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Building a custom excavator

Mark13

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 28, 2013
Messages
272
Location
IL
It's a Neuson Harvester, roughly a 12 ton machine.

As for packer, I run a Stanley HS6000, its a bit heavy for the machine, but it packs a punch! My machine is based on a 50 so you'd have no problem with a 60.

That's a pretty wild looking machine!

For the plate packer, did you weld a centering "ring" right to the plate packer or did you weld the ring to a plate then bolt that plate to the plate packer so you could use it for compaction and also driving posts?
 

Coastal

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 15, 2006
Messages
323
Location
BC, Canada
My first guess was crazy a Schaeff excavator. The more I looked at it the more convinced I was that it was a Deere harvester cab on an 080.

With the content of the original thread, that's probably a pretty good guess. lol!

That's a pretty wild looking machine!

For the plate packer, did you weld a centering "ring" right to the plate packer or did you weld the ring to a plate then bolt that plate to the plate packer so you could use it for compaction and also driving posts?

Yes it needs a ring...and I've modified it into an Oval with partitions, so you can use different parts of the plate to pound in different conditions. The outer edges of the plate actually drive better than the center. I welded it on because I have no patience to drill holes in 1.5" plate. ;)
 

Ronsii

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 26, 2011
Messages
3,464
Location
Western Washington
Occupation
s/e Heavy equipment operator
It is an extension stick, I just removed it however and made it a really long fixed excavator stick.

Sounds like it will be an interesting project :) how long are you going for? any longer than the original extended condition? or something really long...
pape-kent-longreach.jpg
 

Coastal

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 15, 2006
Messages
323
Location
BC, Canada
Sounds like it will be an interesting project :) how long are you going for? any longer than the original extended condition? or something really long...
View attachment 209420

The same length as the original fully extrended, with the long straight boom, any shorter and the geometry doesn't work for tree shears and grapples working in close. :D
 

John C.

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2007
Messages
12,865
Location
Northwest
Occupation
Machinery & Equipment Appraiser
Is this going to be a thinning machine? Are you making another swiss army knife with a quick coupler and an extra circuit for rotation and other things?
 

Coastal

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 15, 2006
Messages
323
Location
BC, Canada
Is this going to be a thinning machine? Are you making another swiss army knife with a quick coupler and an extra circuit for rotation and other things?

Yes exactly the plan, I'm mating a John Deere 75c stick to the factory stick, I don't plan on digging with it. Just felling, raking, grapple work etc.
 

Dom

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 29, 2008
Messages
47
Location
Moncton, NB, Canada
I worked for Rocan Forestry and we likely imported that Neuson. We were the North American rep for Neuson forestry products, which later got named MHT. I imagine it has a deutz 5 Cyl? They were great thinning machines. The parallel loader worked great. Just be careful with the log swing base, there were a few that cracked. I believe the loader was from loglift, but my memory is fading. There was one for sale in Nova Scotia not long ago.
 

Coastal

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 15, 2006
Messages
323
Location
BC, Canada
I worked for Rocan Forestry and we likely imported that Neuson. We were the North American rep for Neuson forestry products, which later got named MHT. I imagine it has a deutz 5 Cyl? They were great thinning machines. The parallel loader worked great. Just be careful with the log swing base, there were a few that cracked. I believe the loader was from loglift, but my memory is fading. There was one for sale in Nova Scotia not long ago.

No way! This is a deutz 4cyl, 100hp. They have eliminated the swinging boom I heard it was a weak spot as well. I bought this one in Nova Scotia actually and had it shipped west.
 

Dom

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 29, 2008
Messages
47
Location
Moncton, NB, Canada
Right, it was a 4 cyl. See, my memory is fading hahaha. We had a similar loader on the Rocan Enviro, which was a wheeled harvester for thinning. They both ran the Logmax 3000 sized harvesting head. Enjoy the Neuson, its a nice machine! I saw one on the roadside last summer, but I can't recall exactly where it was.
When it came to the MHT 20 Ton harvesters, they were the most productive harvesters in the area. We didn't have good support from MHT though. We couldn't get parts to rebuild pumps for example.
Nonetheless, enjoy the Neuson! Its a nice machine.
 

Coastal

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 15, 2006
Messages
323
Location
BC, Canada
9sgzKMV.jpg

51XSW2m.jpg

yiaH4L3.jpg


Made some headway, moved the cylinder for the stick to the bottom, what an amazing increase in lifting power. In the factory position I couldn't budge those 2 logs with the stick controls. It's set at 4400psi...and it wouldn't even try to lift them. Now it lifts them effortlessly. I was hoping for a bit more extension, but that's all I get using the factory cylinder and trying to let it close up nice and tight. Now the Deere 75 stick is attached, I can put the cylinder and linkage on, and get some hoses to the cylinder and we're getting close to work ready.

As it sits, it has 9.5m reach at ground level measured the way equipment brochures measure from the center of the swing bearing. A new 135 sized machine is around 8.2m for comparison sake.
 
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centerline

Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2016
Messages
23
Location
Salem Oregon
there are lots of good ideas built into that little machine... just dont overlook the stress load thats being placed on the superstructure lift/tilt cylinders when they are extended... it may be more than you realize as the machine is lifting, swinging and being shock loaded at times... its an extreme dynamic load, rather than a static load which is not nearly as stressful....
 

Coastal

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 15, 2006
Messages
323
Location
BC, Canada
LG0OH0a.jpg


Getting close now.... Building a quick change tomorrow, spent today converting the hydraulic system from harvester to excavator, moving pilot circuits, adding a directional valve, and finally making it work on the joystick buttons.
 

colson04

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 11, 2016
Messages
2,057
Location
Delton, Michigan
Do you still have the DT360 swapped super duty? I was looking into doing the same and found your build thread on another site

Your custom builds are truly impressive, I've really enjoyed following your unique projects.
 

Coastal

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 15, 2006
Messages
323
Location
BC, Canada
Do you still have the DT360 swapped super duty? I was looking into doing the same and found your build thread on another site

Your custom builds are truly impressive, I've really enjoyed following your unique projects.

No I sold that a couple years ago... I have a boring Dodge now. That truck was one of my favorites.
 
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