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Just some work pics

crane operator

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sw missouri
The grove 40 ton swivel seals also finally gave up on Friday. Its been seeping for a couple months now, but we've been too busy to address it. No choice now, its puking oil everywhere.

We got swivel removed from the crane and on the shop floor today. Seal kit is on its way from grove, and if I can figure out how to split the cans, we can start going back together. This swivel has hydraulic, electrical, and antifreeze going through it.

The antifreeze portion of it isn't getting rebuilt. No seals available, just a whole new "updated" swivel for the water side, at over $3,000. The seal kit for the hyd. side is right at $2,000.

We're just going to put a aux. heater upstairs and plug off the water side, and reseal the hyd.

I'm thinking I may have to pull the wiring from the block connector on the bottom of the swivel, to pull the wiring portion up out the top. That's the way the old groves are, but I've never done one that had the block connector. Its either disassemble the block, or cut all the wires and butt splice them when I'm done.

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crane operator

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8,275
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sw missouri
And the rollback trailer has a little problem too. We stacked the counterweight for the 90 ton on it, went 3 hours away to that quarry job, and now have the trailer back home. Had trouble with one tire- there's a rim that seeps at the weld seam on the rim. But that's a minor issue- I think I've got a new rim found for it.

The real issue is going to take a little welding to fix. Its a wonder that they made it home.

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Welder Dave

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Oct 11, 2014
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Canada
Well all our hard running has caught up with us this week.

The new to us 90 ton threw a transmission code Monday, had boom in the rest and tray on the deck, so had to get a little creative to get to the transmission to trouble shoot. Had it going by noon monday, and it finished the quarry job and made it back home.

View attachment 278917View attachment 278918

Link Belt 40 ton has broken a suspension/bushing pin, and it trashed bushing mount welded onto the crane limping home. We've got the bore mount being turned at a machinist, and the new bushing in hand.

Our grove 40 ton has a similar suspension, and it hasn't given us a bit of problems, but the one on this link belt is always busting stuff. I think we are going to rebush the whole thing after we get this band aided back together.

View attachment 278919
Some of the repairs you do yourself to your cranes and equipment are just as impressive as the jobs you do. You need to be very versatile... crane operator, mechanic, welder and electrical specialist at any given time. It must get very frustrating at times.
I think you've said Terex cranes are best to stay away from. Grove seem to be pretty good for parts and service support. How do Linkbelt compare? Was also wondering if you have any experience with older Bucyrus Erie cranes? I think they had some good models. They were pioneers in marine cranes. Not sure who bought their crane line or if they just stopped making cranes?
 

crane operator

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sw missouri
The newer Grove stuff isn't built as well as the old stuff- seems like they cut every corner they can in manufacturing. But, its still better than a lot of other stuff out there. Their National boom trucks are really the class of the boom truck world. But it seems like they cheap out on stupid things, that really wouldn't cost that much to be nicer- like the horribly cheap plastic they use on the interiors. Give me steel or thicker plastic, the equipment sits out in the sun and all weather, and guys in and out of the cabs all the time, it would be nice if the interiors held up.

I think the newer link belt cranes, are built to a higher standard than the newer grove stuff. I'm not super happy with how they do some things, and they don't always support some of their older equipment the way I think they should, but not a lot of companies do. Honestly most manufacturers are only interested in selling new cranes, rather than supporting the older stuff. Which is how they make their money- selling new cranes. I just can't afford new cranes.

I have very little experience with any old friction crawlers. I've been around them, and played on one or two, but not enough to really know what I'm doing.

And as far as the fixing, I've been very fortunate that other people are willing to help with advice and information. Sometimes its not about knowing how to fix something, its knowing who the right person is to ask about fixing something. A hour on the phone can save 10 hours in the field.

I've also got two guys that were willing to come in on their saturday, and help pull the swivel and get the link belt undercarriage ready for reassembly. I couldn't do it without them.
 

Welder Dave

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BE had hyd. cranes too. I ordered a book from them on their history up to 1980. A very good book too, One Hundred Booming Years. Sometime after 1980 they got out of several of their equipment lines. Although a dragline Big Muskie was the 1st use of 5" dia. cable. Didn't say what the hoist winches would lift but the drag winches, that also used 5" cable (46.2lbs./ft) with a rated breaking strength of 1080 tons had a line pull stall exceeding 1000 tons. They were powered by 8 2000 H.P. motors. The 2 hoist drums used 10 2000 H.P. motors developing peak H.P. of 27,500 during hoisting.
I wonder if Linkbelt cranes have some BE history? Your crane has a similar cab. Some cranes had dual cabs. In the late 70's the hyd. cranes had fiberglass cabs like their excavators. Advertising from around 1968 said:
Bucyrus Erie / World's longest line of cranes and excavators
Was hoping someone might know what happened with the BE crane product lines. I did read the rights to the marine cranes were purchased from Sparrows group.
 
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Welder Dave

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Here's some pics. from the book. Sorry they aren't the best.
 

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Nige

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G..G..G..Granville.........!! Fetch your cloth.

skyking1

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that's some good stuff Craneop. That swivel looks like a yuuuge PITA. I get abandoning the cooling circuit, you could fix it and then have it fail anyway. Having an instant heater is nice on the really bad days where the engine and hydraulics are warm enough but you are scrambling around in an iced up machine trying to scrape it. It is a safety thing to just turn on that heater while the rest of it warms up. From the comfort of your pickup cab :D
 

crane operator

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There are tools available to remove the pins from those Deutsch DRC-16 connectors. Don't know if you were aware of that or not. Here's a kit but they are available individually as well. Sized based on the SWG of the wire.
https://www.toolsource.com/terminal...utsch-terminal-removal-tool-kit-p-100508.html

Thanks Nige. Junkyard gave me a point in the right direction for the tools for those. They were supposed to show up today, but we've got a ice event ongoing so no deliveries for a day or two. I think I'm going to try to remove them all from the connector block, if not its going to be heat shrink butt connectors and probably another layer of heat shrink. But I'd rather not cut them if I don't have to.
 

Nige

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G..G..G..Granville.........!! Fetch your cloth.
The tools need care because they are easy to snap. What holds the pin/socket into the connector are two plastic “fingers” inside each hole location in the connector that lock on the flange that is located right below the wire crimp so that the wire can’t be pulled out. If the tool doesn’t engage the fingers the first time, pull it out, rotate it 90 degrees and slide it in again. Patience is key.

 
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