MChalkley
Elite Member
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2000
- Messages
- 3,239
- Location
- Eastern Virginia
- Tractor
- EarthForce EF-5 mini-TLB (2001)
While I don't expect this thread will become quite the behemoth that the "L4310 enhancments" thread did (and I think I really hope it doesn't), there are a few things already on the "must have" list for the EF-5 that aren't there already, and a few things that will be necessary because of my particular needs. Others will come up as I go along, of course, but here's a starting point:
Gauges - Existing gauges, (not idiot lights) as best as I can remember, include engine oil pressure, water temperature, hydraulic oil temperature (at the tank sump), fuel level and voltmeter. An idiot light signals hydraulic filter flow restriction, hence the need to change it (I hope I never see that one come on).
Planned additions, and the importance I place on them, include tachometer (mandatory, unless my comments to the factory reps about how dumb it is not to have one have been acted upon already and it actually shows up with one), TiltMeter (mandatory - Rick at R&B is already "on the job", so I'm not losing any sleep over this one), hydraulic gear pump pressure (mandatory), gear pump oil temperature (luxury - but I'd like to get a pressure sending unit that also sends temp, which would give me two functions for one), gear pump flow (luxury - not likely any time soon), HST pump oil pressure and temp (luxury - but very informative, I expect, so it's fairly high on the list), pyrometer (very useful, so it's high on the list), turbo boost (luxury, but very informative), air filter restriction (very useful - at least an idiot light), engine oil temp (luxury), and water temp (redundant). Ideally, I'd like a single gauge to show the gear oil temp, HST oil temp, engine oil temp, and water temp. If it were the digital type, it could have an alarm to signal overly-high temps, a big plus, and it would only need to be a single gauge, so it would take up a lot less real estate. Also, I could possibly even add an engine oil pressure sending unit to a digital unit, thereby having a very important oil-pressure alarm. Alternatively, I could do like I did with my L4310 and use a standard gauge with a rotary switch to select the appropriate sensor. The hydraulic pressure gauge could also be digital, but the ranges are very different - 3500 psi for the gear pump and 7000 psi for the HST, which might be a problem). Also, hydraulic pressure fluctuates so much that I'm afraid a digital readout for this function wouldn't be very practical. Suggestions for sources of the gauges and sending units would be very much appreciated.
Lights - The EF-5 already comes with front headlights, two front worklights, four rear worklights, and complete road lights - marker ligts as well as stop and turn signals. However, subject to further review, I'm seriously considering replacing (or supplementing) the existing bulb-type ones with LED lights. I do a pretty fair bit of on-highway travel (usually for very short distances, fortunately), so high visibility is absolutely essential. Suggestions for low-cost, quality LED light sources would also be appreciated.
Other stuff:
Loader attachment level indicator - I need an electronic level indicator that can be reset to indicate "level" wherever I want it. Rick at R&B is also working on this one. He recently sent me a prototype to test and it would be fine for a loader level indicator, but I (as usual) want more. The great thing about his unit is that it's wireless, so you just mount the sending unit on a bracket on the back of the bucket, set it so it's signaling level when the bucket is level, and you're done. So many of you may be interested in this model already. What I need, though, is a unit that can be attached to the back of the quick-attach plate of my loader, and electronically reset to register "level" anywhere I choose. The reason for this is that different loader buckets (not to mention other attachments) are level with respect to the ground at different attachment point angles. So I want to be able to push a button on the panel indicator in the cab to tell the unit that the current attachment is now "level". As I say, Rick is working on this one now.
Another enhancement will be locking caps for the fuel and hydraulic oil tanks. Suggestions for a source for quality (preferably keyed-alike) caps would be appreciated.
The last enhancement on my "I don't even have an EF-5 yet" list is a means of securing the backhoe-mounted auger when I'm not using it. My EF-5 is going to have a quick-attach plate on the backhoe (heavy equipment folks call them "couplers", I've learned), so I can easily switch between various buckets and a hydraulically powered auger. Given the fact that that the end of the dipper, when retracted, is about 3' off the ground, and the auger and bit assembly will hang down about 5' feet, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that something's going to drag if I don't do something about it. I'm thinking about welding one of those metal plates with a keyhole-shaped hole in it to the dipper, so I can chain it up fairly tight against the dipper. What do you call those things, anyway? (I've always called them slotted chain pad eyes, but I don't know if this is right or not.) Whatever they're called, a source for a machined one would be appreciated. I'd rather not use the burn-one-out-with-a-torch approach for my new baby.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot: At some point, I'd like to add an air filter pre-cleaner, and a bypass engine oil filtration system - probably about the same time I switch it over to synthetic oil - at 250 hours or so.
In addition to the aforementioned pleas for sources, comments, suggestions, and donations /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif would also be appreciated.
MarkC
Gauges - Existing gauges, (not idiot lights) as best as I can remember, include engine oil pressure, water temperature, hydraulic oil temperature (at the tank sump), fuel level and voltmeter. An idiot light signals hydraulic filter flow restriction, hence the need to change it (I hope I never see that one come on).
Planned additions, and the importance I place on them, include tachometer (mandatory, unless my comments to the factory reps about how dumb it is not to have one have been acted upon already and it actually shows up with one), TiltMeter (mandatory - Rick at R&B is already "on the job", so I'm not losing any sleep over this one), hydraulic gear pump pressure (mandatory), gear pump oil temperature (luxury - but I'd like to get a pressure sending unit that also sends temp, which would give me two functions for one), gear pump flow (luxury - not likely any time soon), HST pump oil pressure and temp (luxury - but very informative, I expect, so it's fairly high on the list), pyrometer (very useful, so it's high on the list), turbo boost (luxury, but very informative), air filter restriction (very useful - at least an idiot light), engine oil temp (luxury), and water temp (redundant). Ideally, I'd like a single gauge to show the gear oil temp, HST oil temp, engine oil temp, and water temp. If it were the digital type, it could have an alarm to signal overly-high temps, a big plus, and it would only need to be a single gauge, so it would take up a lot less real estate. Also, I could possibly even add an engine oil pressure sending unit to a digital unit, thereby having a very important oil-pressure alarm. Alternatively, I could do like I did with my L4310 and use a standard gauge with a rotary switch to select the appropriate sensor. The hydraulic pressure gauge could also be digital, but the ranges are very different - 3500 psi for the gear pump and 7000 psi for the HST, which might be a problem). Also, hydraulic pressure fluctuates so much that I'm afraid a digital readout for this function wouldn't be very practical. Suggestions for sources of the gauges and sending units would be very much appreciated.
Lights - The EF-5 already comes with front headlights, two front worklights, four rear worklights, and complete road lights - marker ligts as well as stop and turn signals. However, subject to further review, I'm seriously considering replacing (or supplementing) the existing bulb-type ones with LED lights. I do a pretty fair bit of on-highway travel (usually for very short distances, fortunately), so high visibility is absolutely essential. Suggestions for low-cost, quality LED light sources would also be appreciated.
Other stuff:
Loader attachment level indicator - I need an electronic level indicator that can be reset to indicate "level" wherever I want it. Rick at R&B is also working on this one. He recently sent me a prototype to test and it would be fine for a loader level indicator, but I (as usual) want more. The great thing about his unit is that it's wireless, so you just mount the sending unit on a bracket on the back of the bucket, set it so it's signaling level when the bucket is level, and you're done. So many of you may be interested in this model already. What I need, though, is a unit that can be attached to the back of the quick-attach plate of my loader, and electronically reset to register "level" anywhere I choose. The reason for this is that different loader buckets (not to mention other attachments) are level with respect to the ground at different attachment point angles. So I want to be able to push a button on the panel indicator in the cab to tell the unit that the current attachment is now "level". As I say, Rick is working on this one now.
Another enhancement will be locking caps for the fuel and hydraulic oil tanks. Suggestions for a source for quality (preferably keyed-alike) caps would be appreciated.
The last enhancement on my "I don't even have an EF-5 yet" list is a means of securing the backhoe-mounted auger when I'm not using it. My EF-5 is going to have a quick-attach plate on the backhoe (heavy equipment folks call them "couplers", I've learned), so I can easily switch between various buckets and a hydraulically powered auger. Given the fact that that the end of the dipper, when retracted, is about 3' off the ground, and the auger and bit assembly will hang down about 5' feet, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that something's going to drag if I don't do something about it. I'm thinking about welding one of those metal plates with a keyhole-shaped hole in it to the dipper, so I can chain it up fairly tight against the dipper. What do you call those things, anyway? (I've always called them slotted chain pad eyes, but I don't know if this is right or not.) Whatever they're called, a source for a machined one would be appreciated. I'd rather not use the burn-one-out-with-a-torch approach for my new baby.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot: At some point, I'd like to add an air filter pre-cleaner, and a bypass engine oil filtration system - probably about the same time I switch it over to synthetic oil - at 250 hours or so.
In addition to the aforementioned pleas for sources, comments, suggestions, and donations /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif would also be appreciated.
MarkC