Neuson 1001 dumper lift ram siezed (again!)

[Muz]

Well .... in the spirit of fixing poor manufacturing and assembly I thought I'd share todays job with you folks. Got a call from a customer with a Neuson 1001 high tip dumper (formerly Lifton) reporting an oil leak, and knew what to expect. The skip lift rams only articulate by a couple of degrees in normal use, and the greasing system is no good because the ram is not fitted with a bush with a central journal, and so doesen't let grease get all the way around it, so before too long the ram boss & case seizes on the pinion, and the base of the cylinder then cracks allowing oil to leak out.

This time I thought I'd try a different technique ... before Ive just burned the boss off... and theres a thread elsewhere on the forum of me repairing it in that way .. this time I was determined to keep the original boss intact, and was sure I could pull the ram off. Well hopeful indeed as last time two 8 tonne diggers pulling in opposition couldn't do it!!

Cue the hot spanner

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First I had to get the top eye free from its pin and off the lift linkage then off the ram rod

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There's a lock nut you undo .. then see the top of the ram rod has 2 flats on it so you can put a spanner on it and rotate the rod anitclockwise to undo it from the eyelet whilst its still attached... then the top eyelet will slip off no problem then

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Its more than likely because of the force on the lift ram being bent on its mount pin that as you get the eyelet off, on the last threads, it will burr them as the ram rod springs off line from where you have it at rest, so a few minutes in the vice with a good thread file cleans that up, as the eyelet threads are softer than the hardened rod on the ram
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Plug off both feed hoses and raise the skip using the other good ram on the other side and screw the eyelet back in cos your gonna need something to get hold of once you heat the base and start rocking the ram back and forth to free it. Now time for the heat. Get it cherry red first on the base and start rocking .. this one was brutal it was solid, but bit by bit it started to move

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I let it cool down and then soaked it in plus gas/wd40 whatever and keep moving it as you do so .. then it was time for the pullers

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You need to pull a bit then take them off as its still brutally tight .. spray more lube and then move it back and forth then reapply the pullers
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and eventually hey presto on next post (cos 10 pics is the current limit per post)

[Muz]

Ready for the next stage of re-welding the base to seal it up

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[245dlc]

Hey Muz these little dumpers are quite rare on this side of the pond as we tend to use skid-steers and loaders for tramming small quantities of fill on small jobsites if not substitute with a dump truck one way or another. But what I was wondering is if your having this much trouble with a Neuson dumper should all Neuson products that are gradually making their presence felt here be avoided? So far for earthmoving equipment they have been pushing mini-excavators and small wheel loaders and I think maybe some dumpers.

[Muz]

Well we dont have as much space as you guys, the skip on them holds a good tonne and flotation is good in the wet stuff too. The Neuson isnt a bad machine, it just suffers from odd bits of bad engineering, which are easy enough to sort, just a PITA to do

[245dlc]

This summer I worked on a few jobs where we could of used a dumper like that but the skid-steers we use day in and day out certainly make life easier getting into the tiny places that other machines can't and with tracks on them they are far more effective at grading in soft conditions and not so damned bouncy like their wheeled cousins. Can the highlift dumpers dump their payload right into a regular dump truck?

[ianoz]

Good man on a skid steer can do great work ,hey Bert .

[245dlc]

Yeah I find it strange Ian that they aren't more common in Europe as they come in all different sizes and are great at getting into small places and have a lot of different bucket and attachment choices.

[Muz]

Its a totally different tool ? ... and a lot more expensive .. we have skids here too but a mini digger and a dumper appear to be a more flexible pair of machines, than a single skid steer. Ive used both, so I know what their capabilities are. Until the tracked ones came along they were hopeless for getting bogged, and tyre wear was horrendous.

[245dlc]

Its a totally different tool ? ... and a lot more expensive .. we have skids here too but a mini digger and a dumper appear to be a more flexible pair of machines, than a single skid steer. Ive used both, so I know what their capabilities are. Until the tracked ones came along they were hopeless for getting bogged, and tyre wear was horrendous.

I find it hard to believe that a mini-excavator and a dumper are more versatile heck you can get a dumper bin for a skid-steer or ctl if you have a longer distance to haul. And a skid-steer or ctl is much faster and more efficient at spreading fill or gravel than a mini and dumper setup.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GB9ewPyqD1I

Can one of your dumpers lift high enough to discharge it's contents into a standard dump truck?

[Muz]

I find it hard to believe that a mini-excavator and a dumper are more versatile

From a hire point of view they are because they can be hired independently so your capital outlay gains more income per pound spent

heck you can get a dumper bin for a skid-steer or ctl if you have a longer distance to haul

That skid was on its knees moving that bin when loaded .. fine if its dry .. but a non starter here when wet .. plus ontop of the skid costs to buy its more outlay and cost on kit .. like I said earlier .. its the capitol cost thats the problem

And a skid-steer or ctl is much faster and more efficient at spreading fill or gravel than a mini and dumper setup.

Yes and no .. it depends what you are doing. Theres no doubt a tracked skid will go anywhere, but for the width of the machine , its payload is a lot less for example

Can one of your dumpers lift high enough to discharge it's contents into a standard dump truck?

Probably not ... about 6 to 7 feet is the norm .. but we tend to use road skips and demountable waste collectors more often than truck mounted skips