Druidic exploits of a various nature!!

[v8druid]

on the subject of weather ........

" It was October and the Indians on a remote reservation asked their new Chief if the coming winter was going to be cold or mild.

Since he was a Chief in a modern society he had never been taught he old secrets.

When he looked at the sky he couldn't tell what the winter was going to be like.

Nevertheless, to be on the safe side he told his tribe that the winter was indeed going to be cold and that the members of the village should collect firewood to be prepared.

But being a practical leader, after several days he got an idea. He went to the phone booth, called the National Weather Service and asked, "Is the coming winter going to be cold?"

"It looks like this winter is going to be quite cold," the meteorologist at the weather service responded.

So the Chief went back to his people and told them to collect even more firewood in order to be prepared.

A week later he called the National Weather Service again. "Does it still look like it is going to be a very cold winter?"

"Yes," the man at National Weather Service again replied, "it's going to be a very cold winter."

The Chief again went back to his people and ordered them to collect every scrap of firewood they could find.

Two weeks later the Chief called the National Weather Service again. "Are you absolutely sure that the winter is going to be very cold?"

"Absolutely," the man replied. "It's looking more and more like it is going to be one of the coldest winters ever."

"How can you be so sure?" the Chief asked.

The weatherman replied, "We're sure it's going to be cold because the Indians are collecting firewood like crazy!"



not seen many indians about here, picking up sticks though ......... yet !! ..... Only Druids







looks like bein' a 'kin cool one !!

[Muz]

One last thing, for tonight ...... has anyone heard what sort of winter the 'pundits' are talking about?


Going on the amount of berries about ATM ..... does not look good!!!

Yep .. I was up at my croft last week in the Highlands .. and all the Rowans are laden with berries, and it just so happened someone put a story in the paper about celtic folklore which talked about the Rowan and re iterated much that I knew, its supposed ability to ward off evil spirits etc etc ... but one I forgot, which was if the tree was full of berries in October .. it was going to be a 'cauld yin' at Christmas

[AndrewMawson]

I've FOUND the bottom 'Reply' button and it works !!!!

Tucked away and 99% obscured by the page X of y text!

[v8druid]

I've FOUND the bottom 'Reply' button and it works !!!!

Tucked away and 99% obscured by the page X of y text!

LOL You wanna try posting with that in the way ...... it's a fine line 'tween posting and going back several pages

[v8druid]

Yep .. I was up at my croft last week in the Highlands .. and all the Rowans are laden with berries, and it just so happened someone put a story in the paper about celtic folklore which talked about the Rowan and re iterated much that I knew, its supposed ability to ward off evil spirits etc etc ... but one I forgot, which was if the tree was full of berries in October .. it was going to be a 'cauld yin' at Christmas

Oddly the holly isn't following suit .... yet at least ? Have had some good frosts these last few days, but it is November !!
Ground has dried out nicely too .... got up on the top Saturday ........ just in time for the forecast deluge tomorrow

[v8druid]

I did manage to shift those two big rocks ... they made some of the others look like pebbles !!
















The next one in line for extraction looked to be even bigger, from what I could see of it !!!!!



Then, I was going to have some time, trying to get some bracketry sorted for the flail mounting .......


I'd set this out a while back .....





and was going to get it together ........ but the whining noise got too much, so ........... summat different again ..










I'd had the sun on my back some of the day .... and a sodding great rain cloud over me bench, peeing on me on/off all day .... sun and rain together ..... was taking the piss !!!!!!
















"Can you guess what it is yet?"


I'd been thinking about 'how' for some time ...... 'as you do' and went and grabbed some materials from me mate with the fab shop the previous Monday ...... in anticipation of having to get on with it!Having finalised a design and committed it to paper, the previous week, it'd been top of the 'executive decisions list' and a constant topic of 'conversation' (read nagging)Was 'sposed to be wall to wall blue sky here that morning .... but ...wrong colour ... 'twas more dark grey and exceeding damp!!

finished the day off ..... between the cloudbursts ...... with a n other "can you just" .......





Shepherd's crook bird-feeder hanger ... used to make loads of 'em .... Pam has a few in the garden ..... and Clara needs one for her house, .... so she can watch the boidys feedin' in the gardy


Used to be a lot easier in work with the bar benders .... bloody hard work pulling that around a former and then 'tweaking' it to look right!!





Job for the morning .... weld it up ... assuming it ain't hammering down again!!


then finish off the .............................

[v8druid]

got the infill into it eventually a few days later, when it stopped bloody raining, after spending most of that morning on the phone for one of Pam's 'elderly farmer cousins', to his insurers !!


Stopped in traffic, in town, on a Tuesday morning, when a bus cut the corner and took the front O/S wing off his motor and shoved him into the kerb with the back axle of the bus, FFS !!!!!


No way would he have dealt with the hours of BS on the phone!!


Anyway eventually got to the bench and got on with it .....














Job done and ready for shipping!! .......

stuck it in place for 'quality control's' inspection .... it passed ..





There would now follow several (days of) discussions, re. finish ..... but at least it was in the dry 'til it happened !!


Should keep a certain someone from making contact with ' hot things '

[v8druid]

"and now for something completely different"


Got those bits lopped out, eventually, after running out of oxy mid curve ..... argh !!




cleaned up a little, paired up and stitched together for further attention..





I had set them both out but, in light of the fact they had to be a pair, pattern drilled 'em ... safer bet !


then moved on to the next bit ....





ready for a bit of a trial fit ....





Seemed ok, so .....




split 'em and set them out on a little something I'd prepared earlier .... much earlier, like a couple of weeks earlier!!





You lot know me by now .... I like to cover all angles ... pardon the pun .... and make things as 'flexible' as possible, for future eventualities ..





The raison d'etre will become more obvious as it comes together further on ...... but you can see where I's going with it.





I was hoping for a less interrupted day the following day, as itd be a Saturday and the insurers'd be shut .... so too will the garage that was gonnal be collecting Doug's car and everyone else who rang me several times that day, for protracted discussions about the merest minutiae of details ..... surprised they didn't want to know what colour socks he had on ..... must've asked every ****ing thing else!!!!!! AAAAargh !!!!


So hopefully I was gonna have it mounted up the next day so's you's can all peruse some more pix and pick holes in it !! LOL

[v8druid]

well yet another 'next day' that didn't quite go as planned !!


Visitors put paid to the morning..... or best part of it, then an hour buggered by 'the boss' requiring her new drive belt to be installed on her lil' mower ... " an' while it's apart can we sharpen the blade?" !!!!


So 'twas lunchtime gone, 'fore I got to it !!!


cut a couple of bracing gussets and set 'em up ready for a weld up





couple of cross ties...





to keep it put


and got it nailed together





then gave it a trial fit, after cutting a few sharp corners off .... to keep Mogman quiet !!!




been wanting to try this for a while, since finding it on Finn .....














Not quite the same and not QR, but bolted ..... and needs to be with that lump under it ....
it just captures the head plate to reset to whatever angle selected and then dog it up.













This'll give some serious flexibility, when the VA-r isn't attached .... like on a full reach .... VA-r is 500kgs and ain't weighed this yet.


The 50mm step pins'll allow me to use this under the VA-r, or with 70s in, in the Miller.
I also have a head plate with 50s which'll take the same swivel set up, or any of my head plates'll bolt on with out the centre disc installed, for a bit of weight saving under the VA-r !!

[v8druid]

forgot to say ..... having tidied up, in the failing light and was heading down for some tea, .... came round the corner of me boxes to find 'the boss' had sneakily parked up three barra's of prunings for me to burn





Having wheeled 'em up top, to the burning bin, 'twere getting well dark, by the time I'd gotten the one in and going. Went back up, in the dark, after tea, to toss the second in and had the third to contend with the next day


Was like a kipper, by the time I'd finished .... this stuff doesn't 'have it' without a fight


Third 'un'd have to wait 'til twilight or we' get smoked out all of the day!!

[v8druid]

The following day did not bode well for progress, when a can we just loomed it's head over brekky!!


Flower bed creation wasn't on me list of to do,s ???


However, it appeared that it was on the boss's !!


So .... after filling half a dozen barrows with best (well the best available) Werngounsel dirt and wheeling it the length of the upper & lower patch and the garden, I decided to crank up old faithful and walk him up to the dirt pile in question ...... least I wouldn't have to shovel it into the barrows then !!
Shoveling really pees off my spleen!!





another dozen barrows of soil and a few loads of rocks and the boss was happy with progress .... for the day at least !! Couldn't believe just how much dirt was required for this !!!!
Gonna need a lot more too, by the looks of it !!!!! I hadn't been informed of the details of the 'grand plan' .... at that point! .... need to know basis, etc.!!





by which time there weren't a great deal of daylight left, but did get some shiny sh1t on a few bits ......





..... after 'exercising the dog' on the green stuff, either side of the drive, while Pam put the ride on over the lawn .....
'twere a bit slick on the slopes though, even with the 'magnets', that are the herring bone tyres.


Good job it got did though .... was a pretty miserable, damp, drizzly day next day, but ...................

........... I did manage some progress ........


Got the head plate bolted on, first thing and hooked up to the Hill, under the VA-r, as it was on.





followed by some exceptionally skilled operating to line it all up with t'other half ... binocular vision would've helped considerably, but I managed to fluke it pretty much first shot





bit of assistance from a pull lift and some slings .... (picked em off the top of the 'Drema's locker, where they live and were covered in wappys, all fast asleep .... night night wappys!!) ..... and got it airborne...





swapped the pull lift for a couple of rubber bits and some QCs and 'took the strain' ..... worked really well off the aux. plumbing on the VA-r





generally faffed about with it for a while, sussing angles of dangle, etc., etc. and have to say ........ think it's going to be an awesome addition to the tool box.


Now ..... getting it on the hitch, in bits, was one thing ...... working out just how the hell to put it back down was another!!!!! ......

[v8druid]

was expecting more of a fight with the QCs, but they behaved impeccably, so having sat it on some suitable packer blocks and the biz end on the bench ..... I let go





and it sat there quite happily ...... not the most conventional parking position, granted, but steady all the same ......





stuck the Hill out the way on the blade top and had a good look at the beast.....
think we may need some new bushes in the main 50mm pivot?


Replaceable Phosphour bronze items and thought they were looking a bit second hand when I was repairing the tilt linkage ....
bet Bomford'll want seeeeerious money for 'em ...
we'll have to see, other wise a job for 'Matt the machinist', who made me top hat bushes ....


will have to get them measured up and 'praps a new boss for the linkage or get him to bore it out so I can sleeve it up ....
plus of course a nice shiny new pin too!!


Wouldn't be such an issue, aside from the fact that it allows the whole shooting match to go over centre and the ram will not then pick it back up, without some assistance, by way of some careful 'tilting' with the VA-r, if cross hung, or the crowd if in line.


This is the issue ..... if you can see it any better than my crap 'net allows me to ..... let me know .... I'll also load it to youtube if it's not easily view-able in 'Bucket'!!
click on the thumbnail for a link.





gave up trying to watch this and put it here too

this pic's for anyone who can suss some pressures and flows for me, for the beast ..... it's a 4 ft head off a Bomford Highwayman.
Circa '83, from the other plate on the motor.





If anyone has any idea on working pressure or flow rates required .... please feel free to chime in .... Lefty (on t'other) said a while ago that yon motor might not be too keen on the 'Drema's working pressures and it'd be nice to be able to give it a try .... when I get some plumbing sorted .........

Hmmmm ..... the plumbing .... 'twere like wrestling pythons !!!


the good thing about buying a complete unit was, all the bits that were 'thrown in' with the head .....
like a couple of dozen feet of 1" pipe ... a lot of it new ....
and the CLRV (cross line relief valve) which allows the motor to run up/wind down gradually, by forming a closed circuit to circulate the motor's/pipe's contents,
instead of it coming to a blinding halt, when the oil supply is turned off and by-passing excess on start up, to allow it to get up to speed, gradually





python wrestling .... for beginners ...!!





'Tain't very often I get that big shifter out!! ..... only a cheapy off the wall of a tool shop, years ago !! Fella had a couple up as a display and never thought he'd sell 'em .... didn't bargain on me and my mate wandering in!!!
Has come in handy on the odd occasion over the years!!
tha's an 18" Bahco being dwarfed beside it .... wouldn't take a lot of shit, I doubt, but used sensibly is likely to see me out!!





Routing is going to be a challenge, for under VA-r use .... not so bad perhaps, in the Miller ...... got beaten by the weather and the light ... damn it was getting dark early (and 'kin wet), so parked it on the deck for the night, on a few blocks!





'Twas 'sposed to be a better day in the morrow ..... and the rest of the week.


Thought I might drop the VA-r off in the morning and see what it was like straight under the Miller

[v8druid]

now then ... according to information in an email response from Bomfords The Highwayman came in 2 guises;

70 l/min @ 157 Bar

120 l/min @ 157 Bar

but.....the head I have doesn't seem to be the original to the whole contraption and was produced after production of the Highwayman series had ceased

So either the head motor's oil requirements do correspond with the the original chassis .... or the pump would've been upgraded/changed to suit the head ...... so really needed to establish what the head's motor's requirements are still? .... and if Bomford themselves didn't know, it was gonna be an uphiller !!

Some more delving was going to be needed BTLs!!

I found it quite remarkable the number of variants on these .. and the fact that Bomford are unable to supply any info. either ..... God knows what spares'd be like if you needed anything

Alex, One of the guys on 'tother and who lives quite close to me, found me a great page for Bomfords ....
http://manuals.bomford-turner.com/PD...px?uid=PA10U00

I got this one off it .......

http://dealerinside.bomford-turner.c...ic%20Heads.pdf

and am reckoning on it being the 70 ltr/min motor, going on the shape of the body.

Also got a name for the breaker valve ......




and here's their pages .... with the information on the valve, including an eye watering price !!!


http://www.atlanticfluidtech.co.uk/p...rs-valves.html


http://www.atlanticfluidtech.co.uk/a...roduct_id/450/


http://www.atlanticfluidtech.co.uk/c...56+47%2F13%2F8


https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/a...s/MF000055.pdf


repaired the front apron and got it back on .....





plus a pipe support loop for the 'pythons' .....





then dropped the VA-r off, for a try on the Miller ......

[v8druid]

OK ..... where were we ......

Sat the VA-r on its parking plate and swapped the pins back to 70s ......





after I'd evicted the morning's squatter .....





Damned good job I saw him before he found my trouser leg .... we are now one hornet less at Werngounsel!!


got it hooked up and safety in, for a bit of a try out on 'abilities'....








can get pretty damned close with it ... almost too close for comfort really !!
and at the other end of the scale ........













Look out trees ..... gonna want to be a tall hedge ... not to be able to get at it !!!
forgot a pic of it horizontal !!


I'd yet to try re-positioning the quadrant bracketry, but looked like the flexibility it'd give will be great.

[v8druid]

a little more 'python wrestling' to suss lengths / routing and looked to be pretty good with what I had, from the original beasty .... the tape is to cover some scuffing and keep the water at bay .... these have been indoors for weeks and are now nicely dry .. could do with some over sleeving, to cure scuffing issues, but shouldn't get a great deal more, hung under the 'Drema.





resisted the temptation to bang a couple of ends on the pipes and plug 'em in ... didn't want to go filling the pipes with Plantoyd, just yet ....





... but they looked good for length.





Was very tempted to replace that clamp with a more hose friendly loop or a couple of rings.....





Now if I could just suss a pressure ..... and have a 'fiddle' with that breaker valve, to achieve the desired requirements ..... oh and sort some hoses for the tilt ram ... had to 'borrow' the VA-r's feed/return for a trial, hence the loops .... we might just be able to give it a test drive !!

Well one of the guys on 't'other' scored big time, fair play





I emailed 'em to ask for a working pressure, but hadn't heard back.


Looking at a Bomford PDF I had, it had deffo got to be a 70 L/m motor as t'other, which was 120 L/m one was a completely different beast!!



As threatened previously .....
yon clamp, torturing those poor little pipes, had to have it,
in favour of something a little more 'hose friendly' ......





should give 'em a bit more 'breathing space' !!







Also decided to invest in some better rearward vision recently, having had a 'closey' with my apprentice, 'Sparticus puss', who's gotten so blasé around the machine, he's a liability !!


Squeak just gives it a wide berth, but Sparts sits and looks at it as if to say "you wouldn't run me over?" !


So in the interests of maintaining the 'status quo' of the current cat populatuion at two, I thought I'd better get some cameras ...... PLUS ...
Lil' Clara is becoming increasingly mobile, by the day ... It'll be a while yet 'fore she's getting about 'further afield' than Pam's or my side .. but it will come!!


Duly arrived and gave 'em a try on a battery the previous evening .... seemed OK so thought I'd better get them installed. Bought one for the off side too, 'cos unless the boom is all the way up or very low, you just can not see the O/S mirror and are totally blind on that side !





Mounting the camera atop of the tail weight'd be fairly straight forward, aside from drilling and tapping a couple of holes in the weight itself ..... the O/S one was going to need some more thought though


More anon ..........