we got a new npk,in the past we rented from cat. we had our own 330cl,so we bought a second 330cl.we do a lot of blasting work therefore a lot of oversize. when we got the new 330cl ,we sent the old one(4000 hrs) up to cat to have it fitted for a qwick coupler so we could swicth between bucket and hammer. all the rental hammers up to then did not have the quick coupelers,so the coupler was new to me...after a few days a leak developed on the upper flow in valve,so i decided to tighten the nut that was loose by dropping the hammer without detaching the lines(stupid me) after tightening the problem nut,i reconected the hammer,but failed to check the lower dog(I was lazy) when i raised the hammer of the ground all was well untill i sticked out thats when the hammer released and fell about 30feet taking the lines with it($650.00)later.good learning experiance
one thing i would suggest now that you found out the hard way,is to put pressure on the tool before you use it just to make sure it is on there.you can loose a bucket just as easy,also when i put the bucket on i fold the stick and curl the bucket so i can see from the cab when it locks and unlocks little harder with a hammer on.just a suggestion.
With a hammer, you almost have to get out and check to make sure the coupler is properly connected. As mentioned, with a bucket you can curl all the way in and see that it's connected. With a hammer, you cannot, as the tip of the hammer will not allow full curl.
thanks for the tips,as i found out all of these methods work,that happend a few years ago,regarding the same hammer:as a direct result of the drop then a hairline crack developed in the tool holder.about a year later i was working the machine one day and the tool drop out so i slid the tool back in,again it fell out,so i shut it down and checked the rubber seal that holds the retaing pin in,looked fine,tool dropped out again,so i rechecked and found the retaining pin was cracked right in half inside the tool holder,so replaced the retaining pin,and everything was fine.for another year or so,then i started to hear a pinging sound after each cycle,again in the lower tool holder.so we sent it up to milton cat for a rebuild to discover the lowertoolholder was cracked right across one whole corner.this is when i started worrying about my job!!!!!!!,($25,000.00 repair bill),but npk said it was not from operator error and paid the whole bill.....Istill run the hammer to this day...... my next forum will be on how not to overgrease a hfo clutch on a terex/pegson mobile crushing plant ihope i can share my experience(the good ones) so others can learn and be helpful thanks....
Glad to hear they took care of that bill - that's great!