Designing a bin tipper, sizing hydraulics.

[GLyford]

Part of the issue is the bins are standard, he isn't likely to want to redesign a whole farm's worth of bins just to use the tipper...

 

[aczlan]

With bins weighting 1000# and you having space to mount it however you want, any cylinder with a bore of at least 1.5" running at 1500PSI or better should work (if mounted near the back of the bin).

If you have hydraulic lines to the forklift carriage (such as for side shift), you could also install a "rollover head" which would roll the bin over sideways.
That would let you go back and forth between dumping bins and moving them without needing to switch attachments.

Aaron Z

 

[aczlan]

Here is a rollover head: Forklift rotator - farm & garden - by owner - sale


Aaron Z

 

[blakester]

Alright so I had a random joking suggestion from my dad that I thought.. you know what that might work. I have a smallish Cat 20 excavator. (This isn't it but it's basically this size)


He suggested I just attach set of bin forks to the bucket and use that as my bin tipper. It certainly would simplify my build and be quite a bit cheaper. Thoughts on this working? I'm not sure how much of a load it could lift up to 6 feet and then tip over. I could build a setup that just bolts to the underside of the bucket, although I would have less leverage that way....

 

[BukitCase]

The mini-x could be a good idea, I've been thinking about something similar for my 580 to dump burn barrels that get full of compacted ash - the barrels probably weigh around 400# when full, the 580 weighs around 12 THOUSAND.

However, unless your mini weighs at least 4-5 TIMES what a full bin will weigh, I'd reconsider - in 35 years of heavy industry maintenance, I've NEVER seen a "tail wagging the dog" scenario that turned out well... Steve

 

[aczlan]

I'm trying to figure out how you're planning on keeping the bin from sliding off when you dump it. Would you have the forks going out sideways from the bucket?
It seems to me that the idea you had where are you set a bin on a platform, then the platform raised up and dumped the bin is going to be the simplest way to do it.
I can see a lot of wear and tear on your mini excavator if you're using it to dump bins vs $300 in steel and $300 in hydraulics.

Also, does your mini excavator have food safe hydraulic fluid in it? If not, when you blow a hydraulic hose on the mini excavator, how much fluid are you going to dump into the fruit that you are trying to dump? How much will its cost you to lose that fruit?
I know that the dumpers that I have seen are all running a food-safe hydraulic fluid specifically so that when a hydraulic hose breaks, the whole load does not have to be dumped because it is contaminated.

Aaron Z

 

[bigtiller]

Eww, they really make hydraulic fluid that is good to eat?

 

[4570Man]

Eww, they really make hydraulic fluid that is good to eat?

Probably mineral oil whatever that actually is.

 

[Fallon]

Probably mineral oil whatever that actually is.

Or vegetable based oil. Apparently machines on a lot of government projects have to run it. Not clear if its have to, or its just easier to deal with a half-assed cleanup than the borderline hasmat protocols you have to deal with for regular oil.

 

[4570Man]

Are you guys not reading my posts much? Like my last one said (#27) last sentence. Lift it up higher.

Go think that one through. Draw up a prototype.