On the Road Again

[colson04]

Getting the shovel arm on. A 2nd sky hook is handy to handle the 200kg pins. Another grey sky but this time it didn't rain except for a few drops for which we were truly thankful.
Once lined up the pins are pushed into place using the forks on an IT. They are the same design as the boom foot pins, fully-floating with a lip on one end and bolted cover plates inside & out.

View attachment 230408
View attachment 230409

What size are the hydraulic hoses that supply those boom cylinders? What size are the boom cylinders? I understand massive, but I'm looking at the volume of the barrel and thinking about what kind of flow is required to cycle them in a reasonable time to be productive.

 

[Nige]

What size are the hydraulic hoses that supply those boom cylinders? What size are the boom cylinders? I understand massive, but I'm looking at the volume of the barrel and thinking about what kind of flow is required to cycle them in a reasonable time to be productive.

The head ends of each of the large cylinders are supplied via two hydraulic hoses, each of 2" diameter. The rod ends are supplied by a single hose of 3" diameter.

The machine has a total of 8 main implement pumps arranged as four tandem pumps. Each main pump is rated at 130 gallons/min @ 4250psi. So 1040 gallons/min theoretical maximum flow.
The pilot pump and the fan pump are a tandem unit set in the middle as you look from the end in this pan view. The engine is in a separate compartment on the back side of that firewall. All ten pumps won't fit into a single photo.

 

[JPV]

Those look just like the Kawasaki pump I am resealing on a 160 Link belt right now

 

[Nige]

Manoeuvring the last chassis into position over the rear axle. We prefer to do it this way instead of cribbing the chassis way high then "sliding" the rear axle under it and lifting it into position between the A-frame and the rear suspensions. Cribbing the chassis just high enough so as to be able to install the front suspensions & ladders also has the advantage of putting large parts of the assembly within reach of a set of steps, so no requirement for harnesses or working-at-heights equipment for the most part.

 

[Nige]

Those look just like the Kawasaki pump I am resealing on a 160 Link belt right now

If memory serves me right they are indeed Kawasaki pumps.

 

[Nige]

Mounting the head end of the arm cylinder is a pain. This tool might look a bit clunky but it gets the job done.
Once the head end is pinned and the hoses have been installed the rod end is dead easy.

 

[skyking1]

Form follows function. The field-built tools are the best, as you won't hesitate to take a torch to it and make it better.

 

[Nige]

Form follows function. The field-built tools are the best, as you won't hesitate to take a torch to it and make it better.

Agree completely. In fact what I plan to do in order to make the tool more user-friendly is to build another rectangular frame of an identical size to function as a spreader bar assembly. That would solve the current problem where even using slings a million miles long they still rub on boom cylinders and assorted fruit and make it difficult to get the fine crane movement needed to line up the head end pin. With a spreader above the boom the slings to the tool would be vertical and thus kept away from any interference with other machine components.
I'd also line the two saddles with rubber to avoid having steel-on-steel when the cylinder is strapped to them.

 

[Nige]

When we saw the S/N of the last truck we wondered whether or not it should have arrived with some sort of gifts from the factory.?
Seems like not long ago the number on the plate was SPD00251, but it was 7-1/2 years ago. An average of 100 trucks a year. Not bad.

It made me think of Belaz and their 75710 450-tonner that has been the subject of a long-running thread here on HEF. Agreed the 789 has only half the carrying capacity of the Belaz but while they've built 4 units since 2013 Uncle Cat has shipped six hundred or so of only one model. It just shows what smaller manufacturers are up against trying to break into the market.

 

[terex herder]

I get 2500 horsepower of hydraulic power. What is the engine rating?

 

[Theweldor]

When we saw the S/N of the last truck we wondered whether or not it should have arrived with some sort of gifts from the factory.?

Nige
You didn't get the memo? The case of champagne was held up at Customs.

 

[Nige]

I get 2500 horsepower of hydraulic power. What is the engine rating?

About 2000. I would guess that the flow rates are most likely theoretical based on that.

 

[farmerlund]

So if one of those pumps shells out can it send metal into the others or would it be caught in a filter I assume?
I have an old KW truck that the ser # is 110,000. Always got a strange look from the parts guys. But easy to remember. LOL

 

[skyking1]

Fun serial number on my plane: The Collins Horizontal Situation Indicator (HSI) that was in it was common to the 727 and 707 aircraft. I had the indicator out of the panel and noted it was #0007
That was some fancy hardware for a light piston twin!

 

[skyking1]

Agree completely. In fact what I plan to do in order to make the tool more user-friendly is to build another rectangular frame of an identical size to function as a spreader bar assembly. That would solve the current problem where even using slings a million miles long they still rub on boom cylinders and assorted fruit and make it difficult to get the fine crane movement needed to line up the head end pin. With a spreader above the boom the slings to the tool would be vertical and thus kept away from any interference with other machine components.
I'd also line the two saddles with rubber to avoid having steel-on-steel when the cylinder is strapped to them.

If I were hacking on that jig, I'd make the spreader so it sat secure on top with some metal tabs for storage, and knock some fork pockets into the side of it with 3x6 tubing.

 

[Truck Shop]

My mack serial number 2201.

 

[Cmark]

my mate was doing the same from the shelter of the inside of the hydraulic cooler module on the RH side. He had a roof over his head, I had rain dripping off the catwalk above down the back of my neck.View attachment 230400

I thought you were in charge?

 

[old-iron-habit]

Oh it wasn't I assure you......!!
I was down in the "hoile" between the cab riser and the LH pin mounting lining up that pin while my mate was doing the same from the shelter of the inside of the hydraulic cooler module on the RH side. He had a roof over his head, I had rain dripping off the catwalk above down the back of my neck. It was lashing it down but with the boom suspended up in the air what do you do.? Not funny..........

View attachment 230400

I hope the rain is not miserably cold there like it normally is here. But I bet it is just as wet.

 

[seatwarmer]

Nige
Will you be able to get back to home with countries starting to ban flights to the UK ?

 

[DMiller]

Hoping your back home family remains healthy Nige
Got to be tough being away for extended periods during crap like Covid