When I bought my 200LC it came with both 50' LR and the original stick and arm. I have quit cleaning drainage ditches and am building new ponds so I no longer want the LR on and want the OEM on to remove trees in fences after this summers tornado went thru. my question is, how dangerous is it to change them, and what equipment is required to do this? Should I have the dealer come out and hire a crane? Any guesses on what those sticks and arms weigh? TIA, Dave
I’ve not performed this task but if you have the proper lifting equipment I would think emit should’ve to bad if a job as long as the main boom pin isn’t too badly worn. I could see that being an issue to remove. Is that long reach for a Komatsu PC200 or a Deere 200 just curious I’d like to have a LR boom for out Komatsu PC200.
Good day Excavate a hole or use an bank to lower and support the arm ideally should make the pin at working height, uncouple and plug the bucket lines and remove the ram cylinder pin (Support with a block of wood) , remove the hinge pin and drive the machine away from the arm. Reverse process to fit short arm. Kind regards Uffex
My understanding at the time when I purchased the X was the LR was made by a company by the name of "Moutain" and Deere later bought them so it had access to LR booms. AS to your Komatsu PC200, I have no idea but to say that my X is a John Deere 200LC. Depending on the difficulty to change and cost, I would consider selling the LR. TIA, Dave
Lifting equipment is the key to what you want to do. Other than that the job is the same as removing any type of excavator front. The stick will usually curl up far enough that you can reach the pins just standing on the ground. If you can, leave the bucket on the stick and open it so it provides some stabilization.The boom tip section on many of these don't reach the ground and you might have to set it on something like a truck bed so you can unpin the boom cylinders from the boom. Most booms will balance when you lift from boom cylinder pin. A crane is very nice to use if you have access. Excavators can be used for lifting if they are large enough to handle the weight and can lift high enough. I've done it with wheel loaders and they work real nice. I've used chains to swap things like that around but much prefer wire rope slings. Most of time I end up using what is available. Best advise is plan each move and go slow. One person can do the job but I don't recommend it.
Factory built long reach excavators generally have extra plumbing to slow down the boom drop which you would need to remove.
Good day A tip that I missed pointing out, removing the arm rod pin can often be eased by the following method - rest the equipment as suggested - stop the motor but leave the key on - operate the ram control a few times with the control lock out in the operative position. This will remove any residual pressure from the arm hydraulics, making the pin removal much easier. Kind regards Uffex