Has anyone added a remote to an older grinder?

[arbor pro]

I have a newer 252 for tight areas and an older vermeer 665A pull behind grinder that works great at taking out the big stumps. I would love to be able to operate the 665A remotely so that I can see the stumps better and prevent getting covered with dirt and debris.

Mechanically, there's nothing at all wrong with the 665A so I can't justify replacing it with a newer machine just to get a remote. Has anyone ever added a remote to an older machine and, if so, how well did it work and how much did it cost?

I checked with a local fluid and power company that specializes in such things. They said they could set me up with new valves and a wireless remote for about $3000 ($2200 parts and $800 labor). I just don't know if I can justify spending that much on an older machine. Your thoughts please...

 

[Thor's Hammer]

its easy enough to change the valves yourself, and wire up the remote. The parts at cost would be about $1500, so their price sounds reasonable.

 

[stumpy66]

if that converts to £800ish pounds,thats not a bad upgrade...be nice not to get covered in sh*t everyday...would be a lot safer too...might even help with the positioning of screens to stop debris flying....

 

[Thor's Hammer]

I'm not saying You could buy the parts at that price... thats what an OEM would pay, but they would put their markup on that.

 

[stumpy66]

don't try and get out of it now!, i had my machine in bubble wrap already to pop in the post....good job you clarified it, i was about the start licking the stamps..

 

[Thor's Hammer]

to offer variable swing speed would mean a fully proportional radio / hydraulic system. push the lever slightly for slow speed, push it fully over for fast swing. perfectly feasable, but it gets expensive, and on a smaller grinder would not be worth the expense.
this is the systems I use -
http://www.roquet.co.uk/remoteControlSystems.html

And this is one type of application
http://www.farmiforest.fi/?CRANES:REMOTE_CONTROL_FOR_HYDRAULIC_CRANES

That system costs about £3200 in parts though....