mini digger grab

[Busy Daddy]

finely got myself a little 3 tonne digger to feed the chipper , along with a shiny botex grab

Made an adapter for it and got it piped up

My problem is the rotator is piped into the breaker circuit and it will only spin one way , is there an easy way to make it turn both ways or is it something i have to get used to . i may have to get a new two way block fitted , has anyone done this conversion?

[nick channer]

i have my rotator piped into the crowd ram... but i have the grab in and out piped into the breaker pedal and it opens and shuts on the foot pedal so would thought a rotator would spin one way, then the other on same pedal??

[Busy Daddy]

Thanks , it may be a problem with the valve block , i dont think the breaker circuit has ever been used , not had anything to do with mini diggers before

[LGP Eddie]

Could you add a little more info please about the make and model of machine?

 

Most mini's have a two way auxiliary circuit which is obviously easily identified by the pedal operating both ways?

This would obviously rotate the grab either way, and it's usual to tap into the crowd for open/close.

 

If you're unlucky enough to have a breaker circuit fitted (flow and free return) then the grab will only rotate one way.

In reality on a mini the next point of call is to simply tap into the two way offset boom circuit that will already exist (usually on a pedal) and piped to the base of the boom.

 

You'd have to be in a mess to need offset boom to feed a chipper, so it wouldn't really matter having the function disabled whilst on grab duties.

 

Post up the model and pics of pipework and pedal would help.

 

Eddie.

[Busy Daddy]

Sorry yes it is a jcb 803

It has a pedal which moves both left and right but only seems to work on the right hand side you can feel it pressurize but nothing to the right

The breaker circuit has one small pipe and one much larger which i guess is the return

[LGP Eddie]

Almost certainly single piped with a larger free return pipe.

 

Is your offset boom on a pedal? or the type where you press the button on the lever to changeover and use the slew to operate the offset?

 

If it's the latter then not good, but if you have the pedal then easy enough to pie from the offset into the existing pipes down the boom/dipper.

 

It'll take a few minutes to change back to standard, but if you've got to fit the grab anyway it'll not be too bad.

 

Eddie.

[Busy Daddy]

The offset is on the button , pedal for the breaker

[LGP Eddie]

Ok, if you want to pm me all the machine details year serial number model etc off the plate I'll make a call.

The guy who sets my machines up is just about the best in the business and should provide a solution.

 

Eddie.

[sandy2210]

SOME! 803s have a lever which shifts it from freeflow return ie for continues use on breaker shift lever for 2 way acting will look at mine to-morrow as to where it is i think it is on the valve block but its not on all 803s

I have been thinking along similar lines-been kicking a few bits round the workshop to make a "thumb" for mine worked by a hydraulic ram and like the idea of useing the buttons for the offset to work it as it would have more control than a foot pedal does anyone know if it is possible just to switch the offset pipes with the breaker pipes at the valve block making the offset work with the pedal and the breaker circut with the buttons on the lever-sorry to highjack your thread but was going to ask the quetion when i saw your thread

[Danarm Man]

Check to see if you have another blanked off pipe were your hammer lines exit the machine base, if so swap one of the pipes to this one and this will give you a two way circuit. I've put quick release couplings on the crowd ram to enable the rotator to be conected or disconected when not needed then put the grab on the pedal.

Works a treat, best conversion you'll ever do !! The machine wont winge about chipping spikey stuff!