Druid's 'Drema's Druidfab Attachments !!

[v8druid]

Now this is a.n.other little 'diversion' I'd been 'pottering' with and needed a little input/help/info. from the guys on t'other forum.


Was gonna hold off on putting it up 'til I'd finished it, but as I say needed some input on the locking mechanisms for it and couldn't find any decent pix on't 'net!!





To quote a well known Rolf "can yer tell what it is yet"?











it occurred to me, that instead of re-cheeking the two B20 buckets, I'd bought from Sheffield, it'd be easier to make an adapter to fit the both of 'em, as I'd never be using 'em together !!

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It fitted a treat on both buckets ....





there were a few bits of tweeking left on it and a few repairs / bits 'n bobs to do on the buckets too.

[v8druid]

I'D a few ideas of my own for a locking mechanism, but would liked to have seen how this was done originally, so would've appreciated any pix or pointers/info. as to how it was achieved, that I could find or get ?

couple of 'pressure pads' needed fitting and fettling and a few mods to the bucket's points that are missing/need some finessing/straightening back out, but it was there or there abouts, other than the latch!








Then down to some repairs to the 6ft bucket and a front end mod on the 3 footer, unless I could find it some of those elusive Bofor's teeth for it, in the near future!!





Rebuilt a few of the wear/worn points on both of 'em and they're both servicable.





So it was a case of, any pix of what the latch looked like on a B20/S20 would've been gratefully received - mechanical/manual preferably, but might have been able to mod. a more recent system, if the idea was suitable!!


I thought I knew how they worked, but needed it confirming!!

[v8druid]

It sure was a quicker option than re-cheeking the two buckets though and could be used on any B20 that happened along!!

Spent an hour or two pondering the locking system, between down-pours and thought I had it sussed - for both systems (manual and a hydraulic locking idea).


Bit annoying that I found there was a variation between the two bucket's hitches - had em both on/off, marked up all the critical points and sussed the differences, so had yet more variables to enter into the equation, to allow for.


Hoped that this would be a simple solution.



Had a bit of go at the adapter lock, again between the down-pours !!


First had to knock up a wedge ..............






.......with a tail on which would eventually form part of a hydraulic grip, if I went that route.
'Fraid I didn't get too many pix that day as was trying to get on between the bloody rain storms.
As per usual then, (that time of year) the light beat me - sort of, but did take a few of the progress thus far with flash - some better ones in the daylight were to follow

[v8druid]

The bolts were tapped into the 30 mm square bar which pulled it against the back of the wedge from the forked mounts either side of the wedge, which also kept the wedge end located centrally in the hook.





the piece of 30 mm square, sat on top of the wedge's tail, fits just under the 70 mm pin and will be suitably 'fashioned' to provide the hydraulic lock against the 30 mm 'draw bar', holding the wedge, or simply replaced with a 30mm longer push rod from the miller's clamp, to the back of the wedge.





To remove it you simply slack off the two 'position locking nuts' (which may get lock/double nutted) and currently lift the draw bar out, with the bolts.
It was going to get a retainer/keep lug, across the top of the back of the wedge to prevent it lifting without first being slacked off 10-12 mm and slid forward/backward to clear the retainer, before being lifted clear.
This would also retain the hydraulic push-rod version too!


Had to 'fettle' some guides and retainer lugs here and there and trim a few bits to suitable lengths, but the basics were there or there abouts.


Had to have a reasonable degree of adjustment on the wedge slide and lock as the two buckets engage in differing positions in relation to the hooks, relative to the adapter (which is annoying and may get 'looked at')!!


They'll both lock on manually easily, with the same mechanism, but will need differing pusher rods to lock them hydraulically, otherwise, if I didn't 'tweek' the annoying differences between the mounts!!


All in all though I was fairly pleased with the result.
I'd have 'em hanging on there shortly, in full dump position!!

Well here’re the ones taken in the daylight for yer .........





And the 3 footer on full dump, happily sat on the adapter ......





Before getting too far into ‘finessing’ the lock system I thought I’d turn my attentions to the 6 footer. Got it on and locked for a trial and it held quite happily on the same full dump position ....... but ...............





I wasn’t at all happy with the hook shape on the 6 footer and having checked it, it was a few degrees out from the 60° it was supposed to be – good job the 3 footer was an OE factory built unit from Akerman and that I chose that one to ‘build around’!!





A bit of careful measuring and setting out, followed by some none too easy disc-ing, with a 1mm disc and the situation was ‘in hand’





Looked a lot better with the wedge much deeper into the hook ........





Just had to sort out the packer plates, on the bucket, under the adapter to get everything in the right spot and this un’ll be OE spec. too!!


Spent a bit of time fitting the pressure point/thrust pick ups, re-fitting the bosses, which I’d taken off whilst assembling the adapter (‘cos they were a PITA for lining it all up), touching/beefing up a few of the more critical welds, on the bench and securing the pins in position ...............





Before hitching it back up, yet again, for yet another trial fitting to measure up for the thrust points on the buckets.

[v8druid]

This was a shot through the adapter and under the Miller, showing the room under the pins and the gripper/hook in relation to the adapter’s base plate.
27 mm under the deployed gripper,
58mm under the pin and
60m under the Miller’s leading edge –
just right for the 30 mm pusher/thrust bar for a hydraulic locker to replace the manual lock bar







The thrusts on the 3 foot Akerman OE bucket were both virtually where they should be and were a pair, aside from the fact that one was seriously bent and required a generous application of the ‘hot spanner’ to enable me to persuade it back to where it should've been!!





The thrusts on the 6 footer however, were in need of, shall we say – some ‘modification’!!


Needed to add 22 mm on this one ........









......and 28 mm on this one !!!!!!









A couple of jobs for again, as - you guessed it – beaten by the light, yet again!!!

Having attached a few extra bearing packers, as required, the additional thrust blocks, ground out several cracks, welded 'em up solid, ground off all the burrs, gouges, battle scars, etc., from several years of abuse and done all I could see that needed doing from this angle, I thought I'd slap a coat of HBZP primer on; (a) to stop it running red with rust in all the rain & (b), make it look a little more presentable to my worst critic - she who has command of the other side of the trellis (or at least thinks she does





Next dry day I planned to see about the finishing touches to the adapter and rounding off some corners on it, here an' there
Watch this space as they say

[v8druid]

I'd been 'sniffing' at a block grab before crimbo in Hinckley, which wasn't everyone's cup o' tea and finished on ebay without a bid




Not surprising the guy had no bids really!! this was one of two pix - equally poor

Start bid was a ton and at that it was for nothing. I'd agreed a deal with the guy, off the bay and he'd rung me back within a couple of minutes with a freight cost, on a pallet to me.


I'd been sorting a rendezvous with the Mogman earlier in the day, as he had a hitch for me that he'd picked up a while back and was sat at the 'Puter lookin' at just where Mog an' I were gonna 'liaise', Newport sort of area.
Suddenly thought hang on a minute - he'll be damned near coming past the grab, so couple more calls and Paul's got another job for the day. Called the guy back to set it up and it was sorted
Rather put the money in Mog's pocket than some pallet-freight Co.'s and fairplay to the Mog, he'd sort out the grab bucks on collection, for me.


Mog had it on-board the following Monday evening, en route to a job in Portsmouth, before heading back my way.








Call from Mog Tuesday a.m., after he'd left Pompy to say change of plan ........ he was now heading straight for Abergavenny, as he was off up Mid Wales after, to eyeball a shear for his duck and where could we meet, that I could get alongside him for the swap?


Quick head scratch - text him a postcode and we're set .......... apart from the fact that the bugger had sewn seeds of doubt in my mind, as to the size of said grab and whether it was going to go in my trailer ??????


It's not just yer average grab, as you can see above and had come off a big FLT, in a brick yard, so had a hanging frame, rotater, etc.. I'd guessed it at about 13-1500kg and the seller had agreed "yeh, about that" ............ Mog reckoned more an' I'm now concerned - me trailer's good for 2 tonne, but there was a lump of Lemac and 4 pins too!!!!!!


So ..... quick call to the local garage boys, who do plant too, to see if their beaver tail was about and empty - it was and a 'plan B' was hatched - in case!!


I'd been having more than the odd moments of puckering for a while that morning when Mog's telling me he reckoned the weight estimate was a BIG tad light!!!!!!
I had visions of getting to the ever changing rendezvous point and finding this thing stood 6 feet tall and bulging at the seams, accompanied by circa 2-300+kgs of Lemac, etc..

When we'd eventually decided on a meet point, Mog rang to say he'd arrived there - (was expecting a 30 min. early warning call from Newport) and I battered down there (and sailed on by, in case I didn't like the look of what I saw), turned round and gotten back to him, I'd decided my provisional estimates weren't that far out.


A quick jump onto Mog's trailer and a few vigorous shakes of said item and I was a much happier bunny!!
The Lemac on the other hand was a mutha!!!!!!!
Makes the Miller look a bit of a wimp!
I'd also sussed a 'plan C' back up plan, had there been any issues - drive off!!!!!!
as if I'd do that to Mog!!!!!!!!!!


Anyway, it eventually ended up on Druid's patch that evening, and spent the night in the trailer ... more on that after a few pix.










It's a double ram, parallel motion clamp, with chain compensation to centre and will open a fair-ish amount/close pretty tight ..... looked like a bit of a bargain to me at a ton, plus tranny. an' I had plans for it!

[v8druid]

Said grab sat about for a week or two whilst I considered the best approach for what I'd got in mind.

The lift cradle/frame eventually came off the beast, together with anything else that was not required, along with a tidy 6 way diverter valve being one of the items, but unfortunately with a 12V coil and a weird size one at that.


couple of pix for you of the dis-assembly !!








The hole in the rotater is a 40mm dia bushed down to 32mm.
40mm is the same pin size as the rotater on my clam-shell grab, so a little bit of Druidry ought to provide me with a quickie pick up lug for it, without too much fuss!!


Lifted off sweet as .....





and the remaining grab itself was a great looking unit !





Plenty of potential here.


The plumbing was a real pig's guts of metric and BSP combined, with hoses with metric and BSP alternate ends!!


Having learnt the 'magic secret', from Marty at Fast Fluids, a few weeks back, that 99% of all ports are BSP, I see no real issues with the strange combies and'll just have to swap a few adapters here an' there!!!


One main issue with this for me was the quantities of mineral oil in the various components.
As the 'Drema is full of bio-oil I needed to get as much of the mineral out, as humanly possible.


Combine this with the fact that whilst I was investigating just how it was all plumbed, etc., I'd discovered several loose fittings/pipes, I decided that the easiest way to get the job done was a strip down to basics!!


BSP



Metric - sort of - I think. Others are deffo metric straights with 'O' rings.


Pretty complicated mount for the rotater, to keep the hoses out of harms way, inside the lift frame/cradle, which originally had a 'swing damper' fitted, to stop it lurching fwd/back under travel and a very restricted side to side motion. Most of this can be dispensed with for free hanging/swiveling, as too could the hose routing, around it all!





Very nice rotater and have to say that there's little signs of leakage anywhere on it or the rams!
The centre mount is seriously well fabbed





That 'gert' cir-clip which was retaining the remnants of the damper assembly, took a little persuading out, but eventually surrendered.


Ultimately this'll be cheeked up to go under the VA-r, but until that's sorted and functional, I was going to leave this as is for now, so it's at least usable !



This was the diverter that came off the frame .......








Here's the valve with its 'B' ports on show





And this is t'other side with sweet FA in the way of markings





Anyone with any ideas - feel free to chime in or any info on this ....... it would be handy to know what's what with it, otherwise it'll be an air line job to suss!!

Anyone care to venture a suggestion as to what the two hex heads are on the 'B' side of the block - will have to have a look-see if there're any dowtys under 'em? Can't tell from the pic, but could be captive seal - guessing they're plugs, but for what?

[v8druid]

After much thought I set about some bits for modding the grab

the start of a bracket for ............



and piloted a couple of cheek plates for ............



lopped said bracket out



profiled up the cheek ends and gave them a bit of attention with the 70mm ying tong cutter, which is still performing well.......


.........considering the initial cost of this, it's hanging in there well - this is hole no 8, about to commence, plus the 8 bosses I bored out with it on the B20 adapter!



Patience is a virtue with this, as it is not designed to be doing what I am with it and keeping it clear is an absolute must, to maintain its life/survival !!


The first 6mm is straight forward enough, but once the 'lands' get below the surface, it just does not clear and requires constant vigilant attention!


That said, with care and time, it'll penetrate 20mm plate and provide some very tidy holes! Time I had plenty of !


the results speak for themselves .......



Just to tease you all, "can you guess what it is yet" to quote a well know antipodean 'artist'






So far so good! Certainly got a few laborious items knocked out at least !!

[v8druid]

Here's the ring's home guys, on the grab ...........








Had to take a notch out of it to enable me to get the pin back in, so I can also re-mount it on its rotater, if required.


It's the reason I opted for the ring flange mounting, so I can bolt it under a pick up pin set, which is what the cheek plates I'd been making were for - can go straight on the hitch, or under the VA-r, or back on its rotator, which'll fit under the grab's quickie pick up bracket, once I've made an adapter for that too! As I say, trying to cover most eventualities !!


Stitched the ring in place .........





.......... added a few gussets and turned it over ........





to weld up the underside first - just a bit on the tight side for space to get in there!!

annoyingly the only one I took of this is blurred, but the light wasn't the best that day and just starting to go .......





Progress has also been somewhat 'hampered' that afternoon, by 'Sparticus', insisting on 'being in on the action'!!





He was everywhere I turned, including on my lap in the cab, which is fine, 'til he starts head butting my left hand/stick !


light had completely gone, by the time I'd got it back the right way up and fully welded up, but this new phone don't do a bad job under a halogen, 'specially considering there's no flash on it!! .........






Dug out the remnant of the 2m x 1m x 20mm plate, I'd bought months earlier for all me bits and found it just right for what I wanted [it'd leave enough for a.n.other idea I have in the offing]


Stuck it on't bench, set it out and marked out a 280 P.C.D., at 22.5 degs for multiple options and put some 17mm holes in it and a 122 centre hole.





cleared up the swarf and hauled out the gas axe, ready to lop it to shape.................





................after I'd taken out the centre.
Glad I did the centre first, as I ran out of oxy on the last cut, 'bout an inch from the one end and had to put the hacksaw (rotary variety) through the last little bit!!


Quick trial for a fit and alignment then back to the bench, for a clean up, ready for assembly.





Set up, aligned, trued, packed, clamped, squared, a few tacks later and we're here.




stitched some braces on it, to keep the cheeks parallel a few more serious stitches, and flip over for yet more serious stitches!





continue process 'til it's fully welded ............





............ then leave to cool, whilst coffee and lunch was partaken !!


Remove braces, check for movement [none] and hump the damned thing onto the top of the grab to decide on an initial orientation..........





...............before bolting the lil' bu**er in place.............





....................with 8 no, HSFG 8.8 x M16 bolts and nuts .

[v8druid]

gave it a try on last thing .........








Looked a decent fit and the hitch cleared the centre spigot, for the rotater easily.





Whilst it's quite usable like this, I still have the facility to drop the rotater back into it, with the top bracket removed, but it'll come into its own under the VA-r


Now I could get 'a firm hold of it' I needed to drain out the mineral oil from the rams as best as I could, so I can pipe it up for the bio in the 'Drema.
Considering dropping the various plumbing off at the check valve and using air pressure to 'blow ' it open/closed. Hopefully there is negligable oil in the bottom of the rams as it's fully closed and the max will be forced out of the upper cylinder chambers when the grab is hopefully blown open.
Otherwise I'm going to need to get a hold of Tom at Exc@v8 for some Plantohyd40 and use a hand pump to pressure it in there, under control!
Could do with some spare oil sat, anyway, in case of emergencies/bursts

I eventually got around to dealing with the oil residue and picked the block grab up on the Miller to get the rams drained out of any mineral oil in 'em still.
Disconnected the top pipes, plumbed them to a bucket and plumbed the bottom pipes to an air bottle with 150 psi in it....and opened the tap!!











Hey presto - exit 1/2 a gallon of mineral and yon grab is fully open (and I made sure it was all the way, with a bar in the appropriate spots)!!


Anyone seen a banjo union like this before?














Four pieces - BSP ram port and a metric exit port - strange washer under the blocks and now't at all under the bolt head. The block is indexed to the centre tube with two flats and is adjustable. The bolt then pulls everything together tight. Odd fitting !

re-jigged some of the plumbing that had been cobbled up and got a couple of hoses onto it ready to give it a try.........














......... when my neighbour showed up to ask if we could have a go at straightening his baby muck spreader's tow eye, after its 'roly poly' escapade down his field, at the end of last year and sort out his tractor hitch, at the same time. So that was the end of the trial run that afternoon!!


Mañana, as they say, is another day!!!!

[v8druid]

Mañana eventually arrived and with some of the strange/odd fittings I'd picked up in Raglan, on me last visit there [metric/BSP adapters to alter my clam shell hoses] I'd got some hoses usable for a try out.

So, got the pipes onto the QCs on the dipper, while it was on the floor - that was an easier proposition than the eight plus feet in the air, the last time I did it and swung it around over the block grab.


Having read this http://www.machinerylubrication.com/...hydraulic-oils and several other articles I'd been able to find on the subject, I'd reckoned that the contamination level posed by the very small residue left anywhere in the block grab's 'nooks and crannies' was at an acceptable risk level. (Pity they hadn't identified just what 'product 7' was in the article!!).


This was only a temporary 'lash up' [a] to give it a try and [b] to identify which pedal action feeds which hose; fwd for left hose, back for right, etc., as I needed to know, for connecting up the VA-r!


I wanted to use the back motion on the pedal, as it's the most comfortable, to provide the Cetop feed and it seemed to be the easiest way to identify 'em without pressurising 'em, 'dead ended' !


Plus, I wanted to see how yon block grab performed and if I had any leaks on it, which there weren't!!


so .........
closed ....



opening.....


nearly there.......



and fully open .......



Tried to pick a few odds an' ends with it and it worked well, but could benefit from a little TLC/attention to a few of the wear pads, which is yet a.n.other item to add to my list of to do,s!!

[v8druid]

Having gotten the VA-r Aux fittings in place by now, I'd sussed the exact exit point from its lower pick up points for the aux service fittings, so I thought I ought to mod. a couple of pick ups before they got forgotten.
So had a couple of hours on 'em with the gas axe and the grinder !


This is the grab top plate......



Thought I'd get a couple of coats of shiny tish on it while it was off - surprising how quick it's gone rusty!!


And whilst this was accessible, it too got some HBZP to keep the ol' red rot at bay !!








Thought I'd boss this while it was on the bench ........





used the same trick again with the Ying tong 70mm cutter to skim the bosses out to size





Got 'em all on, lined up and solidly stitched.


Then turned my attention to my grading beam (more on this one later) for some additional holes to suit this head.








Another job done!

I then returned the head to the block grab and re-fitted it

[v8druid]

I created my leveling beam some time ago, originally for JakieB



and had made good use of it, at the time, but it now needed an 'upgrade to the 'Drema's hitch.

So thought I really ought to get the grading beam down from the bank where it was sat and see about getting some pick ups on it - after I'd gotten the Jakie lugs off!!


Shifted the VA-r off the bench and slung the beam on instead, with thoughts of, rather than knocking out yet another set of 70mm cheeks, etc., I'd have a look at fitting it out with a B20 pick lug set instead and use my B20 converter I'd made, for my two B20 buckets, to pick it up with.


Reasoning behind this was that, I really only needed to create two 70mm holes for the front pin, rather than four, plus eight bosses, for a miller set up.


Whipped the converter off the 6 ft bucket and dropped it on the, beam to see how it looked.





in a word - BIG!!





Ground the jake pick ups off and cleaned up the plates, with a view to re-using some bits of 'em, to create the lugs for the 70mm holed, pin pick ups, either side of the B20 hooks, when I suddenly thought ................ why not just drill the B20 converter and beam top flange to sandwich bolt 'em together!!!!!


So out came the Mag, after I'd set up the converter, clamped it down and set out the holes!





Piloted 'em all and then set about it with a 17mm bit..........






front row done and on to the back row ............





Then thought I ought to put a few across the width of the beam too, to stop it twisting (just in case!!) !


So having got them done too and a bit of a clear up - amazing the swarf generated by a dozen 17 mm holes!, it was time for some bolts!





Greased the pin's ends and bosses- again! and got em back in, ready for a try out.


Hey presto - one 9 ft leveling/grading beam, ready for the use of!!!!!!








Gave it a little try and a damned sight easier than the 7 ft grader - so easy to see the edge and the angle it's at, in comparison and you've also got that nice flat bottom to press it down a tad as you spread, if you want.
Only down side is, 'til I've got the VA-r sorted, I'll have to make do with a tilty duck, with judicious use of the blade and jacks!


Had to get on with the VA-r - the requirements/applicatons were mounting up quietly!!!!!


I also need to consider whether to fit this with some wings (or not) and also perhaps an extra/extended front flat edge, to give it a bit of 'handling/lift' capacity and a wider/deeper foot print.


At 9 ft wide, currently, any wings are not going to want to be at much of a splay!!


I may yet build this a B20 set up, as although a dozen bolts aren't exactly going to be slow to whip out, it would be useful to be able to just simply drop it on/off. It'd certainly do for a while and it was now usable, which would've been very hand a few weeks ago, when I'd been spreading some planings in front of my boxes ............. and that was yet another story!!!

[ianoz]

Great work Graham Look forward to seeing the hitch in action .

[v8druid]

Great work Graham Look forward to seeing the hitch in action .

Thanks Ian
I always try to cater for every eventuality, when I'm sussing a job - saves having to alter/re-visit it later
The B20 adapter seemed an easier route and that type of hitch is "as popular as a fart in a space suit", in the UK, so the odd buckets that do crop up with that hitch on, don't usually make a lot of £££s
It's actually a very solid system, but a bit of a lump/ cumbersome .......... you wouldn't break it in a hurry, for sure!!

We've actually had a dry day here today and it's all drying nicely again, so teh VA-r might see some action, later this week.

Gra