Hi I have an older 015 excavator and the hinge points that hold the bucket on are loose/sloppy. Ive had it for a few years and done several small projects and it has gotten worse. I am looking to do a larger project this summer so think I should correct this first. Where can these parts be sourced? Im assuming I should just replace everything that holds the pins in and the pins themselves? Is there a thread on this already or a how to on what is needed to replace or a way to retro-fit it to tighten it up? Thank You ~ Phil
Bump, anyone out there with any suggestions/help?? Thanks ~ Phil
I can't help you with where to get the parts. It's called pins and bushings, there should be bushings inside the bucket and the stick that the pin rotates in. Those bushings should be tight enough that you need to drive them out, pull them out, cut them out with a torch, or shrink them by welding. If they're not tight, you may need to have the stick and/or bucket line bored to "do it right" , but new pins and bushings will still make it better, just won't last as long without the lineboring done. If you can't find parts, and/or it needs lineboring, I'd take that cute little stick into my machinist and have them fix it.
Hi thanks foe the info. I did find a website i can ordee parts feom. Im going to work up what i need and order and hopefull just bushings and pins fix it. So any machinist will be able to fix the holes and know what im asking foe? Thank you Phil
I don't know your experience level or how well equipped you are but I would recommend leaving a job like this to someone who has done it before and has all the equipment. Getting the new bushings in requires pressing equipment or LN2. No reason why you couldn't save a few bucks by stripping it down and cutting out the old bushings if you're up for it.
Yes, any machinist should be able to look at the stick and bucket and know how to tighten it up. That shouldn't be needed if you can order the parts, the machinist could make the parts to fit if you couldn't find them. If you do need to build up the bores because they're wallowed out egg shaped, then you can take it in. It should be cheaper to do it on a machine than to do the machining on site like a typical line bore job. I'll leave it up to your judgement if you can press the bushings in by yourself or not. Don't hit them directly with a hammer, too brittle.
Hi so you are saying they bushings cannot be tapped in with say a heavy composite mallet? I do not have a portable press, can they be 'tapped' in using a 4x4 end against the bushing and then tapping it in with a heavy hammer or mallet? ~ Phil
I wouldn't recommend it. You might get lucky and get them in. The last thing you want is to have them get stuck halfway in though.
So your saying I need a press to install them? Also, it appears every part for this from the source I found, Anderson Equipment.com is back order status.... Just not looking good at this point to get it back up and running and not continue to damage it. ~ Phil
Putting the bushings in dry ice for a couple hours and slightly heating the hole, the bushings just about slip in, it has worked for me.
Ok all new to me, where can you buy dry ice? Anything i need to know qhen handling dry ice ie for safety? I have parta in order and found a local machinist that works on local logging companys equip and will come and preaa out bushings so could have him preaa in but if the dry ice trick works could save me some $$. Thanks
You could try a welding gas supplier. If they don't have dry ice, you can make your own by releasing liquid CO2 into a container. Don't do it in a small enclosed space, or pick it up with your bare hands. Liquid nitrogen is available from a gas supplier too. Also found in AI tanks on farms. Have you taken this apart yet? so you know if the bushings are tight, or even in place? There's lots of ways to get bushings out, and a piece of threaded rod from Mcmaster carr might be all you need to pull them in place.
Somebody got it for me from town, couldn't even say where. Its readily available. Just don't touch it with your bare hands. I've also had luck using just dry ice without heating the hole, but I had to use a hammer and block the last inch or so. To get the bushings out on our Kobelco SK250 I made myself a puller out of 1"(likely overkill) threaded rod with a nut welded to one end, a pipe piece of pipe longer than the bushings and larger in diameter with a thick washer welded on to one end to pull the bushing into, and a 1" nut welded to a thick washer the diameter of the bushings with two ends trimmed off to get it inside the hole. The bushings came right out but with your smaller bushings this might not work for you as your hand has to fit into hole to catch the pulling washer. With us being out in the sticks and finding these materials in our welding shop, this method was much easier than having someone come out with a press, or borrowing one. I see no reason why threaded rod shouldn't work to get the new ones in, but for some reason I just used dry ice.
Dry ice is available at Walmart in many towns. John
Honestly the easiest and quickest way I've found to get steel bushings out is to just torch a slit down the length of it and you can pretty much just push them out with a bar afterwards.
Would that also work for brass bushings?
Not the same because brass won't cut with a torch like steel will. You need to heat the bushing fast and hot enough to deform it, then it will cool and shrink loose enough to knock out easily. I've never done brass bushings with heat, so I'm not sure how this would work. You could also use a stick welder, it would function more like a consumable arc torch on brass, that is, it would spray all over the place if you could strike an arc, not lay down anything like a bead. The goal would be to heat a line the length of the bushing fast and hot, then let it shrink and loosen.
Ok I didn't realize they were brass bushings. My mistake. I did try and torch brass bushings out of an H-link once. It worked but not well. Usually with brass bushings I just use a carbide bur in a die grinder to cut a slot into the bushing. If you do decide to install the new bushings yourself, make sure the grease ports are clear and allowing grease to flow before installing the bushing. Also take care to make sure the bushing is installed to the correct depth so that it doesn't block off the grease ports.