A few projects I have done recently

DMiller said:

Wife would like to do a smaller AK cruise but then squirms at all the reports of sickness on board the boats. No win situation.

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Just remind wife that all you ever hear is bad news. We've never had a problem on a cruise.

Alaska is a marvelous place to cruise around that's for sure. Going back again next summer.

Hey, I'm the guy in NC who repairs the Wacker remotes as well as Rammax remotes. If have any remote issues, give me a call. I can help you figure out the cause. I can also repair any transmitter/remote on those Wacker trench rollers RT820, RT82SC, and RT82SC2 and SC3.
Regards,
Eric @ Carolina Electronics. Wake Forest, NC 919-570-9600

Eric @ CES said:

Hey, I'm the guy in NC who repairs the Wacker remotes as well as Rammax remotes. If have any remote issues, give me a call. I can help you figure out the cause. I can also repair any transmitter/remote on those Wacker trench rollers RT820, RT82SC, and RT82SC2 and SC3.
Regards,
Eric @ Carolina Electronics. Wake Forest, NC 919-570-9600

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Welcome! I've talked to you on the phone a time or two.

Eric @ CES said:

Hey, I'm the guy in NC who repairs the Wacker remotes as well as Rammax remotes. If have any remote issues, give me a call. I can help you figure out the cause. I can also repair any transmitter/remote on those Wacker trench rollers RT820, RT82SC, and RT82SC2 and SC3.
Regards,
Eric @ Carolina Electronics. Wake Forest, NC 919-570-9600

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Thanks !

CM1995 said:

Thanks for the info Brad, I appreciate it!

We are looking at TBC for integration purposes at the moment. Usually we can get the CAD files from the civil so we're planning on learning the process of model building ourselves. Fortunately a good friend of ours is a survey chief and model builder for a large excavation company in N AL that can help us when we run into a snag.

Currently using Insight for take-offs and 3D estimating models. They say it converts to Trimble but we have no researched that yet but is the first avenue before purchasing TBC.

Interesting our new base will not run all day on a single battery, it will go through 2 in 6-8 hours. We have a small 12v battery hooked to it. The rover is good for 6-8 hours but not the base.

The next machine to "make smart" will probably be our. 325FL or a new 325 Next Gen.

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I haven't been on in quite some time, but decided to check in and read this.

We have quite a bit of difference in the use of GPS than most of you, as almost all we do is stream restoration. We do not have to do any take-offs as the designers provide us with a surface, and our RFPs include quantities for most items. Some are tremendously complex including pictures and orientation of logs used in wood structures, riffle, glide, and pool grading, and floodplain grading. Some include just simple linework and surfaces. We often require different layers for each component as there gets to be too much information on one screen, primarily linework.

With the help of our Sitech representative we have been able to learn how to import files in xml, csv for control points, and dwg. We use TBC to export to GCS 900, and it is good to be able to export layers individually as necessary. We have CB 460 on a D6T, 345D, and 320D. A couple of months ago we purchased a next Gen 330 which comes with 2D capabilities and purchased the 3D portion from Trimble. It cost $7500 to unlock the computer in the 330 in order to be able to use 3D. I believe Trimble offers an "Advanced" version for better function of the automatic capabilities, but I understand that is an additional $8,000, and we really don't use the automatic features much anyway. Seems we are getting to the point where despite buying the machine, one doesn't necessarily own all of its capabilities. I imagine soon everything will be on a yearly subscription basis. The Next Gen machines are electric over hydraulic rather than pilot controls, and I hated it at first as the feel of the controls wasn't nearly as nice as our older machines, but we are getting used to them and they can be adjusted.

One thing that the rover and TBC has been very beneficial for is being able to do pre and post construction surveys, and to be able to produce earthwork reports comparing the two surfaces. On one project that we bid on there was a requirement to hire a licensed surveyor to perform pre and post surveys to establish a quantity of material moved, as that cost line item was an actual quantity. There was approximately 110,000 cubic yards of mine tailings to move in order to restore a floodplain. We bid that item including the surveyor' cost, which was about $25,000, and included drone flights but he could only assure accuracy to within .3' as the tailings had come out of a dredge and were not at all uniform. In an alternate proposal included in our proposal we suggested that we would flat top the tailings, shoot the cut area with our rover, and then shoot it again once we had completed construction, and then provide the data to the engineer as well as our Sitech Rep to calculate the volume of tailings moved. They Project Manager accepted our alternative calculating that even if our data was off in our favor by 5% or so the savings in not having to hire a licensed surveyor would be a push. We prepared our own earthwork report via TBC (very easy to do) and came out within 100 cubic yards of what the engineer calculated using our data. I am not smart enough to know exactly why there was any difference, but I believe it had to do with trimming triangles on the surface edges.

The Next Gen is pretty impressive as the screen in the machine shows shading in between lines, and really helps to see what we are building beyond the reach of the boom. The download process is different as the calibration file is integrated into TBC and then exported from there, whereas with the CB460 we are able to add a cfg file independently on the jump drive. The Next Gen also contains the ability to add files/designs directly to the machine from the office, though I don't see us using that feature.

As I am sure many of you have learned, the old free TBC versions did not require the licensing to complete most of the tasks that we use. I bought a lower level of license for our newer version (under duress), but still have the older version just in case.

I bet you will find that after becoming comfortable with the new technology there is no way you would ever go back, but swallowing the initial cost is less than palatable!

Oxbow said:

Seems we are getting to the point where despite buying the machine, one doesn't necessarily own all of its capabilities. I imagine soon everything will be on a yearly subscription basis.

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I completely agree with you here. We just experienced this ourselves in a different industry(agriculture), but same concept. We have a John Deere S670 combine, and purchased a used 608FC corn head this year. The new head came with row sense, little sensors that detect the row of corn and automatically steer the combine to stay on the row. We bought the combine used. We bought the head used. Both combine and head already had all of the necessary hardware and software installed for this feature to work, but to actually use it, we had to purchase a $3,000 license from Deere. Frustrated to say the least as we already spent a $80,000 on the new head. We didn't buy it because of the row sense, what we were after was a folding 8 row head with integrated stalk choppers. This head happened to have row sense too. I just feel like its extortion some days.

I take it that the software needed to be in your machine and was not part of the head? Was that something that could have been considered in the price of the head to start with?

The activations are in the display/ computer., not the attachments. JD software licences ususally stay with the original purchaser. I can move them from display to another display. sometimes they are in a display for sale. The more activations in it the more money it will sell for. In Colsons case he now owns the rowsense licence, in the future he can move it to a different display if he wants.

John C. said:

I take it that the software needed to be in your machine and was not part of the head? Was that something that could have been considered in the price of the head to start with?

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Software was there. Rights to use software not included. Sales rep showed up at the field, typed in a license number and access to that page granted and away we went. Just a couple minutes from when he got in the cab to when we were using the feature.

So this is trying to go like the car makers who want to license features and then shut them off sometime in the future. This is different that right to repair.
My question though is was there a discount on the price of the head because of the lack of a license?

The license fee issue is coming to everything, I had to replace a PC Printer, bought a HP, LOCKED IN as to use of THEIR Cartridges and supplies, machine even tells them when low on ink. Tried replacing with store bought HP Cartridges, printer would not work as is on a Per Sheet of Use agreement that was part of the purchase. Once is used up will go away and I will try someone else's brand or buy a refurb Other Brand.

SHOULD I go look at a car/truck/tractor/electronics device and that little tidbit cross the salesman's/sales manager's lips or be listed in a brochure, I will close my day with that manufacturer and leave.

I purchase the ENTIRE Package without any special addenda to 'Turn On a Feature' or not worth MY Money.

I ask the question because it is a value consideration. What is included in a listed price for any kind of machinery or attachment. Now we have to worry about options on attachments as well as the machine? Is that something that will be part of the ad or is it something that you just have to know? Will any salesforce have to disclose that when talking to a customer.

You know it has to be a Add or Deduct as to the sale, offered for a price or inclusive to gain sale. Would believe would have to be disclosed or as client found a CANNOT ACCESS screen on controls hell would be unleashed.

I don't know that. I have seen lots of stuff sold used and relevant information has been withheld by the sales rep saying I didn't know anything about it. All sales are as is, where is and final.

Should become a Question asked?

John C. said:

I ask the question because it is a value consideration. What is included in a listed price for any kind of machinery or attachment. Now we have to worry about options on attachments as well as the machine? Is that something that will be part of the ad or is it something that you just have to know? Will any salesforce have to disclose that when talking to a customer.

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To be fair, I was made fully aware of having to pay for this prior to the sale, and it was included in the sale.

Our deal was weird. It was a verbal agreement my grandpa had with the dealership this past spring to trade our head and purchase this new head. He may have known about that caveat prior, but he passed away in July and we didn't receive the new header until late October. Given our relationship with local dealer, I doubt it was them being shady. Probably something that slipped through the cracks given the circumstances at our farm this year.

It sounds like something (an option) that should have been mentioned. If it wasn't you should at least get a discount on it, maybe 1/2 price?