Just a few pictures of work. First picture is a Hitachi ZX 470LC-5. The counterweight is removed. We installed the auxillary lines, valving and the thumb. Second is of a hitachi zx 670 being built on site. This is an ongoing process started today so more pictures to follow.
What kind of truck is the service truck on the right?
Its a peterbilt. Everyone calls it the baby pete. Here is a picture.
just curious but what is the hydraulic thumb good for on a machine that size? looks a little too big for residential demolition lol pj
We had a 350 cat with a thumb. Very handy for everything we did. We had a beat up 450 hitachi for a while an that thing was still nicer than some other same year machines. They are sweet machines.
Cool pics. Guess you work for wajax?
You are using HKX auxiliary lines on the ZX 470LC-5?
Yup I work for Wajax. It is an HKX kit. There were two of these machines built. They are to demolish an oil refinery. That is why there are three auxillary lines. The shear requires additional rotate and swivel lines as well as additional pumps. Well back to the ZX 670 Build. Today was day two and started with the trucks being unloaded.
Then on went the boom cylinders: Followed by the boom itself: Followed by the stick. This proved to be very difficult to line up on the uneven ground. We always try to shim it up as snug as possible!
Thanks for sharing the pic`s. Heck you got off easy with the track frames already on the carbody, just slide `em out and bolt them down. It`s a real chore when all there is sitting on the trailer is the house.
Is that 67 Tonne Excavator ?
Cool pics. Thanks for sharing. How do you get on at Wajax? Was offered a job there some time ago but due to circumstances am now waiting on permit and then starting with Headwater Equipment. (Ab)
Yesterday the counterweight went on too! Yes we were really lucky on the undercarriage being bolted on. However some very strong people bolted on the retaining bolts so I had to get a little creative. It seems that they sent a very strong ratchet with the machine! I flatly refuse to use my snap on or mac ratchets like this! Now its all the small details like cat walks, mirrors etc. More pictures tomorrow when she's all done and hopefully digging some dirt!
Its classed as a 65 Tonne excavator. Similar to a 365 CAT. On the new dash five model Hitachi's the model numbers have changed to more accurately reflect the weight of the machine. So an older model ZX450-3 is now a ZX470-5. Its a 45 tonne hoe but actually weighs 48000 Kilograms.
I was hired straight out of college. They used to do their own recruiting and it was very easy to get a position but now they use a recruiting agency. May I ask why your settling down in Alberta. I haven't heard anything bad about Headwater Equipment. Do you want to work with Wajax because they sell JCB?
They didn't send you with a hydraulic torque wrench? Those suckers have a hell of a torque spec. I did a new EX1200 in the Port of Seattle once. After that the 600's & 800's didn't seem as bad. LOL
Head of the hydraulic torque wrench didn't fit under the links. So had to torque by angle.
Crap!
Wajax offered me a position back in September last year. Was getting various bits of paper sorted out then 6 months later they said they had a big re structure of middle management and as no start date had been confirmed they decided to close the offer. Hacked me off a bit but never mind. I liked the offer as I had a fistful of hitachi equipment on my books and it proved very good, but tbh most of my experience lies on cat, which so I'm told is the bulk of headwaters game. So I guess I've not done so badly after all. With any luck I'll be heading over inside the next two months. All my tools are now on a boat heading over and I'm in limbo in the middle! Want to get back to that dream you talk about! As for Alberta, I worked there back in 2001 for 7 months... Loved it. The position(s) came along so took them. Fingers crossed it will be how I hope.
Sounds like you got it laid out pretty well! Good luck with moving! Must be a bit nerve racking too?
Final Pictures! The Beast Lives! All went well else for the fact I dropped a boom light and it went smash! Well a replacement was soon found and installed and the machine was tested!
Just noticed, no wear strips on the bottom of the bucket? Nerve racking. You ain't kidding. I've done a few things in my time. Stuff I used to think stressed me out. Turns out I didn't know what stress meant! Shipping all my gear, never thought that would bother me. It does! Waiting on the return of a mountain of paperwork... I just hope it pans out, I've chucked in a whole lot over here!
The bucket is a loaner so no wear strips . Too expensive for a loaner i guess! I work with a lot of guys who emigrated out of the U.K. Lot of them like to work on the JCB's which is fine by me! They all complain about the extensive paperwork and legal hoops it takes to come over! I would sweat too if all my tools were somewhere on the ocean!
Did you do a full inventory of tools and get insurance?
Don't want to hijack the topic but... Yeah, full photographed itinerary wih a total of 40k gbp cover. 40k in Canadian is a shade under 75cad, or a shade under 70 for our friends in the US. Thats a lot of money, but if I'm honest, if I was offered the cash in one hand or my gear in the other, I'd take my gear all day long. If traveling with the container was an option, I'd take it! As for jumping through hoops, yep... It's soul destroying! The guys on your side can keep their jcb equipment. I'm not a fan!
Hope your insurance is better than an Assie aquantance. He sent a costly insured container of old Cats and parts from CA to Austrailia. The container was dropped at the unloading port doing considerable damage to the container and the contents. He never got a dime of insurance. He was told the insurance paid only if the container was lost at sea, and unrecoverable, no damage coverage. Now he doesn't bother with the insurance as the likely hood of being lost at sea is quite slim.
with any luck, I'll never know, its the same old, you never know till its too late
There are some fans though. Here are some skid steers going out. Just did an oil change and some check overs. Just another day living the dream!
That size machine moves in 2 loads in Oregon and Washington (lucky I guess). The boom and counterweight stay on the machine, the bucket and stick on another load. It takes 3 hour-ish to reinstall with one mechanic and one operator. I used a plate compactor on a TLB one day to vibrate the boom/stick pin in worked amazing!!!....TIO
I was just going to ask why it wasn't mostly assembled on delivery. The company I work for has a 750 and all we do is take the stick off and away it goes. Our 390 is just the stick and counterwieght and it ships.
I'm betting the machine itself shipped from Japan RORO? If so, then everything else probably came in containers, way cheaper that way. Or maybe I've been inhaling tier 2 exhaust again, I dunno.
Makes sense... The container part that is!
Your right on the money! The boom/ stick counterweight etc comes in containers and a company in the US takes it out and puts it on flatbeds. The machines itself gets to ride without a container.
Thats a really good idea! I guess in this job you got to use what you got. We had a hill and a sledgehammer and just made it work!
Oh yes that was a great day when there was an extra piece of equipment around that the super would let me use. I only got to use the plate compactor once that way. I didn't realize that hitachi was a new machine, only been around one new link belt that size and it showed up as I mentioned perhaps they assembled it at the dealer before it showed up to the job....TIO
Lots of them come without undercarriage too. Have to bolt to upper and undercarriage together. Thats A LOT of fun!
On that small of machine? Everything 850 and smaller had track frames installed when they came off the boat down here. We used to go to the Port of Seattle and put the track frames on the 1100 & 1200's. We'd crib the machine up on a rail deck trailer and the guys in the port would let us use their B/A forklifts to line up the track frames. Then it was just lots of huge bolts covered in cosmoline to install. I always loved installing the counterweights on the 750-800's in the field. You'd always get there to find out there was no c/w removal system. I'd call for a 2nd service truck to stop by. 2 10,000lb service truck cranes and a 24,000lb counter weight makes for and interesting lift.
Machines going north have to be loaded on many light loads because of the lack of proper roads. That is the only time I have seen the machines split like that. That way of installing counterweights seems legit! Doesn't the overload system on the crane refuse to lift it?
I'm not admitting adjustments to the cranes were made but they managed to get er' done when needed.
adjustments! Well in this job you just do what you gotta do!
Yep ...You gotta do what you gotta do ....I guess I now know why it took so long to put this machine together ....Not on a photo shoot you know ....I will see you on Tuesday...We need a chat Mr T
So what happened?
HA! Hey CdnDieselMonkey, I just took pictures of that 670 last weekend! The owners bought two of them. Been on the lookout for the other one, haven't seen it yet, any ideas? Theres also two 800C Deeres on that project not far from where the 670 is. I also heard that there is a Hitachi 870 on a job in Milton, Do you know if thats true? Is Chris A------- still in sales? Send me a pm if you want. Thanks 61bg
Sorry about that CDN. I did not see post 41. Seems like some one is all poopy pants about you taking pictures at work... Hey daof4, don't be too hard on him, he just has pride in what hes doing for a living & showing people that he is proud of putting machines like this together. In fact its HARD to get people to like what they are doing let alone be proud of it & who they work for. You should in fact be grateful... My 2cents. PM me daof4 if you would like to chat. 61BG
Oh...Just messing with Mr T (cdndieselmonkey) ...I work with him, Some one has to ...lol
Hey Don't know about a second 670. Maybe its coming in the future? I haven't seen a new 870 either! Also haven't seen a chris in sales!
CDNDIESELMONKEY: BOT construction has a new 670 Deere on that project now. Its down at the 401 interchange & its SWEET! Talking to their float driver & he said they also bought a new ZX1200 to go into a quarry they own up around Washago & will ship rock from there down to the 407E extension. Also found out that Chris in sales is now with the Doosan dealer...
Yah i don't know: I stay out of all the he bought she bought they bought bull. But a zx 1200 is a pretty big machine and awesome!
Bot will never put a new machine in the pit off hwy 12 if that's the one being referred to as that's where machines go to be run in the the ground then parked and let to rot.
Like I said. I stay out of all the politics of who bought what and who does what with their machines. The harder they are on them the better as far as my pocket book goes. Anyways some more pictures of living the dream. Peterson 6700B New clutch and rotor bearings as well as numerous other repairs.
Running again! Got to try it out!
Did a start up with a Wirtgen W220 cold mill!
Did a start up with a Wirtgen W220 cold mill! View attachment 122947 View attachment 122948
Oh I posted that twice. Hopefully someone can delete for me???