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Posted: Sun Oct 03, 2010 10:29 pm
by Al Jardin
Does anyone know where I can hire a mini digger with low pressure tyres? The sort of tyres that are kind to lawns?
We are digging quite a few tree pits in a few weeks and, no doubt, the weather will be orrid so I'd rather not tear the arse out of the new lawn. The job is near Stowmarket.
Al
Posted: Sun Oct 03, 2010 10:57 pm
by GB_Groundworks
use 2 8x4 ply sheets and keep swapping it infront of the mini digger as you go,be alot easier than finding a low ground pressure mini
or if you track straght and dont skutch around to much damage should be limited, but id go with the ply sheets. done it many times of lawns.
get 3/4 ply though, can drill holes and but a loop of rope to make rehandling easier
Posted: Sun Oct 03, 2010 11:24 pm
by Al Jardin
Great idea. I guess you would stay in the same position per hole and only skutch on the ply to change location. I'll put ply on the shopping list.
Thanks Giles.
Al
Posted: Mon Oct 04, 2010 8:05 am
by GB_Groundworks
And btw they are tracks not tyres haha, and be called lgp tracks
Once had a young labourer spend over an hour looking in the van for the track puncture repair kit haha
Edited By GB_Groundworks on 1286176031
Posted: Mon Oct 04, 2010 8:07 am
by jonnyboyentire
got that t shirt - I keep Travis Perkins in business when we've got a digger job on!
Posted: Mon Oct 04, 2010 8:22 am
by GB_Groundworks
Al you shouldn't need to move around use your offset dig to manoeuvre to dig a square hole etc, lift your tracks with the arm and turn with the slew motor and one track to avoid skutching up the grass etc. Or just get the pros in 
Posted: Mon Oct 04, 2010 11:40 am
by Al Jardin
I've got a little digger experience and am confident enough to dig tree pits plus the option of playing with a big toy for a change! Offset is the pedal that disengages the arm from the body, so to speak, for left/right movements? We've dug tree pits by hand before. The ground is bad - old farm yard.
Does lgp mean low ground pressure tracks? Less impact than the ridged type I guess.
Al
Posted: Mon Oct 04, 2010 11:46 am
by GB_Groundworks
Lgp is low ground pressure but you don't get them on machines under 3 ton anyway. Our js130hd is 16 tons on 700mm track pads excerpts less pressure than a human foot. But you can have unto 1300mm track pads almost float on water but it's a trade off as no good on hard ground just warp and wear out.
Smallest machine vie seen is an 8 ton kubota with lgp tracks. You'll be fine with a 1.5 toner just use the boards and won't leave any marks.
Another thing lgp are specialist bits of kit so hire rates are generally double that of standard.
Edited By GB_Groundworks on 1286189716
Posted: Mon Oct 04, 2010 12:48 pm
by Al Jardin
Boards it is then.
Many thanks
Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2010 5:23 pm
by dig dug dan
just as another idea, i got fed up with having plywood destroyed in the wet and getting broken, so i found a company that makes 8x 4 sheets out of recycled plastic.
Slightly dearer, i brought 10 sheets and they are so much stronger. Had a 5 tonner with metal tracks go over them on a lawn, and they worked a treat!
Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2010 7:50 pm
by GB_Groundworks
we get external ply use it once or twice then it goes in the shuttering pile to be cut up, but 3/4 external ply is good for a good few days use before it breaks up, osb(orientated strand board) etc is not so good. i like the idea of the plastic sheets, weve got some bog mats some where, made out of telegraph poles bolted together but not used them since we bottomed out a pond.
Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2010 8:27 pm
by Pablo
Quite a few companies hire tracmats I bought a dozen last year they cost £45 each but are still going strong so I've saved a fortune already. Basically they're half inch thick 9x3 sheets of tough plastic with a non slip finish. Had a loaded six ton dumper and 8 ton digger on them over soft ground this summer and they didn't give way. They're also handy for softscaping to. Think you can hire them for about a fiver a sheet so would be cheaper than buying then throwing away ply @£20-£30 a sheet.
Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2010 8:36 pm
by Pablo
http://www.all-weatheraccess.co.uk/9901.html
Fecked if I know how to do that as a proper link.
Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2010 9:05 pm
by Al Jardin
Phil Spector has the wall of sound. You gentlemen are the wall of info. I'll look into plastic boards & trackmats.
Thanks.
Al
Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2010 9:18 pm
by GB_Groundworks
those track mats look the muts nuts, pablo just trying to buy a 5 ton tracked dumper for getting soil back on rugby club job, so wet at mo..