All kidding aside, there is really not that much to see. The new CAT bucket and the Piranha grapple took bad beatings moving all those giant mega-rocks, but that's what they were bought for. It's just funny to compare pre- and post- "rockscape" conditions since the CAT bucket, in particular, had never been used by me before this job and the Piranha grapple had only seen relatively light wood and brush-moving duty. Now the CAT bucket looks like a veteran skidsteer bucket should... and the grapple will need some serious straightening and reconditioning, possibly by a third party (read: a welder).
The worst beating was taken by the 18" backhoe bucket and, to a lesser degree, by the new backhoe thumb. Both are beat to a pulp. The bucket now needs all new teeth and maybe new cutting edges front and both sides. It might be better to simply replace the bucket with a new one... reconditioning and keeping this old bucket should another insane monster rock job come along.
The bucket cylinder rod was badly scratched while digging under a 7,500 lb rock trying to deep bury it. No big leaks yet, but it will be replaced this winter. My bad... and I intend to remedy it. Very embarrassing.
The FEL and numerous other parts of the backhoe took a lot of superficial damage, but I'll also want to inspect both for cracks before reconditioning and repainting. Parts that can't be dressed up to my satisfaction will be replaced. The tool carrier will get updated courtesy of Jeremy and KMW.
The tractor itself is leaking in a few new places. I'll be investigating those new leaks tomorrow. I may (read: should) replace the hydraulic oil and filters early as well due to the defective grapple cylinders. God only knows what is sitting there inside the filter.
The tires did not do so bad on this job. Other jobs have been much worse on the tires. The tractor is still filthy beyond words and EVERY obscure fitting needs to be re-greased and then re-greased again, but other business and personal issues had to take precedence this week. Bill6: Please don't look.
I need to take the old defective cylinders off the Piranha grapple. New ones have already arrived... a little beat up, but still usable. This is gonna be an oily, messy job for me and the GF this weekend. No fun at all. Measurements for the new thumb hydraulics will also be taken so that I can finally get that project underway.
After the obvious damage is fixed, I need to take a hard look at
everything that didn't break or get damaged. I am very concerned about the FEL hoses, which look to have been over-stressed and weakened by this crazy mega-rock job. I also need to confirm proper hydraulic system operating pressure and get it adjusted if it is set a bit too low (as suspected).
Dougster
