What did you do with your Chinese baby digger today?

[drawthree]

On my L-12, you cant back up the ramps!---- hyd. dies! -- GOTTA drive up with boom WAY out front! Course I am hauling mine on a high profile dump trailer! LOL! --- just gotta idle the motor as slow as possible to keep from killing it and brace your elbows solid on your knees and carefully work your way up/down and watch the overcenter point! ---Ya!-- THATS the interesting 6 inches of the trip! LOL!

I find the track drives about the right speed for general use. The thing that I dont like about them is that they jump all the time when you go down a hill.
There is a learning curve to run these when you are used to a 150,000 pound unit then get on this thing! LOL!
I still am satisfied with mine so far and dont regret buying it.

I've heard mention of the pickup tube in the hydraulic tank being too short on some models - maybe even the L12. Definitely sounds like the issue you are describing could be caused by something like that.

 

[oldrustysteel]

I've heard mention of the pickup tube in the hydraulic tank being too short on some models - maybe even the L12. Definitely sounds like the issue you are describing could be caused by something like that.

The L12 definitely has a known issue with hyd pick-up tube being too short. Someone had a machine shop make one, but it cost about $120 DOLLARS!! I am waiting for a cheaper fix since the weather here is bad enough, I cant use the baby digger till spring. I filled my tank almost to the top and that really helped, but on the steeper incline I still had trouble.

 

[oldrustysteel]

I've heard mention of the pickup tube in the hydraulic tank being too short on some models - maybe even the L12. Definitely sounds like the issue you are describing could be caused by something like that.

Fasten your seatbelt! Just when I think it cant get any worse,, It starts raining.

 

[Sonny580]

Seat belt???? no got one !!! LOL!!
Seriously, --- Also you have to watch which model you end up with! L-12 is the best, cause the back raises up and you can get to the gas tank, check oil, pull the recoil to start motor, remove motor, ( I had to), and in general reach most stuff in there.
H-12 you can hardly get gas in them! Still dont know how you would check the oil!
To do anything on that model design you have to unbolt the whole back panel to do anything.
Also the other models are smaller but look the same in the pix.!
The 2 post top on the L is way stronger ( better looking too) than the flimsy 4 post the H series have.

 

[dfkrug]

I was suprised at the amount of wear in the pump with so few hours. What will it look like at 100 hours? Definite proof of the need for filtration. A point you make often.

Without 2-speed drive motors we are stuck with slow but fairly strong drives. I can live with that far easier than fast and weak drives.

Seems like everyone is adding ballast. Wont that change the COG significantly? Will we see machines doing Wheelies when going up a ramp on a trailer?

That amount of wear at only 5hr or so is not too surprising, but still outrageous. And avoidable. Thanks for illustrating what I have been preaching. Already, the user is getting leakage past the pump's gears, and that adds to the heating of the oil.

I know some owners of small name-brand excavators, and the ones with 2-speed track drives report that you have to switch to low range to make some turns that have good traction. Not enough power in high range. This is with the small 3-cyl Yanmar or Kubota 10-15hp diesels. I can live with my 1.5 MPH.

COG on these machines is tremendously biased toward the side with the very heavy boom/dipper. Adding some rear weight, or a bigger rear overhang would improve that bias. Anyone who has added ballast, drive your machine over a 4x4, or large pipe and see where the balance point is. I bet the longer machines, like the EM15, even without any ballast, start out with better balance vs. the smaller ones. that have ballast.

 

[dfkrug]

One of the earlier posts had a picture of a mini that had gone over backwards when trying to load on a trailer. I noticed that the boom was forward rather than how I do it with the boom facing opposite of the trailer so that I can use it to prevent any potential of tipping. Adding more rear ballast would guarantee you need to always have the house and boom face the downward side.

That is a traumatic video. View with caution.

That said, on steep slopes, there are ways to safely have the boom uphill, or boom downhill. Swinging the boom around from uphill to downhill leaves you at risk of rollover because then the downhill boom has to be used as an outrigger and there is a moment when you have no outrigger.

You can not dig with the boom and blade downhill on a steep slope, since any additional force, or just lifting your outrigger tips you over. I have not tipped over, but I have experienced these limits many times.

Also, when driving up a really steep hill or ramp, the boom downhill, acting as a outrigger, puts most of the traction on the downhill ends of the tracks. So, extending the boom and dipper way out uphill is the only way to get up. Boom-downhill is only for driving downhill, sliding the outrigger.

I posted this earlier, but Jason is driving up his roughly 40% ramps with boom uphill, extended. Blade-uphill would also help with balance, but he wanted to move the machine further forward than that would allow.

 

[oldrustysteel]

That amount of wear at only 5hr or so is not too surprising, but still outrageous. And avoidable. Thanks for illustrating what I have been preaching. Already, the user is getting leakage past the pump's gears, and that adds to the heating of the oil.

I know some owners of small name-brand excavators, and the ones with 2-speed track drives report that you have to switch to low range to make some turns that have good traction. Not enough power in high range. This is with the small 3-cyl Yanmar or Kubota 10-15hp diesels. I can live with my 1.5 MPH.

COG on these machines is tremendously biased toward the side with the very heavy boom/dipper. Adding some rear weight, or a bigger rear overhang would improve that bias. Anyone who has added ballast, drive your machine over a 4x4, or large pipe and see where the balance point is. I bet the longer machines, like the EM15, even without any ballast, start out with better balance vs. the smaller ones. that have ballast.

Interesting point about the COG. Never thought about testing it on my L12. I have the cast iron counter weight so maybe its closer to being balanced than others. I have not yet felt the need for more weight, but I am all for making the lil guy all it can be. On machines that are heavier on the boom end, I would think that is harder on the slew bearings. common sense tells me that a bearing likes the load to be equally distributed, whenever possible. But, I am old and maybe common sense has been replaced with common core.

 

[oldrustysteel]

That is a traumatic video. View with caution.

That said, on steep slopes, there are ways to safely have the boom uphill, or boom downhill. Swinging the boom around from uphill to downhill leaves you at risk of rollover because then the downhill boom has to be used as an outrigger and there is a moment when you have no outrigger.

You can not dig with the boom and blade downhill on a steep slope, since any additional force, or just lifting your outrigger tips you over. I have not tipped over, but I have experienced these limits many times.

Also, when driving up a really steep hill or ramp, the boom downhill, acting as a outrigger, puts most of the traction on the downhill ends of the tracks. So, extending the boom and dipper way out uphill is the only way to get up. Boom-downhill is only for driving downhill, sliding the outrigger.

I posted this earlier, but Jason is driving up his roughly 40% ramps with boom uphill, extended. Blade-uphill would also help with balance, but he wanted to move the machine further forward than that would allow.

Is the machine Jason is putting in the truck similar to our machines? In other words, can I expect to go up slopes like that? Thats impressive. I also like the 2nd gen Dodge..

 

[dfkrug]

Is the machine Jason is putting in the truck similar to our machines? In other words, can I expect to go up slopes like that? Thats impressive. I also like the 2nd gen Dodge..

It is the same basic size, but built in HeChuang factory, not Rhino factory like mine. This particular one has the Kubota D722 10hp engine, hyd thumb, and swing-boom, added at the factory at his request. Filtration and cooling, too, IIRC.

Later ones of the dozen or so he bought from HeChuang had wheel brakes and Breaks & Scrapum engines, as he requested. Nicest of the 1-tonish China minis I have seen/operated.

I can live without a swing-boom, but those in the trades demand them. More money.

Mine goes up slopes like that (40%), but surface has to be smooth and damp (photo).

 

[oldrustysteel]

It is the same basic size, but built in HeChuang factory, not Rhino factory like mine. This particular one has the Kubota D722 10hp engine, hyd thumb, and swing-boom, added at the factory at his request. Filtration and cooling, too, IIRC.

Later ones of the dozen or so he bought from HeChuang had wheel brakes and Breaks & Scrapum engines, as he requested. Nicest of the 1-tonish China minis I have seen/operated.

I can live without a swing-boom, but those in the trades demand them. More money.

Mine goes up slopes like that (40%), but surface has to be smooth and damp (photo).

Impressive. I dont know if I can get used to going up and down hills that steep!! maybe if I had an E-brake and 3 point harness. Trails for hiking? Mountain biking?