How many patterns are you competent on?

[nedly05]

I have always said "cat controls" or "deere controls" But the new 410-G we just got has a switch for a pattern changer, it has a picture of a backhoe and a picture of an excavator. The backhoe being "deere" and the excavator being "cat" I played around with "cat" a bit, man is it weird. I am glad that its so easy to change it, I am planning to fool around and get a bit better at "cat"

 

[jmac]

At one time I had a Bobcat 331 and Hitachi eX60 at the same time. Sold the Bob Cat 331 when I bought the Komatsu pc150 but when I had both I could run both. Bob Cat was Deere and Hitachi was Cat. It took me about 10 to 15 minutes to make my mind rethink and I would have to be very slow and careful for a while till my brain caught up.

 

[solar140]

JD on backhoes, JCB cross on JCB backhoes, one lever loader control on front shovel including backhoes, two lever with 4 in 1 bucket, Cat controls on excavators, Hitachi EX pattern on old EX excavators, which is dipper movement where your slew usually is and slew where your dipper usually is on a cat control pattern. I can switch between all these with no problem. I've never used JD controls on an excavator, that would feel a bit weird to me i think.
Also of course I'm able to use pedals and switches for breakers and other attachments.

 

[solar140]

Well am pretty good with the SAE config. Boom- Bucket in the right hand.

But when it comes to JCB 3CX Cross action. Game over.

Ross

JCB cross is the first pattern I ever learnt. I prefer that pattern on a backhoe to the JD pattern. All UK JCB backhoes have the JCB cross as standard.

 

[Klutz]

Squizzy's reasoning makes a lot of sense and it explains why there is so much confusion around this topic. It's common that standards refer to each other. Too common in fact, it makes it hopeless to read.
Deere has most of their operator manuals online, hopefully that could provide further information.

 

[truant]

JD on backhoes, JCB cross on JCB backhoes, one lever loader control on front shovel including backhoes, two lever with 4 in 1 bucket, Cat controls on excavators, Hitachi EX pattern on old EX excavators, which is dipper movement where your slew usually is and slew where your dipper usually is on a cat control pattern. I can switch between all these with no problem. I've never used JD controls on an excavator, that would feel a bit weird to me i think.
Also of course I'm able to use pedals and switches for breakers and other attachments.

I recently bought my own used mini excavator, it's a ZX30U Hitachi, 2001.

I'd never used an excavator before but when I was in the yard trying out a few various brands, the Hitachi controls seemed to be non-intuitive having the slew on the LH control as a forward and back motion instead of side to side as compared to CAT or Kobelco etc.

Being new to this, I'm still learning, but my brain keeps wanting to use the normal CAT pattern, instead of the EX pattern, and my concern is that anyone (experienced or not) who uses this machine will have the same problem, and likewise I will have trouble switching to another CAT machine if I get too used to the EX patten.
There is no SAE/ISO selector so the only options I have are to learn the EX or switch the hoses on the LH control to proper CAT. I've had a look and it looks straight forward with easy access.

The only issue I can think of is the hyd flow rate to the dipper appears to be significantly more than the slew/swing, so am I going to screw up the flow rates by switching hoses on the joystick? (meaning I'll get severely fast slew and slower dipper action). Personally, I'd be surprised if the pilot valve flowrates on the joystick are different, but I thought it's worth asking the experts.

Cheers for listening to a noob. Please be gentle.

 

[Countryboy]

Welcome to Heavy Equipment Forums truant! :drinkup

 

[eRay]

I can do fairly well with one. The one on my backhoe. I'm not sure I would use the term "competent" though.

 

[truant]

After doing a bit of digging around here, I found a pretty good pic that outlines the 4 main patterns here

View attachment 20142

So, based on that, my Hitachi has an SCM and I want to make it an SAE, and I can just leave the RH stick alone.

It also seems most people prefer to change pipes down at the main junction block rather than at the base of the joystick. Correct?

 

[LowBoy]

After doing a bit of digging around here, I found a pretty good pic that outlines the 4 main patterns here

View attachment 20142

So, based on that, my Hitachi has an SCM and I want to make it an SAE, and I can just leave the RH stick alone.

It also seems most people prefer to change pipes down at the main junction block rather than at the base of the joystick. Correct?

Yes, that's correct. Underneath the cab is an access panel that is removed, and 4 lines are switched to convert to either pattern.

 

[Bellboy]

Theory is different to practice... First time on a TLB, the control pattern was shown, but I didn't look that often, found quite easy to get into. My brother struggled, but I think he could learn from me. First time on a Payloader, I damn near went and crashed the machine. Skidsteer, easy enough, Cat, so there was nothing to compare with, I would imagine that the Doosan, with pedal operated loader be a little harder... As for a keyboard, I'm ho-o-o-o-peless

 

[gravelgrinder]

Backhoe to excavator not a problem until someone changes excavator over to backhoe pattern. Then I'm buggered. Three/four stick, you must be on hourly rate not contract.

 

[Iron Horse]

I find it is usually easier to switch the pilot lines over at the control bank . Pilot oil pressure is the same on all functions , all you are doing is changing the pattern . You cannot do it at the sticks as they have 6 lines each for feathering of some functions and swaping a couple will interfear with the feathering .

 

[Bully]

New patterns kill me. I look like a greenhorn everytime i get into something with different controls than what I'm used to.

Cut my teeth on a 763 bobcat with foot/ hand controls and went to a JD 7775 skid...not so bad same same.

Then went to a Case skidder and was all messed up. Dialed it after awhile but she was running me more than I was running her. After that went to a CAT 246b and I was screwed again. Now I love pilot controls.

Same with a loader... started on an old IH whith a steering wheel and seperate boom/bucket sticks. Pretty standard. Went to a Kawasaki 115 with a joystick..loved it after i got comfortable with the bigger machine. Went then to a 544 JD with a single stick and back to a wheel and tree shifter...loved the single stick, missed the joystick steering and pushbutton shifter.

Thank God I haven't been running other combos than a JD with wobbles and Xhoe.

 

[roddyo]

Competent at One

I can do fairly well with one. The one on my backhoe. I'm not sure I would use the term "competent" though.

I like the John Deere Controls myself. So I would be competent at 1, if I got a good nights sleep.:drinkup

 

[stock]

Why not do what was done over here and standardise it to one pattern, sae is what we use ,a lot lot safer and simpler

 

[thebaz]

I started on a 350G Kato that had 4 levers mechanically linked to the valves . I converted it to 2 ISO lever control as it seemed like it would be easier to get used to. I modified all the linkages and it worked great except for the fact that the levers were now around 400mm long when they used to be around 800mm long, with the same springs in the valve banks. It was like spending every day in the gym. After that I got a couple of O&K excavators that had the MHI pattern or left lever did what right did on ISO and vice/versa. I converted the linkages on that as well to ISO. It seemed easier than re-learning. My next machine had BHL pattern, but had servo controls, easy fix.
Just as a side note, I was sub-contracting to a company that had all O&K excavators from 2.5 to 65 ton. They had recently purchased the latest models at the time and they had servo controls in ISO patterns while the older machines had MHI patterns with mechanical inkages. Their operators seemed to have no trouble jumping from one machine to the other and back again several times a day without blinking an eye. I was pretty impressed given my total inability to change patterns at all.

Baz

 

[LOW BIDDER]

Guess you kinda of had to operate a Case 880 the first year they came out. Loading on a lowboy with over the rear ramps and hitting the cab tilt button. That gets your ass to bite the seat.

 

[ronnie]

low bidder you ever operated an old drott 90

 

[wildy]

in england the common operating pattern for nearly all 360 excavators is the usual iso pattern and the only people who can break the mould are people who have driven other controls (such as jcb 3cx backhoe) and they are usually old hands from 1960-onwards used to various different controls like you boys. what gets me is these so-called brilliant operators that have never tried their hand at any other pattern or type of machine or vintage plant machine to experience what once was a much more challenging job which still got done to todays standards (or higher). that was plant operating.