1st thread here. I will try to make it interesting. THE BEAST I AND II !!!!!!!!!!!! We have always done full rebuilds to machines. Replacing all damaged parts and installing new or rebuilt. After new paint and decals the machines look and operate like new again. In 2006 we took on a big project to rebuild a 2002 826G landfill compactor that caught on fire. Damage was brutal. We named the project: "The Beast" Now we are pleased to announce a second project of the same size is in process for the same task. This is a 2006 826H. We have to swap out over 8 wire harnesses, 4 computer controllers, alot of hoses, rebuild Cat C15 engine, rebuild transmission, all panels sandblasted, rebuild cab and alot more! I have a photo of The Beast finished. I also have photos of The Beast II on the truck and before tear down. I will keep updating these as the project moves along. Check out my website for some other projects we done. I am still adding to it so not much there yet. Also check the Interesting Links button. Anyone in equipment could use some of them. The last one is a cool video on You Tube. http://www.bbdieselserviceinc.com Hope yall have a good friday and an even better weekend!! :drinkup
Part of me says "what a fun project!". The other part says "ugh what a mess". :Banghead Cant wait to see more as the project moves along.
So how does the landfill equipment always seem to burn up? Do they just get packed full of trash or what?
I think so. I see them on salvage auctions alot burnt beyond repair for what it's worth. They never clean inside the panels. Then the engine and alot of engine panels have sound suppressor pads. I bet they develop a small fuel leak, these pads and trash get soaked with diesel....then.....it's up in smoke!
It seems like they barely just keep them running. We always haul the local landfills equipment to the Cat dealer since they don't have a lowboy. They have a 973C that only has 8500 hours and it just runs like **** all the time.
my old man used to own a tip/landfill about 8 years ago. It caught fire a lot if you didnt keep your eye on it. We used to go around and look for spots that were steaming or hot. The compactors are what turn it all over so if you dont know its there and the machine has fuel leaks or anything flamable stuck on it up it goes. We never had anything catch alight(machines) but thats because we checked before we did anything. Nick
I drive by ya'lls shop all the time out on the Hardy. Did that come from one of the local land fills?
Looks like a nice job on the rebuilding the machine, did you repair for a customer or to resale?
Our compactors keep me in the steam cleaning business lol. Great rebuild
Thx all. Dozerboy...next time ya pass it's up by the tree between the two buildings. Can't hardly miss that big crispy machine. It come from S.W. It was an insurance company that handled the claim that originally contacted me. He was supposed to be here friday but put it off till today. Hopefully he shows up and we can go to work. Were all standing beside it with wrenches ready to jump on it!!! Haha!
After Remove Hood, Sides and Cab. This thing is crispy!! No worse than the 1st though. More pics after engine and transmission out and half way cleaned up.
Jeremy, congrats on that big job. We need a few like that. I have been told that the fire suppression systems that landfills have on machines short out and instead of putting the fire out, they end up starting the fire. Any of you guys heard of this??? Quicktrax
we have a 980g at work that burnt. It is too far gone and is in the process of being parted out. A few years ago i did a complete rebuild on a D9R. that was a fun job. Did the burnt 826 have a fire suppression system on it? All the equipment at the landfills in this area does, It must do its job because i have seen any burnt 826/836.
It doesn't look to have a fire suppression system on it. I don't think I have see much if any equipment with them out here, but can't say that I have ever looked for one.
If you look at one of the photos above, you can see the fire suppression cylinders. The impact wrench is sitting on top of them. Fire suppression systems are great when working but often get neglected. They need routine maintenance and checking. One of the main problems with FSS I have found is that they're mostly fitted as an aftermarket add on. This means that they're all different depending on the guy that fitted it and some of the fitters do a less than great job. For example; Mounting cans in front of access doors. Making a hole in a panel and running hose through with no join so you can't get the panel off without unclipping 20' of hose. Running hoses in front of oil filters so you can't get the filter off without removing the hose. Running cable into the cab through a tiny hole then crimping a specialised plug on the end so you can't remove internal cab panels without cutting the plug off. Not putting joins in the detection wire so you have to cut the wire to remove other components. Using 3" long bolts with nylock nuts leaving 2" of thread sticking out to go rusty and be impossible to undo. And so on..... All this means that the mechanics job is harder, the system doesn't get refitted properly following a repair and is therefore less likely to work when it is needed. Grrrrrrr I hate fire suppression (installers) Aplogies to any FSS installers. Rant over.
Project Finally Moving Along! Well we finally got moving on The Beast II. Doing good so far but we have ALOT MORE to do! I'd say were past tha 65% mark.
It coming along. I know how it is, it seems to take forever. We have a burnt D8T from a landfill. We are waiting for their insurance so we can see if its going to be rebuilt or parted out. I posted pics of it in my pic thread.
Does the C-15 suck as bad in the machines as it does in the trucks? Seems like alot of truck fires i see are C-15 related. If not actual engine fires then fires "Related" to the engines
That D8 looks pretty crispy too Lee. So instead of rebuilding the cab you are swapping with a new one? I must be doing this tha hard way! Lol Dualie: These new Cat engines are being wrapped with a sound suppresant padding to keep down the noise. This is in trucks and equipment. So now when a small fuel leak begins the padding gets soaked with fuel and it dont take much to get ignited. That is my theory anyway. When I finish rebuilds on any of these type engines i leave these extra paddings off. Not worth the risk. Dont seem to make 'em much quieter anyway.
I am not sure what we are going to do with it yet. The D9R we did a few years ago got a cab off an experimental dozer Cat was dismantling. The cab was the same, just had to replace the electrical stuff. If a cab/ ROPS like on a wheel loader gets burnt then it is trashed. It can never be certified and would be illegal to use. Now minor cosmetic damage then we would do what you did. strip it, paint it and rebuild it.
I never buy a cat compactor without an FSS. We wash our engine compartments after every service. Our cat compactors are traded after 9000 hours and the Bomag's after 12000 hours.
First off - that looks like a nice job and the guys doing it obviously take a pride in their work ....... :thumbsup:thumbsup Fire Suppression systems. Equipment manufacturers shy away from installing them as a factory attachment because they would then have legal liabilities for the system performance and would probably end up getting sued left and right for every fire that left a machine as a crispy critter. Agree 100% about the need for regular maintenance of FSS. We do ours every 3 months. Machine cleaning is just as important also to avoid a build up of fuel/grease in hot compartments. I agree completely that the quality of installation often is down to the guy who's doing the job. None of the major FSS companies seem to have a "standard install" which amazes me because the machines don't change from one territory to another. Having a common kit of parts and a common assembly design for a specific machine model would surely make the FSS installation easier and faster, plus install quality would improve. I've found that operators also have to ocacasionally share some of the blame by not shutting off the engine before hitting the button. I've seen the reports from a number of major equipment fires where the FSS successfully put the fire out initially but it then re-ignited. An FSS only gives you one shot. If it puts out the fire but the oil/fuel or whatever is still leaking afterwards because the engine was not shut off then the fire will flare up again and there isn't a damn thing that you can do to stop it.
Your theory is right. We see several fires on diesel race trucks for the same reason.
As I understand it the padding serves 2 purposes in a) reducing sound and also b) as a "blanket" to keep hot components like turbos & manifolds from direct contact with any leaking oil or fuel. There might be a third purpose in that without the blankets engine bays could become too hot and "cook" things like ECMs and wiring harnesses (or at least significantly shorten their lives) but I am not 100% convinced of that. One thing's for certain is that if you can't efficiently get rid of the heat from hot components then engines will be less efficient, which will cost money in increased fuel consumption. As Dozerboy mentions as soon as the padding gets contaminated by oil or fuel it becomes a fuel source as opposed to doing the job it was designed to do. Our corporate safety guys are pushing for us to install these blankets in many more areas than we have seen them in the past. In some cases their proposals are downright frightening to me. I'm still not convinced of the potential benefits but if we don't fit them then the chances are we get refused for fire insurance cover. Damned if we do and damend if we don't.
Finally done! Finished and on the road. Man was this a stretched out process. Glad to see it finally come to an end. And...most important.....i hope the customer is happy with the results. Quick video of it loading. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qa8DznQ_yEo&feature=youtu.be
After decals and dress up. Heading down the road.
Congrats my friend!!! Looks like you did a good job. It's always good to see big jobs come in and always better to see them go.