Tree VMC, Okuma Cadet, Mazak VTC Any good?

I have been stalking ebay for the going prices on used machine tools. I have been watching prices steady for past three months and seems they're just falling..

I have been eye balling some more equipment lately Mazak VTC's, Mazak QT's and Tree VMC they just seem so cheap now.. I know the 90's early SQT and QT are pretty solid but I have't seen much information on Okuma Cadet, Tree VMC and Mazak VTC are these solid machines?? Any information on either of them.

I'm calling upon you ewsley, If I remembering correctly you had/have a tree and okuma cadet.
In nutshell, are the mazak's worth picking up I came across one that looks pretty solid.... tree and okuma cadet are cheap cheap so are worth it or junk shouldn't waste my time.

Tree. Age, model? I have a Tree V1500 VMC, 60 x 30 x 30. Actually made by Kao Ming. I would take a gross of them if I could. Some other models, not so sure.

alphonso said:

Tree. Age, model? I have a Tree V1500 VMC, 60 x 30 x 30. Actually made by Kao Ming. I would take a gross of them if I could. Some other models, not so sure.

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Mid to late 90's 1050's ,1060's,800's

Did some pro style goggling and looks like stay from Tree because of the electronics are "tree" and hard to come by.

I have 2 cadet mate mills from Okuma. My 2 machines have been very reliable machines, the one I bought new in 99 has had no service calls, and the one I bought used 4 years ago has given me no problems. The machines are not the fastest machines out there, but they have always gotten the job done.

Some things to note sometime in 99 they went to linear ways, on the cadet mates, instead of box ways. If you are doing surfacing or really long programs you will need the DNC-B option. Honestly for the money machines are selling for now I would look for something in a higher end machine then the cadet mate, as the prices on higher end machines are not much more then the lower end ones of the same age. Later Jason.

The Tree mills will use Yaskawa electronics and spares are easy to get. The Trees should be made by ZPS in the Czech Republic. I believe that the Okuma Cadet "mate" machines were also made by ZPS.

I don't know anything about the Mazak. Make sure it has the EIA option.

Any machine especially a box way machine, make sure you do an inspection on the ways, Pull the covers off and check the full length. I have seen many machines that had broken or plugged lube lines that caused severe damage. Not an easy or cheap repair. Also, check the prices for spindle rebuilds and electronic repairs and parts( spindle motors and drives, servo motors and drives). That is why used Haas machines hold their value because the parts are cheap and easy to get.

m98custom1212 said:

Did some pro style goggling and looks like stay from Tree because of the electronics are "tree" and hard to come by.

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Only on the really,really old stuff. Only good thing about those old ones is that pretty much everything needed to repair a board could be had at Radio Shack.

By the late 80's, Tree was mainly selling other builders machines. Different sheetmetal and paint jobs mostly. They did do some final assembly and Dynapath control installs, IIRC, on the J series machines. Kira made quite a few machines for Tree in that era. Then in the early 90's the ZPS built machines started. Originally they were equipped with Dynapath controls and later switched to Yaskawa.

I have a Tree VMC 1260. It was built by ZPS. The iron is bullet proof. It's a huge box way beast with 20 hp 50 taper spindle and two speed belt drive. It has a Yasnac control that is kind of goofy, but it does the trick.

The ball screws are huge. The servos are huge. The rapids are quick. It rigid taps perfectly. The tool changers works pretty well. I think it weighs 18,000 lbs.

The problem is that Tree cheapened these machines up to sell them in the US. In Europe, ZPS machines were high end die/mold machines. To sell them at a lower price in the US, Tree cheaped out on the way covers and chip evacuation. I had to rebuild the way covers on mine.

I would not be afraid to buy a Tree VMC. However, I've seen a lot of them with way cover issues. If the way covers have been bad for a while, the ball screws and bearings can be damaged. I had to replace a thrust bearing in mine.

What about Milltronics anyone use them?

The Cadet and Tree VMC's were solid machines. I would inspect these old machines before buying a used machine. It's easy to pull back the way covers on either brand to inspect the ways. Once you pull back the way covers you can tell if the machine has been properly maintained. You should see oil on the ways if the lube system is working and visually inspect the condition of the ways. Also put a mag base and indicator on the ball nut or the slide that the ball nut is attached to with the tip of the indicator on the leading edge of the screw where the balls ride. Jog the slide in both directions and you should see no more than .0005" on an indicator. This will show if the nut has lost it's pre-load.

I don't know much about Mazaks but the old Trees and Okuma machines were both good iron.