LGP Eddie

Stephen it’s great to see someone giving the Backhoe another shot. I’m from the era when literally everything was done with these, travelling to sites often fair distances and undertaking whatever tasks were thrown at you. Many underestimate now the power and reach in a Backhoe, plus once mastered the ability of the front end to do a days work for an 8 tonner in a couple of hours. Contentious maybe, but the reason they fell out of favour is the Operators mainly retired or jumped onto 360’s to avoid being the site wheelbarrow, and younger guys coming in jumped straight into the much easier Mini or Midi 360’s appearing everywhere, turning their back on the much harder to master Backhoe. Servo levers on the Backhoe brought about some relief for these guys, but back in the day you could spot them a mile off, that front bucket was only ever used to carry stuff or prop the machine up. Our ridiculous situation that forces guys to tow trailers with pickups etc absolutely on their knees, just to get around all the hassle involved in 7.5 tonners is crazy. I predict as more of the small Wheeled 360’s come through from the smart motorway builds etc, some will give these a go with floatation tyres as an alternative. I’ve actually been looking at the Backhoe again myself. Fitting a set of Michelin floatation tyres, Front quick hitch and a basic Tiltrotator setup would unleash a huge amount more potential from one and no transportation hassles. Eddie.

I’m actually going to say there could be a lot more to it than meets the eye knowing John and he perhaps keeps the actual tweaks made well guarded. They certainly build some fair setups, so whatever the formula it works. Eddie.

Just passing this on from John himself via a few texts this morning, but I’m intrigued myself now, so will find out more. No this setup doesn’t freespool, and exactly as was just said, you can with an Igland setup but basically no power in them for this application. Controls are on the main Excavator Joysticks handles, with diverter valves to change over the functions. I assume the main levers are used for maximum Operator comfort and feel. What would normally be the Excavator Boom function operates the Haul in/out. Dipper function operates the Haul Back in/out. The Bucket function operates the Skyline. I asked the obvious question about the drums fighting against each other, apparently the control function for this sits between the seat and the levers! Yes I do want a go now!? Eddie.

That’s a good question, I’ve never been in one to even think about how it’s controlled, or things like can you just release the brake and have them freewheel. I’ll see what I can find out. I’ve never seen a setup in action either, would be great to witness a good team in full flow. Eddie.

John Craig and his team have been busy in the workshop at A&B Services (Scotland). Doosan DX300 Skyline setup, it looks built like a tank! Someone getting a nice setup there, no I didn’t ask the price! Eddie.

Not often you see something else with a roofmount? Please don’t take the time to tell me it’s only worth 50p and a balloon ?! I just thought it a nice compact setup, straightforward mechanically, that someone should be able to keep running for many years to come. https://www.mascus.co.uk/agriculture/used-tractors/massey-ferguson-390-t/nhqfthni.html Eddie.

Spotted this on Digger Man Blog, might do someone here? Eddie.

Has to be worth a go, modding them jaws isn’t going to be a big job, they’re pin on, and you could try many mods before getting a proper set machined by an engineering company. You could end up selling them and newly designed pin on jaws to suit the task. Eddie

Bought for one specific project where both came into their own, and then did a few more small jobs after before I moved them on. Not huge hours, it was all priced work at the time on a big property in Oxfordshire, narrow access stuff and saved a huge amount of work between the pair of them. Yes you had to rock the Hinowa a bit to tip properly, and if you look closely you can see an additional silencer box from a Mini exhaust I added to reduce the racket it made. It absolutely transformed it to be honest, and made the pair of them ideal on domestic work. Absolute classic when I sold it, as a very well respected guy in the Plant game came to view it. He phoned his brother and literally said f@@k me it’s all like brand new and it goes on this Ifor Tipper that’s like new too. How much for the lot and the trailer, which wasn’t for sale, but a quick reckon up had a price had a figure for the package. Cheque Book straight on the Defender bonnet and done! Sometimes it pays to look after kit. As I said before it would still be a good outfit and earner today. Eddie.

Brilliant machines, I purchased mine in 2001 and sold it here in 2003. I was light years ahead back then with this setup, combining the Kubota with the brilliant Hinowa Hi Tip Dumper and both fitted perfectly on a 10ft Ifor tipper behind my 300tdi 90. It would still be a great setup even today. This was just before I sold it, yes I used to paint every scratch!? Eddie.

6 tonne class with a full tail are such capable units.? Great job. Eddie.

A real nice bit of innovation from Engcon shown in prototype form at the recent Bauma show. Basically it uses the Detachable Gripper mounting point to fix a variety of attachments, but the Saw Cassette was of most interest. Obviously this isn’t the correct grab setup for it, but I can envisage if they can get this right, it’ll be a great addition working with an Intermercato Grab or the like. A few seconds and one turn of a spanner removes it, no hoses or connectors required. They also had a form of Hedgecutter available. Eddie.

Just wanted to give a quick heads up, as many on here know I help a lot of guys behind the scenes to spec their own machine setups, and have built/sold a few, with the oldest Kubota still out there front line nearly 10 years since it was built. I’ve been selling quite a few attachments without really pushing things, guys normally find me and I do my best to help them out, but I’m now ramping things up to a position where I’m able to offer ready to go full spec machines or sit down and commission one to your exact requirements. The Liebherr Big Feller is staying, I really don’t want to lose touch with doing the job front line, with a couple more setups going together to take that hopefully to the next level in the pipeline. An unashamed plug, I’ve currently got the incredible JCB JS145 Long Reach setup available as a full ready to go package advertised. I’ll advertise the JCB through the proper channels here with full spec, but I hope to help guys into machines that are specced right for their business and provide solutions that I’d be happy to take to work myself. Eddie.

So how are four separate Auxiliary circuits controlled? Rockers in each joystick will obviously do two, but do you have changeover switches or pedal for the others? Eddie.

So how are four separate Auxiliary circuits controlled? Rockers in each joystick will obviously do two, but do you have changeover switches or pedal for the others? Eddie.

Never going to happen, the demise of the Foreman on sites has seen to that. The rise of the ‘arm out the pickup window’ men in the job have done for any sort of structure or standards on sites. Machines are seen as just another toy in the box to use, and no thought that they can make you as much collateral damage as safe productive work. Eddie.

Loads of stuff coming through from various sources at the massive Bauma show. Someone here may be handy at German, I’ve not a clue how it works, but this new Kx019-4 Kubota is supposed to have 4 yes Four Auxiliary circuits? Used to be impossible to get a second one, but manufacturers are waking up fast that guys don’t just dig and use a breaker on them now. Powertilt and Grab on this little beast! Eddie.

Could do someone? https://www.mascus.co.uk/construction/used-construction-other/boughton-1-n-hl-3-point-linkage-hydraulic-winch-st4493/yfucvn0j.html Eddie.

Femac do some VT motors on their heads. I wouldn’t say the FAE has any excess bulk? They’re built for the job and well proven, not the cheapest that’s for certain! Eddie.

Not as simple as that unfortunately. All depends on what pressure the return lines can spike to and what the rating of the motor seal is. Eddie.

Returning down the main returns, plenty of options with a case drain if you know what you’re doing. Eddie.

I took a look over this getting its head bracket made/installed, these are going to be a game changer. Priced right, light and straightforward hold then big cut. It’s under an Engcon here but no need to be. Exactly what many are after to just stick on a Hired 13 tonner, hit them at the bottom and job done. Eddie.

Lovely Hydradig showing off some impressive stability handling this Dipper Extension setup. Despite the floatation tyres it looks just soft enough where it’s working. Massive Arb machine potential in these, I’d love to do one full spec. Eddie.

That Kubota was setup different to most with what John and myself would call a full fat install. Basically the two single auxiliary circuits are actually plumbed up to be combined into a single circuit running through two pipes each side of the Dipper for maximum flow, and return. You can do this because it now has a control system and only needs a single flow/return to the Engcon valve block, where the control system will decide how it’s utilised. That means the flow goes into the Ec-Oil Blocks via two 1/2” pipes which matches the twin 1/2” fittings in them and returns the same. This makes for a very tidy install and is easily capable of handling the 100ltr/min the Kubota puts out. Back then you’d not get the full 100ltr/min through the Ec209 Unit by some margin to run a Mulcher underneath the unit, but further developments have meant if you specced it right and John worked a bit of his magic I’d expect it could be done now. If you’re prepared to go Direct Mount only on an 8 tonner, you can go with the Ec214 for more flow through the Unit than you can possibly achieve with the machine at 140 plus ltr/min. You offset having the bigger unit by not having a top quick hitch, and you’d be fine with some of the lighter Mulchers. The FAE there in 1.25m width would simply be too heavy under a unit on an 8 tonner. The latest generation of Engcon coming this year will finally have a circuit that bypasses the valve block and will give around 200 ltr/min through the Unit, which should finally be enough for almost any applications. Some still massively confuse flow with pressure, but basically flow gives you the speed and pressure gives you the power. Guys who fit Shears to any machines under 8 tonne, get your Pressure checked and in many instances a small tweak is all that’s required up to the Shear suppliers recommended pressure for an incredible increase in cut capacity. Generally 8 tonne and up they’re pushing enough out. Eddie.

Plenty of room for improvement, but a great start. The real test will come at Bauma show next week, three years on from it’s launch. It’ll be interesting to see if anyone goes down the same route of everything down below construction on another Wheeled Excavator and takes it to them head on. Eddie.