works great for what you are intending. I have a 95 Chevy Kodiak with a Palfinger Pk 8000 that will lift 4 ton. It reaches about 35' straight up and about 25' off to the side. Very good for picking those stubs out of flower beds and such. It also has an 18' dumping flat bed stake body for hauling the logs. My favorite option is the wireless remote control. I can even run the crane myself while cutting out of the bucket. I often thought about putting a chip body on it but never did because we have a seperate chip truck. I would however like to sell it and upgrade to a tandem rear mount log truck because we now have a larger crane for the picking and the log truck would be much faster for loading logs. Let me know if anybody is interested in buying it. It has been a good truck!
 
Hi. If I understand your needs right, I would suggest a Z style loader crane. That one, as all log loaders, are called "production loaders". They are more heavy duty built than ordinary knuckle cranes. The Z style crane can fold up and park behind the cab and you can add a saw grappler to the crane & with that, you can lift the log & cut it to any size fully hydraulic (that grappler isn't cheap, though). You can have a remote, but they aren't very common on the log cranes, & it does add to the expense. But you can get it.
Another solution if you don't use the crane all the time is to have a "quick disconnect" mounting system. The crane then is mounted sitting at the back of the truck and when you don't need it, you can unlock the crane & disconnect 2 hydrualic hoses. It takes less than 2 minutes - and the weight savings will save you fuel - something we can all benefit from (the environment & your wallet).
You might want to consider buying a used crane. You can save a substantial amount of money, and get a bigger/longer crane for the money. Most already "well used" cranes that we deal with last another 2-3 trucks, when they are properly maintained.
If you have other questions, please feel free to email us, or post again. We should have a picture for you by tomorrow after we are done mounting the grappler of a Z crane we are currently putting together.
 
I see the link I but above doesn't work. Go to http://www.opdykestrucks.com/ then click where it says "Click Here To View Inventory", then scroll down and click on "Unmounted Equipment". The unit I was mentioning above was K350,a 10 ton knuckle boom with radio remote and 39' of side reach for under $19,500.At TCI Expo Southco quoted me a Z loader at $40,000. but said there were smaller units available for lighter trucks.
 
Ulf,

Nice website, you've done allot of work with Hiab cranes (rangerdanger: checkout their site they have a used Z loader for sale).

I have a Hiab 081AW with 1 manual ext. and thought about getting a grapple for the end. Our local Hiab dealer quoted me $9000 CAD to run 2 circuits to the end of the boom and add 2 servos to my remote bank...........I don't have a grapple on my crane! I was looking at $12-13k just to get a grapple set-up.....too rich for me. What are you charging for setting up cranes like so?
 
Mangoes, Thanks. Because of my heritage, I'm a little "old school" with regards to safety as a priority, but also very modern when it comes to equipment, as well as asking "how can it be done more efficiently (both in $ & time) without sacrificing safety.

As with other things in life, there is usually a trade off between cost & features. Dealing with used/reconditioned equipment helps us to offset some of that trade-off.

As to your grappler situation, we would have to know some information, which I am going to email you about. That may be a more appropriate "forum" for that discussion.
 
Here is a picture of the Epsilon Z style crane we finished and have now available. Just click on the attachment link with this message.
 

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