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Solo trak or Bryce


Archie

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The spreading track is a very appealing feature. Soon as I saw it I thought if you could get a Bryce with that it would be a cracker. The narrow width of Bryce does leave me wary. If he could somehow get that feature on his machine he'd be onto a winner

 

Yea, I asked if bryce could fit wider tracks (at least 350 but pref 400mm) as it weighs 4.5 ton empty on the same tracks as rg30 protech which usually weight around 3 ton as when loaded it would make an imprint, didnt like the thought of another 1.5ton on same footprint. I was told no customisation options are available and that the machine was good as it was, I think the bryce is likely the best knocker, shame they cant be customised to users needs/environments.

 

The spreading track is great for being stable on embankment work we were doing alot at the time for railside fence replacements.

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Thats good, it was about 2 yrs ago when I enquired so I'm glad they have added them as an option, although £2500 seems a bit steep, when I replaced the tracks on the rg30 they were around £650/700 each, so maybe wider with them fitting them would be close? Depends on quality I recall when I looked. Guess you could sell the smaller ones but seams a bit of a ball ache considering your buying new.

 

Think the solotrack are 350 wide? Track grips look a nice feature, dont think anyone else does those. 

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Track price is a good point actually. But iv not done much research into running costs of machines. I know everyone will be different depending on terrain but roughly how long do they last on average. Anyone got any horror stories or anything in particular that's sore on the tracks

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Should last a long while, only changed as was an old rg30. New ones don't do much as you only track backwards to each post usaully on grass/soil, not like using as a dumper all day on a mine/quarry on gravel tracks as most of the rg30 were. 

 

Brought a "Cautrac" track first time, what a **** track! Center metal cleats pulled out within 12 months!! Not impressed, especailly as they said 6month warranty when I called to moan. Bridgestone or Jtrack I had after, bridgestone are best but expensive, JTrack was a good track and was the £650/700 one.

 

Had the drive cogs wear out on the evo after 6 months, turned out they were a bunch that the supplier didnt heat treat and replaced FOC.

 

Interesting difference, with the protech I didnt realise until after I got it was the tracks are hydraulically tensioned with a gas pressure chamber on evo2's which allows quick release and tension of the tracks with a flick of a valve and keep even tension on them while allowing them to flex in and out over ground. Should be easier on the tracks long term.

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Sorry gents there is no answer . I'm a Bryce man with tractor mounted and a 180 but there is always something you think would be better. You can't have a light weight machine that is heavily built with a big hamer and all the attachments because that's a heavy weight machine and vice a versa l think you have to compromise and work out your priorities if you do a lot of hill work then use that as a platform and if the machine is too clumsie for Mrs miggins 1 acre paddock then it just takes longer my. Brother who uses the 180 would get rid of his missus first before the 180. But he dose say it's got niggles (which have been rectifiedd on the new ones). You need to find the machine that dose 90% of your work with a 100% cmotment.

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Hi everyone, this is my first post and I think I know a lot of you from other forums etc! Anyway, I'd be interested to know what sort of work rate you are all achieving with your various tracked knockers.

Let's forget about the wire work for now- but how many posts would you expect to be able to knock in on your own with the machine loaddd with stakes, i realise there are many factors but let's just say reasonably good going and not awkward access?

 

I run a digger mounted postknocker with auger and also a wrag with rockspike on a 85hp tractor and loader- I find the versatility of this setup edges it for me as I can pretty much do anything and go anywhere with either machine- on my own on the tractor I'd achieve a steady 400meters a day in conditions described above with stakes at 3meters centre but wonder just how much more productive a tracked machine is when you factor loading/unloading, lack of any pallet forks etc and investment wise you have a lot of money tied up in a one trick pony with also having to factor in a transport vehicle trailer etc too... just my thoughts...

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Hi Matt

Well hopefully the answer to your question is a lot. Iv finally decided which machine I'm going for and that's my children's inheritance now spent again. Iv been on this topic all week like a woman in a sho shop trying to make my mind up. Thanks all for your feedback it's been both helpful and interesting. After all considered I think Iv chose what's right for my own circumstances. And delivery time has also been a factor as I pretty much need it pronto. Not a lot between them but after asking blade or mast leg. Wide track option or track grips and so on Iv decided the one for me is going to be solotrak. Mainly due to no blade on Bryce and delivery time. Rightly or wrongly Iv made my choice and pretty confident I won't be disappointed. Hopefully this thread has been of some use to others or will be in future. Thanks for all advice specially Steve and tepapa.

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Brilliant thread, interesting to read the pros n cons! Pity we couldn't get a few machines together for a field test!

 

Having no leg on the solotrak is more of a compliment to the machines balance and design than anything else! I do wonder in the long long run whether a leg would prevent wear on the main turn table over time?

 

The spreading tracks is interesting, from what I can see the tracks widen on the non weighted side? Correct me if wrong, I can see the advantage but wonder how much additional balance they actually add.

 

The blade is a good thing I reckon, it will be the next addition on mine, even if you only use it once to stop a slide away it has to be worth having.

 

Front rack is interesting, as said it completely changes the machines balance, my machine when folded away is actually front heavy, once she is loaded up with stakes on the front and nothing in the rack you can feel her bouncing almost.

 

Do you work by yourself Archie?

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Moore aft

Field test would be one way to liven up top gear. My problem with decision making was what field. Iv spoke a lot about steep terrain but I'm not actually always hanging of a cliff. Do a lot of flat and rolling ground on dairy and beef/sheep farms. Which I have to be honest I think I'd have chosen Bryce if that's all I did. But terrain changes quickly here from flat dairy farm to rough steep forest and hill country. I need a machine that does both well rather than one that excels in one area. Interesting point about blade saving you only once to have paid for itself. As above all else that all but finished the Bryce for me

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I plan to visit Protech next week to spec a machine up but to be built on a marooka dumper, Bryce was the outright leader for a while but not adapting a machine put pay to that, solo trak was second in line but a few things there I can't get my head around and over come at minute so I think after speaking with Protech they have a nose in front....

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I didn't realise that these dumpers had a handbrake, I thought they were like a digger once you let go of the controls they just stopped no matter how steep the ground, that is a rather negative feature really.

Also the points made about not having a leg, would this not make the machine dreadfully rocky if the tracks were not on nice flat ground, i.e. Rocking on roots humps and bumps every time the weight was raised, and as someone said above a leg would surely minimise wear on the pins/slew etc.

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Yes, i remember seeing picture of early Bryces that didn't have a leg, I guess there is a slight time saving to be made in that any adjustments made whilst driving aren't hindered by a leg. But aside from that I can't see any other benefits. Sometimes if using my wrag backed over a ditch the leg doesn't reach the ground and it's not nice using it like that- once the weight hits the post it takes the weight from the machine but then is snatched back on again when it's raised, very bouncy but then that is on a tractor so tyres and linkage all add to that. That said at least a tractor the wheels respond to undulating ground whereas tracks have no flexibility to adjust to ground so the leg would be essential to steady any pivoting.

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Yeah funny the rockspike with no leg is a bit of a head scratcher to be honest. Iv asked Simon from solotrak about it and he assures me he's never felt the need for it and none of his customers have ever came back asking for one. He seems a pretty switched on guy so I can only assume if it was needed after all this time he or at least some of his customers would have felt the need and he would have it fitted by now. When the mast is down it's on the ground and acts as a leg. It's when mast is full up and hammer at top I'm wary of. However can only give it a go. If you see a thread on here in a few months called solotrak don't have a leg to stand on you'll know I'm not a happy bunny.

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When you talk about mast legs i think you need to state what machine your using as this will have bearing if its neccesary.

There all designed differently and react differently when used.

The solotrak doesnt side shift quite as far out and the weight isn't quite as heavy as the Bryce's, makes the whole set up a lot more stable without the need for a leg. Ive never felt the need for a leg whilst driving posts in normal conditions. Sometimes if you need a bit more stability dropping the blade will stablise the machine. On the odd occasion with the weight straight out the back when your backed into a ditch, down a bank then a mast leg would help, and the telemast usualy sorts that problem.

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We have a kubota KX 71 3 years old 2000 hours that requires a new slew ring, the distributor says this is caused by using a post driver and the rocking motion it creates even with the blade down. And no the post driver is not too heavy for the machine but the one that was recommended by the machine distributor

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Hi Steve, may I ask which model driver you have on your machine, iv seen the postpuncher design with the big tube and it doesn't seem to have any support for the machine at all, which always looks a little eccentric to me when it's being used, I converted a postknocker to go on my Takeuchi tb125 that acts like the vector digger drivers in that once placed on the post the weight of the whole machine is taken by the post (post basically acts as a leg), it makes things very stable and also aids hammer effectiveness as you can press down on the post whilst driving it in, Takeuchi has done 4500hrs with no slew issues and wouldn't even say the pins have worn too badly.

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I wouldn't want to use my digger one without the leg on the floor, it would rock around all over the place and move the post with it. Running a digger normally is a bit different to using one with a post knocker as you haven't got the jarring of the weight going up and down. I find having a good 2ft of sideshift a big advantage and as said before when working down a slope I wouldn't want to be without a leg. Some times when your working and the machine is balancing you drop the weight on the post and the front of the machine drops right down and so on but I suppose a blade would stop this to a degree.

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