DIY Mini Digger

[BrokenTrack]

Thanks for the comments, I was thinking no one was interested....

I am always interested in what other people conjure up for ideas, and then to see them carry it out is really awesome. So many people start out saying, "I was thinking about building X", and yet that is as far as they get. To see people get beyond that is really nice.

Often times I stay mum, only because I know what it is like to fabricate, and most people that are doers are like me, they already have their ideas hammered out in their mind, and it seems silly to say, "Have you thought of this", because they probably already have!

I have also found that in my own experience, 90% of people online tend to be negative, often saying something will never work. I knew an old successful duffer that once told me to never reveal what your plans are until they are done, so after watching him, I do likewise. For me anyway, I love the planning stages, so I plan, plan, plan...then fire up the welder. Usually by then the plan is workable.

 

[Colcreate]

Exploring the limits....

 

[js5020]

Impressive!! Nice work!

 

[arrow]

Excellent endeavor Col. Love to see how other's minds work and then come to fruition. Wish I had that kind of brain. I'm a "deductive" reasoner so I could take it apart alright.
I like your neighborhood. How far does it date back out there in Cheshire?

 

[Colcreate]

.......
I like your neighborhood. How far does it date back out there in Cheshire?

The house was built around 1865, the two big Ash trees that we had felled last summer due to rot were clearly over 140years old. Counting the rings on the stumps certainly makes you think about past events.
I was hoping to find all sorts of buried treasure around and underneath them when I dug them out but all I found was a perfume bottle and a beer bottle stopper. Oh and parts of the base of an old wrought iron fence that had been absorbed by the roots. That really took the edge off my axe!

 

[Xfaxman]

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If I was to build another.....
I would go with a bigger engine, a compact Diesel engine say 40-50hp with twin hydraulic pumps. The 15hp Kohler bogs down at times as it does not have the torque at low rpm but otherwise works extremely well and is a perfect match for the pump, pure luck here as I knew nothing about hydraulics before I started!
Four wheel steering would be interesting, two front Land Rover axles which would also make crab steering possible? Not quite sure if stability would be compromised though?

Crab steering is very useful and does not affect stability:

 

[js5020]

Like the concept of that 5610, but the price and complex nature of the machine kill the aspiration of ever owning one of those.

I do have an entire Jeep cj5 with a bad frame I bought this fall for the fiberglass body. But I don't know if I want to get into a fab project of this scale.

 

[Colcreate]

Like the concept of that 5610, but the price and complex nature of the machine kill the aspiration of ever owning one of those.

I do have an entire Jeep cj5 with a bad frame I bought this fall for the fiberglass body. But I don't know if I want to get into a fab project of this scale.

I guess in an ideal world I would be able to afford to buy just such a complex machine to dig holes and move stuff. Then again in a really ideal world I wouldn't need to dig holes..... just as well I enjoy building stuff and live in an imperfect world.

 

[love4god]

Yes it surprising, the tyres (OK tires) seem quite tough until the back hoe gets pulling under a big root.

Unfortunately I didnt plan the layout very well and ran out of room by the time I got to thinking about the outriggers. The leg rams sit within the two vertical channels and really should have been spaced as wide as the wheels but it would be a major job to start again. So the plan is now to have horizontal extending legs each side mounted on pivots behind the rear differential and spanning out diagonal as wide as the wheels with the rams bearing down on them at mid point. The rams move in a fixed plane up and down so the legs will have to extend (telescope) between the fixed pivot end and the ram mounting point. That is a job for the summer when I strip it down for fettling & paint.
Here is a photo of what it looks like at the moment, the rams are over kill but I picked them up cheap!

View attachment 542906

outstanding work and build,:thumbsup:
here is a idea for the outriggers , hope it makes sense lol
its way out of scale to your pic lol,

thanks godbless

 

[farm boy00]

I've skimmed through the thread again but didn't see how big of a hydraulic motor you used for the drive. Do you remember how big it was? Also are you putting good power to your wheels? Do you think you could tow something heavy or are you just able to drive around?