Been real busy lately, great for the pocketbook, makes for more repair work. Wednesday the old 6-71 in my tms300 sounded off when I tore down on a job. Not bad at full throttle/ or with no load, but under-load going up and down on the throttle, it seemed to have a miss and sounded wrong. Made a warble like sound when accelerating under load. First thought- fuel filters, or maybe injector. Infared thermometer showed #4 cyl. 20 deg colder. Pulled injector, and it didn't look bad, and was squirting fuel. Head off and it looks like 2 valves aren't quite closing, they're sticking up just a little, carbon buildup or weak/broken spring suspected. I think it was still trying to fire, we weren't getting any fuel type smoke out the exhaust, I think those valves are just hanging up a bit. The head has a lot of carbon buildup on it, I'm sure all our on jobsite idleing/ lack of full load when just running the pumps causes this. The head is headed to the machine shop tuesday, clean and check, I think we caught it in time before we hurt anything. Grove Rt 730 on thursday. I was set up on a job and I went to swing and saw a huge cloud from the engine compartment. Swinging around, thinking I had blown a coolant line- no such luck- it was hydraulic fluid pouring from the back of the boom and landing on the hot pumps/ engine, making the cloud. Racing a storm to set some I-beam poles, the customer says "Think you can just set the poles, you can fix that leak later can't you?" Nope- this was no minor drip- it was just flowing out. I ain't picking no load with fluid pouring out, back to the shop for the old 25 ton, throw two loads of rock in the horrible hole that I had to get through to get back there, (that was the reason I had the rt there in the first place). Set the poles and drug the truck crane out with a back hoe. Customer peeved that I did get it done with the truck crane, after I had told him I didn't think we could get in and out of there with the truck crane. Two cranes down, but both jobs done. Back at the shop late Friday, planning on pulling 110' and 4 sections of boom apart on the rt, we discovered it was one of the small 12" long 3/4"splitter hoses inside the boom had ruptured. I think we can change it through the 14" diameter access hole near the end of the boom, with it scoped 1/2 way out. No hydraulic shops open over the long weekend, so that will be tuesdays issue. All in all it could have been much worse. They're both at the shop, and I'm thrilled I don't have to pull that boom on the rt. Have a good 4th .
Don't know much about the Grove but one trick I have used to snake a new hose in is to hook a rope to the old one before pulling it out then use the rope to pull the new one in. Actually modified a JIC fitting on one that I could slide over the rope and then screw it into the end of the old hose. Made it slide through things easier. Of course the best thing is if you know how long the new hose has to be then just couple the new to the old and pull, but most times you have to remove the old one for a sample. Hint make a note in you files on the overall length for the next time! At least they are at the shop so that saves a lot of travel time!
Well I've got a tms300 I'd be happy to sell you for a replacement. It's already got the Cummins and it has the front bumper outrigger. Lol when you say rt730 is that a derated rt700b or rt740b. We just sold an rt700b. Glad you don't have to pull the boom apart. Hopefully changing that hose is a quick easy job.
I'd love to have that cummins, my mechanic is dreading that repower, he was afraid it was about to start when we had this problem, but I think the detroit is going back together for a little while. (did you ever find your noise?) My rt is a 730b, the only difference from a 740 that I can see is my chart starts at 12', the 740b starts at 10' radius. My 730 came from a big crane outfit in central Ill. Its a 110' main, tele jib, 5.9 cummins. I got it in jan, and have been happy with how often we've used it. I still don't have a way to haul it myself. And it booms down way too fast. We've had to redo all the brakes, someone had put non dot5 brake fluid in it, mixing it. The inside of the calipers was full of black nasty stuff (I think the inner hose linings). We replaced all the lines, flushed the swivel, and new master cyl. I think in Ill. they never needed the brakes hard, but we had to have good brakes. I wouldn't say they're great now, but they at least work. We've also had to replace a few lines, and made the top window glass a top open, it was just a glass glued to the top, and it was hot, hot , hot. I wish I could just attach a line to the line to pull the old hose, but I need the old one to make the new one. I could order it from grove, but its just easier to have the local shop make it. I think we will tie a rope to it when we pull it, to pull the new one back I really get along with my tms 300 as good as anything I own, what about yours really gives you fits? I think if mine gets repowered, I'd rather take it than anything I have. The dead stick is a little bit of a pain, but you learn to do jib first , if you think there is any chance at all, that you need all the boom. Probably the best thing I did to my 300 (from a operators point of view) is I disconnected the second stage of the boom. The boom lever goes back toward the valves and then splits to two valve sections, I just unattached it from the section with winch, and use only its own section. I just welded on a small lug just below the valve on the holder plate and anchored that 1/2 of the line. Its so much easier to boom and hold the load. It makes the boom slower, but most of the time I have it all out, and its so much smoother that way. I do have to hook it back up, if I need to pick over 35-40,000lbs, or it won't boom it up. I just have to pull one pin, and hook it back to the valve. Without it disconnected, it makes the flow odd between winching and not winching, and then its hard to be smooth. With it disconnected I can be at full throttle with all the stick and go in and out of full boom up/down, without bouncing it, and run it with the foot pedal. You still need to ease in and out of it a little, but its night and day difference. I've been thinking about putting it on its own lever, or solenoid arm, so I could use it when tearing down/setting up, but I haven't taken the time. I will say that the rt full power 110' main has me looking at tms 750's but they've only got cummins 8.3's in them. I love the two in my 25's but I can't see them handling 80,000 down here real well.
Knepptune, what cummins is that? It is more than idle interest on my part.
Ic that's a derated 40t. Wonder why yours booms down to fast. The own we had boomed down a hair slow. On your boom hoist trouble that's a fairly easy fix. The second valve it opens is the boom boost. The springs in there are supposed to be set so that the main valve opens completely before the boost valve opens. I bet you could pop a new spring in your boost valve and I bet the boom and hoist would act right. We've been through 3 clutches and finally put a bigger transmission and 15' clutch in it. It's held up so far. It's just a big heavy crane for no more chart then it has. That's really my main complaint with that crane. And yea it still sounds like it's gonna self destruct at any minute. Especially on a big long hill. We've thought about a tms750 but right now are kinda looking for a tms870. Like to find one with the 110 main boom. The 870's with the 138 main had a lot of problems with the top boom plates cracking. Those have Cummins m11 and don't weigh much more the the tms750. I bet the 750 with the 8.3 isn't as bad as you think. Probably about the same as a tms300 with a 671.
Ichudov It has a ntc350 with a rto14613 transmission. Other then the noise it's a heck of an engine. Easily the quickest crane I've been around. It's geared pretty low but that engine doesn't have a lick of trouble with the crane.
With the current oil field slow down, used crane prices are dropping fast. I've recently seen quite a few link belt 8660-8670's mid 90's years, priced at what I would term reasonable. They always used to be $180-250k, but recently I've seen some in the low 100-150k. You can get 115' or 127' main, I think they are 16,000 or so for counterweight. Best thing is the 90's versions have detroit 60 series power, with jakes. I know its electronic, but I hear fewer complaints about them than most newer stuff, and great power. Down sides are 2-stage outriggers, but the 870's have that too. Only way around that is all terrain 80-100toners, and that's a way pricier carrier to upkeep. I've run the 870 with the 138' main, not a 110' boom. It had cracked the boom base and second section, and had the factory repair/ updates done. They just double the upper plates, out toward the boom tips, where the inner sections come up against it. I think grove keeps track of which ones have been updated. I found it to be a real smooth crane, some what boom heavy (I think most groves are). Good for around 50,000lbs or so offloading stuff. Really won't do 60-70,000 in most situations. It was m11 power, no jakes but exhaust brake. Traveled with 15,000 ctw on the dolly (all but the small slab), I think it grossed somewhere around 110-115,000lbs in the dolly, and was okay on power (I was in Iowa at that time, fewer hills). The boom heads are a pain in the a$%. It's quick reeve, unless you need jib. There's a big main bar on the front top of main, you have to pull the cable all the way through that, and back out , or have someone with you and reel it up and then back out. Either way its a pain, poor design in my opinion. The 110' main's don't have that bar, a big plus for the 110' in my opinion. The one I ran was also the all wheel steer (jobsite only) TTSversion. Kind of nice pulling tight to a curb or something, but not stout enough for jobsite travel with all ctw mounted. Was prone to breaking the steering arms. Not advised to try to turn in mud either. Standard rears are more durable. Always traveled jobsite with some weights on the deck and some hanging, you couldn't leave it all hang. Also had a funky 12volt and 24 volt system. Two batteries, equalizer behind the seat. Some stuff is 12v, some is 24v. Seems like I was always finding relays where someone shoved a 12v one in a 24v spot or vice versa. Always had to take a battery charger and jumper cables in cold weather to start it. My p&h 70 ton (century t650) has 126' main (100' live, last 25' is remote power pin), 60' jib. It's only 9,000 of fixed ctw, and that makes a big difference at longer radius (compared to the 870 or link belts with 16-18,000 ctw). I ditched the dolly and added tag axles. Forget getting parts from terex, they took two weeks to tell me a seal kit was like $2,000, with a eight week lead time. That's like 6 seals& wipers and backers. With the lead time, they might as well have said they didn't have it. I'm 92,000 lbs with a 6v92. 350hp 13 speed, jakes. It gets right with it on the road (its possible it has larger injectors in it-factory book says 350). It's not as fast as my 25's, but it isn't the absolute dog that my 35 is. It has a 10' carrier, which gets me single stage outriggers. The frame on this p&h is stout. I can have the boom in the rest, and run down a jack, front or rear, and put more cribbing under the other one. I couldn't do that with the 870 grove (frame flex), and my 35 won't do that with the boom in the rest, and get a front jack up (too boom heavy), I'll have to swing around and teetertotter. Has push-pull cable controls, which I don't care for, prefer old grove or newer pilot hyd (not elec over hyd). Only gripe with pilot hyd is being surrounded with 200deg oil at 2500psi. Its hot and a leaky hose in the cab makes a real mess. The swing is super smooth- one of the best swinging cranes I think I've run. Boom is to fast with all the stick in- idle only when booming down (with 186') or that thing is gone. I gave just under 90k for it 2 years ago. Its a orphan in terms of numbers made and factory support. I couldn't swing the 150-200 for a grove or link belt, and it does have 126' main, which is nice. But I'm looking too-110-150ton all terrains have caught my eye-and- believe it or not- I've been looking at boom trucks.
Ye that's kinda why we are looking at the 870 with 110'. We've got the 110t if we need to go way up. Seems like the 110' version has a better load chart until you start getting out a 100' or so. We need something to bridge the gap from our 40t to the 110t. Local guy has one of those htc8670's. It's his only crane and he loves it. Does everything from boom truck jobs to 70t jobs with it. Seems like a nice crane to me but we've owned one link belt crane. It was a pos so we've never owned another. Dad won't even look at one. Lol. If it was up to me I'd look at one of those pretty closely.
Rt is back running. Hose was accessible after removing the jib. One guy from each side of the boom working through the hole. Fixed by noon tuesday. Removed head on detroit. Valve not seating on #4, water checked and dribbled pretty good. I had noticed about a week earlier that it was running just a little warmer than usual (5-10deg) but I chalked it up to hot weather. I think that was a early warning sign of my troubles. It not getting full compression making things work a little harder. Glad we didn't drop the valve or melt something down. Head went back on today, we should have it all buttoned back up tomorrow afternoon. Been looking at my repower job on the 35 ton. The 70 ton isn't done yet with the project its on , so I can't start it just yet (I'd prefer to wait for a little cooler weather/ possibly less busy). I have a 444 cummins, purchased awhile back for this project. It is low flow cooling, but I have rounded up what I think I need to convert it to high flow. My only concern is the 444 has I guess its own different piston's and injectors, that supposedly are expensive/ hard to get. I could source a different big camIII 350 or 400 with jakes, thats already high flow, and somewhat more common parts. Then I think I could just sell the motor I have. The motor I have came out of a running truck, big KW condo sleeper, owner/driver got health troubles and parked it. Supposed recent work done, but no real history, driver passed and widow gave it to a family member, that was just going to scrap it. Has a big 15 sp tranny that was behind it. Needs clutch and flywheel. It ran the morning we pulled it. I've thought of pulling the heads, just to look. Maybe should just do piston's sleeve's and bearings, before I put it in the crane. I plan on locking up the cooling fan, but am a little concerned if my radiator has enough capacity for that high hp of a motor.
Good deal. Gotta love when a project your dreading turns out to not be a big deal. Hopefully your repower project goes easily. Seems like everytime I do one I swear it off. Seems like it's always a pain. But I'd say that's a project that'll be worth it. I know I like the power in our 300. May check your ratios. When we switched transmissions in ours we found out the rto14613 is geared lower the an rto6613. Ours went from a top speed of 55mph down to 50. But hey it hasn't burned a clutch yet. It was eating clutches before.
Well I guess I now know the cycle life of those hoses on the inside of the boom of my RT. There's 4 of them in there real close together. Usually I only replace hoses that blow, or look bad. When we pulled that one blown in the boom, one of the guys piped up "maybe we should do them all". Saturday afternoon I fixed the A2B wiring on the jib (moisture cutting it out), then shot out main just to make sure it would reach what I needed. I got all done and folded the crane up to go home for the weekend, and while stepping past the end of the boom heard a faint whistle sound, and (really tempted to ignore it and hope for the best) decided to look around and observed hydraulic oil hitting the deck. Thinking of the words I'm going to say to my hose builder about that new hose blowing, I crawl between the main frames, a job I hope to outsource to a small acrobat. I spot the leak, getting covered in oil, and just for fun, pour some in my eye. Thankfully I was experienced with this sort of pain, just having done it last week. Suprisingly the new hose is fine. Instead, the mirror hose of the other one that blew, has decided it couldn't take the loss of its friend of 15 years, so it sacrificed itself rather than continue on alone. Little does he know that his other two friends in the boom are travelling with him to hose Valhalla. This stuff is so fun, I'm always shocked that they pay us for doing it.