Pictured below is a Precision Husky Pro Grind 4000. (This machine is not mine, but I used these pictures to help you visualize the machine, and this is a beautiful representation of our machine which is the same unit except not as nice?.... This can be found 4 sale at J&T Wood Grinding Equipment, LLC in New Hampshire, $180k. They did a lot of work to it, very nice machine.) We want to install a track system under our 4000 to make it self-propelled. It weighs 39,000 lbs, with 11k of that on the tongue. So here is the question regarding excavators: I was looking at old/cheap/burnt excavators, and for instance, the standard operating weight for a Caterpillar 320DL Excavator is 47400 lbs . Any ideas on what the weight of the whole bottom end would be? (chains, pads, idler, rollers) That would tell us how much weight that undercarriage is carrying around every day. I'm just looking to appropriately size the right excavator to get a stout enough undercarriage system to handle the weight of the grinder. Hope this makes sense. One more question, does a "20-ton excavator" weigh 20 tons? Please fire away with comments, concerns, or criticism as I am using this forum as a sound board as well to some degree. Thank you! Regards, Albert W Nieuwenhuis
Welcome to HEF!
Is it broken? Am I supposed to buy it?
Thank you.
it is for sale in NH. lol I mistakenly published that post without finishing it.
Changing to tracks one of the problems is see that because of the small oil flow it's going to very slow moving. It's best to find out the flow first then go from there as to size. Regarding the track size to weight ratio, I wouldn't think it would matter to much because the majority of the time it's stationary and when it's moving it's going over reasonably even ground. Track frame length is a factor that has to be considered thoroughly through. Diamond Z have an excellent idea of having wheels and tracks which you could incorporate into your build if you so wish.
Why would you try and incorporate a power train into something that needs, something with its own power train to run it? What I mean is, you obviously need an excavator to feed this tub grinder, why wouldn’t you put the tub grinder on a sled to just pull around with the excavator? Either, I’m not sure I understand the question or I don’t understand the ask for the question. Edit to add, I just reread your post and obviously I missed the question regarding it weighs 39k with 11k tongue weight. Put some skis under it. lol
Thanks Tones, makes sense. Currently the machine is fitted with a 24 GPM hydro pump for tub rotate, a 24 GPM gear pump for conveyor/augers, and a 3 GPM gear pump for cylinders (table lift, conveyor lift & fold)
Yes, sir it is a good point, I understand where you're coming from. It would be for convenience's sake in light of the following points: a. here in NJ we are limited to X amount of acreage, so to speak, not a great big 50-acre yard and we appreciate nimble and maneuverable machines, it gets bulky with a tandem axle dolly on the front b. we typically feed this with a WA480 or WA500 wheel loader c. we have 2 Diamond Z horizontal grinders that are mounted on tracks and find it very convenient d. when grinding, the operator is always watching wind, sometimes if wind changes, it's nice to be able to rotate 90 degrees on a dime for instance very effortlessly I guess the common denominator to all these points here is, convenience . e. there's one more thing regarding emissions guidelines, I believe it has to do with the machine having tracks or tires, if the machine is on tires, it seems like it has to meet higher standards in regards to emissions I believe, I don't know the fine details on this but....
How much are you willing to pay a designer to do this ? My guess-timate is 80-120 hours billable. And then you need parts made, and a fabrication shop to put it all together. No, I don't want to buy your machine either.
This is going to be highly expensive. Not worth it.
Well, I figured we could design this ourselves, in house...
thank-you
Just set the entire thing on top of a large track loader and call it a day,
Maybe sell the one you have and buy a tracked grinder?
You are a genius sir
So why are you asking here ?
I hope it's because he wants us to talk him out of this LOL
And all my life I thought I was just Captain Obvious . . .
I thought it was a sales pitch to buy the machine....
we considered that we just really like this platform for a variety of different reasons and have good dealer support
You won't after you hack it all up. Dealer will deny any and all work on it.
We are not looking to sell the machine. As stated in the original post I was using this forum as a sound board for feedback. If I was looking for a comprehensive complete design, I would have asked for such, but I probably wouldn't have posted it here as I believe this forum is predominantly used for "discussion". The point is we have in house employees to work on this so therefore it would be more feasible compared to hiring a contractor for designing, fab, etc. Thanks for your input though sir Digger Doug.
Thank you sir. You don't know Scott I guess.
And you don't know designing ..... Let Scott doo it for you
Give the guy a break, I've seen a lot worse questions asked on this forum with a lot of good response. One of the things I really like about this forum is there is very little bashing. I don't think his request for input is so unreasonable, the smart guy who is looking at a project asks questions. We have a local company who has converted several logging towers from the old tank chassis to excavator track bodies. Excavator weight is measured in metric tons', so a 200 size machine would be roughly 44000 lbs. If I remember correctly Hitachi (and likely others) service manuals list component weights in one of the front sections.
Thank you, Ok this is good to know my father-in-law has on old EX 200 I will look in his manual. Thank you very much.
If you want to move that specific machine around, there is an easy, and much less expensive way to do it. Down here in Texas, most companies, that have a big tub grinder, or horizontal grinder, just buy a dual tandem wheel dolly and back it under the rig after it has been dropped off by the truck tractor. The dolly has a heavy duty hitch on it, so it can be towed around the site by a loader or dozer. Simple solution that works and is pretty darn cheap. This is the best one I have, but you can see the dolly set right up front. You might want to call "Thelin Recycling", in Ft Worth, Texas. I bet they would tell you how it has worked for them, as they have been using this system for many years with many different machines. They have a website with their phone number.
That’s what I was thinking. All one would need is a draw bar on dozer or track loader to pull it around.
Thank you, that makes sense.
Thought I already surmised that?
One thing to note is a 320 cat undercarriage is designed to withstand harsh and rocky ground travel while carrying all its weight. I’m pretty sure you’re grinder won’t see nearly as rough of conditions so I wouldn’t worry at all about carrying the weight. If it was me I’d find an older excavator like a 1080 case or something that has simple drive motors and easy to reengineer. Sounds like a good project.
Thank you Mobiltech, that's a good point. I appreciate it, that's exactly what I was thinking, these projects are what I call fun.