How to "catch/trap" oily debris while cleaning a BH prior to repairs?

[joea99]

Developed a leak on Kubota BT751 back hoe, fits B21 TLB, to give an idea of size. BH is now detached. It is filthy with fresh fluid and caked on crud.

Think I identified the leak, but considering a rebuild of cylinders and hose replacement. Some cylinders are weepy at the rod ends and some hoses may be original. I changed all the boom hoses couple years ago.

This is "open yard work" as far as dis and re assembly goes, so I am looking for an "environmentally acceptable" way clean the beastie, perhaps by gently pressure washing it, before attempting any further work. Something along the lines of a big catch basin full of cheap cat litter or something.

Ideas?

 

[seville009]

Best bet is to put a tarp under it and scrap off the caked on stuff. Then remove the tarp with all of the caked on stuff.

After that, just pressure wash it. There won’t be enough oil, etc to create any environmental damage.


You can’t really pressure wash it with the tarp underneath because everything will just wash off of it (so you won’t accomplish anything other than having a big mess to deal with)

 

[2manyrocks]

A large metal drip pan from your auto parts store is good to have to manage oily messes.

Once you get oil in cat litter, there's no getting it back out of the litter when you dispose of the litter that I know of.

 

[Gordon Gould]

I know people that put stuff like that on a trailer and bring it to a car wash which takes trucks. I've been told they have waste water collection system that are enviromentally sound ??

 

[LouNY]

If you are in an area that you have to be concerned about a small amount of oil in wash water you can get oil absorbing "pigs" to lay down and trap the oil.
PIG® Oil-Only Absorbent Boom - BOM406 - New Pig
These are designed to float on water and adsorb oils.
Others will trap and absorb everything and filter it quite well.
If you scrape off the largest and shovel that up then use a good degreaser and a soap wash then power wash it should be good and clean.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

I know people that put stuff like that on a trailer and bring it to a car wash which takes trucks. I've been told they have waste water collection system that are enviromentally sound ??

Yes, they have grease trap pits under them. Here the guy has a little dump trailer with a backhoe mounted on the rear corner. Cleans the traps out. Has some kinda low property and has been dumping it there for years in Bossier City they take toxic waste out of tanker trucks and run it on the ground and plow it in. Ends up as fertilizer. Locally we have disposal wells.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

Developed a leak on Kubota BT751 back hoe, fits B21 TLB, to give an idea of size. BH is now detached. It is filthy with fresh fluid and caked on crud.

Think I identified the leak, but considering a rebuild of cylinders and hose replacement. Some cylinders are weepy at the rod ends and some hoses may be original. I changed all the boom hoses couple years ago.

This is "open yard work" as far as dis and re assembly goes, so I am looking for an "environmentally acceptable" way clean the beastie, perhaps by gently pressure washing it, before attempting any further work. Something along the lines of a big catch basin full of cheap cat litter or something.

Ideas?

Just put a tarp down under it. Get a putty knife, get to scraping. Get a roll of shop towels for the wet stuff. Drag tarp out when done and wash it after that I know all about it. I have cleaned up oil well locations. I have power washed the dirt banks of reserve pits. Went through a shaker into a frac tank.