Post driver

lakill Farm

Looked at 2 post drivers at the weekend. A vector and Malone .

Got prices of a few . (based on toplink with check valve, tilt and external controls)

Malone €2900
Vector €3690
Rainbow €2900
Major €3300/3500 (not confirmed yet)
Kentec €3000

So any feedback on any of the above?

I used a Malone one pervious but its 10/12 years ago and was controlled in the tractor and no tilt. Know a lad who bought a kentec recently in autumn 2016 and finish was poor, he sent it back to them

rangler1

lakill Farm wrote: »

Looked at 2 post drivers at the weekend. A vector and Malone .

Got prices of a few . (based on toplink with check valve, tilt and external controls)

Malone €2900
Vector €3690
Rainbow €2900
Major €3300/3500 (not confirmed yet)
Kentec €3000

So any feedback on any of the above?

I used a Malone one pervious but its 10/12 years ago and was controlled in the tractor and no tilt. Know a lad who bought a kentec recently in autumn 2016 and finish was poor, he sent it back to them

Have a plain vector here, when i bought it it could only be worked from the tractor, It was too dangerous, so I put a spool valve outside,at least the person on the ground can crush his own hand now.
Its well made and they are well proven,
Local agri merchant used to hire out one made by Cross, it was very well made and an unusual design, probably expensive
http://www.crossagrieng.ie/post-driver

lakill Farm

rangler1 wrote: »

Have a plain vector here, when i bought it it could only be worked from the tractor, It was too dangerous, so I put a spool valve outside,at least the person on the ground can crush his own hand now.
Its well made and they are well proven,
Local agri merchant used to hire out one made by Cross, it was very well made and an unusual design, probably expensive
http://www.crossagrieng.ie/post-driver

Brother in law has a contractors version of the cross. It was expensive when he bought it 7/8 years ago but trouble free enough and its working 6 days a week all year around. Just he isn't around to drive posts when I need them done. Easier to do them yourself

MfMan

lakill Farm wrote: »

Looked at 2 post drivers at the weekend. A vector and Malone .

Got prices of a few . (based on toplink with check valve, tilt and external controls)

Malone €2900
Vector €3690
Rainbow €2900
Major €3300/3500 (not confirmed yet)
Kentec €3000

So any feedback on any of the above?

I used a Malone one pervious but its 10/12 years ago and was controlled in the tractor and no tilt. Know a lad who bought a kentec recently in autumn 2016 and finish was poor, he sent it back to them

Have a Malone; good enough to suit my needs. Much similar to the Rainbow and Major ones I think (surprised there's that much of a difference in price). Belmac or Bridgeway make one also AFAIK. Vectors are a bit fancier and more of a contractors machine I'd say. External controls are nearly a must at this stage but their operation is optimally a 2-person job anyway. A hard machine to get second-hand but their usefulness is broadly determined by the ground you're working with, not as effective in stony/rocky ground.

lakill Farm

MfMan wrote: »

Have a Malone; good enough to suit my needs. Much similar to the Rainbow and Major ones I think (surprised there's that much of a difference in price). Belmac or Bridgeway make one also AFAIK. Vectors are a bit fancier and more of a contractors machine I'd say. External controls are nearly a must at this stage but their operation is optimally a 2-person job anyway. A hard machine to get second-hand but their usefulness is broadly determined by the ground you're working with, not as effective in stony/rocky ground.

Belmac the paint washes off their stuff and bridgeways joe is enough to put anyone off

Ground conditions grand here

annubis

sounds like crazy money for major, got one for 2400 abouts there a few years back, wouldnt think too much of the quality of the build, had a so called safety cage around the weight which is a death trap, and even the little hooks for tying up the weight when finished are ****e, one of the hooks on mine broke off in trailer on way home.. anyway after all that its a handy tool to have around, by the way it didnt come with hydraulic toplink but i use my own, just added 2 little hoses with couplers into the chest and plug our own toplink into it when ever we use it

kowtow

does anyone have one / has anyone priced one for a small track machine, ie. 3 tonne?

Any sense in that approach instead of tractor?

annubis

kowtow wrote: »

does anyone have one / has anyone priced one for a small track machine, ie. 3 tonne?

Any sense in that approach instead of tractor?

the standard one for the tractor is a heavy enough yoke, i driven 10ft post for gates and it can be slow enough but gets it done, id say one for for a 3 ton machine might be light enough so maybe only suitable for handy enough stuff? never actually seen one now so could be wrong, think the vector ones for machine are mad dear anyway

pedigree 6

I bought a Malone there last spring.
It has all the controls outside.
Hydraulic toplink and side tilt.
Have used it a fair bit now and pleased enough with the finish of the machine.

The only thing the Mf4270 has long lift arms and the toplink they sent out was too short. So they exchanged it for a longer toplink.

Although the long lift arms are a gift with this machine and no chance of a broken back window.

Wouldn't be without it now.

kowtow

annubis wrote: »

the standard one for the tractor is a heavy enough yoke, i driven 10ft post for gates and it can be slow enough but gets it done, id say one for for a 3 ton machine might be light enough so maybe only suitable for handy enough stuff? never actually seen one now so could be wrong, think the vector ones for machine are mad dear anyway

looking at Vector it would be a maximum 200kg hammer I think for machines 2 tonne + upwards (I think there is a 400kg hammer for 13 ton machines).

What kind /size of post would that drive I wonder?

We can drive telephone pole sized strainers here by leaning heavily on them with the bucket of the Volvo but it's not a very exact science, everything else we do by hand.

mayota

Anyone here hammer a pin down first in solid ground like gravel? I think the contractor spec vectors might have one attached. I was thinking of getting maybe 4' of 4" solid bar ( chrome part of an old digger ram) for use with the postdriver here?

annubis

kowtow wrote: »

looking at Vector it would be a maximum 200kg hammer I think for machines 2 tonne + upwards (I think there is a 400kg hammer for 13 ton machines).

What kind /size of post would that drive I wonder?

We can drive telephone pole sized strainers here by leaning heavily on them with the bucket of the Volvo but it's not a very exact science, everything else we do by hand.

hmm think the tractor one i have isnt much heavier than that, have 250kg in my head right or wrong, probably drive most things , with the big pposts at times you would wonder if they are moving at all, there is some whack off them when the weight falls

lakill Farm

kowtow wrote: »

looking at Vector it would be a maximum 200kg hammer I think for machines 2 tonne + upwards (I think there is a 400kg hammer for 13 ton machines).

What kind /size of post would that drive I wonder?

We can drive telephone pole sized strainers here by leaning heavily on them with the bucket of the Volvo but it's not a very exact science, everything else we do by hand.

I would not like the post driver version that's out on the end of the jib. I say it would wreck bushes and pins and the king pin very quickly and you would flip a 3t digger very quickly with 200kg on and extended jib.

Seen a 200kg post driver for front of a tractor loader back last year. it would be handy if you had a long enough reach loader

Nekarsulm

lakill Farm wrote: »

Looked at 2 post drivers at the weekend. A vector and Malone .

Got prices of a few . (based on toplink with check valve, tilt and external controls)

Malone €2900
Vector €3690
Rainbow €2900
Major €3300/3500 (not confirmed yet)
Kentec €3000

So any feedback on any of the above?

Have hired out the Vector model from Sheridan's in Arva a few times.
I think it was 60 euro a day. Would it be worth trying for a day to see how you like it?
He has a little buggy it latches onto for transport behind a van or car.

lakill Farm

Nekarsulm wrote: »

Have hired out the Vector model from Sheridan's in Arva a few times.
I think it was 60 euro a day. Would it be worth trying for a day to see how you like it?
He has a little buggy it latches onto for transport behind a van or car.

Was in sheridans the other day looking at the vector and also a roller.

He quoted me a price for the roller on Friday over the phone. Then on Saturday his prices were 200 plus vat more expensive. Even have the prices on message from donedeal. poor form

larthehar

We have a vector we bought 10yrs+ago.. only ever greased it..
I don't know any of the new designs but make sure that the ram is pulling down, some i looked at that time the ram pushed out to lift the weight so if you were under trees the mast would shoot up and inevitably crack off a branch..
You won't be without it once you invest!

larthehar

Oh and this is the job for a small digger

https://youtu.be/BEl1lzBhZgw

rangler1

larthehar wrote: »

We have a vector we bought 10yrs+ago.. only ever greased it..
I don't know any of the new designs but make sure that the ram is pulling down, some i looked at that time the ram pushed out to lift the weight so if you were under trees the mast would shoot up and inevitably crack off a branch..
You won't be without it once you invest!

+1
Farmers say they have alot of fencing to do so they'll buy the post driver and sell it when they're finished......they never sell it

kowtow

larthehar wrote: »

Oh and this is the job for a small digger

https://youtu.be/BEl1lzBhZgw

I like that one, anyone have any experience of them?

Are they expensive?

Bass Reeves

Lakhill at then kind of money quoted for w postdriver (you are looking at 3k anyway) unless you are going driving posts for a week solid for 2-3 years I be looking for a contractor. Any old tractor will drive them. However biggest issue is lads not wanting you to pay for there 280 HP tractor when it is on a postdrive. But check around you will find a lad that is running one off an old Mf390 or something similar and charging less than 40 euro/ hour. If you get a lad like that make sure you have p!Entry of stakes and if you have a good young lad to drive his tractor a!l the better.

Two year ago replaced about 150 posts in 8 hours. Every post hole ( for about 100 of the posts) had to be first checked with a crowbar as lots of rock under the ground. Young lad drove the tractor contractor drove the crowbar and the post driver and I kept the poles supplied and checked which ones I wanted replaced. We redid the wire after. I think he charged about 300 euro. Big thing when hiring any contractor such as diggers postdriver etc is to not be paying them for doing 9-10:euro/ hour work

rangler1

Bass Reeves wrote: »

Lakhill at then kind of money quoted for w postdriver (you are looking at 3k anyway) unless you are going driving posts for a week solid for 2-3 years I be looking for a contractor. Any old tractor will drive them. However biggest issue is lads not wanting you to pay for there 280 HP tractor when it is on a postdrive. But check around you will find a lad that is running one off an old Mf390 or something similar and charging less than 40 euro/ hour. If you get a lad like that make sure you have p!Entry of stakes and if you have a good young lad to drive his tractor a!l the better.

Two year ago replaced about 150 posts in 8 hours. Every post hole ( for about 100 of the posts) had to be first checked with a crowbar as lots of rock under the ground. Young lad drove the tractor contractor drove the crowbar and the post driver and I kept the poles supplied and checked which ones I wanted replaced. We redid the wire after. I think he charged about 300 euro. Big thing when hiring any contractor such as diggers postdriver etc is to not be paying them for doing 9-10:euro/ hour work

What do you do when you want to replace a dozen stakes or gate posts. pointless putting down 2 or 3 inc thick stakes a foot in the ground with a sledge, much better with 5in thick stakes 2 foot in the ground.
You'll never regret having one of your own.....you can always sell it

grassroot1

rangler1 wrote: »

What do you do when you want to replace a dozen stakes or gate posts. pointless putting down 2 or 3 inc thick stakes a foot in the ground with a sledge, much better with 5in thick stakes 2 foot in the ground.
You'll never regret having one of your own.....you can always sell it

I used to get a friend to drive stakes and you be waiting ad he would only come for an hour. I bought my own and have to say it was the best investment ever.
It is easy fence if the stakes are driven .
As above when you have fenced every field you will get stakes breaking here and there if you have the machine you are independant of everyone plus there is no excuse for not having all gates swinging

Bass Reeves

rangler1 wrote: »

What do you do when you want to replace a dozen stakes or gate posts. pointless putting down 2 or 3 inc thick stakes a foot in the ground with a sledge, much better with 5in thick stakes 2 foot in the ground.
You'll never regret having one of your own.....you can always sell it

I get this lad every 2-3 years. Virtually no gate posts, if a post goes then either replace it with a light post until he is next around or with a pigtail. No sheep so only drystock and no mad Continentals so another cost reduced.. When I replace at present I am using a 4-5'' machined post from a good source expect that these will last 20+ years. Will replace most suspect posts. Strainer are the only nucience but again drive light post next to it and tie both togeather.

rangler1

Bass Reeves wrote: »

I get this lad every 2-3 years. Virtually no gate posts, if a post goes then either replace it with a light post until he is next around or with a pigtail. No sheep so only drystock and no mad Continentals so another cost reduced.. When I replace at present I am using a 4-5'' machined post from a good source expect that these will last 20+ years. Will replace most suspect posts. Strainer are the only nucience but again drive light post next to it and tie both togeather.

I use Balcas 5ins machined stakes {3.60 each} and like you some are twenty years up, but some break, sure everyone works out their own routine and no ones right or wrong.

pedigree 6

Not sure if you saw the pictures before.
But here's a few of the Malone postdriver in action.





And finished job.

Username John

Do you have sheep pedigree that you put up the sheep wire?

pedigree 6

Username John wrote: »

Do you have sheep pedigree that you put up the sheep wire?

For keeping em out.:pac:

Seems to have worked.

rangler1

pedigree 6 wrote: »

For keeping em out.:pac:

Seems to have worked.

If you had my neighbours, their sheep would come out through the ditch and graze between the fence and the ditch, they did it here and the fence was a lot tighter to the ditch than yours.:mad:
why so far out, neighbours must have quiet sheep

pedigree 6

rangler1 wrote: »

If you had my neighbours, their sheep would come out through the ditch and graze between the fence and the ditch, they did it here and the fence was a lot tighter to the ditch than yours.:mad:
why so far out, neighbours must have quiet sheep

I had that too with the fence that was there before. But the fence was getting bad and the sheep would break in a few times in the year usually in the winter or before a cut of silage.

So when I was reseeding the field I ripped the old wire out from the ditch.

It's a little bit out in places as I wanted to keep the fence fairly straight and even.
It looks better that way (and that's what matters).;)

There has been a crop of barley beside me this year so not really properly tested although the sheep broke into that a few times too.:D

Edit: I'm thinking of planting some trees behind the wire.

Nekarsulm

lakill Farm wrote: »

Was in sheridans the other day looking at the vector and also a roller.

He quoted me a price for the roller on Friday over the phone. Then on Saturday his prices were 200 plus vat more expensive. Even have the prices on message from donedeal. poor form

Very bad service there, Lakill! That kind of thing leaves a very bad taste in your mouth.
Then he wonders why every lad is buying off Do.D.and driving to the end of the country.
You only get to piss a customer off once, then you can watch him drive past your gate for ever more. :mad:

Muckit

kowtow wrote: »

does anyone have one / has anyone priced one for a small track machine, ie. 3 tonne?

Any sense in that approach instead of tractor?

If l had a machine like that I'd be planting concrete ones