I'd like to add a robotic gun to my collection for occasional use and I'm seeing a lot of Trimble 5600 on ebay and listed on this forum. Is there a reason that so many are available and some for a really low price (realizing that they are missing a data collector and other equipment needed to operate). Is there something inherently wrong with them or are we just in the life cycle of that model where a bunch are being upgraded from?
Imo once you go robotic you cannot go back. At least I can't. It's just 1000x more efficient
Andy Nold, post: 356782, member: 7 wrote: Is there a reason that so many are available and some for a really low price...?
Trimble isn't making parts for them anymore. For now it seems that stock is mostly available, but that won't last forever.
Yeah, I found the thread about the internal battery replacement too.
Andy Nold, post: 356803, member: 7 wrote: Yeah, I found the thread about the internal battery replacement too.
Andy according the folks who repair my 5600 Trimble has issued an end of life notice for this line of instruments. They have stop making replacement parts. When the parts that are on the shelf now are gone,that will be it for the 5600 series. Even if the shop is willing to fix them pretty soon they will not be able to do so. Be careful they are really not worth as much as people are asking.
It's a shame Trimble is not going to support the 5600 any more. The 5600 was and is one of the best robotic Total Stations ever made. They are just forcing people to upgrade from a perfectly good product by discontinuing parts. This is the reason I will never buy another Trimble product. I own a 76 year old Ford tractor that I can still buy parts for from a dealer!
If ur interested in the trimble, take a peak at the focus 35 robot. Spectra is trimble although they keep them separate. I love my focus robot. Doesn't have active tracking but it's a bunch cheaper than the other robots on the market
Rich., post: 356855, member: 10450 wrote: If ur interested in the trimble, take a peak at the focus 35 robot. Spectra is trimble although they keep them separate. I love my focus robot. Doesn't have active tracking but it's a bunch cheaper than the other robots on the market
Rich
I presently have a 5603 that I bought new almost 12 years ago. It has been a work horse and my crew chief would quit surveying if I gave up the robot.
It appears inevitable that at some point I am going to have to upgrade to a new robot, as service and parts will be an issue. I am looking at a Trimble S5 or possibly a Focus 35. Do you think the Focus 35 is built for the long haul or will it have problems down the road. I am not sure that we can live without an active prism setup.
LES, post: 356873, member: 7252 wrote: ... Do you think the Focus 35 is built for the long haul or will it have problems down the road....
I've seen enough quality control problems with newly delivered Focus instruments to make me rather skeptical about their long term reliability. They are made by a company under the Trimble umbrella, but not on the same assembly line or even in the same country as Trimble.
LES, post: 356873, member: 7252 wrote: Rich
I presently have a 5603 that I bought new almost 12 years ago. It has been a work horse and my crew chief would quit surveying if I gave up the robot.
It appears inevitable that at some point I am going to have to upgrade to a new robot, as service and parts will be an issue. I am looking at a Trimble S5 or possibly a Focus 35. Do you think the Focus 35 is built for the long haul or will it have problems down the road. I am not sure that we can live without an active prism setup.
I have no idea. My first focus lasted 3 years working fine, no repairs or shop visits, until I dropped it on flagstone.
I now wanted the s6 due to the active Rod. Checked out the leica ts12 as well. Ended up going with the focus again bc I only needed the gun alone and that ran me 15k. As opposed to 33k for the s6 including the data collector. Lieca was mid 20s but I didn't want to make the full jump to leica yet as that would switch all my office collectors to carlson collectors, which is a good thing but it would make the possibility of an s6 down the road almost impossible. Didn't want to rule that out so I went with the focus again right now.
I love it. Wish it had the active Rod for ease but I've gotten so used to working together with the bot that we r a team and I'm very good with it.
