Front Loader
Front Loader
Mini Loader - Tool Carrier Versatility
There are two main classes of front end loaders - tool carriers and bucket loaders. Bucket loaders have the bucket permanently attached to the front end loader mast and are only designed to use a bucket, they don't have a quick change facility to enable a range of different attachments to be used on the tool frame, like a tool carrier.
A mini loader that is designed as a tool carrier on the other hand can be used with many different attachments. This gives much greater versatility to the owner by allowing one powerplant to do many jobs. In the past a specialist machine might have need to be brought in for each job. For example to build a drive way, a bucket loader had to be brought in to carry road base and sand, a forklift to take the pavers off the truck and bring them to the site and maybe an excavator to dig out a trench for the plumbing. A modern mini digger can put a bucket on to carry the gravel, attach pallet forks to move the pallets and a front hoe to dig out the trench. This saves the transport time of bringing multiple machines to the job site and one truck with a mini loader and range of attachments can perform all these tasks with ease. In the past skid steers were utilized for these jobs, but the mini loader has taken off rapidly and owners are now discovering a better machine exists for their work.
Another feature that sets a mini loader - tool carrier apart is that they have great auxiliary flows which enable the operator to run various hydraulically driven tools. It is important to select a mini loader that is matched to the hydraulic tools you want to operate, however this must be covered in its own page. Some of the tools you can operate on a mini loader - tool carrier include augers, trenchers, rotary hoes, green waste grabs, brooms, 4-in-1 buckets, stump grinder, dozer blade, skid hoe and cement mixer. Some other tools that don't require any flow from auxiliary controls include general purpose buckets, bulk buckets and pallet forks.
When considering the purchase of a front end loader - tool carrier, consider what tools are available. For example, the Schaffer Loaders tool frame is capable of taking Digga and Norm Engineering accessories.
Common attachments for mini loader - tool carriers include:
GENERAL PURPOSE BUCKET: The General Purpose or GP bucket is the most common accessory on any type of front end loader, skid steer, mini loader or Wheel Loader. It is the most efficient tool for loading and unloading most loose materials, due to its design and relatively low weight compared to a 4-in-1 for example. Most loaders use GP buckets that are designed to hold around half its tipping load based on a material with 1700 or 1800kg per cubic metre.
BULK BUCKET: The bulk bucket has a much greater volume that the GP bucket and is used for lower density materials, such as grain, feathers, compost, wood chips and mulch. This allows the mini loader to transfer larger quantities of bulk material so the loader becomes even more efficient. The large volume allows the mini loader to carry a large volume but still not overload the capacity of the loader. One has to take into account that the centre of gravity of the load is significantly shifted forward so you cannot lift as much total weight as in a GP bucket. Bulk buckets are usually designed for materials around 100kg per cubic metre. Bulk buckets are also made with lighter overall construction than GP buckets so aren't suitable for heavy earthmoving work.
4-IN-1 BUCKET: The 4-in-1 bucket, or 4-in-1 is a bucket that has an opening jaw. In many parts of Australia every front end loader, mini loader, articulated loader, skid steer, and stand on loader will be seen with one of these as they are very versatile on a job site. The 4-in-1 stands for clamshell to grab logs and stones, opening up to use the back as a bulldozer blade, a normal bucket for loading and to bottom dump by opening the jaw to gain greater tipping height. Two hydraulic cylinders open the back of the bucket up to form a set of jaws. There are advantages and disadvantages in using these buckets. The 4-in-1 must be made very strong as it doesn't have shell strength like a GP bucket as the back opens up, this means a lot of weight and a smaller volume than a comparable GP bucket. The advantages of the 4-in-1 are numerous however as outlined in its uses.
AUGERS: Augers are generally used by fencing contractors for drilling post holes. Some augers are also used to quickly plant trees by using an oversized auger bit and create a hole that compost and the plant can be placed into. The size of the auger a front end loader can handle is determined by its auxiliary flow and loader weight. It is best to avoid light weight mini loaders as you can't get enough down pressure to push the auger. Generally the slower the auger runs, the higher the torque which enables it to push through hard soils, clay and even rock. The selection of teeth on the end of the auger is also important, these teeth or "bits" make the most of the contact with the ground and are the first to wear. There are three main types of teeth which are selected depending on soil type to be drilled - MFT, Tungsten Carbide and earth.
EXCAVATOR HOE: Excavator hoes are one of the latest accessories to add to mini loaders. Until recently the only excavator hoes were sit-on bulky designs, that often cost as much as a purpose built excavator. The invention of the front hoe, that allows the operator to sit in the protection of their ROPS cabin has changed the way we dig trenchers. The front hoe weighs around 200kg, is inexpensive and allows the mini loader operator to quickly fit and do small trenching tasks rather than have to call in an excavator.
This is only a small selection of tools that can be operated on mini loader - tool carriers, others include chain trenchers for laying pipes, rotary hoes for preparing soil for planting, green waste grabs for removing vegetation, stump grinders for grinding what is left over and brooms. It is important to select the right mini loader - tool carrier for your work, depending on oil flow and machine carrier weight.
About the Author
Schaffer has been the leading brand in mini loaders and front-end loaders for over 50 years. Schaffer provide
mini loaders
,
front-end loaders
, fork-lifts, telescopic loaders, articulated loaders, skid-steers, mini diggers, articulated fork lifts and all accessories.
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HD Loader - Play PS2 Games From Your Playstation 2 Hard Drive
Any serious Playstation 2 (PS2) gamer knows the frustrations when it comes to playing the most graphically intense games. There is often a tremendous load time associated with getting from the point of putting the PS2 game disc into the console, and having it load the game. Not to mention the time it takes to load between levels. Or how about those times when you're on a mission to thwart he bad guys, but you see the rendering getting choppy or freezing up for a second or two. We used to blame it all on game glitches or bugs. You know, those little mistakes that were just never fixed, because the game itself was working as it should. I know I thought that was the issue. Until I got my hands on the Playstation 2 HD Loader disc, and all of a sudden, my games were glitch free, and load times were a thing of the past. Let me start by explaining just what the HD Loader actually is. Utilizing exciting new technology, The HD Loader allows you to install and run your Playstation 2 games directly from a hard disk drive connected to your console (Sony PS2 Network adapter and compatible hard disk drive required). The HD Loader is a revolutionary piece of software which allows you to store games on any modern high capacity IDE Hard Drive connected to your PS2 (Sony Network adapter required). Now you can install, delete and manage your games and files on your HDD with just a click of a button. The simple and intuitive multi lingual user interface allows easy navigation and selection of files stored on your Hard drive. Games are executed at lightning speed and accessed directly from the HDD, no need to insert your game disc. Just launch HD Loader and select the game you wish to play.
The HD Loader essentially turns your Playstation 2 console into what could be called a portable hard drive. Except that it not only allows you to store the games and the game data on the hard drive, but it also lets you LOAD those games directly from the hard drive too. And just what does all of this mean for you and me, the gamers? It means that once we've copied the game from the disc, onto any old IDE hard drive plugged into the Playstation 2, we're able to put in the HD Loader disc, and select whichever game we want to play, a game we've already put on the Hard Drive.
You see, the Playstation 2 is capable of reading data from a hard disk drive much faster than it can read from a CD or DVD. Using The HD Loader to run your games from a hard disk drive leads to significantly reduced game loading times. And updating as your on a level or load times between a level become things of the past. Never again will you need to endure painfully slow loading times which sadly plague so many Playstation 2 games. This applies for old and new games alike. One of the things that either Sony or game developers never really "worked on" was game loading time on the PS2. Take for example the same game title on either an Xbox or a PS2 console, and if you sat and times load times, you would notice a very big difference between how quickly a game loads on an Xbox (especially between levels) and how much faster the load times are than that same game on the Playstation 2. The reason for this is actually quite simple. The Xbox loads parts of the game data onto the built in, internal hard drive. Because the game data is already on the hard drive, it is essentially ready to "go" when the next level is loading, and it loads at lightning speeds.
Until the HD Loader was released, Playstation 2 gamers were envious of their Xbox counterparts. What the HD Loader does though, goes even beyond the simplistic level loading or reducing load times. It actually allows you to put the ENTIRE game, on the hard drive. And not just one game, as many games that will fit on to the hard drive you have installed into your PS2. So you'll not only be able to have faster load times, but you'll also be able to store the actual games, digitally, on your Playstation 2 hard drive, without having to damage your game discs in the process. There is no need for the discs to be used, so you can put them away for safe keeping. In fact, you can keep them as good as new because you'll be loading the entire game from your hard drive, and not the disc itself.
I keep making mention of the fact that a PS2 Network adapter is required, if you want to use the HD Loader. This is in fact true, but the reality is, the Playstation 2 can NOT have a hard drive connected without a Network adapter. You see, the Network adapter acts as your IDE converter. While it is designed to let you get online, and play online games, it also has a plug on the inside, which allows you to connect a Hard Drive to the game console. This was developed mainly for the Final Fantasy game, which actually required a Hard Drive to play, to store and load content from the hard drive. Now before you go thinking that you'll be stuck with a 40 gigabyte hard drive, the one that comes with the Final Fantasy game. It's important for me to state that while you could use that 40 gigabyte hard drive, the HD Loader is compatible with both standard IDE hard disk drives and the official Playstation 2? hard disk drive.. So you won't be stuck with just 40 gigabytes, you can go right up to 120 gigabytes or 250 gigabytes of space. Any standard IDE Hard Drive will work, something that was also impossible before the HD Loader.
But much more than just playing games from your hard drive, you can also load MP3 music, your digital pictures, and a wide variety of other "data" on to the hard disc, and have access to it on the fly.
If you're thinking 'That's great, I've got games on my Hard Drive, but how the heck to do I load them, or even see what's there' then you're in luck. The HD Loader user interface is designed with simplicity in mind. Just boot up the HD Loader and begin playing your games without wasting any time navigating through a complex user interface. The interface lists all of your games and options, in an very easy to use and easy to navigate manner. The intuitive user interface allows easy management of games currently installed on your hard disk drive. Adding or removing games is as easy as pushing one of the buttons on your controller.
In short, the HD Loader is the ultimate Hard drive storage and management solution for your PS2 game console. Not only will it get rid of those awful load times, but it also offer you a chance to protect your expensive PS2 game collection, but storing the games on the Hard Drive while you're playing them, and keeping the original games safe from scratches, dirt, or dust. So if you're tired of long load times, and want to get into the action right away, then the HD Loader is probably THE must have item on your list for the holidays.
About the Author
Steven Fields is an avid gamer and has written numerous articles and help guides for all the major video game systems. To find out more about the
HD Loader
for the Playstation 2, make sure to visit http://www.ps2cover.com/hdloader.shtml