Tech Articles

The Best Extending Dipper

2009-12-02T13:49:00.000-08:00

I thought this might be worth mentioning because the extending dipper

is so prone to getting loose or sloppy. I usually have to mention in my machinery inspections that the extending dipper needs tightened up. With the JCB extending dipper, I’ll usually find that they come in tight or are fairly easily adjusted to be tight. So I like the design…
Around 1988 JCB came out with this extending dipper design. I now notice that Komatsu and New Holland have very similar designs and for good reason. Anyone who has repaired a loose extending dipper will appreciate it.

Looking down the side of the dipper notice the 4 bolts, behind each of the bolts is a shim pack. Removing a shim at a time and reinstalling the bolts moves a wear plate in closer to the extending section of the dipper. When the shims are gone the wear plate is replaced, (without breaking down the extending dipper), the shims reinstalled and the dipper is tight as new again. No welding, no plating, and a very easy repair. Watch for loose bolts on the top side of the dipper, digging pressure is exerted against the wear strips that the top bolts hold in so the bolts can work loose. Then the wear strip can fall out. Keeping them tight eliminates that issue. The last picture is difficult to see because of the grease but the lower wear strip is right behind the tapered section and when the machine gets in I will clean the grease away so it can be seen.

Also around 1988 I was touring the JCB factory in England, a totally unassuming older gentlemen, walking through one of the engineering departments stopped by our group and shook all of our hands and thanked us for coming by and asked if we were all fed well. Mr. Joseph Cyril Bamford, JCB.

How I Install a Bobcat Skid Steer Door Glass

2008-05-14T07:17:00.000-07:00

Let me start this with an explanation of why I even thought it might be useful to put this detailed process out there for anyone to read. There are many reasons but the most obvious is that there are a lot of Bobcats out there with cabs. The front door is destroyed because of people raising the loader arms with the door open, it knocks the door off the hinges and either breaking the glass or damaging the whole door so that it requires repair with a new glass. My position as a used equipment dealer means that I get those Bobcat skid steer loaders with the empty

door frame, broken glass, or nothing at all where a door should be. I have had 2 door frames in the past month requiring the glass installed, one I took to a glass shop (not specializing in machine glass obviously), $95 bucks and 2 days later I got it back with a hint of “don’t come back”.
When I asked my local Bobcat dealer about having one installed he replied that it took 2 men and 2 hours. Knowing his labor rate I did an about face and decided that I had to figure this out, it can’t be that hard.

I went at it with a total failure, with no instructions I put the seal on the window, attempted to put the window in the frame only to have it fall out. Ok so it isn’t obvious how to do it, I need some instructions. I went to “Lawnsite.com” I posted the question, “how do I install this Bobcat window”, sure enough I got

a response with basically the order of the installation. Now I was ready to try again and this is my experience with a Bobcat G Series door frame and glass. I hope it is helpful, remember, this is my experience and I am not a professional.

Do this at your own risk, my process might not be proper or safe.

First I set up a table with a thick cloth to work with at a good height, my table should have been a little larger but it worked.

Second, I didn’t have any of the specialized window tools but I did have a very dull screw driver, duct tape, a block of wood, hammer, pick and my hands.
Third, the parts that I have are of course the frame, glass, rubber seal and lock pull safety cord. I call it a lock pull safety cord because the cord is designed to be pulled out so that the window can be easily popped out of the frame in the event of an emergency exit.
Before I started on the process, I chipped the concrete from the frame and cleaned the seal area of the frame.

A close look at the seal reveals that there is a locking lip designed into the seal. The seal gets installed around the frame, then after the window is installed into its designated groove the locking lip gets folded over so that it secures the window into the groove.

Ok, so the locking lip is on the outside of the door frame, the groove of the seal for the frame is the deepest in the seal, work the seal around the frame. As I worked the seal around the frame I duct taped it to the frame, the seal is very rubbery and doesn’t want to stay where you put it. After I secured the seal around the frame I had a couple of inches left over, I hated to cut it but I did and I cut it so it was still about a half inch too long. I forced it into position expecting that when all was done it might be stretched out, also by making it a little big it helped to keep the seal in position on the frame. I put the gap at the bottom of the frame so that water wouldn’t come in the gap and run down the window.

Next I laid the window on the frame and seal, I shoved the window into the seal groove at the bottom of the door frame. I didn’t know where to start, it just happened that way. This is when patients comes in, the dull screw driver is great, it doesn’t cut the seal and it doesn’t cut my skin the numerous times that I slipped out of the seal and jabbed myself. It is a slow process of applying pressure on the window into the groove while using the screwdriver to work the rubber groove open and out of the way of the glass so that the glass goes all the way into the groove. The glass doesn’t bend, however it is a hardened safety glass that is really tough and I do put more pressure on it than I would have thought with no cracking. I work it into the groove all the way around the frame, removing the pieces of duct tape from the seal as I go.

Once I had the complete window worked into the seal I moved to the locking tab and again with my dull screwdriver and my thumbs I worked the locking tab into the locked position. Again, patience and very small bites at a time, eventually it was completely locked in all the way around.

At this point the locking safety cord needs to be installed, I thought about soap or silicon and then I remembered all the Bobcat skid steer doors that I have seen with the safety cord partially falling out, I figured that if it gets lubed going in it might be easily falling out so I will try to do it dry. It works! Again with my dull screw driver, I work the groove open so that the cord goes deep into the groove and I work it so that the seal just follows my screwdriver around the frame, I roll it into position and it goes very easily in. At the top of the door I leave a grab loop so that there is an obvious spot right by the emergency exit decal already on the door that says to grab and pull the cord out to pop out the glass in the event of an emergency. At the bottom of the door I spanned the gap of the seal, my logic is that maybe the cord will help to keep the gap area of the seal intact and one more small block of the gap as well.
Remember the gap in the seal where I had forced the seal on to the frame, where the starting point and ending points of the seal were butted together at the bottom of the door? Upon completion of installing the window, that area did open up to about a 1/8” gap. I have seen some of these gaps at about 1 inch, not too shabby if I must say so myself.

Total work time, from setting my table up to taking the table down including taking all the pictures, 1 hour and 45 minutes. Now that I know what I am doing I’ll bet the next one will take about an hour. My thanks again to the response on Lawnsite.com and I invite any opinions about what I might do differently to help with this job.

Check that Loader Backhoe Part 1

2006-11-06T07:54:00.000-08:00

I have been involved with the loader backhoe business since 1986, I don’t consider myself an authority but I have inspected over 500 different backhoes. I used to do the purchasing for several other dealers at the auctions, inspecting 10 to 20 backhoes at one time. The opportunities to discover the many problems involving the loader backhoe were amplified at the auction because of the many faulty machines jury rigged then dumped in the auction. I will
touch on several of the more common areas of trouble that I have experienced. I am more familiar with and have owned the common name brands of Case, Deere, JCB, Caterpillar, Terramite and Kubota. I also have owned a handful of Earthforce, Bobcat, Allman and Ford New Holland.
I am only sharing my experiences, Machines are dangerous and I can be seriously injured or killed trying to operate them. Remember, I don’t start an engine unless I am sure I know how to stop it! I do not try to do the procedures that I describe unless I am very familiar with the machine I am inspecting and have a working knowledge of the operation. I am not an authority on the topic, I do machinery inspections at my own risk. If you try to duplicate any of my procedures you are doing so at your own risk and can be killed, injured or worse yet, injure or kill someone else.
Bucket, Loader arms, loader cylinders, loader pins and bushings
Starting at the front of the machine and working my way back I start with the very tip of the loader bucket, is there a bolt on cutting edge, if so has it been worn back to the original edge and if so can it be flipped. I will refer to an earlier paper that I wrote about buckets and quick attach plates, located on the website titled, “Check that skid steer loader bucket and quick attach plate” The existing edge of the loader bucket should be straight, not bowed up or down, the corners should not be braced or welded unless it is the original factory welding. Replaced edges and side cutters are ok if the welding has been done by a professional welder. If the edge is worn back, or if it has been welded or bowed it is usually weak and will affect grading, it could be an expensive repair to renew it. The bucket bottom should not be distorted or broken through and the sides of the bucket should be straight. The back lip (top spill edge) of the bucket should not be bent, I frequently find back lips bent forward and down because of chain lifting too heavy of a weight. The damage is done by attaching a chain to the back of the bucket, draping it over the front of the bucket then rolling the bucket back to lift with the tilt cylinders. This damage can affect the capacity and weaken the bucket. Some loader buckets have the top lip designed as a grading edge, if it is bent or distorted then it will make a poor grading edge. When I am in the machine I will raise the bucket off of the ground a couple of inches then roll the bucket forward and tap the ground with the cutting edge this will show me the play in the loader pins and bushings from the loader tower to the bucket. If there is excessive play at the pins and bushings further investigating is necessary to tell if the bosses are worn out or if pins and bushings will fix the problem.
I will inspect the loader arms at this time, making sure there are no welds, cracks and also pin and bushing play. There are usually 3 or 4 hydraulic cylinders to inspect for leaks and bushing play. If there is a leaking lift or tilt cylinder I will look further for a scored or bent ram (chrome section). A scored ram will definitely increase the cost of repairing a leaky cylinder. A bent or badly scored ram will have to be replaced. A welded or repaired loader arm is definitely a reduction of value, true, it might be stronger than new, but it is frowned upon by perspective buyers and a sign of abuse. I will raise the loader all the way up as well as roll the loader bucket all the way over to make sure that the hydraulics operate normally through the full cycle. (I make sure that there is nothing in the bucket because it is going to fall out!) The arms should not rub the sides of the tractor during the cycling if they do then there is a sign of loader arms being twisted. I will also spend some time trying to tell if the loader arms are twisted in any way, a bucket cutting edge that is worn on one side more than the other is a sign of a possible twist in the loader arms or possibly a low tire. With the loader arms all the way down, I will look for a reference point on the tractor to see that one side is the same distance as on the other side of the tractor, (not the front axle, it can pivot, one side might be higher than the other). Many times I will use the hard nose (housing around the radiator) to measure the distance between it and the loader arm on each side of the tractor. I am careful to watch that when I raise the arms that they raise evenly, it is possible to power the loader arms down so that a twist comes out momentarily. When the loader arms are not powered down they may show the twist. I always spend a lot of time looking for weld repairs at the cross bar, the section of the loader in front of the grill that ties the sides of the loader arms together. A welded cross bar is an indication that the arms should be checked for a twist and the loader has been pushed beyond its capacity.
It is important to note that when raising the loader arms the hydraulics should be smooth operating. The operation should not be jumpy, slow or noisy. Loud squeaking could indicate a dry pin and bushing that is out of alignment or starving for grease. Jumpy or slow operation indicates hydraulic problems, possibly a bad hydraulic pump or filter. A loud squealing can be coming from a relief valve that is not too alarming however a squealing hydraulic pump can be very expensive to repair.
Loader Tower
The loader tower is the area where the loader arms and lift cylinders are mounted to the tractor frame with pins and bushings. The tower should be inspected for cracks and welded repairs. The tower is mounted to the main frame of the tractor so I look for main frame cracks and repairs in that vicinity. On some machines this area can also serve as a hydraulic oil tank so an oil leak in this general area can be an indication of a crack. Once again there are pins and bushings in this area to observe as I tap the ground with the cutting edge.

Front Axle, Differential, Tie Rods
I will inspect the front axle for trunion play on a 4 wheel drive or king pin play on a 2 wheel drive model. Bushing play in this area lets the front wheel camber change as the weight is lifted off the ground by raising the tractor by powering down with the loader arms. Play in either 2 or 4 wheel drive models is very expensive and needs to be considered. I look for leaking at the front axle seals, oil running down the inside of the wheel and tire is a good indication of a leaky planetary hub seal, oil running down the bottom trunion could be a sign of a outer u-joint differential seal. At the same time I check the tie rod ends by rocking the steering wheel back and forth to observe the play in the ball sockets of the tie rod end. Usually there is a hydraulic steering cylinder to check for play as well as leaks. Lastly there is usually a long tie rod between the front wheels to check for bends, if it is bent the front end alignment, tire wear, is effected.
Look for “Check that Loader Backhoe part 2” for information about how I check the Drive Line, Outriggers, Brakes and Backhoe.

Check That Diesel Engine

2005-03-25T07:56:00.000-08:00

I have evaluated thousands of machines powered by diesel engines. Though I am not a professional diesel engine mechanic,
I would like to share some of my observations with you. I have completely overhauled many diesel engines and hundreds of gasoline engines. Machines are dangerous and you can be seriously injured trying to operate them. Remember, don’t start an engine unless you are sure you know how to stop it! I use the term red flag, in the following paragraphs to indicate that I think an engine may have a serious flaw and should be given more consideration
Murder? Suicide? We will never know the answer. It is reported that on September 29th 1913, Rudolph Diesel was on a ferry crossing the English Channel, perhaps to take his diesel engine invention to the British, having disagreements with German policies. He met his grizzly death in the cold waters of the English Channel, his body discovered in the water 10 days later. It is interesting that subsequently the German submarines were powered by the Diesel engine.
Diesel engines have followed the original basic design since their inception, compression firing of the fuel driving a piston down, through a connecting rod turning the crankshaft. The crankshaft is connected to what ever the engine is powering like a transmission, hydraulic pump or a hydrostatic drive unit. Key word here, Compression. As an engine wears, the compression will diminish and the engine becomes weaker, less efficient and burns more oil and fuel.
Cold Starting
When I have to evaluate an engine, I want the engine cold, if possible I want to be the first one to start it that day. Some distinct clues may be present only when the engine is started cold. An engine that has been started, and run for only a few seconds may conceal indicators of injector bleed down, glow plug abnormalities, ether necessities, battery and starter issues. Cold starting the engine is important because a cold engine that is weak (low compression) might not start with out the aid of a starting agent like a jumper battery or ether (starting fluid). If the engine is cold then the cold starting device that the machine has incorporated into the starting procedure like glow plugs should be utilized. Many machines have automatic glow plug countdown timers. I watch for the timer and let it tell me when to start the engine. Some diesels don’t have any cold start aids and they should just crank and start. I am adamantly against the use of starter fluid (ether) however, I have used it and I have known of machines that have used starting fluid for years and are still running, but in my opinion they are not running as good as they could. If I need ether to start a warm engine that is a red flag, if the engine is very cold ether is an acceptable starting agent, however, only a split second of the spray should be enough for an engine to start. If more ether is required there may be a lot of internal wear on the engine or other problems. If a hot diesel requires ether to start that is a big red flag and I don’t buy it unless I have a major overhaul figured into my pricing.
In extreme cold temperatures, I don’t discount a hard starting, smoky, shaking or clattery sounding diesel too seriously because diesel fuels can gel. Gelled fuel does not spray correctly from the injectors, duplicating some weak engine characteristics. Once started and smoothed out the bad characteristics should quickly dissipate, unless there is a weak engine or a fuel related problem, possibly even ice in the fuel or fuel filter.

Oil
Oil laboratory analysis is a good way to find out what contamination is in the oil, if you can get one done on an engine you are interested in then no harm done. However, most of the time the engine inspection is a hurried affair and if the oil has been recently changed the results of the test could be misleading. I check the oil to make sure that there is oil in the engine, visually inspect the oil and lastly smell the oil. The oil should be translucent gold or goldish brown if it was recently changed. Black engine oil is very common and acceptable, as a byproduct of combustion diesel oil quickly turns black. Creamy milky grayish oil is a sign of water or antifreeze mixed in the oil, a big red flag. I look at the oil closely for flakes of metal to be floating on the dipstick, this might be more evident after running the engine, but if I see metal flakes something is wearing badly and a is red flag. I wipe the oil on a rag and if the oil spreads out quickly, that is a sign that there is diesel fuel mixed in the oil and a reason for concern. I smell the oil to determine if it smells like diesel fuel or if it smells burnt. Oil that smells burnt is a sign that the inside of the engine has been very hot. I have disassembled engines in my garage that were hot and my garage had that burnt stink for weeks. Overfull on the dipstick is a good reason to check the oil again, after running the engine. There might be fuel in the oil or this might be a sign that the oil pan has antifreeze in it, remember, oil is lighter than water. The oil pump pickup tube sits in the very bottom of the oil pan, not a good scenario if the oil pan has an inch deep layer of antifreeze below the oil.
Starter and ring gear teeth
If I hear the starter motor make a loud sqeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiiippppppp noise when I turn the key then there is probably a problem with the starter bendix and possibly the flywheel teeth. red flag! The starter bendix is the part of the starter that engages the flywheel ring gear teeth. Starter bendix’s go bad frequently, not a major expense. If the flywheel ringgear teeth are chewed up then the expenses will increase considerably, requiring removal of the engine or what ever is on the flywheel side of the engine to access the ringgear. Usually I try the starter 2 or 3 more times. The teeth may engage and start the engine. If the gears never engage, I try to turn the engine by hand to match up a different set of teeth. Engines have a tendency to stop spinning in the same place and those spots on the ring gear get all the wear. If the starter then engages the ring gear teeth I know that I have a ring gear problem. I frequently start an engine several times to make sure that there isn’t a starter bendix or flywheel tooth problem. I have replaced many starters and not many flywheel ring gears. I listen to the engine as I crank it, the engine should have even pulses dragging against the starter motor. If there is a sudden freewheel sound as if there isn’t a drag against the starter then there is a possible weak cylinder with low compression, red flag. Costly and, and possibly something that might not show up starting a hot engine. If the engine doesn’t start after cranking look for a fuel shut off. Many older diesels use mechanical fuel shut off cables, if it is engaged then there will be no fuel and no start. Excessive cranking with no start up or a smoky start is a good reason to suspect internal engine wear. Once the engine has started I look and listen. I look at the exhaust and listen to the fireing of the cylinders. If the engine has a miss (uneven fireing pulses) that quickly (a couple seconds) smoothes out possibly along with moderate exhaust smoke that also clears up then I don’t fret. However, if the exhaust smoke and uneven running takes much longer to clear up then I suspect a fuel or compression problem, red flag! I have seen relatively new diesels start with the uneven fireing and smoky cold start that are healthy engines. Again, I am not too concerned if it clears up quickly.

Blue White Tinted Exhaust Smoke
A perfectly healthy diesel will have no visible exhaust smoke except for start up and acceleration. A little blue smoke (oil burning) on start up is normal and some diesels will have a bluish smoke at idle that should disappear with increased throttle. I don’t like to see any blue smoke but not all diesels are perfect. I remember one of my automotive teachers comments about a light blue smoke from an old truck engine, he said, “That’s just good lubrication”. (Today that truck wouldn’t pass emissions testing, sorry teach). Blue smoke that stays in the exhaust throughout the RPM range is another reason to do more investigating. If I see a lot of blue smoke, red flag! I always keep in mind that blue smoke in the exhaust is a sign of lubricating oil burning in the combustion process, not a definite reason to say that the engine is worn out. Oil can be slipping past the engine rings because it is diluted with diesel fuel. There can be a bad turbo charger seal, a clogged air filter (a very bad sign about maintenance), or there can be oil in the fuel!
Black Exhaust Smoke
Heavy black smoke is a sign that the fuel is not efficiently burnt and is not necessarily bad if it is upon acceleration. However, if there is a constant heavy black smoke all the time the engine is running, red flag! There is a problem, fuel is not being properly burned and a further check is necessary. The engine may be worn out! The unburned fuel was more evident (Black smoke), than the oil burning (Blue smoke)!
White Exhaust Smoke
Sometimes with a sweet smell
This situation is caused by antifreeze getting into the cylinders because of a blown head gasket, cracked cylinder head or other remote methods, red flag! Not only are there repairs necessary but I look for reasons that the engine was probably overheated. It may have been the thermostat, radiator, water pump or loose fan belts. This is a good time to remove the oil fill cap and if the underside of the cap is grey gummy sludge, red flag! This is a good sign of poor maintenance or water in the oil. Don’t forget that water is a byproduct of combustion, a steamy exhaust especially in very cold weather is acceptable, however, it should clear up as the exhaust system and engine heat up. I also keep in mind many machines have exhaust pipes without rain caps, the exhaust pipe can fill with rain water and take a while to evaporate as the system heats up. I have been coated more than once with a black shower, a mix of carbon and rain water from the exhaust pipe.
Running test
Ok so now the engine is running, I listen to it, getting past the noise of the combustion knock and try to determining if there is excessive knocking noise. If there is heavy knocking, red flag! Shut it off! This could be the equivalent of a fuel burning grenade. A knock inside of the engine means that heavy metal parts are making contact in a violent unlubricated manner and they can come apart. Do not stress test a knocking diesel, especially if you don’t own it.
So now I have a running engine that is not knocking, it is very important to get the engine hot at this point, I have experienced cold engines that were devoid of noises that had a pretty bad rapping sound when hot. This is commonly caused by a loose connecting rod bearing or main bearing that develops play as the parts expand. I have also experienced the opposite situation in which a cold engine is louder mechanically than when it heated up, because the internal parts heated up and fit better. There are too many noises and reasons for those noises, I’ll say that if I hear a lot of mechanical clatter, red flag and figure expensive repairs. A diesel may have a vibration at low idle that subsides at a working RPM, that is usually normal, however, a shaking diesel across the RPM range is a concern, red flag! Shaking could be caused by a dead or weak cylinder, meaning expensive repairs are in order. I like to load a diesel down at full throttle by dead heading the hydraulics against the relief valve, (for instance, holding a loader bucket tilted back until it cannot go any further). If the engine drops excessive RPM’s or stalls out it could be weak. When I am done running a diesel engine I will always restart it after I shut it off. It should restart instantly and it is one more check of the starter bendix and ring gear!
Blow-by
Blow-by is the pressure created inside of the engine by the compression gasses passing the piston rings. I check blow-by by removing the oil fill cap, feeling and seeing the pressure or smoke that blows out the oil fill hole at a low idle. Some blow-by is normal, I try not to freak out unless the blow-by seems puffy, very steamy or excessive. Most engines have a crankcase vent tube mounted to the valve cover or the side of the block. If I can find the vent tube I’ll just inspect blow-by exiting from the tube. Really worn out engines with a lot of blow-by might have a lot of smoke in the engine area that can exit through the radiator grill. If the radiator utilizes a pusher fan, it will look like there is smoke blowing out of the radiator grill. Frequently this oil vapor will accumulate on the radiator fins and collect dirt, clogging the radiator. Red Flag! When the vent tube allows the blow-by to exit under the engine I have seen what almost looked like another exhaust pipe exiting the bottom of the engine because of the excessive blow-by smoke. Diesel run on is a dangerous condition, in which the diesel engine will actually run on the excessive blow by gasses that have been routed back to the air intake of the engine. Diesel run on means that the engine can run full speed until it blows up, it can’t be shut off unless the air intake is blocked. Scary red flag! I also carefully remove the radiator cap and look in the radiator with the engine running to see if any engine compression gasses are entering the radiator forming bubbles, if I see bubbles in the radiator, red flag. At the same time if there is any oil floating on the antifreeze, then this baby needs further checking and a big red flag.
Turbochargers
The turbocharger is probably one of the most abused optional pieces on the diesel engine. The abuse takes place innocently because the operator never knows that the turbocharger (turbo) should receive special treatment. A turbocharger may achieve internal impeller speeds in excess of 100,000 RPM. Proper lubrication is vital. A minute or two of warm up before high RPM’s allows the bearings to get a good coating of oil. Letting the engine idle for a minute or two after a high speed run will allow the turbo to slow down and cool down. A turbo spinning after the oil supply has been shut down prematurely wears out the bearing surface and cooks the oil in the bearing chamber, a situation referred to as coaking. A bad turbo charger will allow oil to get past the seals and into the intake manifold or the exhaust manifold and show a lot of blue exhaust smoke and oil consumption. A turbo with a lot of bearing play will actually damage the impeller blades and produce no boost, thus the engine will not have normal power. A whistling exhaust sound is a common occurrence and can be a sign of trouble. However, I have experienced many whistling turbo’s that have no problems. I have heard that carbon and or dirt build up on the blades of the turbo can contribute to the whistling. Rattling noises from the turbocharger or oil leaking from the turbo are definite red flags.
Try to visually inspect the engine, if there are welds on the block where it had been patched then I red flag it. Leaks from gasket surfaces and seals are repairable but must be figured into the cost. Excessive oil or antifreeze leaking from gaskets and seals may be a sign of a lot of blow-by and or overheating.
There is really a lot to cover just trying to remember all the things that I look for when inspecting a diesel. Most of the time it is very easy, the engine is dry, clean, starts easily, has no exhaust smoke, and is quiet. Imagine designing and building the very first diesel engine, marketing and patents were a nightmare. It took years for Rudolph Diesel to get his engine to operate. It may have driven him mad, maybe it was suicide as has been written. I wish that Mr. Rudolph Diesel could have witnessed the vast use of his invention. We can all be grateful for his invention that was many years ahead of its time.

Check that skid steer loader bucket and quick attach plate!

2005-03-10T07:57:00.000-08:00

The skid steer loader started out being used primarily
as a material carrier, primarily manure. The machine has evolved into a jobsite work horse capable of many tasks utilizing attachments that are quickly exchanged on the machine because of the quick attach plate. This brief report focuses on some quick checks of the skid steer loader bucket and quick attach plate.
Starting at the front of the machine look at the bucket, it should be the same width as the machine measured at the outside of the tires. Don’t get a bucket that is narrower than the tires! A bucket that is wider than the tires is okay, however, it will reduce your digging break out force and it may quickly exceed the operating load of the machine. The skid steer should be able to drive down the swath cut by the bucket, that wouldn’t be the case if the bucket is narrower than the machine. It is important to make sure that the bucket is the correct style for the intended use. You don’t want a light material bucket for digging. Light material buckets are built from thinner gauge steel and have longer sides, bottom, and backing plate. The light material bucket cutting edge is smaller and not built to withstand the forces applied when digging.
The cutting edge is the front lip of the bucket, it is a designed in wear point that takes the brunt of the forces exerted by the skid steer loader. If the cutting edge is worn, it will appear rounded towards the sides of the bucket and sharp at the center. With the bucket lying flat on the ground it is easy to see if the cutting edge is bent or if the bucket is twisted. Do not let a low tire mislead you into thinking that the bucket is bent, however, a low tire can be a reason for uneven wear on the bucket. Tooth buckets have replaceable tips, if the bucket has been used with the tips worn off or missing then the shank may be worn enough that the tips will never stay on properly.
If there are cracks and welds in the cutting edge it will be a problem soon. If the bucket has a straight cutting edge then hopefully it has an additional bolt-on cutting edge. If there is no bolt-on cutting edge and the edge is worn then a bolt-on edge will not properly mount to it. Praise the person that invented the bolt-on cutting edge! Word to the wise; do not buy a new bucket without a bolt-on cutting edge! You will save so much money in the long run. Think about it, when you wear out a cutting edge you will need to have a welder cut out the cutting edge and weld in a new one. You have a few hundred bucks in labor plus the cost of the cutting edge and the down time. When you have a bolt-on cutting edge you wear it out on one side then you remove the mounting bolts, flip it over and use the other side. You never have to replace the original edge! How clever is that! When the other side is worn out you can buy a new one and replace it with new bolts! No serious down time! Thank me later for that wisdom. If buying a bucket that has a new cutting edge but no bolt-on edge, invest in a bolt-on edge. As long as the cutting edge that is on the bucket has the holes for the bolts then you can buy an edge and bolt it on.
Between the cutting edge and the back of the bucket is the bottom of the bucket, it should be flat with no holes or big dents pushing up or down. Indentations in the bucket bottom usually mean it is thin and will warrant a visit from the prosperous welder. He will have to weld in a new bottom and not cheaply. This is a good time to raise the bucket and inspect the bottom of it. Heavier duty buckets have skid plates along the bottom that tend to wear more towards the rear of the bucket near the backing plate. Look for cracks especially at the rear corner where the bottom meets the backing plate, rust holes will develop there. Older buckets will also tend to crack around the backing plate where it meets the sides from flexing under the pressure pushing forward in the middle at the quick attach plate. All modern skid steer loaders use quick attach buckets. It is important to check that the quick attach holes and quick fit channel is intact. If you can see that the bucket shakes or wants to fall off of the quick attach plate then either the bucket or the quick attach plate or both are worn out and need replacement or a visit by our friendly affluent welder.
Move on to the quick attach plate. This is a modern convenience that allows the quick removal of the bucket and switch into the forks, backhoe attachment, broom, rock hound, stump grinder, auger, and the list goes on and on. Most quick attach plates will fit other manufacturers attachments but there are still some that are different, like the Mustang with the single peg in the middle and the Case 1840 with the narrowly spaced drop pins. The quick attach plate should fit into the back of the bucket tightly and there should be two tapered drop pins that will lock into the bottom back side of the bucket. The two pins are tapered because as the bucket is used and the holes widen, the tapered pin can drop deeper into the hole and keep the bucket tight against the quick attach plate. Those two drop pins are usually controlled by two grab handles that tend to get stuck and even broken off. If they are stuck it is probably because the mechanism is clogged with dirt and the attachment hasn’t been off in a while. If you own a skid steer with this mechanism please take the bucket off from time to time, clean it out, and lube it. You will thank me later. If the quick attach plate is bent or if it is loose on the pins and bushings from the loader arms and tilt cylinders then it may need replacement. It is a common part to replace as it carries the total load of every thing that you carry in the bucket as well as all the torque loads driving the bucket into the ground. To check the pins and bushings you sit in the machine, raise and lower the bucket against the ground slowly and watch the quick attach plate where it is mounted to the machine. If it is getting loose in the pins and bushings then it may need replacement or it may be tightened up with some new pins and bushings if the gap is minimal.
Let me stress that the things that I write about are my opinions. Working with machinery is very dangerous. You can get hurt, even killed or worse yet you might hurt or kill somebody else! So first and foremost be careful if you are inspecting a skid steer loader, many people have been crushed between the loader arms and the frame of the machine. Parking brakes frequently don’t work and there are some hydrostatic drive systems out there that have been known to take off on their own. Please be careful. See illustration pictures enclosed:

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Check that skid steer loader drive line!

2003-12-15T07:58:00.000-08:00

This is a very broad topic of which I can only
begin to touch the surface. I will relate some of my past experiences where I have found problems with the skid steer drive line. Typically, the drive line consists of the drive coupler, splitter box, hydrostatic pumps, drive controls, motors, drive chains, chain boxes, axles, bearings, axle seals, and wheels . This discussion will focus primarily on the modern skid steer loader. There have been many variations of drive systems and I am familiar with a small subset of them. Again, I am only sharing some of my past experiences, I am not an expert on the topic. The engine could be called the most major component of the drive line but there is so much about the engine that I will reserve it for a future discussion.
The drive coupler connects the engine to the drive pumps. The coupler is a shock absorbing flexible shaft or plate. The shock absorbing flexible shaft or plate is where the problem occurs. It must be made of a material that cushions and /or bends, a condition that can eventually deteriorate. Worn parts leave gaps that result in a knocking noise and/ or a vibration that can be present any time the engine is running. Do not be too concerned about a soft chatter because the coupler can last a long time at this lower level. However, if the drive coupler a has a loose or worn universal-joint, it can come apart and wreak havoc in the surrounding area, as well as your checking account.
Some larger machines use a splitter box. The splitter box is located between the drive coupler and the hydrostatic drive pumps. If you are considering a machine with a splitter box, be sure to check the oil level of the splitter box. If the oil level is too high, the oil is coming from somewhere, most likely, a drive pump with leaky seals. It is frustrating to fix because you don’t know which pump is leaking, therefore you must fix both of them. The first thing to look for is an oil leak under the machine. If there is an oil leak then naturally you want to know where it is coming from. Lift the seat up and lock it in the raised position. You will find a dip stick for the splitter box in the center of the splitter box between the pumps. If the oil level is way up over the full mark then you know that the pump seals need to be repaired. Splitter boxes don’t hold much oil so there is always the possibility that somebody just added too much oil one day and never corrected the mistake. It is always a possibility, (yeah, when pigs fly!)
Hydrostatic drive pumps and motors are tough to diagnose, because they may look good, sound good, but be bad. That is why there are auctions. “Caveat emptor”, buyer beware. Sure you can get oil samples, but there is an old saying in the American car engine motor head circle that is “there is no substitute for cubic inches” meaning bigger is better. With hydrostatic pumps and motors bigger is better, the bigger the time you can sit in the seat driving the machine is better. Working it, digging, driving, counter rotating, getting it hot is the best thing you can do. A cold drive system may operate very different than a hot one so you must work it, get the thermostats to open and make the radiators do what they were designed to do. You will get it hot after you own it so you better get it hot before you own it. Find a good pile of anything offering resistance. While under a load, make sure the wheels keep spinning. It is normal for the hydrostatic pumps to have a high pitched whine under a torque load. With a full bucket pushing forward, the wheels should never stop pushing. The machine should drive straight forward and reverse with out a constant correction in the steering. The machine should counter rotate, meaning the left side should spin in the opposite direction from the right side so that the machine should turn in a complete circle within its own length. I will never forget the time I was just about to say “Yes I’ll take this beautiful Case 1845C” it ran great, looked great, had no odd noises, counter rotated normally, drove in a straight line forward and reverse, didn’t creep or have any oil leaks. I took it into a pile of dirt and just as the pile filled the bucket and I started to push, the left side quit, both left wheels stopped moving while the right side was saying “come on lets go, what is the hold up?” The left side with out warning just basically said “that is it, I am done, don’t push me any more”. I was offered the same machine about a month later by a dealer that had traded it in with no idea what he had done. Famous words of Mr. T “I pity the fool”.
Some machines have a two speed built into the hydrostatic drive, if it has a two speed then it should work. Test it. It will kick up speed when in high gear but don’t try to dig in high gear, high speed means low torque. Be aware that some machines, Bobcat for instance, has the two speed switch but does not necessarily have two speed built into the drives. That could prove to be a costly mistake, since the two speed is an expensive option while the switch with the rabbit and turtle on it probably cost about two dollars.
There are many types of drive controls (the handles you use to drive the machine), too many to describe. What is important is that the controls need to be secure, without free play. On a hydrostatic drive machine, free play in the controls can allow the lever to drift into forward or reverse thus letting the machine suddenly drift fully into forward or reverse. Picture that with no operator in the driver seat and a parking brake that doesn’t hold. It’s a runaway skid steer loader! This is not funny, with an uncontrolled two to five tons on the loose! Call an ambulance because you’re going to need one! If the control linkages are getting sloppy, or off center it is a very dangerous situation. Control linkage can be adjusted and tightened but people would rather spend their money on Starbucks coffee. That’s right, about $3.50 to $5.00 per knuckle joint would tighten some of those linkages. One of the first things that I want to know how to do when I start a skid steer loader is, HOW DO I TURN IT OFF!!! I have started many skid steer loaders when the immediate thing that happened as soon as the engine was running, the machine started to move, and not because I wanted it to! I have crashed a skid steer loader and it is not fun. “I wasn’t at fault officer”! I just started it up and it took off, crashing into the skid steer next to it! I X’ed that one off my list and went home to change my underwear. Please be careful folks, this is a very dangerous business.
The drive motors are mounted to the chain boxes. The chain boxes hold the chains, sprockets, usually the parking brake mechanism, lubricating oil and axles. The typical system has one motor per side, the motor spins a shaft with a sprocket mounted on it. The chain runs from the sprocket to the opposing sprocket attached to an axle that goes out of the chain box to the wheel. The maintenance of the chains involves moving an axle or a chain tensioner to keep the chains tight. When the chains have stretched beyond the adjustment limits then it is time for new chains. The sprockets should be replaced if there is a severe wear pattern, badly worn sprockets can prematurely destroy new chains. In the rare instance that I inspect a machine with a chain problem the symptoms are usually very obvious. The side with the bad chain can lock up, jerk, rattle, skip, crunch quite loudly, and/or not move at all. In extreme cases the chain gets bunched up between the sprocket and the chain case, breaking the case open and the guts fall out onto the ground. That could be a clue. I have been able to hear a small amount of chain and sprocket rattle especially on larger machines traveling at a high speed, and I will say that is okay. However, if it is excessively noisy, get in there before it comes apart and gets really expensive. Like the splitter box, I have seen some chain boxes that were over filled with oil. In this case, it is because the drive motor seal failed and the oil from the hydrostatic drive motor filled the chain case. The owner of this machine should have noticed that the hydraulic oil level had dropped but didn’t know where it went, because the chain case can hold about five gallons of oil. “Fire the son of a gun that is siphoning the oil out of my machine!” “Oh sorry Ralph, you can come back to work, we found the lost oil in the chain case, but you lost your profit sharing”. The unsuspecting purchaser of this machine will get a surprise one day because the oil will start spewing out of the machine. The overfilled chain box will leak through a chain case breather hole or a blown axle seal. Two more quick points about chain cases, there is always the possibility that all the oil has leaked out and the wheels have been cleaned from use (catastrophic failure is inevitable). Creamy white oil in the chain box is a sign of water contamination and I would change it. Water typically enters the chain boxes from pressure washing around the access covers
That brings us to the axles, and you thought we were done! A quick check of axle seals is very simple. Typically I haven’t found bad axle bearings without a leaky axle seal. A bad axle bearing is not going to be easily spotted unless the machine is raised so that a person can check the wheel for movement. I would suggest that driving the machine and listening for a rough grinding sound would be a good way to determine a bad axle bearing, however, it is difficult to hear over the hydrostatic drives and the diesel engine. An easier check is to look for a leaky seal. With the machine not running and the parking brake engaged, look at the inside of each tire at the lower side where the tire meets the ground. Is there a trail of oil running down the inside of the tire? If so then the red flag should go up and the inspection moves in for a closer look. The first thing I would look for while looking at the oil soaked tire: is there twine or any other item wrapped around the axle seal? It is very common to have a foreign material get wrapped up in the axle destroying the seal. This would be a good thing because now you have the reason that the seal leaks. If the axle seal is just leaking, with no foreign material wrapped up around the axle, it could be because of the overfilled chain case as discussed earlier or an axle bearing has gone bad. Next, I look for a dipstick for the chain case (if there is one), check the oil level and if it is overfull then there might be a drive motor seal failure. If the oil level is normal or a little low because of the seal leak then replacing the seal may be all that is necessary. You are not out of the woods yet, because replacing the seal may destroy the bearings so with a seal you end up replacing the bearings anyway.
Parking brakes are usually integrated with the drive assemblies. There are many different forms of parking brakes and they are electronically or manually applied. The problem with most of the manual brake assemblies is the operator operates the machine with the brake applied. The electronically applied brake gets destroyed because a sensor or a component like a seat belt switch goes bad and applies the brake while the machine is in motion. I attended an auction recently when Sylvester didn’t know to reattach the seat belt on the John Deere 240 to turn off the parking brake. I could hear the parking brake just grinding away on its self as the operator throttled up more and more just to get over the ramp. I could hear the auctioneer saying “winning bidder internet number 1234 going to West Virginia”. Internet bidders are real gamblers, remember what Mr. T. said earlier. The guy probably got a good buy, until he pays for that John Deere parking brake! Ouch! It is very important to have a working parking brake on a skid steer loader. Do not leave a skid steer on a hill depending on the parking brake, instead, park next to a big tree or a Cat D8 dozer, something immobile. A runaway skid steer is like a loaded gun, somebody or something is going to get hurt. I have sold more than one bucket because a skid steer ran into something and destroyed the bucket, sometimes with nobody in the machine! Are we done yet?
Okay, I’m going to wrap this up with a few more things. Wheels, look for wheels that have been destroyed and straightened, they may not hold air and are foam filled. Foam filled tires are very heavy and cost more to replace than standard air filled tires because they have to be cut off. If you need flat proof tires that add weight to your machine then use the foam fill process. Otherwise I would avoid them. Look at the lug nuts. If they have been loose, then the holes in the wheel could have been elongated and they will never stay tight, figure on buying a wheel, new wheel studs and lug nuts. I recently inspected a JD 250, the left front wheel was literally being held on by about 4 threads of the studs! They were using the machine while I was on the jobsite. I pointed it out to the operator and said “you better tighten this wheel up. It is going to fall off” His reaction was that they tighten them up every day and they just loosen again. Ask me why I drink! The lug nut holes on that machine looked like slots with metal shavings galore. While on the subject of wheels, this is a good time to mention that I always like to get behind the machine and visually align the wheels. They should be approximately aligned. You should be able to take a straight edge and hold it to the outside edge of the rear wheel, then the straight edge should align approximately with the front wheel outside edge. If they are not aligned, it could be as simple as a replaced wheel with a different hub depth or a reversible wheel that is reversed. Many skid steers use reversible wheels, it makes the width of the machine adjustable by a few inches. (Reversible wheels are identified by having a valve stem on both sides and the lug nut holes are tapered on both sides). The worst case scenario is that the axle housing has bent or broken and then the axle is working on a different plane so the wheels are out of alignment. This situation may not be recognizable with the straight edge test but the eyeball test will work. Look at the angle of the wheel, if the bottom of the wheel is squatting out from center or if the top of the wheel is closer to the housing, the chain case is probably bent. More than one time I noticed the oil leaks around the rear of the machine but not from the axle seal, a closer look revealed that the chain case had ripped out at the base, repaired by welding angle iron on the corner and sealing it up with silicone. This is a fairly common repair. On other machines I have seen the front axle housings ripped nearly off the machine. A factory supplied plate that increased the metal thickness in that area gets welded around the complete axle housing. I’ll bet some engineer didn’t enjoy his Christmas bonus that year.
I am sure that I am not done, I will recollect some instance that needs to be related to this driveline report and that is exactly what I will do. Check back and read the whole convoluted thing again maybe I put a comma somewhere or added a little ditty about the time the Bobcat was upside down in the pond, sorry Tom I know that scared the heck out of you.
Checking out a skid steer loader is very dangerous business. Do not do it if you are not familiar with the operation and basic safety procedures. I want to know about other people’s experiences in this field. Feel free to send me an e-mail. Good luck.

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Motorcycles

2003-11-16T08:00:00.000-08:00

Don’t read this if you want to buy a bike, this is not a sale. If you like motorcycles in the least maybe this would be of interest, maybe not.
I love motorcycles. I don’t ride much, used to, and I sure like it when I do. I still like to look at all motorcycles,
read the magazines and look for all the newest bikes. I am not too sure why, other than I grew up riding, comparing and working on motorcycles. It was a labor of love.
I remember my 3rd job as a mechanic at the Honda motorcycle dealer; they could have probably asked me to pay to work there. Hey I like money too, different story.
I was bitten early when my oldest brother brought home a basket case of a mini bike. I think he was about 17 and I was 7, I was the parts washer, back then we cleaned with straight gasoline, on the back porch. We put the engine together and the little Sears or Rupp or what ever it was came to life. The brake was a pad that you levered against the back tire and the throttle was a string. Going fast was no question, stopping was. The suspension was the air in the tires and the air in your hind end, my brother had a softer ride. It was a rough but fun ride.
Safety was an issue, my dad was sure to put his foot down. He made us buy a Honda Z50, it had front and rear brakes, softer tires and seat and short but compressible front forks. The Honda was as reliable as the sun, I loved it and hated it, I loved it because it always ran, I hated it because it always ran. I couldn’t get rid of it. 3 years into that thing and I had pretty much killed it in every way accept for it still ran.
I traded the Z50 on a used Honda SL 70, my first mini cycle that looked like a motorcycle and it had a clutch! I really enjoyed the SL 70 but then Honda came out with the XR75 after that the SL stood for SLow. I took the SL 70 to my first competition and blew out first gear on the practice lap, we tried for a while to fix it. Finally for the first time I cursed in front of my dad and said “the hell with it”. He threw it into the trunk of his car and we went home. It was probably a good thing because one of the competitors was riding an XR75.
Since then I have gone through a few bikes, some were very short lived, some were and could be collectors but I moved them on, These are a few of the ones that I remember:

Honda Z50, SL 70,XL 175, XL 250, MR 175, XL250S, XL500S, CB750, GL1200, 700 Sabre,CX500 Turbo
Suzuki PE 250, RMX250
Yamaha MX125, RT 180, IT250, another IT 250
Kawasaki KDX200
BMW R100GS, R1100GS, K75
Beta 250 Techno.

The Beta 250 is the only bike that I have now, it is specialized for observed trials, slow riding technical dirt, another story. Not one street bike in my stable, which will change.
If I could have any of them back I would ask for the two GS BMW’s, the CX500Turbo (1982 with fuel injection and turbo charging, 20 years ahead of its time), the RMX 250 and don’t forget the Honda Z50. I’ve got kids now, and I know that Z50 is still running somewhere.

Timber Tugger

2003-11-15T08:02:00.000-08:00

My two year old made me feel really good today when we were eating together. She encountered a difficult task, (peeling a grapefruit) she took a breath and said emphatically, “I Can Do It”. One thing I am passionate about is telling my kids to say, “I can”
every time that I hear them say, “I can’t.”
One of my past and present dreams is to build my own machines. I started on the project about 10 years ago when I accumulated the necessary tooling, tracks and sprockets from a mini excavator, extra parts and a junked motorcycle. I had been heating with a wood stove and used to beat my vehicles and tractors dragging logs out of the woods, my idea was to build a machine that I could drag the logs with that would be small and powerful. Timber Tugger would be the name of my machine.
I proceeded to build some track frames and roller assemblies, acquired a rear end assembly from a Pennsylvanian lawn tractor (thanks to a friend). I built a high sprocket supported on threaded rods so that I could tighten the tracks by jacking up the rear end assembly on the threaded rods. My engine was a shortcut because I knew that motorcycle engines are high horsepower, low torque engines but I had one to use so I built a frame around the engine and fabricated a drive shaft that ran directly from the output shaft of the engine into the rear end assembly. Sure I would have preferred a diesel with hydrostatic drives but sometimes you just have to work with what you have. Once the final assembly was up and running I rigged up a motorcycle seat, throttle, clutch and planned on steering with the individual brakes.
It worked! Well let’s just say it drove me across the yard like a bat out of hell! The steering was a failure, the engine would only carry the massive weight at full throttle and basically I just held on! I didn’t get to tug any logs; I did get to drive it across the yard enough times for my picture to get taken a time or two. I did get to build my first proto type and there will be a second, with diesel and hydrostatic drives that I can steer.
I am going to build another timber tugger but right now can’t devote the time to it. I have another idea in my head of a type of piston engine that probably won’t be powerful, efficient, light, or lucrative. I thought of it and I won’t know if it will run unless I build it and find out for my self. I don’t question that I will be able to do it because I know as my two year old and my four year old will tell you “I Can” See some pictures of my Timber Tugger.

My Trials and My Dozer

2003-11-15T08:00:00.000-08:00

This past summer I did something that I have wanted to
do my whole life but never did - motorcycle competition. Finally after 30 years of riding, improving, contemplating, aging and watching my skills dwindle, I became a competitor.
Observed Trials, the form of competition that I entered is not the typical scene that one pictures when you think of motorcycle racing. There is no bike-to-bike combat for first place at the finish line, the noise is not as much loud exhaust as it is frames and engine cases bouncing off of rocks. The object of this sport is to ride through a pre laid out section without putting your feet down (dabbing), stopping, going out of bounds, or falling over. There are judges (checkers) watching from the middle and end of the section to see if you dab, go out of bounds, or commit some other infraction of the rules. Most of the sections are sloped, rocky terrain with some downed trees and streams to pass over and through. The checker watches you through the section and adds points to your score for each infraction, lower points means higher place on the trophy board. Speed is useless except for getting to and from different sections; generally one rarely gets out of 1st or 2nd gear, and in those 2 gears, the motorcycle is so slow you can walk beside it. The motorcycle looks entirely different than the typical motorcycle, there is no seat (you never sit down), the bike is so compact the frame doubles as the gas tank and the whole motorcycle weighs 175 pounds, 10 pounds less than me!
About a year ago, I purchased a used trials motorcycle and started practicing (something that I can never stop doing!). I then entered my first competition in June and totaled 32 points running in the novice line. I was ecstatic, smack dab average! No trophy but not last place either. Then in July I entered another competition, I guess I should have quit while I was ahead, I scored a 59, which may have been last place! When people ask me how I did, I tell them enthusiastically “I finished!”
Though I didn’t break any bones, I did incur a few cuts and bruises, but I will try again. I’ll let you know how it turns out. See some trials practice pictures by clicking here.
Oh, I almost forgot to mention that I have a really decent John Deere 450G, 1998, with only 1516 hours that is ready to go to work. See some pictures and details by clicking here.
Thanks for reading, Ken