Fixing Cracks in a Backhoe - Big ! with pics

[thingy]

Yeah I know Egon,,,I'm woosing out,,,this is what it comes to,,still kicking,,thingy

 

[john_bud]

Thingy,

You should talk to the kids at the votech. When I was taking a welding class there the young pups were gas welding without any eye protection. I would get on them, but they thought that they could see better with out that dern green thing. Young and dumb and full of ...., well you know the saying!

I don't think it is scar tissue forming, it probably is the nerves getting killed by the over stimulation. Same exact deal as loud noises. My ears ring all the time these days. Started using shooting muffs for any uses of any power tools. Grinder, brush, sander, saw, mower, shop vac, tractor. You name it. I know some times the wife and kid get tired of me asking them to repeat. It's wierd, as I can hear a twig snap from 60 yds away and can tell a squirrel from a chipmonk from a deer walking in the leaves, and I can tell a car from a truck from a van coming up the drive, but the wife's tone is a blank to my ears! (maybe that's something else....)

jb

 

[scott_vt]

but the wife's tone is a blank to my ears! (maybe that's something else....)

jb

Afternoon John,
Thats funny I have the same affliction

 

[3RRL]

Yeah, me too.
Then when she starts yelling at me I have to say,
"What? ... you act like I'm listening to you or something?"
That doesn't go over to well either.

 

[thingy]

Not sure really,they always told me every time you get your eyes burnt,that a little scar tissure was left after they healed,,just like any other burn,,,I know some of the real old timers,,[who have spent 40 years or so burning 3/16 rods outside,] sometimes have wolf eyes,paleish grey kinda looking,,shade 8 or maybe 9 lens is all they used to use outside,,also know the more times you have your eyes burnt the more they can take before they burn,figured that scar tissue was blocking a little of it,,,,
Now your ears,,yeah thats probably nerve damage,,,but in your case,maybe something is just getting on A nerve and your ears have adjusted and learned to stop it,,,,thingy

 

[EddieWalker]

It's been over two months.

What's the latest news? Are you still working on it? Is it done????????

Eddie

 

[john_bud]

It's been over two months.

What's the latest news? Are you still working on it? Is it done????????

Eddie

OOPS! Sorry, been doing other things. A buddy has been hobbled by a bum shoulder - had rotator cuff surgery. While the one side was healing the other side with a small tear grew into a big tear. Then the repaired side failed and needed a new operation. Workmans comp quit paying and he's been stuck with no $$, can't work, insurance ran out, been laid off his union job, so he has sold some land. I have been moving loads of fire wood, pond spoils, and prep-ing for a new pole shed on my place to house his stuff. Then the land deal fell thru... Life's a chore - but at least my shoulders are still good! Oh well, CFO and I talked and we decided to buy his land. It's a nice wooded 40 acres with a 42x32 pole building. He can keep his stuff there. So all the long days of dragging firewood home, sawing it up, etc were sort of a wasted effort. At least winter will be warm!

Anyway, Yes - the backhoe is still being worked on. I got 6 shanks and teeth from e-scam-bay and welded them onto the 36" bucket. Well, started to. Then found that the cutting edge is high carbon alloy when a tack weld popped off and left a divot. Had to find some stick that would weld and not pop off. Used "Super Missleweld". Goofy name - good results. Had pre-heat the metal to 400F+. Got half way there and my tanks went dry. Refilled them and did the welding. I must say, I am a decent MIG welder but a pizz poor stick welder. Ahem- anyway good enough as they say. Shanks are on.

I asked a Dupont Rep what paint to use and got his recommendation. Corlar 2.1 PR for the primer and Imron 3.5 HG for the paint. The corlar has specs that are real good for chip resistance and abrasion resistance. It is NOT sandable. It is also not stocked locally. Ordered on line - then had to wait as it wasn't stocked there either. Then waited some more as UPS integrity checked the package by running it over with a truck. (It failed). More waiting....ho hum...Finally got it and found out that it is as thick as cold road tar. Had to buy a pressurized HVLP setup to get it to work. Also bought an air operated paint shaker - works well. The primer goes on with a ripply "hammered" look. Oh, and it gets runs pretty easy too. Or is that just my painting skills - ha ha!

Has anyone painted a decent sized disassembled backhoe? It's a real head scratcher to figure out how to hang a 10' long 800# boom, 36" bucket, main box, etc. I laid down a tarp on my dirt floor pole building and hung stuff from chains and nylon tow straps between the poles. Oh - when the wind blows it's not pretty, even with the tarp down! Painting the primer wasn't too bad after I got the thinning down and all. The black was a chore! Real hard to see if you have coverage or not. Wound up with 2 coats of primer and 3 coats of color. About 1/3 gal of the primer and activator used and 3/4 of the gal of color. Still about 1/2 of the parts need primer. They are now hanging and need the bushings taped over. The weather has been not good for painting. When it's warm, it's blowing 20-40 mph. Most of the time it's been chilly and either raining or blowing. It has taken a week of drying in the shed to get hard enough to move to a warmer spot. (The shed is tree sheltered and is about 15 degrees cooler than the air temps.) So, I strung some chain between 3 trees and transfered the painted parts there to dry with some sun assisted warming. Who says backhoes don't grow on trees?

The hoe control levers have a nylon bushing. Well, supposed to. Mine were about totally missing. I searched and found some 1/2ID 5/8OD brass and epoxy'ed them in. The fit was pretty good and epoxy wasn't NEEDED, but I feel better knowing that the bushings won't spin. Made a new 1/2 shaft too. There was about 25-30 thou of wear on it.

I still need to re-oring the controls, cushion valve and repack some cylinders. That is a chore that is saved for the end when the shop can be cleaned and all grinding can be banned.


Oh, and in the middle of this -- I found a TLB of the same model as mine in not running "parts" condition. The diesel engine runs with 50 psi pressure with a replacement pump (not included) and the SOS trans is not working. Otherwise, it seems complete. 11 hydraulic cylinders, pump, controls, etc all there and working. The seller was willing to go down to $1000 for the unit, but it is 600 miles away. Took some doing but found a back haul that is bringing it door to door for $400. It's just about what he will spend on fuel, so it's cheap for me (I estimated it would be $300-350 for diesel to get it) and he get's his expenses covered.

Here's some pics. You can see the poor first pass paint coverage. By the 3rd pass, everything was shiny black. It is hard to see when you have the supplied air helmet on and the light sucks.







Sorry to be so wordy, but it's hard to sneak 2 months into 1 reply....

jb

 

[john_bud]

Have the rest of the big parts hanging and coated wtih primer.











The hard lines that go inside the boom are out, have been cleaned down to bare metal and primed too. They will get put back inside the boom before the color coat goes on.

jb

 

[john_bud]

Color coat has been applied. Actually, it was applied twice. I mixed up the remaining Imron 3.5HG, about 2 qts and sprayed the dipper stick and the boom. Not fully, but a decent first coat. Then had to run to the paint store and buy more. Mixed up 2 more qts and sprayed the insides of the boom and dipper, the outsides, the hard lines, and the rest. Then did it again with a thick coat as there was still more in the pot. Then having still more left in the pot, I did a 2nd full heavy coat on everything. Then sprayed the rest on some wood crating that is slowly being transformed into an outhouse for the place Up North. I have no idea what the heck happened. The first 2 qts squirted out and didn't seem to cover diddle, the 2nd 2 qt wouldn't empty out, but every thing is coated nice and thick.

In case you're wondering, the boom is hanging from chains attached to a nylon binder strap. The strap is attached to a tow strap and a G70 binder chain. They form a triangle across the rafters and between the poles. And, yes, there was a bit of moaning and groaning as the weight was transfered! I also have to admit, the bottom of the boom and dipper stick were painted at arms length! I'll be glad when the paint dries enough to get them off of there.

I don't know if you can see or not, but I put the hydraulic hard lines in the boom after color coating it. I didn't want the paint to make the fittings a permanent part of the hoe. That part will get a dab of paint later.

jb

 

[JimR]

Nice job on the boom with the painting. Imron is great paint. I remember the first car I used that paint on back in 1980. I used a high metallic red and found that it went on very thin or almost translucent. It took four coats to bring out the right color that I wanted. This paint is really bad for you if you do not wear the proper respirator.