- I’ve spent most of my life running my steel fabrication and crane hire business, until I became ill in late 2010 and was forced to give up what I loved doing – making things! 
Was told initially I was terminally ill,
then after 5 months the diagnosis was changed to an extremely rare disease called Gaucher’s, but it was treatable 
and that I would be on treatment for the rest of my life !! I was 53.
I spent a lot of time ‘winding up’ my business affairs and disposing of the assets and premises, which I finished completely last May.
I live out in ‘the country’ and have a small barn conversion with a couple of acres of ground.
After having a fabrication workshop for most of my adult life, it is hard not to have my facilities to use and so I am in the process of leveling some of my ground to put up a small workshop.
The ground is a large bank and I started to excavate with a JCB 3CX and a 6 tonne dumper, to move the spoil to a neighbour’s ground and fill in a large gully for him.
The ground conditions are very wet/heavy clay type soil and digging is restricted to dryer weather, or it gets everywhere!!
I have now replaced my 3CX with the Hydrema, as it was becoming ‘hard work’ with a 180 BHL and I needed more capacity for some of the rocks I was uncovering!!
Plus I wanted the lifting capacity and reach that the M1500 gives me, for other uses. I chose the wheeled option, as I intend to use it as a materials handler, as well as an excavator and need to be able to ‘get about’ my property with it, without damaging the road surfaces/driveway, etc..
I’m a member of a UK equipment forum and a fellow member from Norway suggested I ought to join this forum, when he was showing me some links to a DIY tilty that someone was making. I have been building my own VA-r (Variable Angle Rotator) for a while now and it is almost ready to be ‘oiled up’ and tried.
As a life long fabricator, I am always interested in other people’s work and like to share/help when I can.
I’ve enjoyed the UK forum immensely and learnt a lot there. I look forward to similarly enjoying being a member here and hopefully making some friends perhaps, as I have done on the UK one.
Machine experience-wise; I’ve been around heavy equipment most of my life and have operated crawler/truck mounted/self propelled cranes, FLTs, BHLs, 360 excavators – tracked and wheeled, of all sorts of sizes, up to 20t, and I will have a go at anything!!
I also used to have a LGV license and have driven trucks of all sizes. I have had a full M/cycle license since I was 17 and still ride bikes – currently a GL1500 Goldwing!
Hope this is enough of an intro for you all and feel free to ask anything you like – I might answer you !! ;o)
Graham
and love to be 
