Re-employed

[245dlc]

So I dogged it most of last week instead of finding a new job like your suppose to but after talking to a little more local contractor they put me on they're Kobelco SK350 so I could load 25 tonne ADT's with clean clay from a borrow pit for a sewage lagoon project. We have a number of machines on site four 25 tonne ADT's, one D8H with a 463 scraper, one D8K dozer, D6N LGP, Versatile tractor with disk, Ford tractor with sheepsfoot, Ingersoll Rand single drum sheepsfoot with a screaming detroit, and a Cat 140H grader. The lagoon area was first stripped of topsoil then cut down a metre of overburden due to permeable soils and then brought back up a metre for the floor with clean compacted clay, then eight feet of dikes to surround the lagoons. There are two cells probably 40 metres by 50 metres give or take a few metres so not very large but still requires a lot of digging and a big borrow pit for the required clay.IMG_2630.jpgIMG_2629.jpgIMG_2628.jpgIMG_2627.jpgIMG_2626.jpgIMG_2631.jpgIMG_2632.jpgIMG_2633.jpg

[ianoz]

Hi Bert , Good to hear you back earning a dollar.Don't see many drawn scrapers working over here . How do you rate the Kobelco,against the cats you have been operating ..Great photos mate .

[245dlc]

I'd say just as good maybe a bit better, having that silly thumb and such a large bucket do slow it down, so I think it would probably be better if it was swinging a short stick or at most a general purpose stick to speed it up a bit.

[ianoz]

Its amazing how little things can make a big difference ,some times .
New teeth and worn ones ,make such a difference in preformance . Very rarely see a thumbs on Aussie excavators . No doubt could be handy sometimes.

[245dlc]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axHLprze5Y4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xB4k-S6JKXg

Here's some videos Ian while that bucket I'm using is narrow the back of it is open and made longer so it instead of take a chunk of clay and jamming it into the back for it to get hung up, it takes a slice and is able to dump it right out with a minimum of fuss, it doesn't clean up as well but with that thick poopy stuff it slices right through. It is however starting to take a toll on the bucket cylinder as it has started to leak quite a bit, it's also harder to clean up a cut nicely with that thing so we end up with more dozer cleanup in the bottom.

[ianoz]

I get to dig in clay a bit ,so i know what its like . The bigger buckets don't seem to suffer from build up as much as the 300 mm bucket digging footings .I usually give up in disgust trying to keep the bucket clean.Wait until i get though the worst of it ,then stick the ripper on and clean the bucket out .
THat bucket you are using, defineatly cleans itself well . Great videos as always Bert .

[245dlc]

Thanks Ian, yeah I know what you mean by those narrow trenching buckets that little Kobelco I was running a while back was the same, every now and then I'd clean it out with a spade if there wasn't any other way of getting it clean and swear at it too. Lol!

[Stock]

Nice vids Bert.....................

[Dan]

KOBELCO-SK135SRLC.jpg

I drove one of these Kobelcos for a while and I thought the hydraulics were stunning .. very smooth

Nice vids too Bert !

[ianoz]

Hi Bert , So how is the bucket ram holding out .Going to get though to the end of the job ?

[245dlc]

Oh I think so Andy the mechanic keeps his eye on it as well as me, keep adding oil every other day. If it doesn't get worse they'll probably leave it till the snow flies and they can bring it into the shop. I really wish they would remove the thumb....friggin boat anchor.

[ianoz]

Mate of mine has one{thumb } on his 3 ton excavator . His folds up neatly against the boom .. The one on yours looks like it is bulky and ould get in the rode ..So hows married life treating you ?

[245dlc]

Yeah the thumb on that machine is quite bulky and gets in the way when trying to get a good heaped bucket. It's also very heavy and can make the machine "tippy" when you have to reach out with a full bucket. Thumbs do have they're place if you have enough work for them like demolition and landclearing, but they don't have to be on every machine in the fleet. I have found one alternative though made by Rockland Mfg. called the "Krypto Claw" and actually saw one on a machine near here.

http://www.rocklandmfg.com/excavator/krypto_klaw.htm


Married life is just fine and not any different really than before. lol

[ianoz]

The krypto claw looks handy , but looks like it just being there would be annoying .What you get used to i suppose . New new company got enough work ahead of them to keep you gainfully employed ?

[245dlc]

Yeah till freeze up, then I go on my winter holiday, I'm trying to get some snow removal work with my quad my landlord's interest was perked when I mentioned it, I might also acquire a snow blower for when the snow gets to deep or I don't have enough room to pile it up.