The most entertaining "school me"thread... My 1st piece of H.E. Two 80ton Hoes

[douglasco]

Cool forum you guys got here. Hopefully one day I'll be knowledgeable enough to contribute and not just ask dumb questions.

They wanted $28k/month to rent a cat385 plus another $10k for transport/setup/etc. So I took the plunge and bought 2 1990's machines. I'm just going to use them for work on our property and not be trying to make a living off them. Plus,I've got machine shop access and just bought a big hose crimper so I'm not too scared. Thats why I bought two machines, so I have a backup and can take my time and fix it myself if it breaks instead of paying a big repair bill to get it done immediately. Occasionally I'll need two machines at once, mostly to get one unstuck, but also plan on doing some heavy lifts. And i figure one will come in handy to work on the other one since they're all I got.

First step: get them home.
I haven't gotten a quote I can live with yet. I'm south of denver, and they are both within 600 miles. Any suggestions?

I was thinking about making a couple trips myself and hauling the tracks, boom and weight, then trying to get a better quote on hauling just the house. That would be under 45k, but i don't know if the expense is the overweight permit or the oversize permit?

Seems simple enough to break it down, using mostly the machine itself, I expect the boom and counterweight to be harder then the tracks to get off. Is there something I'm not thinking of?

What about seperating the carbody from the house? Is that asking for trouble having to retorque the bolts on an older swing bearing? Does the house bolt directly to the bearing or is there a plate in between so I don't have to touch the actual bolts in the bearing?

They are paid for, but i want to go secure them before I divulge pics, models, and more details on the WWW.

Thanks in advance, I'll do my best to repay you with entertaining pics.

 

[MKTEF]

Welcome to the forum.
Seems to me u got to much money, LOL.

I'm not a 385 specialist, but my advice would be:
- Take off the weight at the back.
- Demount the stick and bucket.
Go for the rest in one transport, if possible.
Next is to take of the boom.
I would not demount the upper and lower parts. Thats a big job, and u need a crane to dismount and mount it without damage.
If your tracks can be demounted u could do it, but it complicates the transport.
That might be an option, when u have it loaded up on the rig.

A 385 is mighty big lump of iron to move. Transport home ,should have been into the deal when u made it.

 

[douglasco]

Well, they aren't quite as big as a 385. I think 385's are 92 tons. I couldn't afford a 385, shoot, i couldn't afford half the machine I got if it was a CAT. I got 2 for less then the cost it would be to rent a 385 for a month. And their "insurance" wouldn't cover stuff I would do anyways. What I was thinking was to use the boom to pick up one side at a time and demount the track and block up each side like they do when they move houses. Wide enough and tall enough to straddle the truck. Then lower it on the truck the same way, or its no big deal to use jacks once the truck is under it. Seems alot easier then taking off the boom, or even the C.weight.

 

[joispoi]

opcorn

By the way, Welcome!

 

[tonka]

Wow you bought 2 machines to "not make a living of of"...what are you using them for?

Oh yeah take lots of pics we love pics here at HEF!

 

[Aliate]

Im assuming they are not 385's....what model are they exactly?

 

[douglasco]

Wow you bought 2 machines to "not make a living of of"...what are you using them for?

I've got to move some big rock. I figure a excavator is probably the most versatile peice of equipment. Which brings me to round 2 of entertaining questions:

Why can you only get a blade on the smaller machines? Is it just because the companies that run these would rather have a dedicated machine for each job? I think mine are going to get a blade and a winch before its all said and done. Anybody make forks for excavators?

Im assuming they are not 385's....what model are they exactly?

Let me get them secured so some whack hopped up on meth doesn't go have a field day on them and then I'll post up lots of info and pics.

 

[Burnout]

opcorn and I shall enjoy this until the big ban stick is dropped on you... or until :shf

 

[EGS]

opcorn and I shall enjoy this until the big ban stick is dropped on you... or until :shf

:falldownlaugh

 

[Burnout]

Is this gonna be a certain member that was just banned part 2?

If so... ATCO.... come rescue me.

But lets shoot some holes in this. So......in 1990 who made an 80 ton hoe?

 

[douglasco]

opcorn and I shall enjoy this until the big ban stick is dropped on you... or until :shf

UT-OH, you guys have trigger happy sensorship police around here? :notworthy Thats sad. What kind of stuff do they go after? Or is it more of a community lynching that you speak of? Guess I'll have to do some research so I can make some A$$ kissing informational posts. Hopefully that won't happen because they'd feel like heels when they find out what they are really being used for(not for me, nor just for your entertainment)

 

[tonka]

LOL join date was sept 2008...hmmm...:beatsme

 

[douglasco]

Is this gonna be a certain member that was just banned part 2?

If so... ATCO.... come rescue me.

But lets shoot some holes in this. So......in 1990 who made an 80 ton hoe?

Come on, don't be that way. I watched your utube, ur not like that. I'm legit, just be patient............. Try Hitachi and Komatsu.

.....back to the questions please.

 

[JimBruce42]

I'm pretty sure you could get a fab. shop to custom make a set of forks for an 80 - ton hoe. I don't think a blade is really necessary on anything other than the small hoe's as it adds balance to an already top heavy machine. Bigger ones have a lot lower center of gravity, and if you have a bucket you can grade anything out just fine with that.

If you are dealing with big rocks, get a shallow rock bucket or grapple if they are really big. The winch... I guess is a good thing for steep slopes, but I don't think I'd want to be wrestling with boulders while on a slope unless I had to anyway.

$10K for transport is pretty fair. an 80 ton machine is a lot to move, and no matter how far down you break one, you'll still need an oversized permit for the main house. It's just too big otherwise.

I try to keep an open mind and give the benefit of the doubt, however you'll have to admit, you're giving us the impression you have little heavy equipment experience, but are purchasing two very large machines, and the one is as a "parts machine". In this economy that is a strange idea for a lot of guys on here, and is sending up all kinds of red flags. I think you'd be safe telling us if it was a Hitachi ex800, Cat 375, or something else. There's a few dozen of each for sale on machinery trader. Knowing the OEM and model could help us help you know how much has to be torn down to move, extra.

Hopefully I could help with your questions a little and that all works out.

 

[douglasco]

Thanks Jim thats very helpful. I watched a guy the other day move some big boulders with a 312 by pullng them against the blade. I could think of alot of other things it would be useful for. I've got a waterjet/and cnc torch in the machine shop, so I can do pretty much anything. I notice forks for the other machines usually go high, so i'll probably end up making my own. But its nice to see what other people are doing. I won't tell you how big the rocks are, that will just add to the flaming. But there are about 50 10k boulders. I would like to find a grapple for that, but again, they seem to go high. I could always build a thumb, but i can rotate them into place with a thumb. With the winch i would run multiple lines to drag the big ones, not necissarily up slopes, but just to save on the wear on the rest the machine, which couldn't push some of them anyways. I was also thinking I could run a snatch up to the boom to lift the smaller rocks if i don't find a grapple, and winchs always come in handy.
Like i said, hitachi and komatsu. I wish i could have gotten two of the same model, but i didn't want to miss out on working this summer. Hopefully neither of them will be a parts machine. And your dead on about the economy, I decided its time to shift my focus off just making money. I couldn't have afforded them if the market wasn't down anyways.

Ur right again. I have zero heavy equipment experience, except for the experience of being an oilfield hand for my father thru middle and highschool because the bottom fell out on the market and its the only way we could keep things going. All we had was a winch truck, workover rig and shovels. I don't think there is anything wrong with jumping in over your head as long as its on your own dime.

Yep, its a shame you can't take the house down smaller. I move 20k objects around all the time in the shop with skates, skids, johnson bars and pipe, so i'm not too worried about handling the components individually.

...oh we did have a nice little MF w/ front loader. But they cut the fence and took it- hence my caution.

 

[stock]

A demag????

 

[tbaytrucker]

i sure hope you have acces to a hyd wrench if you plan on taking the tracks off, because if taking them off is any thing like slideing them in, its not a pretty job with out one. did it once out west took a 10 foot pipe, a torque multiplyer, 2 days and alot of blood and sweat

 

[douglasco]

I'm sure its like anything, coming out is a whole lot easier then lining up and going in. I was just thinking i would use the stick to pull'em out. Going in u can winch to the UC. But coming out, unless ur lifting up on them to, what would I winch to? As long as the machine runs, i don't see a problem with using the stick, then again, i'm a newb.

 

[CascadeScaper]

Ballsy to buy two machines of this size without any experience. Be careful, this stuff can kill you quick.

 

[douglasco]

Not as ballsy as posting on this forum hoping for some answers
:Banghead