A Project I Had Not Planned On Doing

[bindian]

That is very nice work and I like how you wrapped the wires to keep them from chafing. I have an ancient Kubota KX-71 mini excavator that appears to have been rewired by a minimalist after some long ago rodent and other damage. The only electrical bits that work are the starter, glow plugs, and an add-on oil pressure and temp gauge. The way it is wired now you turn the switch to run for 30 seconds to heat the glow plugs, then turn the key to the start position and when it starts you switch it to off and take the key out. When you want to shut it down you pull on the mechanical throttle valve to choke it out. Next project on it will be rebuilding some of the track rollers and making a new track tensioner system. Maybe one day it will have lights that actually work.

MickeyDBC,
Thank you. The wires are in split conduit. Just bend it and shove the wire in. How often do you have to use your glow plugs in Dime Box? I'm not sure if mine work. Never had to move the key to the left key position to start her.

When you pull the handle to shut down, it pulls the fuel shutoff closed, just like mine.

Mom and Dad had 78 acres out from Dime Box and Lexington back in the 60s. Back when land was around $140 an acre. Not sure where nowadays, but I think it was coal strip mined over.
hugs, Brandi

 

[bindian]

Fired first try?! Dude (dudette), that deserves a plaque or something. Super impressed.

Thanks. Well, she was purring like a content kitten when the wires smoked. Label all wires in two places before removing, replace one wire at a time and relabel and install. Luckily the wiring was just like the wiring diagram so at least I had an aggie blueprint to fall back on if the wiring had been changed.
hugs, Brandi

 

[bindian]

I have a couple of big parts tumblers that have centralized grease systems. Of course the lines rot out way too early but have had a hydraulic shop make new hoses for them. Much cheaper than I expected and these will probably outlast the tumblers by many years.

I will remember that if the air shock hose doesn't pan out.
hugs, Brandi

 

[YLee Kioti]

YLee Kioti,
I like your user name. Been catchin' any roadrunners? Thanks for the kind words. What service were you in? Or were you strictly civilian?
hugs, Brandi

Well Mr. YLee is a tad slow even in hi range field mice out run him and snicker.
That's when the hawks come and swoop up on them....:laughing:

US Army: Avionics 35K/P and part time crew chief on CH-47's and UH-1's.
I do miss the smell of JP-4 burning and hydraulic fluid.

Guess to others that makes me a candidate for some medical terminology nowadays...lol.
Do see lots of road runner in the hill country. Plan on spending time up there in the fall. Lots of Texas music in Luckenbach, German cuisine in Fredrichberg and lots of vineyards to sample.

I admire the tenacity of those that set a goal and grab on to it.
Keep us posted on how all the projects that lil beauty does for yah!
Regards...LH

 

[bindian]

Well Mr. YLee is a tad slow even in hi range field mice out run him and snicker.
That's when the hawks come and swoop up on them....:laughing:

US Army: Avionics 35K/P and part time crew chief on CH-47's and UH-1's.
I do miss the smell of JP-4 burning and hydraulic fluid.

Guess to others that makes me a candidate for some medical terminology nowadays...lol.
Do see lots of road runner in the hill country. Plan on spending time up there in the fall. Lots of Texas music in Luckenbach, German cuisine in Fredrichberg and lots of vineyards to sample.

I admire the tenacity of those that set a goal and grab on to it.
Keep us posted on how all the projects that lil beauty does for yah!
Regards...LH

Thanks for your service. I used to rebuild wrecked and wore out helicopters for Heliflight and Air Logistics. Heliflight was started at Montgomery County Airport as a helicopter completions center. We did single pilot IFR STCs on Sikorsky S-76 and Dauphin IIIs. Also 1000 and 1200 hour inspections on Bells, along with Bell rebuild fixtures that I love working on and around. I rebuilt Bell 206 and Bell 212s.

I loved it there and would have stayed, except for the early 80s oil field bust. So lots of us were transfered to New Iberia, La. and Air Logistics, 7 on and 7 off. I got out of there as fast as I could and into the airlines. The Army Reserve is there now in those hangars.


Here is a link to a pressing project for the excavator..... https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/projects/251326-instant-pond.html?highlight= If the rain would stay away. Excavator use starts on page 32 and post#315

Also here.........https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/projects/359501-my-place-cat-mahindra-ducks.html
hugs, Brandi

 

[YLee Kioti]

Thanks for your service. I used to rebuild wrecked and wore out helicopters for Heliflight and Air Logistics. Heliflight was started at Montgomery County Airport as a helicopter completions center. We did single pilot IFR STCs on Sikorsky S-76 and Dauphin IIIs. Also 1000 and 1200 hour inspections on Bells, along with Bell rebuild fixtures that I love working on and around. I rebuilt Bell 206 and Bell 212s.

I loved it there and would have stayed, except for the early 80s oil field bust. So lots of us were transfered to New Iberia, La. and Air Logistics, 7 on and 7 off. I got out of there as fast as I could and into the airlines. The Army Reserve is there now in those hangars.


Here is a link to a pressing project for the excavator..... https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/projects/251326-instant-pond.html?highlight= If the rain would stay away. Excavator use starts on page 32 and post#315

Also here.........https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/projects/359501-my-place-cat-mahindra-ducks.html
hugs, Brandi

Thanks for the links.
Awesome work wasn't it. Ha, been long time since I've had a chat with another rotor head!

Some of our CH-47 pilots (probably retired by now) flew off shore out of the Houston/La. area. Talked to them during our N.O. reunion few years back. Small world.

Have a great week.

 

[bindian]

An update here. I had her out Sunday earning her keep. I was tacking out pine trees for a friend's driveway. Photo shows me at the back of the driveway moving a stump with the hyd. thumb. I love that thumb!
hugs, Brandi

 

[dfkrug]

Wow, what a great machine, Brandi. I do not know how I missed this thread.

Like others, I love your neat wiring repairs with all the plastic protection. There is a class-action suit, currently directed at Toyota, for using soy-based plastics in automotive wiring. This has led to Huge amounts of rodent damage, which has been increasing in recent years. It seems all majors may have been using wires with this kind of insulation.

Anyway, I would love to hear more about the hydraulics on your machine. I looked up the E70 and it seems to be from the late 80s-early 90s. Does it have pilot-operated controls?

 

[bindian]

df,
Thanks! I have heard of mice and rats getting in cars and eating plastic parts. But the wiring insulation made out of soy was new to me.

It does not have pilot operation. Wobble sticks directly connect to push pull rods to the valves. 2490 psi at 13.2 gallons per minute. The sales brochure, I found on ebay, says she will pick up 4830 pounds 7.5 feet in front of her, up to 7.5 feet high. I love her. Did I say I love the hyd. thumb too?
hugs, Brandi

 

[EddieWalker]

Love seeing pics of your cat out on a job!!!! I'm still day dreaming of the day I buy an excavator, but doubt it will ever happen. Too many other "must have's" on my list that I have to do or have first.

 

[bindian]

Eddie...........................enjoy!
This photo reminds me of a dragon coming around the corner!
hugs, Brandi

 

[dfkrug]

df,
Thanks! I have heard of mice and rats getting in cars and eating plastic parts. But the wiring insulation made out of soy was new to me.

It does not have pilot operation. Wobble sticks directly connect to push pull rods to the valves. 2490 psi at 13.2 gallons per minute. The sales brochure, I found on ebay, says she will pick up 4830 pounds 7.5 feet in front of her, up to 7.5 feet high. I love her. Did I say I love the hyd. thumb too?

That's a serious machine, Brandi. And once you have experienced the wonders of an hyd thumb (as you did on your tractor), you can't be without. I see these older machines for sale from time-to-time around here, cheap.

If you ever get into the hyd track adjusters or distribution valve, please post. That will be new ground for me.

 

[bindian]

That's a serious machine, Brandi. And once you have experienced the wonders of an hyd thumb (as you did on your tractor), you can't be without. I see these older machines for sale from time-to-time around here, cheap.

If you ever get into the hyd track adjusters or distribution valve, please post. That will be new ground for me.

She is serious. Oh yeah..........almost 24 inch wide triple grouser tracks. She has less of a footprint then my boot print does.
My tracks adjust old school..............with a grease gun. I hope I never have to "disturb" the valve bank. That is a lot of removal to get that thing out. Lots of hard line and old rusty bolts. Basically pulling the whole deck structure behind the house. If I ever removed it, I would just take it to the hyd. shop.

I do wish she had a blade and a high/low speed, instead of just a low/low speed. Come to think of it, a swing boom would be nice also.
hugs, Brandi

 

[dfkrug]

My tracks adjust old school..............with a grease gun.

That is the most common way...hydraulic with grease gun. My little Chinese unit uses nuts and a drive screw.

 

[dfkrug]

Come to think of it, a swing boom would be nice also.

You know you are in the midi/maxi excavator territory when your canopy/cabin is on the side
of the house, and you have no boom swing. Sometimes 2 boom lift cyls. I think "minis" are up
to 6 metric tons.

 

[bindian]

You know you are in the midi/maxi excavator territory when your canopy/cabin is on the side
of the house, and you have no boom swing. Sometimes 2 boom lift cyls. I think "minis" are up
to 6 metric tons.

No so for everyone........Takeuchi TB1140 is around 15 ton with boom swing and blade.
https://www.takeuchi-us.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/TB1140Tier2.pdf
also Mustang 1000M is around 10.5 ton with boom swing and blade.
Mustang 1M Excavator
I would love to have the Take.
hugs, Brandi

 

[dfkrug]

No so for everyone........Takeuchi TB1140 is around 15 ton with boom swing and blade.

That looks innovative. Never seen one quite like that. There are now scores of excavator makers.

Notice that pretty much everything made in the past 10y or so has moved to multiple HST hyd drives, with often additional gear pumps. Usually pilot-operated controls as well. Over about 1.5T or so.

 

[bindian]

While loading on the trailer to go home, the main hose from the pump to the valve bank blew and I lost hyd. pressure. I was just about on the trailer where I chain it down, when I saw ground inside my right track. Next thing I knew, I was stepping out the slideup windshield opening on the side of the ditch. I tried to swing the boom around to stop my fall, but with low pressure there also, it just acted as an anchor.

I went home, got the Mahindra and kept thinking something would need to pull from the tow eye, while I lifted the boom with the FEL on the Mahindra. A dumptruck stopped by and said he could pull it after he got fuel. By then I had clearied trees for the Mahindra to position to lift the boom. I lifted the boom two feet by myself, looked at my friend and said,,,,,,,,"I'm gonna try it now". The Mahindra lifted (flipped?) the CAT back upright all by herself!

While lifting, I busted (sheared the bolt) the mount for the right boom light guard and tweaked the thumb and stick lines. The sight glass tube on the fuel tank came off, dumping 30 gallons of diesel while on it's side and the tank was tweaked on it's mounts. The hyd. tank didn't budge!

I was afraid it had caved in the radiator louvers into the radiator, but those were fine also. The light guard on the fuel tank is loose. I must have fell on the right sliding window, as the forward one was half out of the track. I tried to pop it back into the track with a 3 inch round cedar post, but it wasn't plexiglass like I thought. Yep, I shattered the glass into thousands of little shards.

The next weekend I replaced both pump hoses and took out 6 more trees before the stick cylinder hose blew. It showered the cab and my feet with fluid. Seems I missed the tweaked hard line, when checking for damage, which pulled the hose too tight with the stick fully retracted. I changed that line Friday, between rain storms and with my seatbelt on, loaded her up and brought her home.

My home made thumb hard lines were bent when the Mahindra's loader bucket didn't raise as fast as the uprighting CAT.
hugs, Brandi

 

[PAGUY]

Glad you were not hurt.

 

[dfkrug]

Oh, dear, that must have been scary, Brandi!

It sounds like damage was minimal. It does show that this could happen to anyone. I once experienced a rollover in a car on a freeway. I will always remember that.

Thx for posting.