Hide Site/Bug Out Location Construction, Part 6

[Flyin6]

I about heat stroked out today

Like as in really did.

Was 90+, no breeze, high humidity and I was trying to get that 700 lb stick cylinder mounted onto the track-hoe. I kept getting light headed and when I walked a couple hundred meters to get a drink, I was dragging...starting to wonder if I was going to make it. I turned red, got all flushed and head was spinning.

So what did I do you ask? Well what any fool would do, kept working. Swinging the 12 lb sledge overhead to bang back in the cylinder retention pin finished me off. Collapsed with heart racing and realized I was in trouble. Got to water and ran it over my neck and caught a break. Crawled into the chevy and started it. Put full AC on me. When I stopped having waves of nausea, I drove home, but now felt like I couldn't stay awake.

Came home, showered, hit the chair and was out for 3 hours...

And that's not the bad news!

[JR]

Had a couple spells up at the ridge. Water, rest and good to go. Think its how libs feel, light headed, no energy and blah.

Bad news?? How about I'm 63 tomorrow,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

[Flyin6]

Bad news is I can't get the new cylinder to fit. My main boom is bent enough so that the cylinder will not line up. It's about an inch out from fitting.

I am absolutely sick over the matter. I think I am about to lose the excavator, and with a summer of work planned for it hanging in the balance.

You just don't toss on a new boom. Found a used one for $9,000. crane time and trucking it somewhere will push the repair to $20K-$30K I'm thinking

I'm just sick...

[Flyin6]

Had a couple spells up at the ridge. Water, rest and good to go. Think its how libs feel, light headed, no energy and blah.

Bad news?? How about I'm 63 tomorrow,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Happy Birthday to a good and faithful friend whom I have never met!

See that...Junked up my own thread...

[Mrwoody]

Big D- what would happen if a grinder took off 1/4" on each side of each cyl.  mounting ears?      Both upper and lower ears.    You have nothing to lose right? or maybe reweld a new cyl mount on the boom. 20k would buy a lot of weld repairs.

[Nate]

is there some way to move the whole machine to where you can use some part of the earth to wedge the bucket in to it and then rotate the boom?  kind of like a big breaker bar applying force to move the boom back in the other direction?

have you spoke with DOOLEY about this?  hes the one who helped you with sarge and this in the past, correct?

[Flyin6]

is there some way to move the whole machine to where you can use some part of the earth to wedge the bucket in to it and then rotate the boom?  kind of like a big breaker bar applying force to move the boom back in the other direction?

have you spoke with DOOLEY about this?  hes the one who helped you with sarge and this in the past, correct?

No, not possible...The forces required would be titanic.

I am talking to the repair guys at his shop. I'll know more soon

Looking at having an experienced welder come and evaluate the thing. Perhaps cutting and welding may be possible

[Flyin6]

Big D- what would happen if a grinder took off 1/4" on each side of each cyl.  mounting ears?      Both upper and lower ears.    You have nothing to lose right? or maybe reweld a new cyl mount on the boom. 20k would buy a lot of weld repairs.

Would have to be 1" off one side, or 1/2" off same side of each end.

Would weaken the boom, and how would It retain grease. The cyl bore actually has a seal at each end that is kept intact when it presses against the opposing wall. With that no longer there, no seal, no grease retention and this critical working area now open to dirt.

[TexasRedNeck]

I know you covered this but I’m dense. Exactly where is the boom bent?


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[dave945]

You said this got slammed by a bridge in it’s previous life, right?  Can you get one of your whirlybird buddies to sling load a bridge from somewhere and whack it on the other side of the boom?   That would give you the titanic amount of force you were talking about.

Seriously though, there’s gotta be a way to fix. Whether it’s cutting off old mounts and rewelding in line with the cylinder, or bending the mounts on the cylinder somehow to match the mounts. Let me reiterate something that’s been said before, I’m Air Force, I’d normally just say contract it out and head to the hotel pool, but circumstances dictate more creativity.


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[JR]

Thx Don, we tried to meet. Just not in the cards this time.

On the boom, can the rear mount be relocated or can the eye be machined? I like the idea of getting a welder out there. Might loose a tad of capacity, but it would work!

Looks like were all on the same train of thought here, something can be done. Now that you have had a day to think about it too,,,,,,,,,,

[stlaser]

That boom can be repaired, it’s not 20-30k to do it either. I’d guess sub 10k…..

Ask your mechanic equipment buddies, a true fab shop can do it now that you have a good cylinder

[KensAuto]

That boom can be repaired, it’s not 20-30k to do it either. I’d guess sub 10k…..

Ask your mechanic equipment buddies, a true fab shop can do it now that you have a good cylinder

This. It's just steel right?

[dave945]

That boom can be repaired, it’s not 20-30k to do it either. I’d guess sub 10k…..

Ask your mechanic equipment buddies, a true fab shop can do it now that you have a good cylinder

This. It's just steel right?

It’s not like it’s made of something rare and expensive like Southern Yellow Pine #2 or anything.


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[TexasRedNeck]

Yeah the question is whether they can fix it in the field or he has to take it or the boom to the shop. But yeah. Big enough hammer and enough heat and electricity you can fix anything metal


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[stlaser]

Yeah the question is whether they can fix it in the field or he has to take it or the boom to the shop. But yeah. Big enough hammer and enough heat and electricity you can fix anything metal


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do not remove boom, write the check as Charles says and take machine to fab shop…..

They will cut it out (chit bent steel) and fab in whole new section. I’ve watched shops do these type of repairs, it’s actually pretty basic. You will need a shop with a cnc cutting table in house.

[stlaser]

That boom can be repaired, it’s not 20-30k to do it either. I’d guess sub 10k…..

Ask your mechanic equipment buddies, a true fab shop can do it now that you have a good cylinder

This. It's just steel right?

Yeah, I think you or I with correct equipment could fix this Ken. Granted you have very poor taste in GF’s but your fab work is pretty nice! 

[KensAuto]

Yeah the cheapest way is to air arc 2 of those ears off and tack them mounted to the cylinder...in the field. Whole bunch of welding.
 If they have to add gussets no biggie for what he's trying to do. Even $200/hour would make that a sub $2k job.

..but I also remember seeing someone mention just throwing seals in the old cylinder and running it. ;)

[stlaser]

Yeah the cheapest way is to air arc 2 of those ears off and tack them mounted to the cylinder...in the field. Whole bunch of welding.
 If they have to add gussets no biggie for what he's trying to do. Even $200/hour would make that a sub $2k job.

..but I also remember seeing someone mention just throwing seals in the old cylinder and running it. ;)

Yeah, but he has a new cylinder meaning he paid good money to get it the way it should be. That machine is worth quite a bit more if he fixes boom correctly. I’d haul it to a shop and have it done right and pay them for the labor. Then when he’s done with it and he will be at some point I’d think then he can recoup the money.

[JR]

Fix it where it sits and look for a another parts tractor or boom. Looks like that part can be carried on a regular trailer so no huge cost to transport.

Not sure where this guy is from but he does it all in the field. https://youtu.be/vxUxc-na5Dc

[Bigdave_185]

That boom can be repaired, it’s not 20-30k to do it either. I’d guess sub 10k…..

Ask your mechanic equipment buddies, a true fab shop can do it now that you have a good cylinder

Our fab shop here will do al of that on site, the have line bore machines to make any thing true, fix our bucket brackets, our tracks and all that kinda stuff. I think your probably on with cost if not less since he already has the ram


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[stlaser]

That boom can be repaired, it’s not 20-30k to do it either. I’d guess sub 10k…..

Ask your mechanic equipment buddies, a true fab shop can do it now that you have a good cylinder

Our fab shop here will do al of that on site, the have line bore machines to make any thing true, fix our bucket brackets, our tracks and all that kinda stuff. I think your probably on with cost if not less since he already has the ram


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I agree, only reason I mentioned taking to shop is they normally repair larger sections of the boom versus like the video jr posted. Long term the new steel over a larger area is better. Typically in a shop setting it’s also more precision. Those line bore welders don’t work cheap either.

[Flyin6]

I know you covered this but I’m dense. Exactly where is the boom bent?


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Seems like it is pushed in from the top (Bridge impact) and there is a depression just aft of the cylinder mount. The impact rolled the pin mount in some and created an indentation about an inch in debth. That is 1" thick steel mind you.
The sides of the boom have some "Oil-canning" indicating some warpage. I recognize that from my days flying the Chinook which would "Oil-can" in flight while lifting very heavy loads. Take a soda can and twist the opposite ends in opposite directions. He stress manifests in ripples in the sides of the can. My boom: Same thing
I do have Dan coming down to take a look at it. He is a professional welder and repairs excavators on a regular basis. He is in high demand, so getting him to work on it is one big maybe...

[Flyin6]

That boom can be repaired, it’s not 20-30k to do it either. I’d guess sub 10k…..

Ask your mechanic equipment buddies, a true fab shop can do it now that you have a good cylinder

This. It's just steel right?

Yea, just steel. Tons and tons of steel
But think about what we are talking about here. That boom weights 10K or more. I have no way to pull it off. My only option is to get it trucked somewhere, maybe Dan's shop.
Someone needs a crane to pull it off if that is the solution.
Sub 10K sounds good, but I just wonder how???
Dan was suggesting that the mount gets cut off and a new one "Cheated into place" to line up with the stick. He has to look at it to determine more what can be done...

[Flyin6]

Yeah the cheapest way is to air arc 2 of those ears off and tack them mounted to the cylinder...in the field. Whole bunch of welding.
 If they have to add gussets no biggie for what he's trying to do. Even $200/hour would make that a sub $2k job.

..but I also remember seeing someone mention just throwing seals in the old cylinder and running it. ;)

They won't fit...thing is bent so much that the mechanic had to use his truck to pull the thing apart, and it still hung up!
It's toast, and I won't use it again.

[Bigdave_185]

I know you covered this but I’m dense. Exactly where is the boom bent?


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Seems like it is pushed in from the top (Bridge impact) and there is a depression just aft of the cylinder mount. The impact rolled the pin mount in some and created an indentation about an inch in debth. That is 1" thick steel mind you.
The sides of the boom have some "Oil-canning" indicating some warpage. I recognize that from my days flying the Chinook which would "Oil-can" in flight while lifting very heavy loads. Take a soda can and twist the opposite ends in opposite directions. He stress manifests in ripples in the sides of the can. My boom: Same thing
I do have Dan coming down to take a look at it. He is a professional welder and repairs excavators on a regular basis. He is in high demand, so getting him to work on it is one big maybe...

I support this message and wish Dan all success.  Give a welder enough rod and steel and they can fix the world lol


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[Bigdave_185]

I’m not sure what your local transport fee would be.  We charge $500 start the truck fee and then $200 an hour on top of that


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[JR]

Sounds like a lawyer with a retainer,,,,,,,,,,,

[stlaser]

I’m not sure what your local transport fee would be.  We charge $500 start the truck fee and then $200 an hour on top of that


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So asking for a friend…..

Let’s say you needed a heavy liberal former 2x presidential loser gf (I’m not saying who  ) moved on a holiday weekend and let’s assume it would be a wide load. What’s that run?

[Bigdave_185]

The weight I’m sure can be handled. It’s the length and width that I need to know for permits.  Anything over 12’ needs a escort lol

I’d have to get a escort vehicle.   Lol where are we taking her ? 


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[stlaser]

The weight I’m sure can be handled. It’s the length and width that I need to know for permits.  Anything over 12’ needs a escort lol

I’d have to get a escort vehicle.   Lol where are we taking her ? 


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Welp, I hear she treats him like a rented mule so an escort wouldn’t be a far stretch I guess. Never considered him a male prostitute type really but if you have to have it I’m sure he’d do it for her. Oh wait you said escort vehicle sorry got my wires crossed up there for a minute. Anyhow, Is China too far?   

[Bigdave_185]

Iv never done any water stuff maybe Don knows some helicopters folks to fly it?


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[JR]

Only the boom need to be moved right? If you can't get someone to repair on site, pull the boom with that Kubota or tractor, lay it on your trailer and head out!

[KensAuto]

Only the boom need to be moved right? If you can't get someone to repair on site, pull the boom with that Kubota or tractor, lay it on your trailer and head out!

He said it was 10,000 lbs, and it might be, on a 25 ton Excavator.

[Bigdave_185]

Mostly likely top end of 30 tons’


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[KensAuto]

Mostly likely top end of 30 tons’


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Yeah... I keep forgetting they're measured in metric tons.

[Flyin6]

Iv never done any water stuff maybe Don knows some helicopters folks to fly it?


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Nope, I'm out

So is my hide site thread...

:-0

[Bigdave_185]

Come on now.  All jokes aside.  Do they have helicopters that can lift that?

Would the people attempt to swing one object from two helicopters?


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[Flyin6]

Come on now.  All jokes aside.  Do they have helicopters that can lift that?

Would the people attempt to swing one object from two helicopters?


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MI26 Halo lifts 44,000 lbs

The never flown CH-62 US Army heavy lift helicopter was designed to lift 22.4 tons, but after testing would have likely lifted much more

[Nate]

Too bad the sky crane idea never really took off

[Bigdave_185]

That thing is goofy looking for sure!! After looking at some other photos, just makes me want to go to a helicopter museum?

We have are air museum here in ogden but it’s mostly centered around fighter jets and things that fly out of Hill Airforce base   


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[Flyin6]

That thing is goofy looking for sure!! After looking at some other photos, just makes me want to go to a helicopter museum?

We have are air museum here in ogden but it’s mostly centered around fighter jets and things that fly out of Hill Airforce base   


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Army aviation museum is located at Ft. Rucker, AL

[Flyin6]

Too bad the sky crane idea never really took off

Nate, ah...It did take off

CH-54 Tarhe flew for many years in the Army. Was finally retired some years ago out of the National Guard.

The S-64 survives today. Almost all of them were ex-US Army airframes. Not many new S-64 sky cranes were ever built and not many of them survive to this day, maybe 25-30 worldwide

A good friend of mine, my stick buddy during instrument phase in flight school, is one of 2-3 S-64 check airmen in the world. He just retired from being the chief pilot of a company in Canada that owned 8 or 9 of them. He flies every fire season and has for decades. He fights fires in the US, Canada, Mexico, France, and Australia.
They fly the birds there unassembled, then build them up and fly them at $10k-$12K an hour and contract a minimum of five hours a day.

Those things are very expensive to operate, and now a F-model Chinook can lift just as much.

[dave945]

Saw this big one in Afghanistan while in Kandahar, think it’s the Mi-26 as well.



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[Flyin6]

Saw this big one in Afghanistan while in Kandahar, think it’s the Mi-26 as well.



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When did you see that bird there, Dave?

[dave945]

According to my original photo, that was Nov 10, 2006. Thought it was noteworthy(and a big flipping whirlybird) so I took a snap of it.


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[JR]

I thought they build more of the skycranes. Reading up Dons number is about right but many were built as civi units for logging and fire fighting. I see them often out here with all the fires and such. Just saw one in Reno over Labor day when they had a big fire at Pyramid Lake, my prop is right in line with the lake and reno airport.

[Nate]

Too bad the sky crane idea never really took off

Nate, ah...It did take off

CH-54 Tarhe flew for many years in the Army. Was finally retired some years ago out of the National Guard.

The S-64 survives today. Almost all of them were ex-US Army airframes. Not many new S-64 sky cranes were ever built and not many of them survive to this day, maybe 25-30 worldwide

A good friend of mine, my stick buddy during instrument phase in flight school, is one of 2-3 S-64 check airmen in the world. He just retired from being the chief pilot of a company in Canada that owned 8 or 9 of them. He flies every fire season and has for decades. He fights fires in the US, Canada, Mexico, France, and Australia.
They fly the birds there unassembled, then build them up and fly them at $10k-$12K an hour and contract a minimum of five hours a day.

Those things are very expensive to operate, and now a F-model Chinook can lift just as much.

Interesting

[JR]

And they still build the Chinook.

[Flyin6]

According to my original photo, that was Nov 10, 2006. Thought it was noteworthy(and a big flipping whirlybird) so I took a snap of it.


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Dave,
I was in Kandahar 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010
If you look in my book, you'll see several pics of that bird. One I am standing beside it over in Qalat where it was refueling. I was escorting it from Kabul to Tarin Kwot. Another pic shows it landing in TK making an enormous dust cloud. Yet another pic shows me in the captains seat eating mellon with the russian crew. That bird and that crew later flew into a mountain south of TK killing everyone on board