Greetings Brainstrust. I live a tad isolated and need to get a 3 ton excavator home. I can't find anyone that will deliver it for me. So I plan on walking it 17km up a mountain track. Is it possible and what do I need to take into consideration along the way. My plan is to move the excavator a kilometre up the track, walk back and drive my ute up to the excavator. And repeat 17 times. Any advice will be greatfully accepted. Cheers.
Welcome to the forum! Make sure you have a comfy pair of hiking boots or running shoes is about all I can offer.
Played the leapfrog game more than once, enjoy as there is not much else can do in the conditions noted.
Thanks Tags and thanks DMiller. I've done the walk a few times now, both up and down. Thankfully this one will be mostly down hill.
It might pay you to get hold of an infra-red temp gun and keep a check on the final drive & undercarriage (roller, idler, etc) temperatures. If they get much above 60 DegC/145 DegF you might consider taking a longer stop until they cool down a hair.
Good point Nige, I have no access to a temp gun but I will keep an eye on temps by using my hand. I'll have coffee making facilities with me and plan on stopping as often as needed. As a side point, my mate used to drive a 300 ton excavator at a mine and he wasn't allowed to walk it very far at all without a water truck accompanying him
I'd suggest case of Fosters in place of the coffee, but by the time you got it to where you need to be you would be in no shape to be moving it or the ute!
Can you hook the Ute to the machine and tow it with you?
Carry a bicycle with you ride back to Ute drive up to machine repeat
Both good ideas, but thinking the excavator could use the time spent walking back to the ute to cool off the drives.
Y'all know Aussies don't drink Fosters right. Fosters is a joke we are playing on the world The track is too steep for a bicycle and I think the cool down time is important if I walk back.
If you have a moment, snap some pictures for us..
Well damn! You had me fooled, did one search and it was not even in the top 15! Where Great North Brewing and Carlton are tied for first at 12% each for 2019!
Yes, we just export Fosters ‘cause no one here will drink the stuff. In Qld, XXXX was THE most popular beer for about 100 years. Within 10 years Great Northern has firmly replaced it as the number one brew. If I was a little closer I would run that digger up the hill for you for a coupla cartons of GN.
Hey Queenslander I'm a bit partial to that photo of yours mate. I was in an online golf club once that used it How far away are you mate?
Assuming that you are near Mt. Carbine, north of Mareeba, Google Maps says that Iam 1500km away. We’re north of Chinchilla, east of Taroom.
I don't own a mini excavator, so I'm not the one to advise. I'd be concerned about heating my torque converter if it was a backhoe. Though you are likely talking steep rough road, so not a high gear event. Are these things built for long climbs? I think of excavators designed to move around an excavation site, not long climbs.
Well, I'm back home but the machine isn't It turned out not to be in quite the same condition as the seller said it was. When I said I was looking for a 3 to 5 ton reliable excavator for farm use, he must have heard 3 to 5 ton ***** Box of an excavator I did attempt to drive her home but after three hours of driving (ever so slowly), stopping, walking back for the ute and driving it up, I had managed to travel less than 1.5 kilometres (less than a mile). I did a quick calculation and worked out that at that rate it would be over thirty hours more of driving time, not including rest periods (of perhaps an hour every three hours of driving and walking back). At that point I was still below the first of the steep sections and seriously doubted whether it could manage to climb much further. I camped the night and the next morning turned around and headed back down the hill. I simply didn't have enough food or water with me.
Hey Queenslander I'll be down your way soon. I'm heading to Wondai (to help a mate build a verandah) and I've never been up the Boyne Valley before, so going that way. I'll wave as I go past
So you returned it and got your money back? Don't leave us hanging.
While we’re on the subject of beer. If you drop in to the pub at Wondai for a coldy, take a look at the very top of the building and you will see my surname. My great grandfather built it way back when.
I usually drink at the Cecil mate. Is that the one?
Yep, the Hotel Cecil, but look higher to see the name of the building.
Slater's Buildings ?
My cover’s blown now. I saw that photo for the first time only a week ago.
Sorry, but I like finding places/old photos.
Another Slater? My last boss at the quarry is a Slater and there are or were a bunch of them around here. Some not of the best reputation , but all related!
Mr Slate(r) ran your quarry? Your real last name isn't Flintstone, by chance?
No, but we did have a working group leader who went by the name Barney!
Fred got Barney a job... and ended up being Fred's boss.