Blade mounted laser receiver problems

[brianbulldozer]

A few years ago I needed a second machine mounted laser receiver on a job (spreading crushed rock for a big box store pad) so I borrowed my buddy's Apache Bullseye 3+. While we were using it a ribbon cable or ribbon cable connector inside the unit broke. I had it repaired (the dealer sent the unit to the factory for repair which took 2 1/2 months and cost me $375). This past week I used my Apache Bullseye 6 on the dozer cutting a building pad in hard rocky ground. By the end of the first day the unit was shutting itself off at random times. By the end of the second day the liquid crystal display had come loose and was flopping around inside the unit. That night I bought my buddy's Bullseye 3+ from him since he has gone out of business and since the receiver has never been used after I had it repaired. By the next afternoon this unit was shutting itself off at random and I am afraid it might be coming apart. Both receivers have only ever had occasional use and look like new on the outside.

For mounting the receiver, my dozer has a 10" long piece of round bar welded to the top of the blade that I slide a 4' length of steel tube over. Do I need to do something differently with rubber mounts to reduce the shock? Should I not be using the receiver at all in this type of ground? Has anyone else had similar problems? Apache (Trimble) sells magnetic mounts to attach these receivers to excavator sticks. These mounts have no rubber cushions and this seems like a high shock and impact application.
Thanks,
Brian

 

[fraser]

I have apache bullseye three about 8 years old and Laser Alignment CAB sensor, both work great, never had any problems. I'm in southern New Jersey where it is very sandy so there is very little shock to sensors. If I was in rock I would make sure your device for holding the sensor was as stable as possible and keep your speeds down. I have the magnetic mount for the apache, wanted to use on excavator for digging basements but could never figure out the plumb sensor to see exact position of boom and stick while watching the sensor for grade.

 

[Randy88]

I'm not sure if it makes any difference but I've got a similar setup on two of my dozers, but I use a longer piece of shaft to run further up inside the pipe, it helps reduce the vibration on the receiver some, I had a shorter piece of pipe and it was still bending the tube some from vibration, I also started with no shaft and it took one day to bend the tube from vibration. My shafts are about 3-4 ft long and when I use the receiver mounted on the pole I reduce the travel speeds somewhat to reduce vibrations. I have a 3 plus receiver also mounted on the trencher on a ridged pole, no shock absorber at all, and it vibrates a lot, way worse than my dozer, and it sits on it for 8 plus hours a day 7 days a week for months a year and have had no problems at all with my bullseye receiver, any of them for that matter. The shock absorber will only work for about so much shock, the little shocks from slight vibrations, not the hammering of constant use some give them all day long. Receivers get a lot of abuse, no matter how much care is taken with them, I'd personally never buy a used receiver for what they cost new, but thats just me. If I were to use the tether cord to the controller back in the cab, I'd tie a zip tie around the cord just below the receiver.

I've also got the magnet mounted on my excavator stick to use the receiver on, in my opinion there is about the same amount of shock from that as there is to my ridged mounts on my dozers and trenchers, both my receivers are about five years old now, and with no problems as of yet.