Hi!, this is my first post. I was wondering if there exists a excavator/backhoe that can be disarmed in parts less than 3.5 tons and then re-assemble them using the power of it's own motor. This is mostly because i need to move one to a place only available by helicopter. Thanks!!
You have to work it out yourself, design what you want then modify it. Have seen one done for air lifting into remote regions like you have. Sorry have no way of contacting the owner now. Later Bob
You would have to do it in the reverse order, tracks ,lower structure, upper structure, cab, engine and sheet metal, boom, stick, bucket, counter weight. Portable jibs could be made up for the unit to assist putting it together. You did not say how many trips or the size machine you are looking at, how much help will be on site to put it together. Your looking 2-3 trips on a 6 ton machine. The boom weight and lower track frame will be the two things that weigh the most, counter weights can be reworked with multi parts to get the weight down. Like Bob said before, you have to work it out to your needs. Gold Rush series had a clip of Fred and Dustan flying a small trackhoe into a mountain claim that was broken down do to weight limits.
A month or so ago I seen one exactly as you described, purpose built for hard to reach places. Think it was around 1.1t with a petrol motor. Designed to be put together by hand on site in pieces. Cant find it now but it was on www.trademe.co.nz
The excavator would be something like a Hitachi ZX 135 or a CAT 312 Thanks!
I think the one I saw was a 312. He had it so the boom and stick came off first, then he unpinned the track frames and lifted the main structure up and flew it into site and set on blocks. Brought in track frames, lined up and then lifted upper onto them and pinned together. With that mobile the boom and stick was brought in and installed. It was a Gold exploration outfit up around Marathon. This is a rough outline of what they said. Later Bob
Also depends on how big is your helicopter. What is the most it can lift?
He said 3.5 ton and I took it at 7000 lbs. per component.
I would be looking at spider type excavator, Menzi Muck, Kaiser, Batemag or Euromach, these types of machines are often choppered into areas of limited access by helicopter, there is a bit of stuff on Google.
Do you know which company was the one that used the cat 312? Thanks!
They only came to our shop once, it was a long time ago. Can't recall a name, sorry. Later Bob
This is actually a good question as I been around cranes in the past few years that entirely erect themselves. The thing is as far as I can see, it would only pay on real big machines. I know of operations in Alaska the barged parts of machines to the beach and then helicopters flew them in and acted as cranes to assemble them.
belham out of thunder bay Ontario have done both a highly modified cat 312and HS 40 super hoe that can be flown in 3000# chunks http://belham-ltd.com/index.htm