Hi, I bought a grove 8435G crane at an auction. At first, what is the difference between the 8435G and the TMS300 ? The manuals which came with the crane have some for TMS 300 and some for the 8435G. Looking at pictures on the internet, they look indeed identical. Now to the main questions: 1.) I don't have keys for the doors, they are unlocked. I have an expensive quote for original new door lock unit replacements but I am sure they are some simple generic ones which I should get cheap somewhere ? 2.) I am still testing all functionality of the crane and making a list what I need to fix, however I need to use it already for some minor work. The only thing I found so far which is a problem is swinging. I need to get full power to the engine and it then swings but stutters. My suspicion is that the boom brake might be stuck ? How do I best troubleshoot this ? Thanks Joe
The only real differences in the tms 300's are some are 30 ton- some 35 and some 40 ton. The different ratings are based on the radius that the load charts start at. Once you get past 12-15' radius the load charts are pretty similar. Some of the 40 ton ones have a extra sheave in the boom head to get to 40t with line pull. The 8435 stands for a 8x4 carrier, with the 35 ton upper. The military versions, just have small winches with 5/8 cable, and don't have the extra section of boom- they are only 80' boom instead of the 104' with dead section. The 104' boom versions are also known as a tms300LP (which I think stands for "long" and "pinned". Most common tms 300's are seen as 300b, 300LP or 300G. The 300E's are full width cabs for european market. The really late ones can have front outrigger jack, and then a 360 outrigger chart, the older ones don't have front jack, so you have over the side and over the rear charts. A locksmith should be able to get you a key, I don't think I've got door keys for mine, but they are a standard number, similar to a underbody toolbox lock. Boom brake is small brake pucks on the top of the swing gearbox. Its under the boom in the rear of the turntable. They drag when the master or slave cylinder go out. There's also a hand brake, that can get out of adjustment and drag. Really late ones can have a different swing brake system, that is a spring applied/ hydraulic release set up. Those can have issues with seals going bad in the release system. A picture posted here would let us know which one you have, then we can give you some things to check on. The tms 300's were built from 1973, to the last ones were turned out in the late 1990's to early 2000. They're a great machine.
Thanks for the great inside ! I will check the boom brake details. Do you have a recommendation what to do/check/maintenance after buying the machine as used ? What are the major issues to check to be safe ?
Go on ebay and get all the service and parts manuals- you said some were with the crane. They are usually to be found for around $150 each. They will walk you through all the fluid levels and items to check. They are great manuals with step by step directions for repairs. Read them all, it will give you a lot better idea how the machine is built and works. All the "things" you need to check is really going to depend on the condition of the machine. If its been used recently, vs. having set for years. Post up some pictures and that can give us a idea of the condition. Probably the other thing is what your experience level is, and what you are familiar with. They are a big heavy machine, and most don't have any of the safety equipment of the new machines. You can cheerfully get yourself in a world of trouble through sheer ignorance.
Man, if that’s not my life story.
Thanks @crane operator . I am running a super old P&H 440 TC since years, those are prone for catastrophes with the friction system, but on the other side super robust and cheap to fix.
They are just flat out robust cranes. We have two of them. I have both a newer and an old manual for them. Both are well written. The latches are eberhardt and fairly easy to get. One thing that I've learned to keep around is the clutch slave cylinder for them. I'll get the number if you want it. They start leaking and you lose clutch function. Another thing is a fuel cut off solenoid.
Another thing you need to check closely is the front spring hangers. The equalizer hangers like to crack. They are standard off the shelf reyco parts.
I didnt know the clutch slave was a common issue but I had mine go out driving down the road about 10 miles from our shop. I managed to keep it rolling through a few stop signs and made it back to the shop just floating through gears without a clutch. Luckily I didn't meet any traffic where I had to bring it to a complete stop but it was a tense drive.
I've had it happen 3 or 4 times. One time we had a tornado come through town and we were super busy taking trees off houses. Made for a real fun couple of days having no clutch pedal.
So can you actually get it to go into lo-lo gear from a stop without a clutch?
Leave it in Lo-L0 and hit the starter.
Don't stop. Just keep it rolling.
If itll roll forward, yes. Otherwise start it in gear. Either way it gets really old really quickly. A spare clutch slave is about $40 and definitely worth having around. I keep a spare master too.