alf aphid Posted November 19, 2019 Share Posted November 19, 2019 Lovely job 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b_emmons Posted November 19, 2019 Share Posted November 19, 2019 Looks amazing Ian 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tractor Boy Posted November 28, 2021 Share Posted November 28, 2021 Hello all, but particularly Ian. I've just joined your forum, pleased to be accepted. Scanning through I found your Hydrcut chat. Firstly, full praise for the MK 4 model, very impressive. Hydrocut holds a special interest for me as I worked for them back in the 70s. I started at the time when the then Giraffe was being developed, my detail was to become the Giraffe specialist. I started in the fab shop, working through the various bays where individual weldments were built, to learn every part, where it went, and its purpose as part of the whole. I spent a lot of time under the wing of an amazing welder/fabricator, a smashing chap called Jack Amos. He was retired but came in at the request of the director Tim Chamberlain to sort out the prototype builds and assemble suitable jigs for production machines. He was well qualified for this as he had worked as prototype and jig builder for Whitlock at Great Yeldham. A very clever man.. it was an honour to work with him. After working through the fab shop, I moved on to assembly and testing and also developed the role of service trouble shooter alongside becoming company demonstrator. It was a very enjoyable and absorbing job. Hydrocut built a range of machines, mostly hedge cutters... Giraffe high reach cutter.. later renamed G-RAHF.. after a legal battle Simian... an update of the G-RAHF.. with an indexable third arm Farmer.. a small rear mounted side arm flap hedger MK.. 1-2-3-4.. mid mounted side arm saw and flail cutter Boadicea flail Maximum.. front loader mounted flap... also rear linkage mounted Universal... a version of the MK 4 with a slewing arm... good for corners... could also dig ditches Hycrack... rotating screw wood supplier Hypoint... hydraulic post pointer All damn good machines... I ran a Simian on a Zetor 8045 on contract work for several years. I believe somewhere on here there are some G-RAHF models, built for Agriplant of Bourne... I built two of the full size machines for them. I won't "drone on" .... clever little company... still selling splitters and pointers. 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NIGEL FORD Posted December 9, 2021 Share Posted December 9, 2021 The "Mighty" Mike Cushing (European 12,000lb tractor pulling champion with the original "SNOOPY" around 1980) had one across his cabbed 990 Selectamatic bonnet that he used to do our hedges with, then transfered it to the back of a Zetor 5711 (I think) which he partially sawed through big trees then pushed them over into neighbouring woodland. 20 years later I managed to get specialist contractor Martin Ansell to travel 50 miles or so from Dover to Netherfield Hill Farm we took on with hedges up to 120 feet wide (60 years approx growth) to straighten the place up with a FORD 7600 sporting a G-RAHF that he edged forward sawing from ground up the whole height of the hedges siding them so we could clear up behind him quickly with our FIAT-ALLIS artic loader before topping them. On the clutch every few feet, he was...... No-one nearer us had such a long reach sawhead. Loads of pics somewhere... 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mb86 Posted December 10, 2021 Share Posted December 10, 2021 Very interesting reading in those last two posts Jerv and Nigel. Please, if you have any photos you wouldn’t mind sharing they would be great to see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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