Travel drive hose replacement - what's involved?

[CaptLimey]

Hi Guys
My Takeuchi TBO 106 has one or two leaking rear left travel drive hoses. (See attachment). I'm not sure exactly what is damaged as I've only just discovered it by a trail of oil and nearly empty hydraulic tank. Looks like someone's backed onto a rock and pinched them against the cross member. From a quick glance at the manual It looks like I can acces the inner union by removing the footplate, not sure about the outer union. Anyone done a similar mini digger hose replacement?
Rgds CL

[Muz]

Hi Guys
My Takeuchi TBO 106 has one or two leaking rear left travel drive hoses. (See attachment). I'm not sure exactly what is damaged as I've only just discovered it by a trail of oil and nearly empty hydraulic tank. Looks like someone's backed onto a rock and pinched them against the cross member. From a quick glance at the manual It looks like I can acces the inner union by removing the footplate, not sure about the outer union. Anyone done a similar mini digger hose replacement?
Rgds CL

Even though they have spring guard around them they can still chaff at points where they route through walls and plates. That hose will connect to the back of the track motor and go back to the rotary distributer in the middle of the machine. Just be careful to support the digger properly to allow you to work under it to get it off.... A good hose shop can make a new one to pattern for about 20 quid here dunno what that equates to over there ? Easy enough job

[CaptLimey]

Thanks Muz
Re access and your comment about getting under the machine, thanks for the good advice, I'll lift it with the bucket & dozer blade and lower it on to blocks. I haven't had a look at it yet but will I have to get at the rotary distributor from right underneath or can I get to it by taking the footplate off? And what about the back of the travel motor? At a glance there appears to be a removable plate giving access to it but I haven't power washed it yet.
Re a replacement, the last time I had hoses made to pattern for my little Kubota tractor they were 'kin spensive', like most things motor/mechanical over here! (But the wine's good and cheap!)
Rgds CL

[Muz]

I dunno where they'll connect on that machine, they look to go in half way up the turret? Usually access is from below simply because the hoses that exit the rotary valve always come off the top and yes there's a plate on the back of the motor it will be packed with crap inside, so keep the washer handy to blast that out too . Hopefully the nuts on the hose ends won't be too rusty down there but if they are, be careful to get a tight fit with the spanner so as not to round any faces, just take your time

[CaptLimey]

I dunno where they'll connect on that machine, they look to go in half way up the turret? Usually access is from below simply because the hoses that exit the rotary valve always come off the top and yes there's a plate on the back of the motor it will be packed with crap inside, so keep the washer handy to blast that out too . Hopefully the nuts on the hose ends won't be too rusty down there but if they are, be careful to get a tight fit with the spanner so as not to round any faces, just take your time

Hi Muz and thanks for the good advice.

Yes they connect from below but removing the footplate was helpful in seeing what needed to to be done. As you suggested, once I removed the travel motor back plate there was a heap of earth around the motor so your advice re keeping the washer handy was very useful. Just one motor union was rusted but a liberal application of WD40 and patience managed to free it without incident. I've been able to remove two of the three hoses, fortunately those that are definately in need of relacement, but the third, that I'd like to relace while I have access, is simply too difficult to get a spanner on. I've even cut and welded a angled spanner to get on to the union but I can't get enough purchase to break the joint.
More work in progress.
Rgds CL

[Muz]

Hi Muz and thanks for the good advice.

Yes they connect from below but removing the footplate was helpful in seeing what needed to to be done. As you suggested, once I removed the travel motor back plate there was a heap of earth around the motor so your advice re keeping the washer handy was very useful. Just one motor union was rusted but a liberal application of WD40 and patience managed to free it without incident. I've been able to remove two of the three hoses, fortunately those that are definately in need of relacement, but the third, that I'd like to relace while I have access, is simply too difficult to get a spanner on. I've even cut and welded a angled spanner to get on to the union but I can't get enough purchase to break the joint.
More work in progress.
Rgds CL

Ah yes I've made a few 'specials' over the years so has this motor 3 or 4 lines attached ? You might have to strip some unions off to get at it .. and they might not look like it but they will come off , after all , that's the way it got built !

[CaptLimey]

Ah yes I've made a few 'specials' over the years so has this motor 3 or 4 lines attached ? You might have to strip some unions off to get at it .. and they might not look like it but they will come off , after all , that's the way it got built !

Hi Muz

Yes this motor has three 'pressure lines' and a fourth neopreme non-presure line which seems to be just a push on fit to a union on the motor. Assuming two of the pressure lines are for forward/reverse and the third is the lower pressure case drain, what is the neopreme line for? It appear to connect to the rotary valve (?) or manifold that feeds the drive motors.

As you say if ' that's the way it got built' I can un-build it!

Cheers CL

[jackpreacher]

Morning Cap'tn,
What a PITA to have to mend your gear when you'd rather be using it eh?

What's the access like to the rotary distributor? Is it easy to get at?

[Muz]

I guess the extra line is for double speed travel, and the low pressure line is the drain or exhaust, depends how the block is plumbed, some just have the three lines including the low pressure, and the flow is doubled at the block, for higher speed travel, give us a pic if you havent got it off already ?

[CaptLimey]

I guess the extra line is for double speed travel, and the low pressure line is the drain or exhaust, depends how the block is plumbed, some just have the three lines including the low pressure, and the flow is doubled at the block, for higher speed travel, give us a pic if you havent got it off already ?

Hi Guys

Jack access was a pig! BUT I managed to weld up another 'special tool' and release the last union today so I have all three HP lines off. BUT I think I'll need a small Oriental chappie/chappess with small Oriental hands to get them back on again!
Muz thanks for your common sense, yes of course the 'extra' line must be for high speed travel and the neopreme line for case drain.

This week I'm researching replacement lines but if new hoses are prohibitively expensive, I'm seriously considering just cutting out the damaged section and putting in a union to rectify the problem, any thoughts?

Attached is a pic of the cleaned up version of the four travel motor connections on the left (undamaged) side with the neopreme line at the top (strange place for a drain, if that's what it is?).

Rgds CL

[Muz]

Hi Guys

Jack access was a pig! BUT I managed to weld up another 'special tool' and release the last union today so I have all three HP lines off. BUT I think I'll need a small Oriental chappie/chappess with small Oriental hands to get them back on again!
Muz thanks for your common sense, yes of course the 'extra' line must be for high speed travel and the neopreme line for case drain.

This week I'm researching replacement lines but if new hoses are prohibitively expensive, I'm seriously considering just cutting out the damaged section and putting in a union to rectify the problem, any thoughts?

Attached is a pic of the cleaned up version of the four travel motor connections on the left (undamaged) side with the neopreme line at the top (strange place for a drain, if that's what it is?).

Rgds CL

Good Pic ..
Thats exactly what I was expecting to see ... 3/8ths Bsp on to male/male unions ... the top one might be a load sense line .. dunno ..

Whats the problem one to get off ? why did you need to make a special tool fella ? I'd expect to have that lot off in half a minute .. they look clean enough and without rust

The motor comes out of the frame backwards/from the other side .. which is why I mentioned all those unions and hoses will come off in situ (but obviously all you need off are the hoses ) I make those hoses for breakfast .. so a decent shop should be able to make them for you cheaply enough.

On your machine .. the Japs had a passion for using a nylon hose system, where as us euro chaps prefer wire braided stuff . Be prepared to find any replacements a little larger in O/D and a bit stiffer to re-fit when you come to stick it back together .. it will go, but because the new hoses wont have the static position of the old ones, they will seem stiff .. but dont wory about that, the critical thing is to make sure the shop makes them with the 'spring guard' dont let them palm you off with plastic wrap or any other shit .. it must be SPRING GUARD otherwise you'll be back to square one before you know it .. dont ask me how I know .. obviously if its not available then anything is better than nothing, but thats why the maker made it like that and hose companies have a habit of telling you its not neccessary cos they cant be arsed to fit it ... and if you dont.... you come back to them sooner ..

Nice machine BTW Captain

[CaptLimey]

Good Pic ..
Thats exactly what I was expecting to see ... 3/8ths Bsp on to male/male unions ... the top one might be a load sense line .. dunno ..

Whats the problem one to get off ? why did you need to make a special tool fella ? I'd expect to have that lot off in half a minute .. they look clean enough and without rust

The motor comes out of the frame backwards/from the other side .. which is why I mentioned all those unions and hoses will come off in situ (but obviously all you need off are the hoses ) I make those hoses for breakfast .. so a decent shop should be able to make them for you cheaply enough.

On your machine .. the Japs had a passion for using a nylon hose system, where as us euro chaps prefer wire braided stuff . Be prepared to find any replacements a little larger in O/D and a bit stiffer to re-fit when you come to stick it back together .. it will go, but because the new hoses wont have the static position of the old ones, they will seem stiff .. but dont wory about that, the critical thing is to make sure the shop makes them with the 'spring guard' dont let them palm you off with plastic wrap or any other shit .. it must be SPRING GUARD otherwise you'll be back to square one before you know it .. dont ask me how I know .. obviously if its not available then anything is better than nothing, but thats why the maker made it like that and hose companies have a habit of telling you its not neccessary cos they cant be arsed to fit it ... and if you dont.... you come back to them sooner ..

Nice machine BTW Captain

Hi Muz
I'm not taking the motor out just changing the damaged hoses.(I hope!) The motor unions were no probs, as you suspected, the pig to get off was the other end tucked up in the turret. I couldn't get a full length spanner on it from any direction, so I had to weld a 19mm open end on to a piece of angle iron at 90 deg and work from above. Got it off OK - getting the new one back on will be a bunch of fun! Thanks for the good advice about re-fitting a stiffer hose.
Re spring guard versus plastic wrap - beggars can't be choosers! Out here in the backwoods of southern France I had to drive twenty miles to find a hose shop but he only had plastic armour wrap. However I did manage to get the three hoses made today while I waited and for just about the same price (€150) as ordering the replacement parts to be delivered from the UK with the inherent delay and freight cost.

The official French Takeuchi agent, an hours drive away, wanted about the same money but with a wait of 3-4 weeks, I can't fathom why!!!!
Now all I have to do is fit them, top up the fluid and we should be back in action(?)
Thanks for the comment on the machine - yes it's a good'un & I'm very happy with it.
Rgds CL

[CaptLimey]

Update on the Takeuchi hoses

Hi Guys

All went well and everything is re-installed, albeit with a little cursing and the machine is up and running again.

BTW what I thought was just 'plastic' armouring, that I mentioned in my earlier post, is, in fact, a plastic coated flat spring steel protective binding, which appears to be even better than the original wire wound 'spring guard' armouring.

Now I can get on with Stevey's gradient-reluctant Lifton.

Rgds CL

[Muz]

Good job Cap'n .. I'd forgotten about that flat guard .. never seen it plastic coated ? .. I'm sure it will do just as well .. anyway you got your three hoses for less than it would have cost you to get a hose fitter out to do just one .. so I'm all for that

Because your hose work is exposed like that with that type of undercarriage .. you really need the toughest hose stuff money can buy .. and its the old addage of pay cheap, pay twice, with that stuff ... and that doesent take account of twice the man hours to get the feckers off and on .... thanks for sharing that wee job

[jackpreacher]

Because your hose work is exposed like that with that type of undercarriage ..

Cap'n, I thought that your hoses were very exposed also....I went around the two digger I'm using at the moment to check out their travel motor hoses but none show their knickers as much as your machine - ..must have to careful..


One for members: Is what Cap'n paid for the 3 hoses about right?