I have been using my new to me 70 size machine to move logs around. When I pick them up it has no trouble lifting them but they are on the longish side as in 30 feet and two feet thick. Do I stand a chance of hurting the stick just lifting and walking with these logs or would it slide out of the thumb before it wrecks something? I am pretty green and just did a bunch of work to this thing and would prefer to keep it around for a long time
You'll never hurt the structure doing that. Thumb will give first.
I have to totally disagree with ben46a on that one..... Is it a Ridgid thumb or hydraulic ? The reason I ask it because a stiff link thumb won't give, and yes you can damage or twist the stick by wrenching like your taking about ...... I'll look for the thread on here but there was a guy with a 20t rig that totally wrecked the boom and stick, basically caused by grabbing a tree on one end and it dropping. Edit: Maybe I am misunderstanding what your meaning but you need to Pick them up in the center and carry the whole weight of the log, don't drag them on the ground using travel, it is hard on swing brake, slew motor, slew bearings/gears, all of the pins and bushings on he entire machine and..... Well pretty much everything lol But if your just lifting and carrying, Ben is right you'll be fine Pj
Im just lifting and carrying. Its a hydro thumb so I suppose ilk just err on the side of caution.
You'll be fine
I remember seeing a picture of an excavator stick torsionally twisted because of offset loading. Maybe I seen the picture on one of these forums. I cannot remember. The clamping force of the thumb and the lifting force of the stick may exceed the torsional capacity of the stick on an excavator. Just have you load somewhat balanced and you will be okay or if you need to lift on one end of a heavy log have your stick be fairly vertical and not horizontal. The stick being fully horizontal would expose the greatest torsional weakness.
You mean this one powerjoke?
Jeesus that one must have hurt
"Hey boss... So... Ah... Well... You know the excavator with the grapple on it? I kinda bent the stick a little bit"