Have some jobs coming up that require a vacuum lift for setting stones with the excavator. The vacuum lift I have draws 12.54 amps at 120volts according to manufacturer. My Machine, Cat 305e2 has a 60ampere alt and a 650CCA battery. Math shows the alt will never keep up with a 200o watt inverter. But the lift will only be turned on for 30 seconds at a time with at least 5 minutes between uses. Will my battery safely produce the rest of the wattage required to run an inverter to power the lift without interfering or damaging my machines electronics or charge system?
Our hilti concrete drill, on a 2000W true sine inverter, in a truck with a 140 alternator, and a single group 92 battery, will pull the 12volt down below 10volts within seconds. The drill pulls just over 10 amps when drilling. This effectively shuts down the inverter. Sister truck, same scenario, but with two batteries, has no issue. So, in your scenario, can you parallel a second battery somewhere? Strapped to the hood or hung off the back door?
Why not just use a generator and keep the extension cord away from the mini? Which vacuum lift do you have? We just rented one to set some large pavers. Would love to see some images of yours in action.
Agree with heymc. Add a second battery, maybe even two in parallel. Otherwise, a 2200w Honda should do the job just fine. It'll keep hours of the excavator to boot.
Thanks for the replies!. The generator option is what i originally figured id have to do. Id mount a 2200watt inverter type gen to the back of excavator temporarily and run an extension cord up and over the boom/stick then sling the Vac lift. However i wanted to try to avoid a generator for a couple reasons, if possible, like theft and the unfortunate fact that young people cant operate gas powered small engines, too baffling and too much weed i guess. If i connected 1 or 2 additional batteries to the machine would that harm the machines charge system? I have the Optimas High Flow 200E. Ill be lifting and laying large irregular thermal finish Bluestone. Video from Pavetool:
Generators are baffling to the modern doped out labor force in my area so id like to avoid a gen. I havent found another contractor near me that would disagree. I once showed my guy 27 different times how to start and run a stihl Ts420 Cuttoff saw over a month long period. Tried all different methods to teach. Wrote down a procedure even. Nope, had to buy a battery saw to do the job. Sad world.
No, the harm is going to come from the amp load.
Adding an additional battery will not cause harm to the machine. But, even with two batteries, you may only get X number of uses before the voltage drops enough to cause the inverter to protect (shutdown). Most inverters shut down at 10.5 volt input. You'll have to be our guinea pig as to how long it can go before you'll have to allow them to stabilize back to normal. Quite frankly, guessing on your usage, X number of times may be 40.
I would be more concerned with the 2000 watt inverter failing. I have had a couple of the big inverters and life expectancy was about one year before they failed. I have had good luck with the under 500 watt models.
I have many Wagan units in service (over 15). Some are over 10 years old. Never failed one yet. Did lose a cooling fan on one. With that said, I'd make sure to use a "true sine" inverter. My modified sine units run hotter on inductive loads, and won't run my 5" grinder with the anti-kick back feature. Won't even start it, but will run my 4" conventional grinder with zero issues.
I think it would be a strange set up on the excavator and hardly vibration proof, waterproof, and with good ventilation for the inverter depending on where you put it. I would suggest the inverter set up to go on your work truck. If not, spend the money for a nice electric start Honda generator. Hey that sounds like me trying to start my Stihl TS-800! 1st image is the generator hanging above the vac 2nd image is of the lifter I rented.
Yeah i saw the Gen over lift setup and i feel like no matter how quiet that gen is it will interfere with coms between the machine operator and lift operator since its right in your face. I actually have an inverter setup on my work truck but running a cord from customer house would be more practical. Im trying to avoid cords on the ground. As soon a cord catches on the edge of another stone it could get unplugged then lift releases the stone. Yeah i dont see much extra room in this machine to mount an inverter anywhere either.
good to know, i had no idea. Figured they would last longer than that
Iinverter generators are very quiet. About like a modern 3/4 ton gas truck idling.
Apparently I am not the only one with no start issues with a Stihl 800. I tried it after hoping for something better than the Husky's I have usually bought. It was a mistake. That Stihl will sometimes start and run. Shut it off after using it, and you cant get it to start. I hate that thing, it was an expensive mistake.
No, no, no. The problem me and every other contractor i know isnt a problem with the equipment its the worker that cant start, run, and shut down gas powered equipment. Doesnt matter the teaching method or how many times you teach. The younger workforce is too braindead to learn and operate this equipment. Im not saying all young people are dumb as a box of rocks, im saying 18-30 year olds, entering the construction labor force in my area are incapable of learning the mysterious gas powered tool. May seem harsh but come to Maine, hire a laborer who has supposedly worked in construction and youll see exactly what im talking about.
I get your point. I had one guy put straight gas into a Husky, obviously that turned into a $1500 boat anchor. My Stihl is still a POS
Stihl has one constant in their existence. They HAVE to be started a certain way. Set the throttle to start. Set the choke. Pull the rope. If it fires, unchoke. One more pull and it's running. If you do not set the throttle to start, or unchoke after it fires, you will fail at starting it. EVERYTIME. I have been around dozens of Stihl tools, and every single one starts like this. Many times I have started a saw repeatedly that the owner claims is junk. Not trying to be a smartass, just stating my experience. Even a warm saw at MINIMUM needs the throttle set to start. Squeeze throttle fully, move shutoff lever to start. If you don't chose to choke it on the first pull, and it doesn't fire, only pull one more time before choking, but you MUST unchoke after it pops.
A Stihl saw WILL NOT RUN WITH THE CHOKE ON. Virtually every other small engine known to man will. That is the biggest problem with them.
The mounting of stuff is the bugger. I'd make a socket mount under the counterweight and slide it in there when needed. Think a pair of receivers for a hitch. You just have to re-calibrate your brain to having a butt machine. It could handle a pair of batteries and the inverter.
Exactly. Too complicated for some people i guess. Thats why ive had to move to battery equipment. Dumb Dumb proof. Another issue i saw with some guys is they just pull it over too slow, have to snap it not pull it.
I dont think much is going to fit under the counterweight as it will interfere with the tracks when i swing. I have about 5" between the bottom of counterweight and track. I was thinking to fab a basket that mounts right behind the rear window on top of the engine compartment hatch. There is a 21"x10" shelf there. Basket could double as a chainsaw and gas holder when i do clearing and brush work.
It doesn't sit under the counterweight. Just the tube sits under the counter weight. You could also have it a flat plate bolt mount system so it doesn't stick down more than about an inch. I thought about that area that you're thinking of and thought it might be too small. It doesn't offer a lot of good mounting opportunities there either unless you start messing with the ROPS/ cab. That's generally a no-no since it's a certified piece of safety equipment.
I get what youre saying now, the mount would bolt under the counterweight and extend out to hold a platform of some sort to either hold batteries or a small gen. I noticed my cab has a few lugs welded onto the outside of it, presumably for bolting on some glass protection, wonder what kind of weight those could hold. The little plastic cover over the engine has steel supports under it that could carry some load im guessing if i mounted a basket on top of the plastic.
Update: So I ended up just going with the generator option to power the vac lift. I scoured Marketplace for a month until i found a deal on a Honda EU2200i. Then I built a basket out of some plate scraps i had around and mounted right above the engine bay. The basket holds my chain sling or a chainsaw when gen isnt in use.