Been working on that shore line protection job I had mentioned. . You can kinda see where the rock from last time stops on the right, and it runs in line with the house with the blue roof on the left. It had been mulched in November, and I have been spreading sandstone with the D4K preparing the site. Sandstone is finished up, and as a spare, I figured I would slip into a truck driving job. No luck. Monday I have to go to our quarry, and help another operator load trucks. There is a lot of rock to sort according to size, and since I'm going to be there, I can help load rock. I'll be using our 470 Hitachi. The other machine is a 350 linkbelt. I've said in the past, that I'm no hoe man. I can bail like crazy, but I am not a finisher, and I don't have the light touch. I have loaded rock before, but always with a thumb, something the 470 does not have. I'm going to hint at maybe swapping with the other guy for the Linkbelt, but if he doesn't want to. What are you experienced hoe operators methods for loading 5 and 6 foot rock into a dump trailer without a thumb. I've seen guys try and get a couple rocks against the tailgate, and then try to build from there. I find it hard with no thumb, as you have to roll it out of the bucket. The 470 is high to start with, and I plan to sit up on the rock, and it does have a long reach, but hw to not spill the driver's coffee.
Am I hearing you correctly? Five and six foot rock into an end dump??? How high are the tailgates? My first thought is that 470 *should* be able to reach the full length of the trailer, so I surely wouldn't sit on the pile. Reason for this is you may not be able to reach the front unless the drivers are backing into the pile. It's bad enough you're going to need them to back up to you. It's going to be a terrible pain in the ass keeping the pile manageable so you can pick the rocks, and not swing your tail into the pile. With that size rock, you're probably only going to get 6 or 7 rocks per load anyway?
Will they let you put a layer of smaller or softer material on the bottom first for a cushion?
I still am unable to wrap my head around the possibility that they will be dumping 5-6 foot rocks against an endgate. They must buy new trailers monthly, if they make it that long. Maybe they have hydraulic endgates?
They want bigger rocks for the bottom row. They notch the bottom of the slope, roll out filter cloth or fabric, then they place the bigger rocks, then come up the slope with 3 and 4 footers. As a rule you try to get a couple big ones per load. They do run high lift gates, but it is a pretty wild ride when you dump. nothing comes out until you hit the top. There is a 245, and a 350 placing. The the 350 with the thumb that is loading back there already, sits on the pile to load. After the blast, and they plan their blasts to get some oversized for jobs like this. They sort out the oversized, load it on a rock truck, and dump it where it can be loaded later. When I say sit on the pile, it's only 4 or 5 feet higher. The trucks all come at once, and once they are gone, you have time to pick out a bunch. The 980 will cart away smaller sized stuff to be crushed, or used for jobs needing smaller rock. I might bite the bullet tomorrow, and buy a phone so I can get some pictures.
Finer material adds weight. It's not as hard on the trailers as you think, but there will be a lot of welding and patches after the job. It's mostly company trucks, and a few hired that figure what they get paid for only 3 trips a day is worth it.
At the very least they should put some plywood in the box and on the tailgate. Thousand pound or more rocks are going to destroy the dump boxes.
You're funny, Dave. 5-6 foot rocks weigh 3-5k pounds per. Plywood would last exactly 4 loads and be falling out.
It would be better than nothing. Perhaps rough planks would be better?? Have seen demolition boxes with plywood some time two layers thick. Would need to weld flat bar or large enough bolts to secure the choice of wood protection. I can just see the boxes being destroyed in record time with nothing to protect them.
I think you have the right idea, sit up on a pile to get yourself a little higher, and start at the tailgate and work your way in. The hardest part is not being able to control the roll of the boulder once you let it go. If the guys who own the end dump trailers, realize what they’re getting into, it can hardly be your fault if there’s some dents and dings along the way. You can only do your best with what you’re given.
I’ve loaded 4 and 5 ft rock without a thumb into tri-axles. It’s hard to get the rollout technique without smashing the truck blindly. We had one tri-axle with a swing door, I was able to see what I was doing, so I could get the feel for the roll out. Then after that, I was able to load blind for the first couple of rocks without too much damage. I did have one of the women drivers rip my ass for denting the bottom of her truck and spilling her coffee. Not sure the thumb would have picked up that size rock anyway, think I was running a 235 at the time. Was a while ago.
. All the dump trailers have high lift gates, and one of the tandems.. They have been doing it for years. It is hard on the boxes, but most of the trailers have been through a dozen similar jobs. It snowed today, so all hands were plowing, not rock. I spoke to the guy that is running the machine with the thumb. He said he's fine loading if I want to sort, and keep him in rock.
Guy told me years ago. Just use the thumb to control the rock. Get the thumb close, and close the bucket. Probably makes no difference, but I do find it a good tip when using a quick thumb. Our 308 cat, has a terrible thumb for loading asphalt, it always breaks it. The bucket has a finer touch
A lot of the thumb pressure is operator regulated by the technique used to pick up the rock. Have the boom somewhat close to the cab and try to roll underneath it. I have picked up 3k pound rocks without a thumb and it takes a bit of practice and patience. If the excavator has a front blade, it helps with positioning and makes it challenging but entertaining. Make sure you are by yourself, witnesses create anxiety and screws with you head. A good operator knows what he or she can do and as long as you do get to cocky, it should go smoothly.
I was just referring to how different thumbs are different to use. I ran one once on an 892, and it was controlled by a foot peddle. I really liked it. I think all our linkbelts have an up and down slider, and our Kobelko has a left to right slider. Our 308 is 2 buttons, and it is rat trap fast. If you are digging up asphalt, and close it, 99% of the time it will crumble the asphalt. If you get the thumb close to the asphalt, and then use your bucket to squeeze, no problems. I think the aux pressure is set too high. I did load a couple trucks today with the 470. I put a couple big rocks close to the back, and set some smaller 2, 3 and 4 footers in after that. The bucket is big, so as long as you are careful, you can balance the rock on your teeth. I was sorting large rock for loading, and then picking out an R25 for later. It's a 10 to 16 inch rock. I would set it out, and the 980 would take it away. Like picking fly droppings out of pepper. I measured the bucket for a guide. It's 16 inches from outside of one tooth to the outside of the other
I got some pictures of rock for aighead. Just need to figure out how to get it from my phone.
On this screen, just hit the "attach files" button. It should pop up a screen where you can select "Photos" and then "Camera".
How can I retrieve my password? I've always been signed in, and don't remember what it was in order to sign in with my phone.
These rocks are huge. You would need to haul them in tubs. ^^^^^
My Orange ride for a bit. I plowed this morning in town, and this has not been started yet. It's minus 21C or -6F
J Just driving in towards the face. The 3rd picture up would be where they will drill and blast in the spring.
Proheat to warm it up? I don't see a cord.
Those link belts start pretty good. The Hitachi started hard, but it went. I find the glow plugs or pre heater doesn't stay on long enough. Surprisingly enough, the 980 has to be plugged in. They fire up the lighting plant as soon as they get there in the morning, and by the time the first round of trucks is gone, she will kick. I'll see if I can get some better shots tomorrow. If it's not so cold, maybe I can walk up top, and get a bigger view of the rock. The guy on the Linkbelt figures they couldn't have crushed anything this summer, cause it's all oversize
That's a lot of big rocks!
I see some excitement coming soon. We will rename this thread. THE FIELD OF ROCKS!
Not much to tell today. That is minus 17F. I only loaded a couple trucks. The Link belt kept them going. The bucket is 54 inches. I mostly sorted the finer stuff, and threw a few big ones out.
That would be a cold plastic toilet this morning. Supposed to be warmer tomorrow. I'll try to get a rock in the truck pic. They kind of want 2 or 3 big rocks close to the tail gate, then I can make up the load with some smaller stuff, like the second pic up. The section I am digging does not have a lot of big rock, but there is a winrow behind this pile with lots
What are thoughts on the 350X4?
The photo of the bucket with the rock in it reminds me of the USPS motto - "If it fits, it ships..!" Getting rocks larger than the bucket into a truck is a whole different kettle of prawns. Is there any option to remove the tailgates completely on a couple of trucks and load the big ones directly through the rear opening.?
So he can dump it into the cab of the excavator? ************
Would need a box like a rock truck with the back angled up.
The company is LinkBelt heavy. The 2 350s, a 245, a 235, and 4 145s They seem to be strong, smooth, and quiet. They do have the odd emissions issue. I'm not a full time hoe operator, but I know they guys like them. It seems that they are weak in the under carriage. Not sure about the one in the picture, but the one on the other end placing the rock is the newest machine, and has almost 7000 hours on it, and has had chains and sprockets
The job is an hour and a half drive away, so you would need the gate on. There is lots of room for the large rocks. Like I say. they only take a couple big ones to place at the toe of the slope, and the rest of the load is a smaller size. That 350 LinkBelt is also loading the bigger ones. I'm sitting up on the rock, and the trailers are as close to me as possible. They put out a little over 800 tonne yesterday
They could have a really good salesman from Link Belt that takes of them. When I worked at a large industrial supplier there was a framed message on the wall. I can't remember exactly but it basically said 2/3rd. of customers are more concerned with the service they get than the name on the side.
Well, it’s just like anything else. I don’t usually pay people to do anything. If I can do it, and it’s economically feasible, I will do it but if I break down and pay someone to do it, they better be better than me, at doing it. If I ever need to call out a service truck, they better know what they are doing. At work, when we call Hass and it takes them three days to get there and they send out a newbie, I lose my crap. All he does is spend m 175 bucks an hour on the phone or texting another tech that knows more than I do. When you spend the money on new equipment, it had better work. If the freshest Linkbelt in the fleet has 7000hrs, I expect they work.
If you work for the province, ro ad building, paving. You get a higher rate for newer equipment. A lot of times it's faster to get the dealer to do some repairs. We have our own shop, and mechanics, but as an example, the 350 link belt in the picture went down last week. Dealer had it going in less than 5 hours, including the 2 hour drive from monitor. This was at the shop when I stopped by today, I guess they traded the 308 cat for it. Like I said, they love Linkbelt and Volvo.
That's a pile of 3inch minus. Cold outhouse today. Nothing exciting. I loaded a few loads this morning, just to help get the first round away, then I sorted out ten inch to 16 inch rock
Those are interesting pads with what looks like bolts going across the pads to hold the rubber blocks on. Can the tracks be used without the rubber blocks or are they designed specifically for the rubber blocks?
Some contracts require that equipment can't be older than a certain year. I remember a large contractor had a big contract at the city dump.They had one D8K Dozer that was a 1975 and the contract specified all machines had to be no older than 1980. The contractor replaced it with a 1982 machine. They had multiple dozers and scrapers on site. I highly doubt there was any difference at the end of the day.
here is how I would do it. you say you need to get a couple of big rocks in each load, that implies you can load some smaller ones too. I would have the driver come by me sideways and pause while I eased out some smaller rock near the tailgate from the side. you can do that against the near side of the box to you without much drama. get a good little pile there, and then he pulls up and right/left, and backs to you. Now you have a better target for those big nuggets, you are not rolling them right into the gate. You could do the little rocks against the gate from the end, but that is hard on the gate. it is easier to use the side of the box that way.
Not sure about the new machine, although they look the same. But the 308 had regular steel pads, and they bought bolt on rubber pads. The ones on the 308 were on it for at least 5 years.
I actually tried that in one of the tandems, and one of the smaller rocks actually dented the floor of the box under the weight of the big rock. It pushed against the tailgate cylinder, then the gate wouldn't open. I'm up high, so I can put my teeth as close to the floor as possible. I shake the bucket, and the rock slides out. Once it contacts the floor, then I slide the bucket away staying close to the floor. Once it's down, and this only works for the trailers as I have the room. I slide it close to the gate. Same as the next one. I have been sticking with big rocks within the 54 inch bucket, and no one on the other end is complaining about them being a bit under 5. One of the hired trucks actually comes to me as he figures having no thumb makes me be more careful than the guy with the thumb. It's blasted rock, so unless I tip the bucket to get it out, it never rolls out. The dumping is the wild part. I'll see if one of the guys on the other end will send me a video.
The 2 350s are the only ones with a conventional cab and counter weight. The rest are all spin ace, or zero swing. One of the guys was saying that LinkBelt has a zero swing 350 now.
They do, its a 355. One of friends has one and I used to it helping him on a demo job last year. I really like the improvements made on the X4S series.
This Hitachi, is not like Hitachi used to be. I assume they are no longer the same company they were when they made John Deere excavators.
End of the day. Time flies. I have never sat my ass in the seat of that loader, and it seems like they just got it a couple years ago, but it is a 2016. It's an example of having one operator on a machine, and he takes care of it.
Excavator swap out. That Kobelco spends it's days here. It needed a bunch of welding, I guess it's ready to go back to work. I sort the R25 rock, and the fines, but with that big bucket, it's more like R25 and three quarters. Got to try the 980. Never ran a loader without a steering wheel. Can't get over how good of shape it's in for over 9600 hours. Yes I know I shouldn't hover over the brake, but I'm just getting a feel for what it's like driving with a joystick. Miles ahead of that knight rider steering wheel that was in their 980 before this one.
It's nice when you see someone look after equipment like they own it. Mind you some owners take terrible care of their equipment.
Figured you’d get in that loader seat, sooner or later. Looks nice inside.
Job is done. Finished Friday. Going back in the morning to finish sorting some rock. They want to pull the 470 out this week. It requires some dismantling, and permits to move. I'm told the trucks faired quite well a few patches required. Not sure what is going on next. Some more work coming up at the sports plex, not sure when that starts. Word is they might start mulching this week. There was some joking at the shop that they put a new stereo in the D6 for me. Fingers crossed for a trucking job.
termites. Back there again. Traded the 470 for a 350 Kobelco. Does not have the reach, power or weight, but it has a thumb. Just doing a bit of clean up while the machines are back there.
Water or drilled? Looks like a water rock but unfamiliar with what it is. Looks like bluestone.
Just a bit of the drill hole that survived the blast. Our quarry is mostly a dark grey. There is some green fluoride in the quarry. The neighboring quarry has so much fluoride, that the water turns green like antifreeze. There is a lot of fools gold in it as well. I used to pick it out of the gravel when I was grading, and bring it home to my little girl.
maybe an optical illusion but that thumb rod looks svelte.
What is svelte?
Not sure what svelte means but it looks tiny for that size of machine.
A non derogatory way of saying thin or skinny. I didn't want to convey any sense of criticism in my remark because whatever size it is, its doing a great job
I think it looks sexy for a thumb also.
It is a direct link rather than progressive link thumb, so the ram connects directly to the thumb which looks different. Not many thumbs are built that way now.
No idea, it was the thumb that came on the machine new, I think it's the same size as all the 350s thumbs. It's a 6 inch hole in the rock for reference. It's handled a lot of rock as this machine has been at the quarry since it was new. Stripping, digging out the blast, sorting and loading.
Not sure. The new 75, and the 350 are the same. Don't think I have ever seen another type of hookup
Here is a photo of progressive link thumbs. If you look closely you can see that the thumb ram does not connect directly to the thumb, but rather another linkage. Some advantages to this type are that the thumb will rotate and follow the bucket further without the ram bottoming out, and maybe there is less stress on the ram due to some isolation from shock on the thumb. I wasn't knocking the thumbs on your machines, just pointing out the difference. In hindsight I guess the "svelte" comment was directed at the width of the thumb itself, not the ram.
We rented a 966 a number of years ago that had joystick steering, and it was on a job on Forest Service property with typical Forest Service dirt roads to access the job. I learned to really like that loader in the pit, but I had to road it up the road to another part of the job one day. I was running along pretty quickly when I hit a bump. For a bit it felt like the only time I was on the road was when crossing it due to my over-correcting the steering with the joystick!
The size of the thumb on my employers excavators is far from my heart. Never seen this type of thumb before. Must be awkward loading a truck if you are sitting low. It doesn't look like it would lay very flat against the stick. I find even the thumb on our machines can be in the way if you are sitting lower than the truck, and have to reach up to load them. I don't run anything other than the grader unless it's the off season, so I don't really have a lot of seat time. I can make them work, but nothing pretty. I always find it funny that I can grade to within a quarter of an inch grading, but when sitting in a hoe, what I thing looks great sitting up on the bank, is horrible, and almost undrivable
Just a couple of suggestions on the right gear for rock jobs.Old style , but it works. Kind of a hard sell in todays world though.
We had 4 wiggle wagons once, but they are down to one. That's one thing they don't have is a crane. I guess even a boom truck is expensive to keep. Has to be inspected every year
Cranes are tough to keep around a construction outfit these days ,theres never enough work to keep an operator dedicated to the machine. Long reach excavators are slowly eating up my digging business.
Most of the direct acting thumbs I have seen have guards on the ram.