Bluedog225
Texas
- Joined
- Nov 18, 2019
- Messages
- 2,966
I have 1500’ of trenches to dig.
Justifying new tools for the solar Off Gridder.
- Thread starter Mattb4
- Start date
That is a lot of trenching. That gets way in to the category of professional quality equipment needed or hired contractor. These little Baby Ex's are for puttering around in the yard for half senile old men like myself. The right tool for the right task, or Never bring a knife to a gun fight.
Hedges
I See Electromagnetic Fields!
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- Mar 28, 2020
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Consider a chain trencher rather than a bucket.
I have one of these, which digs enough for a 3" pipe a couple feet down. To do 4" sewer pipe, I had to break the walls with a shovel.
www.purplewave.com
I have one of these, which digs enough for a 3" pipe a couple feet down. To do 4" sewer pipe, I had to break the walls with a shovel.
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Bluedog225
Texas
- Joined
- Nov 18, 2019
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- 2,966
Did you get a manual and parts list? I’m curious about repairs. There does not seem to be a lot on this machine on the webs. Or I’m just not finding it.
Hedges
I See Electromagnetic Fields!
- Joined
- Mar 28, 2020
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Don't think I ever looked for documentation (as I did for other vehicles and equipment.)
It's an older one, I bought it used at auction for $1600 maybe 25, 30 years ago.
Engine is 2-cylinder Onan with electric start. Started fairly easily after sitting for many years.
I've had to replace a fuel pump and voltage regulator, auto-store parts. And ignition key, now bypassed.
Beyond that, it is heavy steel, bushings, hydraulics. Don't know if you would find parts, or just adapt others.
Obviously chain is a specific type, but bet it is used elsewhere.
Large pump drives chain. Small pump on rear drives wheels. Hydraulic drive is positive, and differential is not limited-slip. Trenching across a hill, I can adjust variable flow rate to wheels, but they spin and it slips sideways. Adding an adjustable pressure relief could let it maintain pull of chain against dirt without spinning. Would be nice to have a lock-up option for the differential, or a way to apply brakes to one spinning.
It's an older one, I bought it used at auction for $1600 maybe 25, 30 years ago.
Engine is 2-cylinder Onan with electric start. Started fairly easily after sitting for many years.
I've had to replace a fuel pump and voltage regulator, auto-store parts. And ignition key, now bypassed.
Beyond that, it is heavy steel, bushings, hydraulics. Don't know if you would find parts, or just adapt others.
Obviously chain is a specific type, but bet it is used elsewhere.
Large pump drives chain. Small pump on rear drives wheels. Hydraulic drive is positive, and differential is not limited-slip. Trenching across a hill, I can adjust variable flow rate to wheels, but they spin and it slips sideways. Adding an adjustable pressure relief could let it maintain pull of chain against dirt without spinning. Would be nice to have a lock-up option for the differential, or a way to apply brakes to one spinning.
Hedges
I See Electromagnetic Fields!
- Joined
- Mar 28, 2020
- Messages
- 20,851
Unless you're like me and try to own everything, renting a trencher for $170/day may be the way to go.
I don't know how fast they are, and haven't measured mine.
Line up some help and lighting, and operate it for 24 hours straight if necessary?
I don't know how fast they are, and haven't measured mine.
Line up some help and lighting, and operate it for 24 hours straight if necessary?
Barreto Manufacturing, Inc. Hydraulic Trencher 18" Rental E712MTH - The Home Depot
Rent a Hydraulic Trencher 18
www.homedepot.com
Check your rental contract carefully, a lot of rentals consider "1 day" to be 24 hours in your possession, and 8 hours on the machine clock. If you put 24 hours on the machine clock, expect to be charged 3 days rental, even if you only got it for 1 day.
Hedges
I See Electromagnetic Fields!
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Did you just say, "It's not fair to tamper with the odometer"?
But thanks for the tip. Hadn't thought about that.
My older equipment has an "hours" counter which is actually engine revolutions. So RPM is part of the equation.
Throttle it down and set chain to highest speed? But if actual quartz clock, then pedal to the metal.
Of course, if you get the "Hertz Rent-a-Racer" and swap engine into your track car, only your car logs miles.
But thanks for the tip. Hadn't thought about that.
My older equipment has an "hours" counter which is actually engine revolutions. So RPM is part of the equation.
Throttle it down and set chain to highest speed? But if actual quartz clock, then pedal to the metal.
Of course, if you get the "Hertz Rent-a-Racer" and swap engine into your track car, only your car logs miles.
Eat more?
42OhmsPA
What's in a title?
It doesn't help.
The engineers at LS likely never operated equipment in the real world... They designed to claim great specs above the competition not realizing how it affects operation.
3/4" bolts through the plates on the outriggers along with curling the tooth bar helped drastically.
I've still had some great pucker moments grabbing a full scoop with the loader and not having enough ballast in the back.
Attachments
Have you ever walked your tractor out of a bad spot yet? That was soooo fun and scary at times too !
I had heard the old timers saying you can't stick a backhoe and now I know why.
Hedges
I See Electromagnetic Fields!
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This aftermarket (Badger?) backhoe on my old, tired farm D6 doesn't have the "oomph" to lift the tractor.
Three buckets from 12" to 30". Those bog down in hard dirt.
I added a 10' wide straight blade.
The 80 HP 6L engine doesn't have the "oomph" to keep going up steep hills, with 16,000# tractor plus all that extra weight.
Biggest problems I had were pony motor magneto winds up and gives just one fast spin and good spark, with 50% of sparks happing at top of exhaust stroke. And, it kept crawling off the treads. Then I had to jack it up, loosen the screw, put tread back onto front roller.
Cost me $2000 at auction plus $300 trucking 35+ years ago. Had to replace 3 out of 4 clutches (only one of two steering clutches was good.)
Easier to operate once I learned hydraulic pump for steering clutch was low, needed oil.
It became a project in and of itself; little to nothing accomplished on the property. But now I'm a diesel mechanic!
Three buckets from 12" to 30". Those bog down in hard dirt.
I added a 10' wide straight blade.
The 80 HP 6L engine doesn't have the "oomph" to keep going up steep hills, with 16,000# tractor plus all that extra weight.
Biggest problems I had were pony motor magneto winds up and gives just one fast spin and good spark, with 50% of sparks happing at top of exhaust stroke. And, it kept crawling off the treads. Then I had to jack it up, loosen the screw, put tread back onto front roller.
Cost me $2000 at auction plus $300 trucking 35+ years ago. Had to replace 3 out of 4 clutches (only one of two steering clutches was good.)
Easier to operate once I learned hydraulic pump for steering clutch was low, needed oil.
It became a project in and of itself; little to nothing accomplished on the property. But now I'm a diesel mechanic!
42OhmsPA
What's in a title?
Oh yea, many times... I've also gotten pretty good at moving around without flipping the seat back around when using the hoe.
I've also use the rigger down on one side with the boom swung out on the other as a counterbalance to travel across a steep grade....
Yea I do 'risky' things.
The wildest thing I have ever done and it was stupid so I want to admit this one right off the bat.
We drove a miata under the belly of my case 580ck doing a boom lift up deal.
I was blocking the driveway working on it and the tractor was in the way for the miata to get up the driveway. I lifted the tractor up in the air and a friend drove it under the tractor to get by me.
We drove a miata under the belly of my case 580ck doing a boom lift up deal.
I was blocking the driveway working on it and the tractor was in the way for the miata to get up the driveway. I lifted the tractor up in the air and a friend drove it under the tractor to get by me.
Some thoughts and images of my first project with the Typhon Baby ex.
Boy this thing gets hot after an hour. Good thing the last few days a nice cool front came through. I have ordered a fan for the unit and will install it hoping that it gives me a bit longer than an hours seat time before having to let the Ex. cool down. First off the unit takes some getting used to in order to be productive. The narrow track base and jerky turns is a bit disconcerting. Second observation is the bucket teeth are terrible in rocky soil. The flat hard sandstone rock I have in my soil caused the bucket teeth to slew inwards as it attempted to grab on them in the side of the trench. My first 50 ft trench was all done with the bucket and also a pick and shovel on my part. Real pain.
Yesterday afternoon I get in my ripper and it is a god send in terms of breaking up the soil and leveraging out the rocks. Along with the quick hitch to change to ripper and break up the soil and rock before switching relatively easily back to the bucket made the trenching possible. By the way one issue with the supplied 15 inch bucket and trench size is the width of the unit makes it impossible to straddle an already dug trench if your find that you needed more digging. It works alright with the ripper because you can push back in the ripped up dirt (after you pull out the boulders) before switching to bucket.
My dig time for the trenching was 7 hours. At 5 hours I drained and replaced engine oil.
Boy this thing gets hot after an hour. Good thing the last few days a nice cool front came through. I have ordered a fan for the unit and will install it hoping that it gives me a bit longer than an hours seat time before having to let the Ex. cool down. First off the unit takes some getting used to in order to be productive. The narrow track base and jerky turns is a bit disconcerting. Second observation is the bucket teeth are terrible in rocky soil. The flat hard sandstone rock I have in my soil caused the bucket teeth to slew inwards as it attempted to grab on them in the side of the trench. My first 50 ft trench was all done with the bucket and also a pick and shovel on my part. Real pain.
Yesterday afternoon I get in my ripper and it is a god send in terms of breaking up the soil and leveraging out the rocks. Along with the quick hitch to change to ripper and break up the soil and rock before switching relatively easily back to the bucket made the trenching possible. By the way one issue with the supplied 15 inch bucket and trench size is the width of the unit makes it impossible to straddle an already dug trench if your find that you needed more digging. It works alright with the ripper because you can push back in the ripped up dirt (after you pull out the boulders) before switching to bucket.
My dig time for the trenching was 7 hours. At 5 hours I drained and replaced engine oil.
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I was wondering what I should offer for a well used one a buddy of mine is selling... it's diesel though.
I'm thinking 1500 should be fair.
Does it have a working hour meter? That will help in determining the value.
Now THAT’S a nice litter box.
