Winter gig

[245dlc]

Yeah it just slides around on the ice and snow, if I had a pin grabber I could of reversed it and got the loader/backhoe to clean it out. lol

[ianoz]

Hi Bert , I was going to ask why you did not use the ripper to clean the bucket out , but i saw on facebook you said you could not hold the bucket still to make the ripper work .

[245dlc]

Yeesh no new posts the last couple days... Anyway I took some pictures of the coupler by itself for you Muz and made a video of how the bucket is attached I used my head mounted camera so it's not the best but you should be able to get the gist of it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZxE5...1&feature=plcp

[245dlc]

They are all at the same level Ian, I'll do a video of how we backfill on Monday or Tuesday and I've got one last road crossing to do too. I'll probably be backfilling the trenches till Wednesday or so and probably won't get any help doing it either. And you'll be surprised by how cheap they do it too. If you like Muz I'll get you some more pics of the coupler without the bucket on and how it's put together prior to digging or ripping.

[Muz]

http://www.weldco-beales.com/Product...d=7&category=1

That is bonkers ? .. these days most operators dig with the dipper, and feather with the bucket and boom .. the design doesnt look like it would last a minute. Maybe they wanted a fast pickup system or something I dunno ?

The way I see it .. all the force is put onto the bucket ram, and as such it would seriously compromise the machines breakout force, because the dipper isnt carrying that load ? the bucket ram is doing all the work .. and .. mostly it only generates 1/2 - 3/4 of the pressure in the circuit that supplies the dipper ram but without closer picks of the hitch its hard to see

put it more simply.. without a back stop for the bucket, the relief valve on the bucket ram is going to continuosly blow off ?

Muz , Have a look at the Ripper photo .It gives you an idea . By the look of it ,there should be very little loss of breakout power .

ok .. didnt see that ? which bit did you mean fella ?

[ianoz]

Muz , Have a look at the Ripper photo .It gives you an idea . By the look of it ,there should be very little loss of breakout power .
Bert are the services all at the same level and spread accross the trench ,or at different levels as the trench is backfilled .

[245dlc]

This particular one is made by WBM or Weldco Beales Manufacturing. They are quite popular on this side of the pond at least in Western Canada but in more recent years I think the quality has gone down and I've been seeing welds crack. Those open hooks on the front can also be bent pretty easily making it impossible to put the bucket on. There is both a manual and hydraulic version of this coupler but due to it's design you can't reverse the bucket like you can with the pin grabber type that you are accustomed to. Here are a couple links for you.
mechanical version
http://www.weldco-beales.com/Product...d=7&category=1
hydraulic version (the only decent thing they make)
http://www.weldco-beales.com/Product...d=6&category=1
And this is a French-Canadian design that I think is a little more versatile but I think the pin-grabber design is still stronger.
http://www.garier.ca/ProductSearch.a...16&LangCode=EN

http://www.garier.ca/ProductSearch.a...16&LangCode=EN

http://www.garier.ca/ProductSearch.a...16&LangCode=EN

[Muz]

Yeah it does look weird .. you would assume all the pull from the dipper should have something against it? .. a photo would be good of the hitch close up? .. who makes it ?

[Stock]

Saw that set once on a 365 cat but the operator told me that it they kept breaking the hooks, and before we finished the job they had fitted a brand new geith pin grabber..................

[Grumpy]

How do those buckets fix on ? It looks strange with the hangers open at the front ?

[245dlc]

Well I got a picture of a 345 with it's bucket in a trench box by accident, we've got nothing that big or deep. lol I couldn't figure out how to delete it and was trying to add a couple other pictures. I had the guys build a fire so I could thaw out my bucket and finally get it empty. I was amazed I could get them to do anything as all they've done the last few days is argue with each other and act like little children, it's little wonder all these companies are getting privatized these days and all the work is being contracted out.

[245dlc]

Well we've gotten into some stuff that's quite frozen in the top layers meaning there was probably a puddle or something making stuff freeze like a rock. Plus my bucket was just about full of frozen mud so it took a little "heat" to thaw it out and get it empty again.

[245dlc]

Yeah but the frost isn't to hard yet, I haven't had to put a ripper on yet except for some road crossings where the gravel was frozen like concrete. We've got little to no snow, but the top two feet of earth are really dry at least dry for here so with no moisture it means relatively easy digging. My wife and I are planning on getting our passports soon so if you wanna pay the plane ticket I'll do whatever digging you need. If you need a digger Bruce try and find a small excavator or half decent loader/backhoe far more versatile than those DitchWitch chain trenchers.

[B4D2USA]

Bert, 18" of frost already? Having some snow on the ground helps keep it shallow. We have had a few days below freezing, but it hardly matters here. Between the sand and the leaf-litter all over the place, it will be a few more weeks before I can plow what snow may fall without digging into the sod.

I may need to hire you out, I need to trench for electric, phone and gas, plus I need to extend the well to the house. It may actually pay to go out and buy a trenching machine.

Ian, unfortunately, dog fur doesn't hold the same holisitc qualities. I have been fighting a cold for the last 4 days. Maybe if I grew a beard, it would filter out some germs... ;)

[Stock]

Yes Bert , Good to hear the cash is still flowing in and i guess more importantly you occupied and won't get a chance to get cabin fever ,couped up inside >
Stock ,you don't know what your missing not being a cat owner . Cat hair is an important source of vitamin C, Believe me I swallow heaps of it ,and never get and cold . And there is nothing like streching and wiggling your toes in the morning to get them pounced on and force you to launch out of bed .

You never own a feline barsteward; it own you! that just not going to happen to me, too many other feckers already have a piece of me................