Some photos for your viewing pleasure. These are from a company (who shall remain nameless) owned by a friend of mine here in Australia. They're not afraid to do the hard stuff (or the swampy stuff). But sometimes you have to wonder about the operators. Enjoy... A Sumitomo digger with a broken boom...
A Cat dump truck looking a bit second hand (I bet it stopped quick)...
Working some unstable ground...
Dump truck vs bridge (lower that tipper before travelling)...
Slight damage to dipper stick on a 20 or 30 tonner...
Ground's a bit soft in places...
This Mitsubishi was brand spanking new. I don't think the operator works there any more!
Great pics AussieChris, but I have to ask; how does your friends company make any money with so much equipment destruction???
Finally, a rolled loader and a twisted crane to finish off with. Regards, Chris.
Very good question. In their defense, they are a big company and those pics were taken over a number of years. They have a couple of dozen excavators in the 20 to 30 ton class and as many large dozers. I guess they don't miss one or two! Chris.
I hear ya brother! But the boom snapped off that Sumi just looks messed up! And a P&H/Kobelco crane stuck in a swamp??? Cranes and swamp just don't mix. I want to say I love the pics...but I realise also that this destruction means money. No...great pics.
Thanks for sharing the pictures AussieChris.It looks like your mate has alot of equipment & tough jobs to deal with.As the old saying go's "the more job's you do,The more trouble you will see".We have similiar proplems on job sites as well.It keeps the wreckers ,welders,& mechanics busy.
AussieChris, Thank you for sharing your pictures. Yes touring the job with the bed up will always cause problems. I have seen 3 accidents caused by the driver not lowering his bed before moving. 1 Koering Dumpster, I R30 Euc, and I R85 Euc. The Koering went roaring into the tunnel and the cab protector caught the fan line and swung the front of the truck around into the air and water lines tearing them both out and put a huge lump on the teamsters head. Lots of noise from the escaping air.
Thanks for some more safety meeting topics. I agree, the more work you do, the more likely to find trouble. When times are busy, you always end up with a few bad apples for operators, and sometimes this kind of damage happens before they are found out and sent off. I have seen much of this kind of thing over the years. The Cat artic is a bit of a surprise, as it is the first one I have seen split apart when it went over.
I could live on that carnage bill, really wonder how an outfit can make it with that stuff going on. What kind of profit do you need to offset the losses and if their insurance still covers them what their premium is ?
Thank you for posting, I am positive i know where some of these happened,
Thanks everyone for your comments. Dozerdave, I've often wondered why, on dump trucks, they don't put a switch on the bed that stops you going into forward gear with the body up. Or at least sound a buzzer. All the best, Chris.
Hi AussieChris, I think I read here someplace in HEF that Volvo has that feature now. That's one plus for the ejector truck.
Dozerdave You are mostly right. On the Volvo trucks, you can have it set where it will not shift out of first gear untill the bed is all the way down. It is selectable in the computer. They have had that ability at least since 1996 when the "C" models came out. Don't know if the older ones could do that or not.
I agree that leaving the dump body up is simply carelessness. The other pictures, until I know the full story I am reluctant to criticize. The Sumitomo hoe, there are big pieces of rock in the picture. Working in rock :Banghead is always very hard on the equipment, no matter how cautious the operators are. I think the boom breaking on those early hydraulic excavators was not uncommon when working in rock that had not been ripped or blasted. As for the cranes and trackhoes in the mud, I am thinking maybe they should have given the operators swamp mats to work on.