What did you do with your Chinese baby digger today?

[dfkrug]

Thanks for posting that picture and info

It is all in post #47 of my Modification thread:

Importing and modifying a new mini excavator from China

I replaced the hydraulic return line to the tank with the filtration system shown above. The original fitting on the tank had 2 lines returning fluid. One was out of the stack valve, and the other smaller hose came out of the distribution valve (photo). The distribution valve allows the house...

www.tractorbynet.com

 

[2manyrocks]

FWIW, Mike Festiva has posted a YT video of how he adapted a walk behind string trimmer to his mini EX.

 

[dfkrug]

FWIW, Mike Festiva has posted a YT video of how he adapted a walk behind string trimmer to his mini EX.

Here it is:

He did a good job. I really liked his CNC plasma setup, too.

 

[Sonny580]

workin on field lile with the L-12 and its VERY slow going! Ground hard and rubbery at tile depth and digger not suitable for this kind of work! Not enough power for sure! Need a 20 horse motor on it as min. I keep scratchin and thats all it is, cause I dont have a runnin hoe to do it with.
Looks like I have 800 to 1,000 feet to dig out and replace with new tile.
I only work a few hours each day cause thats all I can stand.
got 200 feet uncovered in 3 days,---now to yank out old tile, put bottom on grade then drop in new plastic field tile. Some is 10" and some 5 "

 

[drawthree]

Not enough power for sure! Need a 20 horse motor on it as min.

Is your engine struggling to keep up with the demand, or is the engine staying strong and your just running up against the hydraulic pressure bypass? I ask because I have been digging in rocky soil lately and was getting nowhere. The engine was running plenty strong but I'd pull on a rock and didn't have enough hydraulic pressure to move it - the hydraulics just kept hitting the bypass. I got a gauge and checked and my bypass was set at 2200lbs. I bumped it up to 3000lbs and the engine was still keeping right up with no trouble so that's where I left it.

Night and day difference. Now it moves rocks.

 

[Sonny580]

lack of motor power---kills that sucker dead in its tracks!!

 

[drawthree]

lack of motor power---kills that sucker dead in its tracks!!

Interesting. Even with my hydraulic pressure set at 3000lbs I can run the little briggs in my Typhon at just over 3/4 throttle and it barely buckles down when I pull on a rock hard enough to hit the bypass.

 

[Sonny580]

Depressing to say the least. This motor was junk when I bought the digger new,---it was full of saltwater and crud when it came out of the shipping container from chimna and both valves were stuck open. Top of piston was full of burned crud on it as well. Factory stuck some junk test motor on it that probably has a thousand hours on it and sent the digger out the door and I got stuck with it!

 

[dfkrug]

This motor was junk when I bought the digger new,-

Yeah, it was a freakish thing that happened to you, SONNY.

I and at least one other person I talk with frequently bought the DuroMax 420 engines, shipped from SoCal. They have been super-reliable and run very well, even after 6 years, and hundreds of hours. That engine is made by LCT, a US company with factory in China. The one that acquired the Tecumseh name years ago. It was about $300 back then....about $400 now.

Have you considered swapping your engine for a new one?

 

[Sonny580]

cant afford to put a bigger one in it right now BUT still eying one of my Kohler 20's out of an old sunstar. I know that would run it!
Today I got another 40' of tile uncovered with it slow as molassas but its all I have and the tile has to be replaced so thats #1 right now.