Anyone happen to have any manuals for a Bucyrus Erie H3 Hydrocrane? I'm in the process of buying one. I've got a partial of the operators manual, and a complete parts book, but it would be nice to have everything I can get my hands on. This is a small truck mounted unit that can do 5 tons close in with a 2 part line, and has around 35' of boom. Going to get used to help move some material to repair a 200 year old mill pond. After that, just some minor lifting around the property. Truck is a 1958 F-700, and it appears the crane and truck have been together the whole time.
This has been an extended process... Finally closed the deal. Waiting on getting the machine delivered, as I can't road it currently. (air brake leak) Guy delivering it is busy hauling Christmas trees, so it'll still be a little while... Contrary to the above (and what the title says)... The Ford is actually a 1965 F-750. Unit needs a couple hoses replaced, but overall it seems pretty good there. I'm sure I'll find issues once I can really dig through it, like every old machine. I did come up with the correct load chart for it thankfully. It's a bit more detailed than the bronze plate on the side of the boom. Still looking for maintenance, and complete operators manual... This is where the photo should be, but I just haven't got the damn thing web accessible yet...
I ran a H5 a little back in the mid 80's. It had been worn out about three times before I ran it. It still worked well and was a great clam. It is probably the most unique hoisting tool I have ever operated. They were real popular with municipalities and rockery outfits in our part of the world. Interesting concept, a crane with no winch save the take up reel in the cab.
The guy selling it raved about it. Said he had never really used the clam, just the hook, but never had an issue with anything other than an old hose here and there, and having to repack a cylinder on an outrigger. The clam is the real reason I got it. I've gotta get a lotta yards of clay and rock in to an obnoxious spot. After getting the damn rebuild, then the pond will need some dredging... If that all goes well, then I can repeat on the second dam, lower down the hill. An H5 would have been nicer, just for a little more chart at my reach, but the H3 will do it, and it was 15 miles from where I need it to be...
They have a odd motion on them like the house is going to come off the turn table. That takes a little getting used to you can see in this video how the house leans toward the boom. I am envious of you though. I guess I enjoyed that machine more than I thought I did.
I noted that in the above video, and then when I picked up the clam during testing. The clam weighs 1200#, which isn't loads, but it was enough that the house moved a bit. I was going through the parts breakouts last night too see if there's any adjustment to take up some of that slop. Nothing really screaming out, as "adjustment, or shim". I'll be giving that a serious check once I can get under it, and down to the pivot from the top. My suspicion is it shouldn't move that much, and both mine, and the unit in the video have some wear. That Florida machine was probably run to death doing curbside trash constantly. Not a lot of weight, but a lot of cycles...
I'll add that there isn't a slewing ring in there, the house sits on rollers, and as far as I can tell from the parts breakout, there's just a big nut that holds the house down to the sub-base plate/roller track. I suppose it might be possible to either tighten the nut, or shim under it, but that's really just a guess until I can see what's going on.
Ours did the same thing and the center had recently been rebuilt. The company owned it for years. The first time I picked a load up with it and it settled on the roller table was memorable though. It was “what it did.” The machine went on another 5 or 6 years and I lost track of it.
Honestly, that makes me feel a lot better. It's unnerving when the house moves like that, but if it's just the way of things, I can get used to it. (I'll still be checking it out) Cranes aren't my background. Lots and lots of rigging experience, but just not with cranes... All the heavy equipment in my life has been old, and sloppy, so a little movement where things should be tight doesn't really bug me normally, but not being familiar with cranes makes me less comfortable saying a little slop is fine...
Yeah, the slop would be a real attention - getter. Little Bugger is pretty rapid, gets the job done.
Post what you learn about that. I haven't seen that machine in 30 years or so. If you can eliminate that slop it would make it much more "comfortable" to run.
That's the plan. There is very little on these machine online at this point. I found one person with an H3, and an H5, and there are a couple others in photos, plus the 3 or 4 videos. That's pretty thin... Now I just need to get off my ass and get photo hosting again so I can get images up...
And no... I'm not one of those people that leaves a thread hanging (forever)... I hate when you're looking for info, find the exact question posed in a forum, and never a followup... I just got my hands on an owners manual. Among the other info in there, are instructions for how to snug up that center area, and how much slop there really should be. Not going to be near the crane for a while to see if I can improve what I have. I've been picking away at this over the summer when I can. So far, it got: All new hoses (3 left that I haven't quite gotten to yet) Pulled one of the horizontal outriggers out due to it being packed with sand/silt/mouse nests which sheared the attachment pin. Fixed the truck's air brakes (still more to do, but no more holes in reservoirs, and everything works) Fixed truck charging system Fixed truck overheating issue Came up with a full parts manual for the crane (not that the part numbers do me any good, but the drawings are fabulous) Came up with the outrageously expensive owners manual... I need it, so I paid for it, but damn... I'll be happy to copy/scan it should other people need it at some point. New air filter and housing on the upper. Had just an incorrect steel enclosure on there, and a piece of insect screen... Sporting a nice new Donaldson radial now. It still needs: Truck's cooling system is leaking. Heater core for sure. Someplace else too, but haven't found it yet. Hoping it's simple, and not a head gasket, or block issue. Not oil in coolant, and no coolant in oil, so there's that at least. Still have to really clean up the air brake system. Someone used rubber air hose here and there. It still works, but I really want to get that changed over to the hard plastic tube. The existing oem copper lines will stay for the foreseeable future. Full lube job on the crane. Now that I have the book, I can actually do this rather than trying to count zerk fittings in the parts book. There are a lot of fittings... I mean there are a LOT! Need to replace the hoist cable for sure. (185' of 1/2" spin resistant IWRC, so pricey, but not unbareable) Need to check the swing cables. Think they're ok, but I think they need some adjustment since there's a bit of slop in the swing. Most likely needs some cylinders rebuilt, however, they seem to be getting better with a little use. I suppose the seals may have just dried up a bit, and are softening up again with some movement/oil. Will need to check the pressures, and reliefs. Need to get an oil pressure gauge on the upper. Has one screwed inn to the block, but I want the one in the cab working. Need to check the governor on the upper just to be sure. Need to replace the fuel filter on the upper. Need to replace engine oil on both upper and truck engines. Would like to quiet the upper down some. Perhaps add a muffler (don't honestly know if there's one on it now or not). It's pretty brutal in the cab when it's running with any RPMs. Ford 240 or 300 straight 6. Truck needs a whole lot of electrical work. Truck only runs when choked. So, could be a dirty carb, vacuum leak, or who knows... It does run very nicely with the choke though. Got to do my first pick with it. We have a hinged section of porch to cover some windows. Cable broke, and deck crashed down. Needed to pick it up a little to do some repairs. Could have easily done it other ways, but it was nice to use the crane for the first time. I will say, getting in and out of that cab when the unit is either forward, or back sucks. Need to come up with a ladder, or stairs that hangs on the duals before I kill myself. And, before anyone jumps me on the ****** cribbing job, the unit was well within the range of operating on it's tires alone. The porch is only a few hundred pounds. I have lots of nice 4x6 ash cribbing ready to go when I do something real.
Toolslinger, Have you had any luck tracking down more manuals? I just picked up an H3 and looking for some manuals.
Any luck finding more manuals?
As a matter of fact, I have... I've got the full parts, and owner's manuals now. I don't know if they had a service manual available. Most of the service info I need is in the owner's though. The only real missing info is what the various hydraulic circuits should be running at in terms of PSI. I believe the pump is supposed to be putting out 6000. I haven't checked to see if there are any circuit reliefs on the valve stacks.
The only manual I can find online is a couple hundred bucks. Which Manual have you found most useful? The guy I bought it from said he thought that there is a way to bump up the PSI on the Hydraulics to 6000PSI when you have it under heavy load. Do you know anything about that? or is he just a little confused since the hydraulics are rated at 6000PSI? Thanks
I spent a few hundred on the books I've got. I tried for a while to track someone down with a set, and pay to scan them, but eventually just ponied up the money. The owners/operators manual is really the one with the most information. The parts book is handy to be sure, but there isn't a lot of useful text in there. The line drawings are great to figure out how things go together though, or for example to count the number of grease fittings you need to find... I don't believe there's any way to bump the pressure. Perhaps he was talking about bumping the flow. The pump is split, with a fraction going to half the valve stack, and the rest going to the second half. You should have pedals in the cab that allow you to divert the flow to all one valve stack to increase speed on that set of functions, but then the other functions are dead. The third pedal (if you have it) is for the line that runs out to the clam so you can dump without using the level. So you have a picture of your new toy?
The truck she is sitting on has some issues but the crane works great! Thanks for the info. I can only find the owners manual I haven’t been able to track down a parts manual, do you have any suggestions? Also, do you know what kind of hydraulic oil it takes?
I have had a busy spring this so not much time to respond. Thanks for the information!
Also, can you confirm what size the hydraulic hose for the clam bucket is supposed to be?
Damn, I didn't check in on the weekend... I could have put an eye on what I've got... The hose out the the clam was almost new when I got mine, so no idea if it is "correct, but it seems right. I don't believe the parts book calls out a hose spec on any of them. I'll have to check in a couple weeks when I get back out there. I believe the spec for the hydraulic oil is in the owner's manual. Probably in there as an old trade name, but you can usually translate those forward with a little digging. I've been matching hose size, and fitting, and getting a pressure rating that can handle system pressure at minimum. Apart from hooking up the clam once, I haven't done anything with it yet. Still need to do the hoses on that, and give it a serious lube job. Somewhere I've got the weight of the various buckets on file... They're no joke, when I hook on to it, I know there's some iron hanging out there. My truck also has some issues... Comes with the vintage I guess, but at least I can work on it... No electronics, or plastic to fail. I'm pretty sure both engines could use a good carb rebuild. I must, without fail, get them both going again this summer. Sitting around not running isn't doing them any good...
Yes, I know what you mean on the truck. My H3 is mounted on an old international. Its running on 7 Cylinders. Luckily, My dad is retired and enjoys doing some tinkering. He has been getting it back in prime condition. Like I said before. the crane itself runs great! There is an throttle adjustment knob that we cant get to work right. any suggestions?
The throttle on the crane is a bit insensitive on mine... I don't know if it's in the knob mechanism, linkage, or perhaps back at the carb. Probably a little of all of it, but since it has worked enough, I haven't dug in to it. What is yours doing/not doing? On mine, you push in the center button, and pull the whole knob out to increase throttle. Release the button, and it should stay. I haven't spent a lot of time with it running wide open since I haven't been lifting anything. That's good, because there is no muffler on mine. Just a pipe with a rain cap sticking up through the sheet metal. That's on the list of things to address for sure. I mean it's never going to be a stealth machine, but it's gotta get better than a straight pipe...
The throttle knob seemed like it was disconnected as I couldn’t get it to throttle up! But I might have just been doing it wrong. I will try it this weekend. I’m looking at buying the manual I have been trying to track down and just curious if this is the manual that you found most useful?
Sorry for the redundancy in the photos, I’m working off my phone and it didn’t seem like it was posting the pictures.
They made these for a long time, so I imagine the manuals changed a bit. That may well be what you want. This is what I've got. And I took a shot of the oil spec as well. View attachment 258745
Parts Book:
Awesome! That helps! I am trying to message the seller of the manual to get better pictures. For the price he wants I want to make sure I’ve got the right manual!
goodmornin...I have an h3 I could use some help with...#1 outrigger valve is stuck open.
here she is
Nice. I see you even have a jib. Love to find one of those, just because... I haven't done anything to the outrigger valves on mine, so I've got nothing off the top of my head... I'll see if I can find my manuals though. (life is a bit chaotic) That said, you said the valve is stuck? I didn't think there was much going on with those valves that could get stuck... I had a stuck outrigger, but that wasn't the valve's fault...
On Mon, Feb 12, 2024, 4:58 PM Lonnie Jones wrote:
I don't think it would be very hard to build a jib. I can give you all the measurements. You need and take better pictures.... It's pretty straightforward
Thanks for the offer on the dimensions. I would certainly appreciate it. There is really no rush, I haven't been able to get back to mine for some time. I have recently picked up what will be the block for doubling the line. Older 3 sheave American. It took some doing to break it down, now I just need to find an appropriate 1/2" cable sheave rather than the 7/8" it came with, and replace the bolts with shorter to go down to a single. I looked through the parts book. These are the 3 pages that show the outrigger valves, depending on the SN of the unit. I'll dig through the operators book tomorrow morning, but I doubt there's anything pertinent in there. I did find the manufacturer of the main valves is still around, and their catalog looks pretty much the same. I see no reason BE would have gone to a different vendor for the outriggers. Might get lucky.
Found just a little in the Op Manual in the disassembly section.
This is exactly what I needed thank you so much..
I will make some phone calls... I had extra snatch blocks... I will ask my uncle if he can see them anywhere
My son reminded me last night I had an extra gym too. That was black. If that's laying around down there As well... Where are you located
All my extra stuff if I have any left is Ventura california
The crane is an organ now
I'm over in Pennsylvania. I've got no issues receiving anything at the dock at work, but I fear the freight might be a killer. That said, I would be interested in at least looking in to the possibility if it turns out you have something.
I made some phone calls unfortunately all that stuff's gone
But i'm still willing to give The exact dimensions of What I have.... I really don't think it'd be that hard to build one... Coming up with the shiv might be the hardest part
Thanks for checking. The dimensions will probably be all I need. As for the sheave, well, finding one the right size will be no problem, but wanting to pay for it, that's another issue... At least with the sizes, I can spend time gathering things as I can justify the cost.
Hi. I'm new to this forum. I own an old H-3 and am looking to purchase a complete set of manuals for it. Any advice would be much appreciated. I recently purchased it.
Keep an eye on Ebay. They do turn up now and again. Be prepared for some sticker shock when they show up.
Thank you for your reply. Is there any official source for the manuals? If not, I'd be happy to pay for a good set of copied or scanned manuals. I'm in S. California. Thanks Mark
I can't say on that. BE was sold off. Part of it went to Cat, and part went to Sparrows Group (and then they combined with someone else). I believe Cat just wanted the mining side, so Sparrows might have gotten the crane info. I've never tried to chase down anything official. A copy of the op manual would be ok probably. The parts manual, you would likely want an original as the line drawings really need to be clean/clear to see the detail. It's not that you can order the parts, because everything has a BE part number that's useless, but being able to see the detail can be extremely useful. I've taken a few photos of specific pages for people that came out ok, but I haven't done a complete set.
Northwest bought the construction equipment division.
I'm looking for manuals too,I have a green soft version owner's manual but doesn't cover a lot
I'd pay you for a copy if you have handy
I only have the hard copy. In theory, I could scan them as they are 3 ring bound, and can come apart. Doing so is problematic for a few reasons... A) the time commitment to do a proper job B) remembering to do said job (life is busy) C) my scanning software sucks. D) one of my scanners works well, but the interface is a nightmare, and the second scanner interface is ok, but the resolution isn't fabulous. (likely fine for the operators, but lacking for the parts) That's not to say it wouldn't get done, but until the winter when I'm stuck indoors, it isn't likely to get moved to the priority list. It isn't about the money. I paid an outrageous amount for these, but I came to terms with that already.
I would love to know what type of hydraulic fluid it takes and how much I recently just purchased one myself
are there any internet digital versions of information on the screen or the truck
hey Mike is there any way you can send me a link to the manuel
Here's what the Operators book has to say for oil spec for temps between 0 and 100 deg F. Gravity API (27.5) Color (2.0) Flash (295 deg F)Pour Point (-50 deg F) Viscosity at 100 deg F (105 SSU) Viscosity Index (155) I can't find the system capacity listed anywhere in the books I have.
thank you for the information your efforts are appreciated. I intend on purchasing 25 gallons of hydrolic fluid does that sound about right to you. by measuring the out side of the reservoir I think it holds that much. I'm just not sure how to calculate how much will fill the hydrolic lines and cylinders. tractor supply has a hydrolic fluid that says aw 46 do you think that will work
thanks again I'm new to this world and I had the opportunity to get into an awesome classic old truck and crane I'm very exited about restoring it. I will attach a couple pictures so you can see what I'm working with. the truck has only 50 k miles I put a new Edelbrock carborator on it and it runs like a champ. they just made things better back in 1965. it's disgusting to me how this world is going backwards as far as making quality things for consumers. thanks for trying Henry Ford .
I'd imagine if you calculate the size of the tank, completely full to the top, you'd have enough to cover whatever is out in the lines, and cylinders. Even if you're a little short of the ideal fill, it likely would be pretty close. Certainly no point in buying a whole lot more than you need.
You don't want to fill the tank full. There needs to be room for expansion when the oil gets hot. I'd say to fill it a little more than 3/4's after cycling the hydraulics a few times. The lines won't take much oil and there's not many hydraulic functions. There might be a sight glass/level plug or even a dipstick for checking oil level. As far as oil I'd use AW32 (10 weight) unless the temps. you're operating in are hot all the time. It's the most common oil weight in older equipment.
New rope finally. Should have really inspected the wedge beforehand. The socket and wedge are ok if old/rusty, but the pin end it beat bad... New one on the way, but this one will do for finishing up, and keeping some weight on the line to keep things straight in the myriad of sheaves. New wedge is going to screw up my overhaul weight. This one is cast to fit over the existing, and that isn't going to work with the new style Crosby sells where the clamp runs through the wedge. Will have to come up with a below wedge ball or some such. Still need to do the rotation cable, and the equalizer, but the lift rope was the one that wouldn't let me consider using the unit. Clam is right about 2000#. Book tells me to put some weight on the system after new cable, before putting it in service... Left that hanging for a few hours. I have to say that getting inside that gantry to rethread the rope is less than pleasant. I'm no bigger than I was 20 or 30 years ago, but the flexibility ain't the same. Glad that's done. The upper power plant has been a bit cranky. I don't blame it, since I've been neglecting the project for some time. It's actually a Ford 223. All my paperwork indicates 240's, and I never actually looked until the heater delete plugs started leaking, and led to doing all the coolant lines. Seems to possibly have a fuel pickup issue in the tank too. Shut down with no fuel in the filter when there was a bunch in the tank. Guess it could be a weak pump, but will have to keep an eye on it. Have a pump, but don't want to mess with it if not needed. Put 5 gal in the tank, and didn't have any issues getting fuel. Guess it could be a collapsing line too, I would say that's due for replacement too. Can't get the truck to fire off... Fires on ether, so compression, and ignition are workable. Knew the carb needed work before, so ordered the rebuild kit, and I'll start there. I desperately hope it ain't the pump, because while I can see it, I can't figure out quite how to get to it. No access from the top without taking the PS system apart, and from below, likely the oil filter housing would have to come off first. Truck is a 361. While I was under the hood and covered with coolant anyhow from the upper, I bypassed the heater core that drips, and got rid of a coolant line that was sitting on top of the air compressor trying to melt... I'm pleasantly surprised that the bypass on hydraulics has calmed down. Guess things needed a little exercise to lube seals, and moving parts. It's not perfect, but way better than a few years ago when I last played with it. Also managed to get a line on a jib... Do I need another 20'? No, not a chance. I do like to have options though, of course. It's the same guy I got the crane from... Guess he forgot he had it until now... Waiting to hear back. Guessing it will be a bear to mount if needed, but that's why I have loaders... That would put the total at 55' of stick. Chart falls way off with the jib, but that's ok. The only thing I could imagine it doing for me is give me radius to drop some light equipment across my stream/pond. Can't get a generator or such over there easily. It's got 500# at 55' radius which certainly covers my 100# generator. This is leading up to repairing my deck... A large portion of my deck is essentially a drawbridge to cover the entire end of the house which is glass. It's a bit of a complicated byfolding deal, and it's got no rot (since it gets to dry out up in the air) Plan is to unbolt it, lift it off whole, rebuild the structural underneath, and then swing it back up in place. This sits around 10' above the ground on piers. These are the problem one lives with when a bit of a crazy engineer built the house...
Next time weld the new cable to the old cable then pull the old cable off and you will have that new cable ready to fasten.
Well, it's earning its keep now... The drawbridge was removed a few weeks ago. Not the smoothest operation since the controls are mostly unfamiliar, and could probably stand a little adjustment... Today, I stripped the support beams off the piers. These aren't exactly big lifts, but since I'm working alone, there's no way I could manage this solo... Twined 2x10's 20' long. Have to be lifted off the anchor bolts that are 9" or so... I'm positioning with the crane, and then there's a manual chain hoist on the hook. Once they're over the bolts, then they get swung off to the side, and lowered. Seems there's no sag, or leakdown in anything except the hoist line. So I only have enough out that I can run it out to full height, and the hook is 6' down from the tip. Between the boom lift, and the live second section, I can reach almost anywhere over the porch. I'm only staying away from the beam right against the house/windows. No point in taking chances there.