Here is a small selection of machines that I have operated over the years, would be nice to see some that you have been operating too?? "I Just Love Excavators" !!
And Here are some more
Those are nice Nick! Did that Volvo have the glass that is like a magnifying type? I ran a hammer on a Volvo for about 2 hours while the operator did something and when I got off i was dizzy. I'll try and get some of the pictures I took of our equipment @ work. We have a 310 and 4400 JD rubber tire and a 490 and 240 track.
Yes 812, I am glad I am not the only one who felt that about the curved screen, they were horrible!! just the same as the old Samsung cabs, having said that it is very rare for me to have the front screen shut, I just hate looking through glass...it has to be pretty darn cold for me to have the cab shut up!! Look forward to your pics!!
Nice pics Nick,I am seeing credits for your pics all over the place now,you sure get around. I got to thinking about all the different stuff I have run over the years and how we,as operators,seem to accumulate keys for all the equipment we spend any time on.I have three large keyrings with most of the current stuff,that is 20 years old and newer and many duplicates and I have given many away as well over the years.I also have many loose ones in my toolbox tray that go to who knows what.You must have a 5 gallon pail full of them if my collection is any indication of others habits. I work(ed) alone a lot and there are days that I needed three sets of keys to keep everything running as I am old school enough to insist on at least a three minute idle/cooldown period for any compression ignition engine I happen to be using and the waiting would kill my production if I didn't have all the separate keys for each piece of equipment.Ron G
Hi Ron, Yeh I am getting around a bit on the forum scene (Note to myself "I must get a Life"!!!) So where else have you seen my stuff?? As for Keys yes I have a fair old collection now but I always think you can never have to many keys, I get really fed up when guys ask to borrow them because they have a habit of never bringing them back:Banghead Would be good to see some of your old machine pics if you can dig some out at some point. I just wish I had collected more shots from the old days, I have a real gap from 1975-1983 but there you go cant turn the clock back now!! Has anyone got any shots of Mitsubishi excavators? I used to run an MS120 and also a MS140 for a while I thought they were great machines, as I recall they got gobbled up by Caterpillar??
I just happened to be looking around on that italian site and caught the pic of that smokey D9 and happened to notice the credits and saw your name. I didn't start carrying a camera until the late eighties when the digital products started to become popular and I bought that Sony Mavica that takes pics on a floppy.It was a great camera for about 12 days until technology leaped ahead yet again and the quality of the pics are atrocious by todays standards. I bought a couple of those eleven dollar triple aaa battery carry it in your front pocket or on a leash around your neck puppies that are way out of focus around the edges but not too bad in the center cameras and they would take about 80 pics with the memory they had onboard and I downloaded the pics to my computer each night and changed the battery for the next days shoot.I took quite a few pics with that but nothing earth moving....heh heh...little pun there...... and so I have a lot of those on my harddrive. I have a nice Voigtlander 35mm that I bought while I was in Germany in the Army and I have scanned over 1000 negatives from that tour but they are monochrome for the most part as I developed all of my own film in the service club on base there and the color was too much hassle in those days. I was in the engineers as a dozer operator running a TD-18 and I do have a lot of pics of that but that was in the early '60's and I figured noone would be too interested in those although I was quite a hit on the RedPower board for a while there. I posted a lot of pics then they delete them to make room for more so I hope whoever wanted them got them while they could. I still have that 35mm but quit carrying it because I could not develop my own film any longer and other things had priority for what little money I made. Since I was always behind the lens I seldom show up in any of the pics although I did a job a few years ago piling Hazmat on plastic with an old D8K and the super on the job had to document the progress with about a 5 megapixel cam so I showed up in some of his shots which he shared with me by burning them to a CD for me. If there was an interest I would post some of my hoard but I mostly like looking,I have no particular agenda and the pics I have could have come from anywhere.I took them mostly because they are interesting to me and now that I am old I can look back and say yup,I did that!! Ron G
This[ is the only one I have tried to operate key word TRIED. I dug up three oak stumps on the edge of a terrace about 16-20" in dia. Three big holes when I finaly broke them loose and rolled them out. Rolled them out because they were to heavy to lift with this machine. Small stumps with large root balls took me about 4 hours to get them out and fill the holes back up. One of you guys could have probly did this in a couple of hours or less. I wish I had taken pics of the dig.
Hi Wrenchbender, I always thought those old Dash-3 Komatsu's were good machines, nice to see one again so thanks for the pics!! Nice bit of welding there aswell:notworthy Do you own that machine. Nick:drinkup
Well, I have never operated a Excavator professorially But, I have had a shot on quite a few machines (fault finding etc) From Bobcat mini diggers up to RH120 machines. Find it very tricky to operate JCB 3CX machines with there cross action Levers. And I Wouldn't like to dig near Gas pipes etc. Suppose that just comes with experience. :notworthy Edit note. Hydrex have some excellent equipment now. How long were u on for them. Ross
Sorry taking so long to get back, man I have been busy! Here is our newest hoe and hopefully a winter picture of the 490.
Having picture problems again??:Banghead
Wow !!! She's a beauty ........more pics please !! Best wishes from "over the pond" Nick
Nick the Komatsu belongs to one of my customers it was running hot or that's what his operator said anyway.Changed out the thermostat then I dug up a few stumps and she was cool as could be when finished. Thanks for compliment on the welding that 301 Miller TrailBlazer welds like a dream come true. The guy at the welding supply shop loaned me one for a day knowing I would have to buy one after useing the loaner. He was right I brought his back and bought this one.
Well, I finally got a few pictures today. This is the best piece of iron that I have ever been on!! I brought a little something to help guage it's size, it will definitly move some dirt in a hurry!!
awsome pics Harley. can you tell a difference between the 240 and a 200?
Never been on?? This is a 2007 and they said it was taking the place ot the 230. This one is 170HP I believe. Here is some of the inside.
Sorry about the dirt, unless it is so cold the heater can't keep up the front window is open!! I did get a tube of those armor all wipes, now all I have to do is use'em This is the sicond time I have ever been on new equipment, about 5 years ago I got to run a 744H loader and it was sweet also. Fed a plant and loaded out trucks for about a year with it. Most of the equipment I have ran have usually been older. I really like this company and hopeing to retire from it. I am home every night and that means alot when you have a 12 Y/O daughter. We are trying to update our equipment here and by doing our own work like this excavator is justified because this winter we are putting another canal into pipe and doing it ourselves we can save enough to get a piece of equipment like this one.
Hey Deeredude, do you know what slope is safe for an excavator? I might have a little job fixing a pipe that got washed out but it is either way down or way up a steep and long revine. The rain washed it out after we cleaned the ditch leading into a culvert and a toad-strangler just hammered the hillside and uncovered a farmers pipe and we may have to fix it. I will be able to make my road but wass wondering just how steep I can safely go?? It is steep enough that I will have to make a place and more than likely push myself but I haven't really had alot of expierience with this steep of slope and would rather latch on and pull myself up like normal buit tipping over backwards would take all the fun out of it.:beatsme
you have a nice excavator 812harleys
Thank you, I wish it was mine Boy, I sure need to learn how to spell.
Nice pics
Hi 812, Great pics of the JD, just loks the same inside as the Hitachis I have been operating recently...Fantastic machines!! About your slope question, I cannot give a definitive answer to the question without seeing the slope but I think you will be amazed how steep a slope you can climb with a tracked excavator so long as it is dry on the ground. But you as the operator must be happy with it and as such only you can make the decision on this one All I would say is Keep that dipper arm stretched out uphill and the boom as low as possible...Let us know how it goes??
Good advice from Nick, keep the bucket uphill or downhill, do not work with the the boom pointed across the slope. It's easy to go straight up or down a slope, if you're pointed down and the machine tips the bucket is there to catch you and if you're going up just extend the stick as far as you need to keep the boom low to the ground. Like I said, you're all good until you decide to swing across the slope, then it gets a little scary. You'll feel it though, it will feel like the machine will tip but trust me when I say that you'll jump out of the machine from the nasty feeling far before she actually goes over. I made a bit of a reputation for myself as a guy who will take an excavator just about anywhere. I was working on one site once that was fairly close to a road and the slope was highly visible. Had some folks stop by after the day was over to let me know that they thought I was absolutely nuts. I simply replied "thanks!" and went on with servicing the machine. Slope work isn't all that bad, I love it because it is such a challenge and the room for error is very little. But with some practice and some common sense you can go just about anywhere. Safety is #1 though, if you're not feeling safe get out of the spot you're in. I pushed the envelope many a time and walked away from a couple close calls, just have to remember that things happen really fast and there's no going back.
Thank you for this info!! I have a good 38" of reach so I am thinking of maybe making pads less steep then pushing or pulling into them, I just don't want to have to make something when I am 45 degrees and have to swing to the side to make me something half way there. I too welcome challenging work and believe me I go SLOW!! It was different out in SO-CAL. Up here there is rocks. Big rocks, flat rocks, small rocks(imagine that, rocks in the Rockie Mountains!!) I worry about getting a rock under the track and she slips. I've been off some good slopes with a paddlewheel and it was a blast, but it is a different story and you have to be straight as well, and you have a can to set on the ground. So you are saying it is pretty safe to pull myself as long as I don't get the boom too high as opposed to pushing all the time? I like to see where I am going and I wish I could say that I have enough expierience to know what is safe but that would be stupid even if I did. Things can change especially with ROCKS. How safe is a 45degree, 1/1 slope to work on?? This may be a dumb question but I really don't know. I will try to get a picture today( hey, another excuse to ride my Harley!!) Thanks guys and rest assured, if I don't feel safe I will get out and make less steep.
not too sure on the exact limit of slope that hoe can handle, its really up to the operator and what he feels comfortable with. like Cascade said, keeping the bucket pointed towards the bottom of the hill would be the best so you dont have to worry about tipping.
I'm not going to go on about this:beatsme but I still maintain that you are safer travelling up a slope forwards with an outstretched arm as low as possible, at least that way you are able to see exactly where you are going!!! So long as you keep the arm low the machine is not going to tip backwards, I have done this thousands of times and in many cases had to use the arm to pull myself up when the tracks have started to spin. To be honest if I saw a guy backing up a slope my instant reaction would be he's a Rookie!!:Banghead
Here's one that we only get out a couple of times a year, it's a blast ot operate!
lol, i was talkin about just getting down the ravine he was working it. not going back up, even though it might have sounded like that :drinkup
Hi guys and thanks for the advice on the tipping part, just concerned because I really don't have alot experience on loooong slopes. Sorry for getting off topic Anyway, anyone ever run one of these "little Giants"? It is alot of fun but we probrobaly won't ever get it out now It has 2 sticks, one for the turit and a toggle for the bucket angle and the other is an eight way with the curl/dump on your foot. It's fun to run for a change but is real slow. Does a good job though with the bucket being able to twirl around to fit the canal sides but after 10 hours on it you'll get pretty tired.
Here is a prime example of what we have been saying....This guy was putting on a bit of a show at the recent SED 2007 show here in England...Note his position as he climbs up the slope, boom low & facing in the direction you are travelling.
Thats the only way i go up slopes, and the slope he is going up isnt even all that steep. i bet you could walk across that slope sideways and still not tip, unless you got real crazy.
Either got a lot of nerve or you're nuts maybe both.:beatsme :waving :crazy :lmao Because of the angel of the incline I'll just stand back and watch.
Nerve. Hi, Wrenchbender. Nerve? Or just knowing your machine? I'd happily take an excavator or a dozer or a track or 4wd loader up that slope. I've run Volvo 6x6 dumpers up slopes like that and graders too. It IS a matter of knowing your machine and knowing what you can achieve in the prevailing ground conditions. As I've mentioned on here before, I once took an angle blade, bobtail D9G up an 8 foot vertical bank one night at an iron ore mine in Western Australia. Won a jug of very tasty beer on it too. (Back in those days, I drank alcohol but booze wasn't why I did it.) Most operators will 'press the chicken switch' before a machine will roll or tip. Most of the rollovers and tips that you see have occurred because somebody wasn't smart enough to recognise the potential for disaster before they went into it. IT almost always involves either somebody trying to do something that is beyond the capabilities of the machine, failure to exercise caution, ignoring safety rules, or any or all of the above.
Thank you Nick!! That picture and advice was what I was looking for. I would much rather pull myself in the direction I am going than push myself backwards and not see a rock or something that would slip on me. I am no expert on excavator but I am no novice either. I have been operating for 30 years or so and everything from Blawnox and gallion rollers to 12C blades to 140H and now I get the opportunity to operate a pretty nice hoe. So far I have been lucky enough not to flip anything over but have seen it done by others. I don't ever want to be one. Asking a dumb:beatsme question or two have kept me from being one just as much as common sense and the "chicken" factor. Mr Deas Plant said this This is an important statement:notworthy Knowing what a machine(and you) are capable of is where it's at, guts only get you in trouble. I am proud to be a part of a forum like this and and have followed it for along time before getting the nerve to join and I can truthfully say that you guys really know this profession and love these machines just like I do. Nick, I am sorry for asking this question in a thread like this, it had nothing to do with pictures and text written about "Excavators operated over the years". I do appologize for my ignorance on forum protocol and will try not to do something like that again. Thanks again to you all, Charles
Knowing your machine - and yourself. Hi, 812Harleys. Welcome to the forum and don't be wasting too much time apologising about where you post your questions. The main thing is that you post 'em. Here is a little story to illustrate 'knowing your machine'. I am the 'villain' of the piece and it happened at Mt Goldsworthy iron ore mine in Western Australia in February, 1968. This is the same mine that was the scene of the previously mentioned episode where I took this same D9G up an 8-foot vertical wall. Story begins: I became notorious on my second day there. The first day, I was given a straight-forward job using a ‘dozer to cut out a new bench for a face shovel to start working on the next lower level in the mine. The second day, I was taken up to the top level of the mine to a section of rock wall where no further excavation was to be done and told to clean all the loose rock off the wall so that there was nothing left to fall on anybody who might happen to be working (or walking) at the bottom of the wall. The wall itself was around thirty feet (9 metres) high on a 1-in-6 batter which meant that, to be able to reach the top of the wall with the ‘dozer, I would have to pile up some loose material (rocks, dirt etc.) to make a ramp to drive the ‘dozer up. In the beginning, loose material to make a ramp was rather scarce and so the ramp had to be rather steep and the operation probably looked more dangerous than it really was, especially to the untrained (or inexperienced) eye. To make matters more interesting, this was an angle-blade dozer with no tilt cylinder and no ripper. I had been working at this task for about an hour and had just started getting right to the top of the wall when Harry pulled up in his Land Rover with a new operator. He introduced me to the ‘new’ guy (Remember, it was only my second day.) whom we’ll call ‘Barry’ (because the next one is going be ‘Paddy’ --- when you figure the logic of that one, please let me know) and said that we could share the ‘dozer for the day until Harry could make other arrangements --- like getting another ‘dozer out of the workshop. I got back on the ‘dozer and worked for another half-hour or so, by which time the ramp was becoming a little more substantial and the operation didn’t look quite so dangerous. I then asked Barry if he would like to have a play for a while. Barry replied, “Yeah, I’ll have a go, (slight pause) but I’m not hanging that *&*#*@* off-side track out in space like you’ve been doing.†That night in the canteen, I overheard some of the ‘troops’ talking about ‘that mad b*****d of a new ‘dozer driver who nearly rolled the ‘dozer today’. I guess Barry must have been talking to some of them. End story. The point here is that while Barry was a not-bad dozer operator, he didn't have the understanding of them that I did and the thought of attempting to do what I was doing 'worried' him a little. (He didn't see me take the D9 up the vertical wall.) For that reason alone, he would be well advised not to attempt it - - - 'cos he wasn't confident of his ability to handle it. There are two main things that go towards building confidence in an operator: 1. Experience. 2. Understanding your machine. At the time of that story, I was about 4 years younger than Barry and had less experience too. But I had a far better undestanding of the machine and its capabilities and also my own capabilities. One guideline that is probably worth carrying with you is, "If you have doubts about whether you can achieve it, you may be better off leaving it alone." This applies far more to feats of 'derring-do' on slopes, etc., than it does to jobs on flat ground. For the jobs on flat ground, so long as the risk is minimal, you'll never, never know if you never have a go. Hope this helps.
I've taken 2wd rubber tired hoes up and down slopes like that one.
You are the guys that keep me in Buisness. I'll take my old Diamond T in & out of those places but it's used to doing this stuff. I'll even take lil red ( my F-250) but not equipment I don't know how it'll act. This is why I operate on equipment and ya'll operate equipment.
Doing Watchya Know. Hi, Wrenchbender. You do what you know with your Diamond T and your F250 and that's fair enough. We'll keep doing what we know with out machines. And you kin keep on pickin' up ther pieces. Just don't look ter me ter provide many pieces for you ter pick up.
I can't reach that far anyway I have short arms. Now don't misunderstand I'm not saying that ya'll are tearing these machines apart doing this but I am saying I would be. Or at the very least it would need a new seat and I would need some Exlax to remove the old one.
Hi 812 Harleys; I operate telescoping boom excavators, Gradalls. I would sooner run a tracked excavator, But have alot more seat time in the telescopers. Does anybody else operate gradall's out there?
Thank you Mr. Deas, that really helped alot. Hi, telescooper. That one is called a 'Little Giant' and is very similar to the Grade-all. They said we used to have a Grade-all before I went to work there. I have only ran this one a couple of times a year but wouldn't want to run it everyday. That 8 way stick get some getting used to!! It's pretty sticky compared to the John Deere controls but once you get used to it, it will do a real good job with the bucket being able to rotate. Still don't like having to articulate the bucket with your feet though Does Grade-all make newer machines??
Hi 812 Harleys.. Gradall still makes excavators, tracked and wheeled ones. The new ones are pretty snappy function wise. I operate an older G3WD, it has pilot controls. I have operated once or twice an old Koring bantum, It had the three levers, foot bucket controls, and foot swing controls. It was ok once you caught on to it.