Tree Mek tips from experienced owners and operators

MA Arborist

MA Arborist

Branched out member
Location
Cape Cod
I may be in the market for a tree Mek. (Most likely a new one).

Any advice and/tips from experienced owners and operators is appreciated

Thanks in advance!

J.C.
 
There is so much advice to give. I guess a brief answer would be don't get locked in to reach. Once the grapple saw comes off you'll live in the 45 degree chart. Make sure the chart is solid enough to safely pick the kind of wood you want to pick. There is a trade off unless you go big with the crane. So take my 88 for example. If I wanted more reach I could have gone with a different jib. If I did that I'd loos capacity but gain reach. what I needed was capacity so I went with the stronger fly jib. There's a trade off in everything. A truck set up for max reach will have less capacity than a shorter reach. My jib, I gave up 8' of reach to gain about 5000lbs of capacity sucked in or 1410m lbs at full reach. The shorter the truck the closer you are to being overweight on fed bridge law. Also the shorter the truck, the more counterweight and closer to being overweight. Shorter the truck the possibility of derating some of your load chart due to stability issues. For example only being 60% of chart over the front. Tell them to show you the factory chart on the boom and then ask for what the actual chart on the truck is gonna be. It can change due to weight and length of the chassis. Shop around. Keep asking questions and reach out to me or countless others who are happy to share.
 
Go spend a few days shadowing someone good (like Steve) and you will learn a lot about what you do and what not to do when building and buying one of the Treemek cranes. My week in Virginia with Steve this summer was a huge eye opener for me. I will also probably go watch other companies machines in action before making a purchase.
 
MA Arborist said:
I may be in the market for a tree Mek. (Most likely a new one).

Any advice and/tips from experienced owners and operators is appreciated

Thanks in advance!

J.C.
Click to expand...
Steve(wealth of great info.), Ryan, and deevo are all spot on. Maybe I can help you find someone in your general area that can help you out? I know that depending where on the Cape you are makes all the difference. You can either email me, or send a PM. david
 
Great information guys.

To those who have had a Mek for a few years or more, Can you discuss options/customizations on a new rig that you recommended (besides the mat rack, tool boxes etc.).

Also, have the new tier four final diesels been problematic? Why or why not?

(I ran all tier 2 diesel equipment prior to the emissions Regulations and have since switched to gas trucks and chippers. I am aware that a Mek sized truck will need a diesel).
 
Your customization should be tailored to how you are going to operate. Mine is based all on efficiency as a subcontractor to other tree services. My setup is perfect for me but not so much for others. I have some unique options on mine others don't have. I used my experience with the old truck to dial efficiency into the new build. My goal is to make people money and get repeat business. It depends on you and what you want. I'm happy to share what I have and why but I don't know if that will help you or give you options that are more expensive and wouldn't make any difference in your operation.

So far as the engine. No problems yet. I am set to regen while running on PTO. Just a computer setting. I have only had to regen 3 times that I know of in almost 9 months. I do spend a lot of time on the interstate. The 2020 KW have a factory issue with the DEF tank sensor installation causing the truck to drop into derate. There aren't any parts anywhere so PACCAR has a delete program for that code and they are working on a Cummins patch. I know several folks who have had that issue and have been shit out of luck. Luckily mine is a 2021 KW T880 with an ISX in it. Not saying I wont break down tomorrow but so far, other than an air line and plastic valves, everything has been great with the chassis.
 
How many gallons of fuel per hour are you guys averaging on the truck while running the crane??

I’m calculating expenses on a daily basis. I understand that there is some variation from day to day…
 
So Ryan was pretty close. 75g tank. 1/4 tank for an 8 hour day with 30 minutes of travel each way. 8 hour day with 4 hours of driving I'm down to about 1/8 tank. When I file my quarterly taxes it averages out to about 3mpg but thats because so much time is at idle. Should say High Idle. I spend about 1800 a month in fuel and DEF in the busy season.
 
More questions…

Dunnage. How much do you recommend I keep on my truck and what dimensions?

Ramps?? For setting up on grades?? Any tips or tricks to keep the tires on the ground?

As always, all advice is appreciated
 
I carry synthetic structural lumber from Black Rhino. I have way more than I need. I have 5x7, 2x3 and wedges. All 24" long. 2 wedges per tire for the steers and 1 for each drive. I have 2 steers and tandems. 4 5x7 for each for the tandems so 16 total and 3 for each steer so 12 total. Same amount in 2x3. I also have some extras Just incase. Everything doubles as dunnage to build up the outrigger bases so I have extras for that as well. I dont have ramps. @climbhightree uses them on his rig. Ive found backing onto the dunnage is better than pulling on. Pulling on up hill seems to spit them out more often. Benefits of synthetic is the longevity and price is about the same as milled oak. Drawback is they are slippery on pavement and kick out easier when pulling onto them. Thats why I back on when pulling uphill rather than pulling on while pointing uphill. Hope that makes sense. Pretty sure I paid about $3600 for everything. Had to order the wedges from The Fire Store.
 
I just carry treated lumber for cribbing (6x6, 4x6 and 2x6...all 36" long). Eventually I would love to switch over to what Steve has...I've been looking at them for many years. I also carry 20,000 lb aluminum service ramps to help level out on hills. The ramps have been working great for me. Though I did have an issue the last time I tried to use them. We cleaned snow off the lawn, where we wanted to set up, the day before. When I set the ramps down and tried to pull up on them, they just kept shooting out due to the hard slippery ground. I unusally setup with the cab down hill, so easiest to just pull up onto the ramps. I could put a thread pattern on the bottom of the ramps, but this would then affect a driveway when using them on that. Next time I may try laying down hardware cloth or something similar between the ramp and ground.

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climbhightree said:
I just carry treated lumber for cribbing (6x6, 4x6 and 2x6...all 36" long). Eventually I would love to switch over to what Steve has...I've been looking at them for many years. I also carry 20,000 lb aluminum service ramps to help level out on hills. The ramps have been working great for me. Though I did have an issue the last time I tried to use them. We cleaned snow off the lawn, where we wanted to set up, the day before. When I set the ramps down and tried to pull up on them, they just kept shooting out due to the hard slippery ground. I unusally setup with the cab down hill, so easiest to just pull up onto the ramps. I could put a thread pattern on the bottom of the ramps, but this would then affect a driveway when using them on that. Next time I may try laying down hardware cloth or something similar between the ramp and ground.

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I like what both of you have suggested and will probably combine both methods.

Climbhightree. How’s that Cummins engine been treating you??
Any warranty work or issues with that engine?? I ask because I most likely will have a western star like you
 
MA Arborist said:
I like what both of you have suggested and will probably combine both methods.

Climbhightree. How’s that Cummins engine been treating you??
Any warranty work or issues with that engine?? I ask because I most likely will have a western star like you
Click to expand...
No engine issues, but I've had some regen issues. I had to have a sensor replaced once on it, and I'm thinking it may be going out again....doesn't always regen properly.

I need to get the truck back to the dealer sometime to get it adjusted so it can regen while pto/crane is running. That has been my biggest issue, truck shutting down while running the crane because it suddenly needs to regen.
 
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