I was just made aware that a couple of our machines were featured in a Link Belt calendar. Not sure if it was 2024, or earlier, but I guess one of the owners son's entered it. It was from a shore line protection job a few years back.
How much photoshopping was done on was done on the counterweight ?
Contrary to what some believe, you can keep a counterweight un-violated. The counterweight on our 210 that we bought new still looks almost new, it was only a couple years ago I put the first real scuff in it.
That is cool! Good winter project too.
That machine was only a month old in that picture. It no longer looks that way.
I think that job might have been in 2018. Time flies. It is on an Indian reserve. We are starting the final leg of the job after new years, and the whole community shore line will be done.
I remember the first time I really ran an excavator. I mean I had operated them before, but I had been hired for a job with one. It was in a quarry sorting rock on a night shift. It was a brand new 892 John Deere. I was so worried about hitting the counter weight, I used to get out and see how close I was to stuff. Made it through the whole job without a scuff until the last week, when the day shift didn't notice a rock that had come up on the track, and dented the bottom of the side panel in. Far from her heart, but at least it was not me
I have a dent/deep scuff in the very bottom corner, basically the side of the counterweight that I did about year 6. Had a 4' bucket sitting behind me, was doing treework (fecking trees, always). Was backing up and swinging to get a different angle, and rubbed right into that bucket. Then, a couple years ago, I was demoing a house, and thought I had enough room, but rubbed nicely against the old boiler I had picked out and sat off to the side. These machines you see that they've scoured the counterweight up like a dozer blade I just shake my head and wonder what kind of operator does that.
Sometimes being too aware or too cautious of your surroundings you forget what you were trying to avoid. I backed into a water pump and I realized it about a second too late. Thankfully didn't hurt the pump but bent the cage around it. Have had a couple other similar incidents too. Kind of the same forgetting to pick up tools after you worked on something. Feel a little dumb afterwards but **** happens.
Well, one kind is the operator that is always digging foundations for 50' houses on 75' lake lots, always with the house stuffed right to the setback towards the lake . . .
Think we all have backed into our share of stuff or run over the same chainsaw 3 times. Eeeewwww that sucked. Should have left that out.
And the chainsaw are bright yellow or orange as well. When Poulan came out with a camo version I thought that won't sell well at all.
Well, you are a celebrity now. I want to hump your leg LOL
Excuses, excuses. Lol
North Dakota, where the nearest tree is half a section away . . .
I see Link Belt has a 355 zero swing now
I'm not in the photo. Off season, no grader work. That might be part of my load of rock up on the bank though
The worst isn't the counterweight. Have seen several excavators and even on Gold Rush where the rear doors are caved in or even missing. How can you not be aware you're that close to something that you would easily hit? Would really suck that you can't check something because the door is mangled and won't open.
It happens. Guy in the closest 350 was running one of the 145s this fall. They were backfilling a foundation. He had swung the cab door open, and it didn't lock. It opened and hit the wall while he was swinging. It buckled the door, and popped some paint off. It will open and close, but it won't lock open
Another way it happens easily is if your doing tree work. You grab a tree and swing with it. Meanwhile the top catches another tree and since the boom is in the way you don't see it catch and it pulls the tree into the side
That's a neat pic on the lakeshore. I can see why Link Belt wanted to use it.
It's actually the mouth of the Miramichi river. The Bay opens up into the Northumberland strait thet runs between the province of New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. It's the area on the coast labled at Burnt Church.
Here is some of the completed job. I think the picture was taken on the point to the right. The next phase starting in January will be from the bridge close to the top of the photo.
Purty. I like rock work, even though it's hard on the machine.
Nothing like the thrill of putting up a tri axle dump trailer and not having a rock move until the last second. . I've never placed rock. I've always been on the loading or trucking end. I'm always a spare in the off season if there is no grader work. I've probably sold myself short by not taking interest in operating other machines, but grading is my thing, and I try to stick with it. I can run most things, but I'm not real good at anything but grading. This job, they are going to be short of a rock truck driver to lug the rock from the dump area to the shore. Not my first choice of jobs, but it pays the same, so I'm in.
^^^^^^ That’s a messed up trailer design.
Used to see them in the landfill all the time, whenever one of them tipped there was usually an excavator close in case she started to tip over, especially in winter when stuff froze inside. Landfill base is always a crapshoot.
I imagine being on un level ground must be a hoot.
Not only unlevel but different states of compaction under the wheels. Could be a load of bricks and 10 feet away load of mattresses with a load of residential garbage covering the whole area, tricky stuff.
Actually they are way more stable than a ridged frame . Ours dump anywhere they can get. I have not seen one upset in 28 years. You still have to use common sense. Most guys say the same thing." Worst thing you can do if she starts to lay over is put her down. Hold her to the floor, and get her empty"
I've always believed there are only two types of end dumps. Those that have tipped over, and those that haven't yet.
It happens for sure, but I have found these split frame dumps seem to have cut the number of incidents down. As a grader man on a road job, I have seen some nasty leans over the years, and these guys are tail spreading with chains on. Most ridged frame dumps refuse to dump on a super, and will wait till we get back to a 3% crown.
I am in the camp of young and dumb in my 20’s and a tri axle loaded with wet snow and no traction, till some asshat on the radio told me to raise the dump bed for traction. Never mentioned to not do it while I was on a good slope. That was a ride.