Volvo EC300D

[RCP57]

In my desire to be more like Santa, I started to build another toy today. The 1:1 is a Volvo EC300D excavator. I'm building in 1/10 scale again to match my Cat and Euclid so this thing is BIG! Hopefully when I'm done my model will look and function something like the real deal. This will be my fourth scratch build this year... I need to get a life!

Thanks for looking!

Reg

[Lil Giants]

Judging by the pop can, it looks comparible in size to my JD850. :cool:

You're going to install minature hyds to this model, right?!

As near as I can guess, I think my JD850 is using a 500ml/min Jung pump with 4mm plumbing. You could probably inquire to Vario about getting their excavator hyd set to install into your model. ;)

[RCP57]

The model will be about 41 inches from the tip of the boom( with the stick folded under) to the back of the counter balance. Is that about the size of yours?

[Lil Giants]

Yeah, pretty near identical. The 850 looks to be about 40" from back of counterweight to boom/stick pivot point.

Will you build your u/c from steel? The 850 is a bear to move around or carry by hand with its 80lbs gvw, but it stays put while it's digging. I have the pressure set to approx 25-26bar.

[RCP57]

The plan is to build as much stuff as I can out of alum because it's easier for me to make the pieces. The drawback is that it is much harder to weld, at least for me anyway.:o My Cat is virtually all alum and it weighs 20lbs with a lead acid battery so my hope is that this will be around 40/50lbs when finished.

Thanks for the info!

[steamer]

Reg, Looks like your off to a great start. Any chance it will be finished for CR museum show in Jan. From what I see in the pictures there's nothing wrong with your welding skills. Keep up the good work.
Rob

[RCLogger]

Looking real good Reg, I was starting to wonder when you would start a new project !

Keep the build photo's coming
Cheers
Greg

[RCP57]

I was hoping I would stir up my fellow islanders! I'm not to sure if it will be ready for Jan. or not, I guess we'll see how it goes. My better half asked me last night how long it would take, my response was "It will be quite a long time because I'm goin to take my time", her response was "so it will be done in three weeks?"

I guess we'll see who is right:D

Not to much happened this afternoon but...

Thanks for lookin guys:)

[tracksntreadslou]

Great start Reg ..At the rate your building we should be movin dirt at the duncan show .Those guys are pretty pumped about us showing up...you gona show up too..? you have your hydros worked out or are you planning something different?

[RCP57]

Great start Reg ..At the rate your building we should be movin dirt at the duncan show .Those guys are pretty pumped about us showing up...you gona show up too..? you have your hydros worked out or are you planning something different?

I hope to have this done long before the Duncan show and I plan on joining you guys there for sure Lou!

I'm not sure what I'm doing to move the thing yet. I would like to do hydro's and make my own cylinders but I may end up doing something else. My plan is to start building the track frame next week when Princess Auto opens in Langford:).

I haven't had much time the last couple days but I started my digging bucket last night and roughed in some teeth tonight.

[steamer]

Hey you lucky dog, when are they planing the opening. It'll be great having them on the island. so let us know when the big day is and I'll be there. By the way the bucket looks awesome.
Rob

[RCP57]

Princess is supposed to open on the 15(tuesday). We drove by last week and it looked like the shelves were mostly stocked and ready to go! I hope they have the sprockets I need!


I'll probably see you there Rob:D

[RCP57]

Had time to do a little more tinkering on the bucket today. There is still a few things to weld on and then I'll clean up the welds a bit and properly mount the teeth.

[rc_farmer]

This is very interesting, as i have said before, i really like the scratch builds.

[pumptech]

The Boom,Arm,and Bucket looks awesome,great job on them!! ,looking forward to seeing more of this build!!
Again,very nice work:)
Tommy

[modelman]

Nice work-It looks like everything is aluminum. Will you use any bushings on the joints?

[RCP57]

A little update on the volvo...

Modelman, All the pivot points are made with aluminum bushings for now. I've made them all a little wider than they would be in real life so they should stand up with a little grease.

Thanks for the complements!

Reg

[modelman]

Thanks-I like the scratch builds and I will be following your progress.

[doodlebug]

Thank's for using the semi universal unit of measurement-Pepsi Can!
Look's great so far.

Cheer's, Neil.

[RCP57]

Couple updated photos. I picked up the drive sprockets a few days ago and made the front idlers today. I've just about done as much as I can without spending any money so production will probably slow down a lot shortly.:(

Christmas has to take priority now! LOL!

[RCP57]

I've had a little more time to tinker in the last few days so the undercarriage is starting to take shape a bit. It's been a bit of a pain in the #@$ but if things go too easy it's not as fun right:confused::confused:

[ihbuilder]

starting to really take shape Reg :eek: yes , no fun if it's easy :p

[Lil Giants]

I like easy, though really for me it never goes that way... measure three times & still f/k it up. I'm doomed to rely on other ppl's skills to have functioning models. :(

How do you cut your aluminum so crisp & clean?

[Brian in PA]

looks great! What scale is it? It looks huge!

Brian

[RCP57]

I just use patience, a geared down bandsaw and a file or grinder with a flapwheel. I try to use flapwheels that are worn out so their not as hungry.

It's 1/10 scale, and I wouldn't call it huge because it's only 21" tall and 56" from the bucket teeth to the counter ballance:eek:

Reg

[RCLogger]

Looks good Reg, you are moving along at a good pace.

[RCP57]

Thanks Greg! I'm trying to do as much of the building as I can while work is slow then hopefully when work picks up I can do the spending on the things I can't make:eek:

I ordered a couple Sabertooth's and three gear motors yesterday so hopefully that will keep things moving for a bit.

I machined the front idler guides and got them welded on along with a few other bits. I hope to tackle the swing bearing and gear this weekend...

[smart racer]

very impressive fab work and build...great to see more Island talent...where are you located on the rock?

[RCP57]

Everyone is probably bored of my pics but here are a few of my swing gear setup. Hopefully I will see my gear motors late next week so that I can have it spinnin and drivin soon!

Reg

[Lil Giants]

Yes we are tired of your photos, hurry up & finish it and post some videos of it working already! Geez Reg?! :confused: :p :D

Where did you source that large gear & pinion from? What's the dia of the pinion, looks a little big? Is there smaller ones to pick from?

[RCLogger]

Looks great Reg

Looks like you will have it done by the end of the weekend at the pace your going...hahahaha

greg

[RCP57]

Yes we are tired of your photos, hurry up & finish it and post some videos of it working already! Geez Reg?! :confused: :p :D

Where did you source that large gear & pinion from? What's the dia of the pinion, looks a little big? Is there smaller ones to pick from?

HAHA! I knew someone would ask... It's a modified Honda Z50 primary drive... with rubber dampers. I hate spending money and I'm a hoarder so I thought I'd try it... might not be strong enough though:rolleyes:

It's reduction is about 3.7:1 and I'm using a 17 rpm gear motor(12v)so it will give me around 4.5 rpm all said and done. the 1:1 turns at 7 rpm so it will be a little slow I guess but I may run a little more than 12 volts so we'll see.

[RCP57]

Looks great Reg

Looks like you will have it done by the end of the weekend at the pace your going...hahahaha

greg

HAHA maybe...:cool: I'm pushing to have it done by the end of the year but it really depends on how much of the hydraulic system I can piece together. I am hoping to make it all instead of buying it but it will take some time. I have a lot more time than money though so...

Starting the cab tomorrow...

Reg

[RCP57]

Although I didn't finish it by the end of the weekend like Greg had predicted, I have made some progress...

[RCP57]

a few more...

[rockNmayhem]

Progress is looking good Reg. Looks like you may be done with the body work in some short time at the rate you're going right now. Keep up the pace, it looks good.

Tyler

[steamer]

Reg. she's looking real nice! Is the Lincoln in the picture your main tig and how do you like it . Been a long time since I used one, but would like to get back at it again. Just looking to see witch one is the better mach. What's your take on the Miller.
Rob

[RCP57]

Reg. she's looking real nice! Is the Lincoln in the picture your main tig and how do you like it . Been a long time since I used one, but would like to get back at it again. Just looking to see witch one is the better mach. What's your take on the Miller.
Rob

Disclaimer; I am not a welder and have no formal training in anything therefore I do not know WTF I'm talking about at the best of times but here it goes:p


I have a Miller Diversion 165(which I'd like to sell) and the Lincoln Precision 225. My Dad and I originally bought the Miller because it was the most affordable TIG that could weld Al, stainless ect, and it suited our needs well at the time but I started making headache racks and other stuff so I wanted more amperage. We picked up the Lincoln used back in Feb(only 3 months old) of this year and I really like it but it should be better as its twice the price of the Miller new and has more features.

Before we picked up the 225 I did a lot of research and it seems like both Lincoln and Miller are very competitive in any size or type of machine and that it usually depends on which color your more used to.

One thing that I will say though is that our Diversion is an inverter style(50lbs) and the lincoln is the transformer style(288lbs) so the size factor is a pain plus all the new inverter type welders in either color are much less power hungry for their given outputs. A welder friend of mine suggested that I save up for a Miller Dynasty 200(inverter type) but it was way out of my price range and probably too complex for my level of understanding so I bought the Lincoln and I'm very happy.

So go out and buy one! What's your favorite color? Red or Blue?

Reg

[pumptech]

Reds my favorite color:D
I must say ,outstanding job your doing on the excavator,your skills are amazing.
Great build ,coming along nicely.:)
Keep the pics coming!!

[RCP57]

Reds my favorite color:D
I must say ,outstanding job your doing on the excavator,your skills are amazing.
Great build ,coming along nicely.:)
Keep the pics coming!!

Thanks!

I wouldn't say that red is my favorite color but some of my favorite things do happen to be red... go figure:confused:

Here's a few pics of todays chicken turds...

[Trucker47]

Great build you go got going and the craftsmanship is awesome!

Chris

[elliot330]

Hi ....

Fantastic build so far... have you thought about the hydraulics yet?

Frank aka Vario supply everything from complete rams to kit versions, plus pumps. Worth dropping him an email with your requirements and seeing what he can do for you!

Good luck with the rest of it.

This is the price list from his website, scroll down for pumps etc

http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&rurl=translate.google.com&tl=en&twu=1&u=http://www.fumotec.de/preisliste/index.php&usg=ALkJrhiUWRQB7d636mPb1HBm1FY8Lqmo-A

[RCP57]

Hi ....

Fantastic build so far... have you thought about the hydraulics yet?

Frank aka Vario supply everything from complete rams to kit versions, plus pumps. Worth dropping him an email with your requirements and seeing what he can do for you!

Good luck with the rest of it.

This is the price list from his website, scroll down for pumps etc

http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&rurl=translate.google.com&tl=en&twu=1&u=http://www.fumotec.de/preisliste/index.php&usg=ALkJrhiUWRQB7d636mPb1HBm1FY8Lqmo-A

Thanks very much for the compliments and the link!

The hydros are in the works and will hopefully be all custom made. The cylinders should be finished very soon!:D

I took a couple days off from the Volvo but I got back at it a little today.


http://youtu.be/-UCvGKvOdXA

[steamer]

Blue is my favorite color. Reg it sounds more like a Harley than a Honda. Great work on the swing drive. Having all those boxes of spare parts sure comes in handy. And you know what the ladies say, If they can't find you handsome, maybe they can find you handy.
Rob

[RCP57]

Blue is my favorite color. Reg it sounds more like a Harley than a Honda. Great work on the swing drive. Having all those boxes of spare parts sure comes in handy. And you know what the ladies say, If they can't find you handsome, maybe they can find you handy.
Rob

Thanks Rob! HAHA! Having some "bits and pieces" stocked up never hurt anyone! I'm not sure if my lady finds me handsome OR handy though really? I guess there must be a reason and it's definately not for my money because I never seem to have any of that!

I'm really happy with the way the swing drive turned out. I was worried it would be too slow but it turns around 7rpm so it's close to what it should be and seems like it will be smooth with a little practice.

Oh ya, Blue sounds good, I would have bought more of it for my shop had I not found the red one for a really good price.

A couple pics from today...

Reg

[pumptech]

Just watched the vid of her swinging around,looks awesome,keep up the great work:D

[RCP57]

Just watched the vid of her swinging around,looks awesome,keep up the great work:D

Thanks very much! I've been working this week so I haven't made much progress on the excavator. My prototype pump is done now and some other pieces are in the works. The pump puts out around 1200ml per minute with no load so now I'm hoping it will pump enough pressure!

Reg

[RCP57]

I finally got to spend most of a day in the shop today:D It doesn't really seem like I accomplished much but everything I did today was tedious.

Hopefully I can finish the undercarriage tomorrow and then get back to working on the body.

Reg

[check]

Your work is very good. I like your creation and I have it. :)

[Vanisle]

Wow Reg. You work fast. It looks great so far. I can't remember if you asked to see a valve in another thread or not but I have some Leimbach valves if you wanted to look at one.

Richard

[chaseracer]

looking great, amazing work. wow there are some great builders and machines here on the island. keep it comming I and watching

[RCP57]

Wow Reg. You work fast. It looks great so far. I can't remember if you asked to see a valve in another thread or not but I have some Leimbach valves if you wanted to look at one.

Richard

Hey Richard, Yes I did ask if anyone had any pics or whatever of the valves apart. I was hoping to be able to see what they look like inside so that we could build something similar knowing it would work right the first time. We have a pump built that I hope will work, the cylinders are drawn up, relief valve is built and working but we haven't attemped the valves yet so any info would be appreciated for sure!

Thanks for the compliments guys, I'm headed out to the shop!

Reg

[RCP57]

I finally got both tracks done....

[RCP57]

For those who are interested... http://youtu.be/nPCMwuudq1o

[RCLogger]

Right on Reg
Its always cool to have a new build move for the first time... Did you end up using a Sabertooth ? Also, what did you do for a slip-ring or did you build one ?

greg

[RCP57]

Right on Reg
Its always cool to have a new build move for the first time... Did you end up using a Sabertooth ? Also, what did you do for a slip-ring or did you build one ?

greg

Yes and yes. I used a sabertooth on the tracks as well as the swing. I'm hoping to use the spare channel on the second sabertooth to run the pump but I don't know how that will go yet. You probably would guess that I built my own slip-ring and you would be correct. It needs a little fine tuning as it has a couple dead spots where it breaks contact at the moment but I think it will work fine once I do that. Have you decided what your doing on your slip-ring yet?

Reg

[Trucker47]

Awesome work! I am always amazed how fast this build is going every time i check it. Just wondering on the Sabertooth can you program it to run both motors off one channel? So that it becomes a dual motor single channel esc?

Thanks,
Chris

[RCP57]

Awesome work! I am always amazed how fast this build is going every time i check it. Just wondering on the Sabertooth can you program it to run both motors off one channel? So that it becomes a dual motor single channel esc?

Thanks,
Chris

I'm not sure exactly what your looking for but you can set the mixing so that each channel is completely independent from the other. That's how I've set it up on my swing motor. I'm sure you could power two motors off of the same side of the speed control without issues and still have the other channel for????

Hope this helps?

[Iron Art]

Reg, I'm amazed at your skill and speed that you can utilize those skills, In my case the faster I go the worse the outcome, that dosn't apply in your case. Cool build!!! Fred

[modelman]

Very nice work! Would you show a picture of the slip ring?

[RCP57]

Very nice work! Would you show a picture of the slip ring?

The slip-ring isn't pretty(neither are the photos). I put 4 grooves in some nylon on the lathe and then wrapped each wire around agroove and soldered it. The wire coming out of the bus bar is stainless filler rod(very stiff) so I made a plexi block to isolate the wires and attached 2 springs to the block for tension. I'm sure there is an easier more effective way to do it but I had all these things in my junk so...

Reg

[RCP57]

I was able to put in a couple hours of fab work on the house yesterday afternoon. I may have driven it around the shop floor again too... it's just testing at this point though right?:D

[steamer]

That shop must be unheated Reg to make you work so fast. Your welding skills are fantastic. How are you fastening all the sub assemblies together? Can hardly keep up with pictures and vids, but keep them coming. Good show!!!!!
Rob

[Brian in PA]

Great build! You got some mad welding skills!

Brian

[ihbuilder]

I like your slip ring Reg , I never throw scrap away till I can't extract anything else out of it . then scrapy gets to haul it at the meets

[Trucker47]

Coming along great! Keep up the great work! Are you TIG welding it together or using a durafix rod?

Chris

[RCP57]

Thanks for the compliments guys,

The sub assemblies will be pinned or just a tight fit. The swing bearing will be glued into the house once the metal work is finished as a c-clip holds it to the gear assembly on the track frame. Most of the body will just lift off to access the guts when needed and I plan to hinge the engine cover for battery changes. I will leave enough space near the side cut outs to run a cooling fan if needed as well.

Everything is TIG welded Chris.

Thanks for checking out my progress!

Oh yeah, The shop is nice and warm Rob, I'm just non-union;)

Reg

[RCP57]

I was able to put in another couple hours today and finally got to weld the cab together. I haven't decided whether I will cut out the windows or just paint them black. There is a lot of small cut outs to make so I'm leaning toward painting them on.

[dirtpusher9]

Man I wish I could build like that.

[RCP57]

Man I wish I could build like that.

You've got to be joking right? Have you seen the stuff you build? I would say that if you built like me you would be stepping backwards from where you are already. The only thing I have going for me is lots of time to devote to my projects.

Reg

[RCP57]

I went to build the air cleaner today and discovered that I had set the engine cover too far back. I made a little strip and welded it to the engine cover, the bonus from my mistake is that I now have more room to access the insides without removing the whole body. After all that and talkin to Rob(steamer) for half the afternoon:p I was only able to build and mount the aircleaner and exhaust today:( oh and glue in my swing bearing.

[chaseracer]

looks great. wow :eek:

[pumptech]

X 2 on dirtpushers9 comment!
Awesome build skills,Looking forward to seeing her digging:):D

[RCP57]

Thanks very much for the compliments guys! It really means a lot to hear positive feedback from people who have fantastic builds of their own.

I played a little this morning and got the windows cut out. I decided that I would never be satisfied if I painted them on. I may end up tinting them very dark though and not doing the interior but we'll see. Hopefully I'll be able to sneek out to the shop on boxing day and continue plugging along!

Merry Christmas to everyone!

Reg

[RCLogger]

Well done Reg
Looks like it will be done by the NEW YEAR !

Merry Christmas

[RCP57]

No new progress for the last two days but I did pick up an RC4WD 1/10 racing seat today at the hobby shop. It's not perfect but I think it will do the job! I also picked up some new pinion gears that I hope will work for a new hydraulic pump. The old pump moved too much oil and was too hard to turn at 20 bar so back to the drawing board.:(

[doodlebug]

Hey Reg, have you considered belt or gear reduction on your old pump?
Look's great so far!
Cheer's, Neil.

[RCP57]

Hey Reg, have you considered belt or gear reduction on your old pump?
Look's great so far!
Cheer's, Neil.

The pump seems to work really well(turns easy very quiet and puts out over a 1l per min) up until about 10-12 bar and then after that it's flow drops off quite a bit. At 2500 rpm it will make 20 bar and around 600ml per minute but is very hard to turn. If you slow it down anymore at that pressure it hardly pumps at all so I think we need to try a more conventional setup. We may play around with this pump a bit more but I think switching to a external gear pump might be better at this point.

Thanks

[doodlebug]

Hey Reg, sound's like you're on top of it. I'm guessing at lower rpm, internal leakage or slippage is killing efficiency?
Keep up the good work!
Cheer's, Neil

[modelman]

Really nice work you are doing! I like the details you are adding!

[RCP57]

Nasty weather kept me from working today so I put a little time into the Volvo again. I finished the hydraulic tank and started doing some detail in the cab. I'm cheating and using some wood inside the cab but I just don't have the patients to build the controls out of alum. I hope to have it painted soon... I want to start something else...

Reg

[doodlebug]

I see a cup holder:D Way to go Reg! Look's great!
Cheer's, Neil.

[RCP57]

I see a cup holder:D Way to go Reg! Look's great!
Cheer's, Neil.

If it was the real deal I would have to put my rhum and coke somewhere...now if they only came with an icemaker...:eek:

A very minor update...

Reg

[RCLogger]

Looks great Reg

greg

[SonoranWraith]

Looks great and the wood is a great medium for the interior. I have seen a lot of scratch tractor builds in German forums that use wood for that.

[RCP57]

I put in a few hours on the Volvo today. It doesn't look I did anything but the hours went somewhere:confused:. Finished painting the interior and started on the cab. Hopefully I can get it all painted by the end of the weekend! With all these other excavator builds starting, I've got to get moving again!

Reg

[Snochaser]

Great job. I really like this build, I've been watching silently and envious of your skills.

[pumptech]

Wow!! Cab detail is awesome !!:D

[RCP57]

Thanks guys. Does anyone dislike painting as much as I do? Anyway, I got a bit more done today but I hate waiting for paint to dry:mad: especially when the paint looks the sh!$# and you have to redo it! The paint on the bucket looks great... figures that it would turn out and the cab looks like poop. Maybe tomorrow...

Reg

[steamer]

Reg I don't see a darn thing wrong with the paint. Just use the fifty foot rule and if anyone gets closer you know what to do!!!!
Sometimes it's frustrating when you try real hard and with paint there ain't no golden rules to follow. Just keep trying till your satisfied!!!
Rob

[RCP57]

Reg I don't see a darn thing wrong with the paint. Just use the fifty foot rule and if anyone gets closer you know what to do!!!!
Sometimes it's frustrating when you try real hard and with paint there ain't no golden rules to follow. Just keep trying till your satisfied!!!
Rob

I don't want to try anymore Rob! Haha... I still hate painting... I hate waitin for it to dry even more! Hopefully by tomorrow it will be done and I can move on...

Reg

[chaseracer]

looks better everytime I look, keep it up.

[steamer]

If you hate painting that much, I've sent you a message to cheer you up.
Rob

[RCP57]

If you hate painting that much, I've sent you a message to cheer you up.
Rob

Rob,
Spain you say?...

Even though the wife's car died at her work last night and my painting skills are $h!t, that made my morning... it might make my afternoon as well:)

Have you tried that recipe I sent you??

Reg

[CustomClod]

Looks great! And love the detail work. Awesome job
Scott

[steamer]

Reg. The pasta was great, but the appetizers were even better!!!
Rob

[RCP57]

Reg. The pasta was great, but the appetizers were even better!!!
Rob

HAHA I though you may enjoy that one... It looked tasty to me. I don't if I could get all of that on my plate at once though.;)

[RCP57]

I'm still having very little success with the yellow color and I've tried 3 different brands of paint now! The last stuff I bought sprays OK but after 14 hours in front of a heater it's still tacky:mad: The greyish color is fine and looks good enough(kinda) for a machine that hopefully get banged up with use.

Reg

Keep the "travel photo's" coming Rob :D

[doodlebug]

Hey Reg, I like the Cat yellow spray paint, it goes on thick! Would wet sanding the cab help it look better? Keep up the great work, I can't paint either!
Cheer's, Neil.

[RCP57]

Hey Reg, I like the Cat yellow spray paint, it goes on thick! Would wet sanding the cab help it look better? Keep up the great work, I can't paint either!
Cheer's, Neil.

The Cat yellow does paint nice... even when it's not Cat brand. When I painted my 955 I used old cat yellow from Can/tire and it worked great! This bright stuff is a pain! My shop isn't super warm so maybe that doesn't help but it is heated so I don't know... The painted parts are now in the house beside the woodstove stinking up the place.

I finished the undercarriage and boom today so at least that is back together. I just put the "final" coat of yellow on the main chunk of the house so hopefully tomorrow I can mask it and finish off the rest of it.

[RCLogger]

Good progress Reg

I am doing some painting as well, not a good time of year, its nice when the weather is warm and painting can be done outside...

[modelman]

Looks good to me. I tell people these are not show pieces, they are construction models made for working. I agree with you though, painting is a pain. I painted my truck with the wrong paint and it didn't dry so I had to clean that sticky mess off and start over :eek:. Great model you have going though!!

[RCP57]

Looks good to me. I tell people these are not show pieces, they are construction models made for working. I agree with you though, painting is a pain. I painted my truck with the wrong paint and it didn't dry so I had to clean that sticky mess off and start over :eek:. Great model you have going though!!

I remember reading about your paint not drying. Your truck looks great now though! I think it has a lot to do with the weather right now and the fact that I'm an idiot and don't leave each coat long enough. The shop has heat but it's more for humidity control and when it's snowing outside it's probably only 50 or so degrees inside.

I spoke to my father inlaw last night and he said that he would have the cylinders done this week and hopefully get started on the pumps and valves as well... I'm a little excited:D:D:D:D:D... I hope he has the time.

Thanks Reg

[RCP57]

Wooo-Hooo some of the paint is dry! I still have a lot of painting to do but I couldn't resist putting the pieces together... some of them may still be tacky but.... Oh ya, I know you guys love the couch but it's not for sale!lol

[chaseracer]

wow looking good, and it is big :D

[steamer]

Reg, you got a couch and carpeted floors in your shop!! That's way too cool!!
Honestly the yellow turned out just fine. Well done!
Rob

[RCLogger]

Looks like the real deal Reg, BUT that is one ( Big Couch )

greg

[RCP57]

Thank guys, I'm not happy with one of the panels so I guess I will re-spray that before I paint the rest of the grey-black on the body and counter balance. It's snowing like crazy this morning so I may end up in the shop instead of working today.

It is big! I know it didn't grow by painting it but as soon as I painted the bucket I was like... Holy $h!t this thing is big! Now that the whole thing has some color it looks even larger.

How big is your hoe chucker Greg? This one is 55 1/2" from the bucket teeth to the counter balance. I may have to drive the truck to the shows this year instead of my car.:)

[modelman]

Looking better with each picture-should make a great model. I really like the scratch builds. I have to chuckle a bit when I read about someone who has bought a kit and has to drill out some holes and complainng about how much trouble they are having getting it put together. If they only knew how much work goes into a scratch build. Oh well, I guess it's good that kits are available for those who don't want to build.

[RCP57]

Looking better with each picture-should make a great model. I really like the scratch builds. I have to chuckle a bit when I read about someone who has bought a kit and has to drill out some holes and complainng about how much trouble they are having getting it put together. If they only knew how much work goes into a scratch build. Oh well, I guess it's good that kits are available for those who don't want to build.

Thanks

There really is a huge amount of work that goes into these scratch builds. I started my first scratch build about 12 months ago and I couldn't tell you how many hundreds of hours I've put in on the four machines and their detail isn't even that great compaired to most. Building these models has helped get me through the worst period of my life too. I really like the build process so I would and will, buy more equipment to make the job easier for the next one. I don't have anything against kits I just have been raised by "do it yourselfers" if you will and enjoy the challenge of making something from nothing!

Thanks again to anyone who appreciates the effort:)

[RCP57]

Spent another day waiting for paint to dry and snow to melt... not really but it seems that way! I built and painted the walkway or whatever ya call it today and threw another(final) coat of yellow on the last piece of the body. Hopefully when I mask and spray the other color on it doesn't F-up this time. There isn't too much left that I want to do on this machine now until my father inlaw completes the hydraulics so I'm starting to plan my next build. The only problem is I can't decide what to try to make next.

Thanks for lookin!

[Jared]

The only problem is I can't decide what to try to make next.

A Northwest shovel would look right at home loading your truck.


http://www.nuqq.com/images/histPics/largePic5.jpg

[RCP57]

A Northwest shovel would look right at home loading your truck.


http://www.nuqq.com/images/histPics/largePic5.jpg

Hey That's a great picture! I think I'm going to stay away from anything with tracks this time though! lol

[RCP57]

Yahoo, The yellow finally dried so I finished up the rest. Time to cut the windows, make a grab rail and call it bad enough until the hydraulics are done. I know that there will be a bit of detail missing but I think mirrors and stuff will get knocked off in transport.

Reg

I know I know... It's a sweet couch but it's not for sale:p

[Jared]

It's looking sharp! How much does it weigh as it is right now?

Mirrors and lights and any other relatively flimsy appendages have a way of getting knocked out, off, and around if it spends any time in the brush. Or if they have to be taken off for transport to keep things narrow often they never get put back on.

[pumptech]

Hey Reg ,this excavator is top notch all the way!!Paint job looks great!Looking forward to the next update:D

[RCP57]

Thanks guys,

The paint looks good from about ten feet away!LOL It reminds me of a 40 year old machine that has had a few "5 gallon overhauls" if ya know what I mean. It will have to do though, hopefully it will be banged up from use one day soon.

I'm not to sure how much it weighs just yet but as it sits now(static) I would say that it's less than 20lbs. It will gain some fat though when all the hydraulics and batteries are installed.

[steamer]

Hey Reg it turned out great.
How close are the hydro's to being finished, And I bet it won't be on that couch full of oil.
Don't forget next weekend is the Campbell River Museum show. Jan 28 & 29th noon till five.
Rob

[RCP57]

Hey Reg it turned out great.
How close are the hydro's to being finished, And I bet it won't be on that couch full of oil.
Don't forget next weekend is the Campbell River Museum show. Jan 28 & 29th noon till five.
Rob

Thanks Rob, I'm not sure how long it will be before the hydro's are finished. My father inlaw is workin on it when he can and has a little of everything started but nothing finished just yet. I think it will be a while so I'm gathering specs on my next project...:D

Reg

[Fired up]

Great work. Very speedy. I have a hard time getting Into the shop with work and honey do list. Keep it up. Love these builds.

[RCP57]

Thanks Fired Up!


I'm fired up myself! I have cylinders!!!!!!!!!! Their not quite finished but they are ready to be drilled for fittings and the o-rings installed so I'm a happy boy! I think my Father Inlaw did a nice job on them.

Reg

[ihbuilder]

"I think my Father Inlaw did a nice job on them."

:eek: yea I think he did ;) the excavator looks great

[RCLogger]

Looks like it is time to sell the fishing boat and go into the model building business.. Are you going to post some build photo's of the cylinders ?

greg

[RCP57]

Looks like it is time to sell the fishing boat and go into the model building business.. Are you going to post some build photo's of the cylinders ?

greg

I don't think anyone would be forming a line to buy one of my models but I guess you never know until you try right?

The cylinders are a family secret so no build photos... Just kidding I'll take some pics of the pieces before I do the final assembly.

Reg

[chaseracer]

I don't think anyone would be forming a line to buy one of my models but I guess you never know until you try right?

The cylinders are a family secret so no build photos... Just kidding I'll take some pics of the pieces before I do the final assembly.

Reg

where does the line start ;), awesome looking what a brute of a machine every things looks great. looking forward to seeing it in action.

[RCP57]

where does the line start ;), awesome looking what a brute of a machine every things looks great. looking forward to seeing it in action.

Thanks for the vote of confidence, maybe there will be "two of" next time!



I haven't really had much time lately but I finally had a day off again so I put in a little time on the Volvo and finished the cylinder and mounts for the thumb. I can't wait for the pump and valves to be finished so that I can plumb it and try it out! When it's all built I hope it works:eek:


Reg

[Vanisle]

That looks great ... but not sure it goes with the couch.

[RCP57]

That looks great ... but not sure it goes with the couch.

Haha to be honest I'm not sure that anything goes with that couch!

Reg

[doodlebug]

That looks great ... but not sure it goes with the couch.

Maybe a big dog:p:eek::D

Cheer's, Neil.

[RCP57]

Maybe a big dog:p:eek::D

Cheer's, Neil.

You pretty much nailed it Neil, It was our yellow labs couch...

Reg

[carp]

Looking good! have you connected your sprockets directly to the gear motors? if so does this not put strain on the motor shaft?

[Azonic]

Looks awesome, makes me think of Chris from lets dig on YT, it must be the thumb! :)

[RCP57]

Thanks guys! The sprockets are directly connected to the motors but it seems to work fine. I used a lot less spring tension on the Volvo than I did on the Cat so that should help reduce wear. I do think that it would be better to drive the tracks off a jackshaft but the gear motors are cheap and easy to change down the road if it becomes a problem.

Reg

I picked up some things today for my next projects:D

[steamer]

Okay now you've got us curious, are you going to spring it now or make us wait. And how many projects are you planing?
The Volvo is looking better every day, Can't wait to see it dig.
Rob

[RCP57]

Okay now you've got us curious, are you going to spring it now or make us wait. And how many projects are you planing?
The Volvo is looking better every day, Can't wait to see it dig.
Rob

I have two things in mind Rob and they both have tires, 1 very large and the other has many... I have some parts for both but haven't decided exactly what I'm building:confused:. I did buy two brand new grinders today... They no longer work...:D:rolleyes:

[steamer]

Oh, Oh, Looks like you were doing some shopping at Princess Auto. It looks like 110 volt items, are you going to have generators on board. Man these things are going to be BIG!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rob

[RCP57]

Oh, Oh, Looks like you were doing some shopping at Princess Auto. It looks like 110 volt items, are you going to have generators on board. Man these things are going to be BIG!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rob

HAHA! Yep, Pricess Auto. There is something strange about buying brand new power tools and tearing them apart without ever plugging them in... I figured that this was the cheapest way to buy myself some large ring and pinion gears though. I spent most of the day on the lathe today and have made a little progress but I'm not quite ready to let the cat out of the bag just yet.;)

Reg

[RCP57]

Finally had time last week to order up some decals for the 300. They were done yesterday so I stuck them on. The scale of the decals is a little off(small) but they look OK, I may have them redone larger though if it continues to bother me. I also did the windows for the cab today... finally! I have no plans to do any more to this machine until the hydros are done so I guess it's a good thing I've already started something else....:D

Reg

Thanks for lookin!

[RCP57]

I spent a little time on the Volvo today. I changed my swing bearing setup a little as it now rides on two bearings instead of one bearing and a nylon bushing. This seems to have tightened up the slack that was there before so I'm happy. I also ruffed in all my hydaulic lines. My father inlaw should be finished the valve block in the next week so I'm getting excited about this thing again!

Reg

[Espeefan]

That looks really good! Almost like a mass produced machine. I am sure that you'd have some guys lining up to buy something like this, if you offered it. If you build they will come! But it really does look the part! I'm interested to see how it performs!

[RCP57]

I made up this planetary drive for my jung pump out of some stuff I had lying around(cough..hoarder). It ain't pretty but neither am I!:p I'm not sure how this will workout because I don't have a valve block yet but it seems to build enough pressure to split hoses without slowing down:eek: hehe oops! 30bar is no problem... I've run it with three cylinders going at once and it seems like its OK for speed but it might be too slow once I'm running it all at once. Time will tell...


Reg

[doodlebug]

Hey Reg, that's a neat idea! and no expensive belt's to fuss with. I'm looking forward to seeing the beast in action! Will you take a picture of the pump, with the standard unit of measure? pop can or beer bottle. Tape measure take's the fun out of it!
Cheer's, Neil.

[RCLogger]

Good work Reg

Is the motor and planatary from a drill ?

greg

[Vanisle]

That didn't take you long to figure something out. Nice work.

[modelman]

This machine looks as good as the hi-dollar models that are out there! Guess the proof will be when you get it "in the dirt". Good job.

[RCP57]

Good work Reg

Is the motor and planatary from a drill ?

greg

Maybe.... LOL It's a strange set up but it ended up working OK at least as far as the hook up is concerned. It pumps a huge amount of pressure without labouring but only time will tell if it turns fast enough to move enough oil for the size of the cylinders. I made a belt drive set up too using some stuff that I had but the pulleys didn't provide enough reduction and the motor would stall at 18bar so I went on to build this. The valve block should be finished today or tomorrow so I really have my fingers crossed that it all works. It's been nearly five months since I started this build and I wanna play!

Thanks for the compliments guys!

[Madda]

I really like your build, very clean and precise!

How did you installed the windows? Just cut them very accurately and glued into the "pocket"? It's just that the windows look good and I'm searching for ideas on my build.

So you made all your hydraulics by yourself?

[RCP57]

I really like your build, very clean and precise!

How did you installed the windows? Just cut them very accurately and glued into the "pocket"? It's just that the windows look good and I'm searching for ideas on my build.

So you made all your hydraulics by yourself?

Thanks,

Yes the windows are cut slightly larger than the cut out, and glued in place on this model.

I can't take any credit for the hydraulics other than making the drive for the pump. The pump itself is a Jung, and the cylinders and valve block were made by my Father-inlaw.

Reg

[RCP57]

My father inlaw finished the pieces of the valve block today. I have to do a couple things and then assemble it. Hopefully it works:confused:

Reg

[Madda]

Whoa! Nice valves you've got! I hope it works out for you, I like when people try to make their own hydraulics because buying them is 5 times more expensive!

I googled Jung but I didn't find any site related to this pump, can you give a specific link?

[carp]

its http://www.jung-fluid.de but i think site is down at moment or at least i cant access it, they dont have prices on there you have to email but they are reasonably priced, the 0.3ccm pump which is in the vario excavators they quoted me 74 euros + tax and shipping and the 0.46cc was 80euro plus tax.

[Madda]

Okay, thanks! I hope this site will be back soon. Prices seem reasonable, I've got quotes like 200-300 euros, I don't remember these sites though. Do you have any idea of their cylinder prices?

[RCP57]

So I've been wrestling a big problem with my valves... The one my Father inlaw made is very nice and it works perfectly(the bucket will stay up for days) BUT... it is large and at 30bar it is impossible to turn without pliers. I spent 12 hours the day before yesterday making my own valve from scatch that is much smaller and it does work a lot better but it is still stiff considering the size of it.

What am I missing???? There must be something simple that is done to this style valve that allows them to turn more freely under pressure. I tried drilling a small hole in the oil passage way on the pressure side of the plug(valve) to allow oil pressure into the top of the valve body but it didn't seen to help.

Does anyone know what we are not doing that needs to be done? Any help would be appreciated!!!


Thanks Reg

[steamer]

Reg, the only suggestion that I would make is to change from the round actuators on the spools to leavers. If you stagger the height of the arms then you could run every other spool with two servos on each side instead of direct drive. Then make the arms as long as needed to get the torque to move the valves. Hope this makes sense.
Rob

[JAMMER]

Could your problem be something simple like come in the side and go out the top. You have every thing coming in the top and out the top and that seems to load the valve on one side and binds it. Ed

[ihbuilder]

Reg , dumb ? , do your valves turn with ease with no pressure ? Could be just a little lapping needed . I have a Robbe valve that is tight like that till I loosen up the top .

[RCP57]

Reg , dumb ? , do your valves turn with ease with no pressure ? Could be just a little lapping needed . I have a Robbe valve that is tight like that till I loosen up the top .

The valves turn with very little resistance with no pressure. They actually turn decent when their open too, it's just when you are trying to open them from the fully closed position or close them from the open position that they are too stiff. Have you had your Robbe valve apart? Does it look much different than what we're doin? I think that Ed is right and it is side loading the plug. I have some of my grandfathers hydraulic books and in them it says that rotary valves are hard to balance but there has to be a way!:confused:


Thanks for the help guys!

I just recieved some parts for my Tigercat so....

[ihbuilder]

Reg , the Robbe valve is exactly what your doing . I'm thinking you have more pressure then you need . do you have a pressure relief valve in somewhere ? If not , put 1 on the supply circuit after the valve . come out where the plug is ( assuming thats the supply side of your valve ) I haven't got to play with the stuff from Richard yet , but I plan to make a solid base for the valves much like the verio setup . they bring the supply from the pump through the valve into a pressure relief valve of some sort ( needle valve I think ) .

[RCP57]

Reg , the Robbe valve is exactly what your doing . I'm thinking you have more pressure then you need . do you have a pressure relief valve in somewhere ? If not , put 1 on the supply circuit after the valve . come out where the plug is ( assuming thats the supply side of your valve ) I haven't got to play with the stuff from Richard yet , but I plan to make a solid base for the valves much like the verio setup . they bring the supply from the pump through the valve into a pressure relief valve of some sort ( needle valve I think ) .

Thats interesting to know that they are the same. I do have a relief valve and it's set at about 28 bar. At 20 bar this machine doesn't have a lot of power but the valves do turn much easier. I would like to be able to dig firm ground with it so I think 25-30 bar is necessary. Do you know the diameter of the valve?

Thanks Reg

[ihbuilder]

the ports under the rotor are .320" center to center . the rotor is .510" dia the crescents are the same as the ports . I'm going to build a 385cl cat which is as big as vario's 850 deere . I'm not sure these Robbe valves are big enough :confused: the ports seem to small for the flow needed ( about 1 mm dia ) :confused: I may be making my own .

Stevie

[RCP57]

Thanks Steve, The valve block that I made is a little larger then but not much. The ports are just under 1/8 and the cresents are 1/8 because that was the smallest cutter I had. I would love to see what the Meinhardt valves look like on the inside that seem to be in a lot of the German machines. Flow was the main reason that my Father inlaw and I designed the valve he made for me so large but I guess the inside of the fittings are so small that maybe it isn't necessary? I use 5/32-10/32 push to connect fittings on the valve and rams. I did drill one out so that the ID of the fitting matched that of the hose and it still looks to be strong so I will drill the rest out and see if it makes a difference in flow or speed.

Thanks again for the help! I'll keep tryin! I have a lot more time and patience than money so I have to figure it out the hard way:eek:.

[RCKiwi]

Are you able to machine in a teflon shim on the back side of the rotary valve to help reduce friction? The larger you go with these part circular ways in the rotary head, the more force required to rotate it against the thrust created by a larger area in the circular ways. Sort of think that the circular ways or the "pressure in" way (when closed) is sort of a piston, and pressure here will cause the rotary head to thrust against the shoulder in the valve block - make sense?
ha - now Ive read it back I'm not sure it does - clear as mud!:o
Glenn

[ihbuilder]

now that Glenn mentioned it ;) Right on , that my be an issue with the robbe valves I have , they're only designed for 10 bar max and have no way to limit friction between the rotor and head housing . 30 bar , 435 PSI is a lot of pressure :eek:

[elliot330]

Wow 30 bar is a lot of pressure... what are you're hoses rated at?

Another option is mixing your pump to your valves in the radio.

Run the pump at 1/4 to 1/2 speed when the valves are closed, then when you operate the boom, stick or bucket the pump ramps up, in most digital radios you can program this.

Are you using the 0.3 or 0.46 Jung pump?

Elliot.

[RCP57]

You guys are right about the friction issue for sure. The valve my father inlaw made has 1 3/8 plugs:eek:. I haven't figured it out but at 28 bar thats a huge amount of force! Another problem with it is that it's all aluminum and even with oil in it starts to score itself under that pressure. The one I made is so much smaller (plugs are .680)and with the plugs made of brass seems to be a little better but my machining skills are not that great so it leaks down too much. My father inlaw is coming over tonight so that I can show him what I've made. Hopefully he can make something similar on the cnc at work.

We were tossing around the idea of running a bearing in the top of the valve body to help with the side load on the plug but I think maybe a shim washer of some kind as mentioned may be easier. I think I will ask him to make this valve from steel as well so that it wears better. Weight is not an issue anyway here.

The pump is a 0.3, and my hoses are rated at around 300psi working pressure, 1200psi bursting pressure. I think the pump is a little small for the size of my cylinders. I'm picking up a larger, higher rpm motor from the hobby shop today so we'll see if that picks up the volume. I'm using a DX8 but I had planned on running the pump off of the gear switch because it's the only channel left. Can I still mix the pump if I do that? It will probably help if I can.

Thanks for all the help guys! I really appreciate it!

Reg

Thanks

[elliot330]

FYI...

I've seen the inside of a Damitz valve and they are approx 8mm in diameter.

I recently changed my pump to a Damitz brushless pump (flow rate 450L a minute), Mr Damitz explained to me that its not about pressure, but about volume... albeit you still need pressure to lift a heavy object. ( I know very little about hydraulics :-) )

As an example, the release valve in my dumper is set to 10 bar, the steering is quicker than is was with a Jung pump running at 16bar, yet it'll still tip my daughter out the back and she weighes 17kgs aka 40lbs.

Without checking the flow rates of the Jung, I assume 0.3 equals 300l a minute?

With regards to the gear channel, you'd need to check whether you can mix that channel in your radio.

[RCP57]

At 1500rpm and 20 bar this pump is supposed to move 440ml, it ruffly doubles at 3000rpm. I'm running a double planetary(at least 6:1) so my pump speed is pretty low. I think with the motor I plan to buy today and my current reduction I should be able to spin the pump at around 2200 max. With the relief set at 28 bar it has a fair amount of power so if I can get the volume up it should be OK. If need be I'll have to turn the pressure down but at 20 bar it will only drag itself across the smooth concrete until the stick is at 90 degrees. This machine is about the same size as a Vario so it requires a lot of juice!

Reg

[doodlebug]

Ok, so you guy's have seen the valve innard's:eek: Now the question that I have is:confused: How can they be "pressure balanced'' to make accuation easier (less force)? Something to consider.
I've heard of pump's being "pressure balanced" as far as the seal's are concerned.

Just another brain cramp:eek:

Cheer's, Neil.

[Lil Giants]

0.3ml/rpm

2200rpm = 660ml

You running 3s lipo currently in your dumper Elliot with the Damitz pump?

You can run the pump from the gear switch and mix it. Set the rpm low when switching it on and the "mix" will speed it up when you activate the valves.

[RCKiwi]

Alloy rubbing on alloy, even with a snifter of oil, never lasts. I'd opt for a plain old mild steel or brass rotary valve in an alloy housing.
Also, the back of the valve does not need to be in full surface contact with its shoulder in the block - try say reduce the rubbing shoulder area (smaller diametre step) as the amount of friction will be a result of such a large surface area. Having a smaller "rub area" will result in less friction but a downside may be higher wear rates - another good reason to add a anit-friction washer.;)
The bearing would be a good idea if say you are operating the valve by push rods, etc so to alleviate side load - if you're mounting servos inverted, direct inline as is popular with commercial, it may be additional un-needed machining.

Keep plugging away at it - there's a fix here I'm sure :cool:

[Vanisle]

In regards to elliot330's comments about his Jung pump versus the Damitz pump. The Jung pump in the ADT's is the IP1Z-HR3 (4001) .18cm3 pump which pumps 520ml/min at 20 bar and 3000rpm. This pump is the IPZ1-HR5 (4002) .30cm3 pump which pumps 890ml/min at 20 bar and 3000rpm. It is the same one in the Vario excavators (and the same one others have used in 1/8 scale).

As for the discussion about the valve design, no idea how to fix it but hopefully Reg can figure it out. We want to see this things working!

[RCP57]

WWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-HHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!:eek: It's alive!

It took a couple months longer than I had planned but it finally works!!!!!!!

Sorry I'm a little excited. Big thanks to my father inlaw for making another valve block for me. I haven't taken it out of the shop yet to dig any dirt and I'm here by myself so there isn't any video yet. It seems to have good power at 25 bar but I won't know until it's in the dirt I guess.

Here's a couple pics of the valve installed. I still need to get a filter and a couple other things.

Reg

[doodlebug]

Way to go Reg! look's great!
Cheer's, Neil.

[RCKiwi]

Good stuff:cool:- what was the plan in the end to fix your valve block problems?

[RCP57]

Good stuff:cool:- what was the plan in the end to fix your valve block problems?

HAHA.. Secrets... No just kiddin, We just made everything smaller. He went off of my basic design but made the bottom out of steel and the rotors slightly smaller. We also decided to put the cresents in the top of the rotor instead of the bottom. I'm not sure if this actually did anything or not but it didn't hurt it either. The top of the valve body is also the sevo mount on this one too.

Thanks for lookin

Reg

[RCKiwi]

Good stuff - very nicely made indeed. Thank you for sharing. Good bunch of jokers on this site there is! ;)

[modelman]

Looking good!! All that plumbing would drive me CRAZZY:eek: Nice work

[RCP57]

....and the moment you've all (and by you've all I mean I've) been waiting for!

Still has some bugs and I'm not happy with my skills at this point but its working.:cool:

http://youtu.be/IF7e79S3X10 http://youtu.be/8OVJV29FAd0

Thanks for watching

Reg

[steamer]

Reg, she looks fantastic. I don't know why your complaining you should see me at the controls.
Rob

[doodlebug]

IT'S ALIVE:D:D:D:D:D Great job Reg! Let the fun begin:cool::cool:

Be patient, your's skill's will grow with time!

Cheer's, Neil

[RCP57]

Thanks guys. I took it over to the inlaws place last night and dug in some bark mulch. It worked pretty well in that verses the wet sand I was digging to begin with in the videos. As far as my skills go I'm sure they will improve but I still have the occasional brain fart on my 1:1 mini when I'm running it too so we'll see!:o

Reg

[Snochaser]

Great work Reg. You do one fine job on these builds!

Ben

[Vanisle]

Nice work Reg! Glad you got it going. Now you can hire it out to clear land.

[RCP57]

Nice work Reg! Glad you got it going. Now you can hire it out to clear land.

Not quite yet Richard... I need a truck and lowbed to transport it first;)

[RCKiwi]

Man - that last vid looks awesome! I reckon if you sat an operator in it and turned down the volume, you'd be hard pressed to say it was a model at all!:cool:

[pumptech]

Just watched the vid ,Outstanding job on the Volvo !!!!:D
Love it, awesome build ,congrats on your excavator!!:D:):D:):cool:

[RCP57]

Thanks guys,

I was hoping to get some play time in this afternoon but now it's raining here. Just finished pulling over some trees that were too close to my shop with my Dad and his 955K. I think it is more fun to play with the 1:1 stuff and build the models any way.:D

Well I guess I'll go do some welding:cool:

Reg

[chaseracer]

wow Reg ... just watched video looks great man.. if I ever finish this friggen autocar . I will have to head out your way and you can throw a load or too on it .

[RCP57]

wow Reg ... just watched video looks great man.. if I ever finish this friggen autocar . I will have to head out your way and you can throw a load or too on it .

Thanks

Sounds great to me you're not too far away!... Are you finished yet? How bout now?:D

Reg

[chaseracer]

no not far away at all you are in Sooke right ? lol no not finished yet .between running a real Excavator all day (job) and I am ball field 6 nights a week right now so time limited .. but soon.

[RCP57]

I had a little time for some digging yesterday before it started to rain. I started a cut in the side hill for a new haul road.:cool:

http://youtu.be/x6F8w6YukSM

Reg

[Lil Giants]

Well Done Reg!!! An xllnt accomplished build with not much for special tools, but rather oodles of skill! You should be proud! :cool:

Now to tweak the radio to get it running at optium performance! ;)

Recap:

What voltage are you running?

Are your valve servos opening at 100%?

What size plumbing (ID) to your cyls?

What pressure were you running at in your last vid?

What was its finally weight tally?

I use the dual rates for the stick/bucket/swing, no such option on the dx8 for the throttle (boom) unfortunately, but can adjust throttle curve. I have the boom servo valve @100% for up, but approx 60% for down so the boom doesn't drop too fast. Using Dual Rates on the other three, you can tweak the valve openings for various digging operations.. like when loading a trk & don't want too fast of movement vs everything wide open for digging & piling.

I couldn't hear any pump esc freeze in any of your two vids, but it could happen with the brushless if rpm drops too low. I assume you have the pump on Aux 1 or 3? If 3pos switch is down to turn off pump, you could set the middle position to operate @10 to 15% so the pump rpm never fully stops. Then with the Mix on, pump with go to full speed with the servo valves are activated. With Mix off, pump will turn slow for more precise movements.

[RCP57]

Well Done Reg!!! An xllnt accomplished build with not much for special tools, but rather oodles of skill! You should be proud! :cool:

Now to tweak the radio to get it running at optium performance! ;)

Recap:

What voltage are you running?

Are your valve servos opening at 100%?

What size plumbing (ID) to your cyls?

What pressure were you running at in your last vid?

What was its finally weight tally?

I use the dual rates for the stick/bucket/swing, no such option on the dx8 for the throttle (boom) unfortunately, but can adjust throttle curve. I have the boom servo valve @100% for up, but approx 60% for down so the boom doesn't drop too fast. Using Dual Rates on the other three, you can tweak the valve openings for various digging operations.. like when loading a trk & don't want too fast of movement vs everything wide open for digging & piling.

I couldn't hear any pump esc freeze in any of your two vids, but it could happen with the brushless if rpm drops too low. I assume you have the pump on Aux 1 or 3? If 3pos switch is down to turn off pump, you could set the middle position to operate @10 to 15% so the pump rpm never fully stops. Then with the Mix on, pump with go to full speed with the servo valves are activated. With Mix off, pump will turn slow for more precise movements.

Thanks very much!

So to try and answer all of your questions...

12 volts, I believe so, 5/32 OD not sure of ID, 30 bar in the GoPro vid, and 50lbs.

I have the pump running off of the gear switch and the mixing set so that the pump is off in the up position if the sticks and Aux3 are centered (Aux1-2 operate the tracks and Aux3 thumb) and wide open in the down position. I'm using a 3300kv motor and an 11:1 reduction so the pump has no problem starting and running very low rpm with little stick movement although it may be a little slow up top. I will mess with some more stuff as I get more familiar with how it operates as is. Overall I am pretty happy with how it works considering the only thing "off the shelf" is the hydraulic pump(not including the drive). I'm buying a mill next week so hopefully I can do everything myself from now on. Maybe one day I will be furtunate enough to sell some of the stuff I make but time will tell!

Thanks again!

[mack kid]

Great video liked the sound inside the cab. GREAT BUILD

[modelman]

Nice video-I like the on-board view. I think your operating skills are fine. With a little more stick time you will be an expert.

[Lil Giants]

3300kv x 12v / 11 = 3600rpm ..is that how it goes?

A 12v battery would be 13.5v, there abouts with a full charge = 4050rpm

5/32 is about 4mm, which may likely be 2.5mm ID.. virtually the same as I have.. but your hyds movement is so much slower. :confused:

I run on 4s lipo... 600kv x 16.8v / 2.5 reduction = 4032rpm

I'm at approx 24-26 bar. (manual suggested not to exceed 25bar)

I watched a vid of my 850 from last summer when I just got it running, the movement is noticably slower than it is today.. it must be just the way I tweaked the radio settings, can't think offhand what other variable there might be. :confused:

You could set your gear channel to be 20% to 50% when "on" and the Mix will boost it to maxium speed with 2 hyd channel movements.

I don't know, maybe I'm talking out of turn here and you don't want it different than it currently is.. ? :o

[RCP57]

It is a little slower than I would like thats for sure but to honest I'm just happy to have it working at this point. I'm not sure what size pistons are in the Vario machines but these are 5/8 so when you open three valves at once it takes a lot of oil to fill all four cylinders. I figure with my KV, voltage, motor efficiency and power loss through the reduction it's turning less than 3K but I don't have a tach so...:confused:. I believe a bigger pump would have been better but I haven't experimented with different oils yet either. At present I'm running hydraulic oil which may be too thick? I've read that some guys use ATF but I've only tried that in the pump my father inlaw built so I don't know if it would improve my speed or not. I have the mixing set up now to be about 70% with one fuction and 100% with two or more.

Thanks for the input Joe, you have more experience running this stuff than anyone else(probably in the world) so it is interesting to hear your set ups.

Reg

[Lil Giants]

Boom & bucket are 16mm & the stick is either 18 or 20mm.. a bit bigger than 5/8.

I use Esso Hydraul 50 (comparable to a 10W hyd oil).

I started out with an ATF in my home made post pounder and I had trouble with foaming (likely b/c of the high rate of discharge), so I switched to the Hydraul 50 & it cured that problem! Not sure how well it might work with this application? :confused: After running a 5amp charge, there is a wee bit of foaming in the tank, that's usually after ripping, maxing out the pressure relief for the entire charge!

Probably your pump rpm could be considerably lower (25%) than mine, which is why the hyd speed is notably slower. You could go to 4s lipo @16.8v and then limit the EPA %'s in the gear switch & mixes to get pump rpm up to 4000. Also limit the EPA in the swing & track motors if they're not rated for that high of voltage & to keep them at a favorable operating speed. ;)

I only know what I have used & your hyd system is quite similar to mine in almost every way. ;)

Cheers :)

[Straywolf]

Man oh man this is just excellent, i wish i had half as much talent as everyone here. Great Job!!!!

Mike

[RCP57]

My planetary drive on the hydraulic pump started to let go in the second video that I posted a few days back so yesterday I put together a new one. The drive that I used this time is all steel (the ring gear was plastic on the last one) and I only used one set of planetaries instead of two. The pump now spins at around 5k so the movement is much faster and it is way more fun to operate! I had my calculations wrong on the original drive reduction so it was turning much slower than I thought( around 1300). At least now I can dial in the speed better through the mixing.
http://youtu.be/vaaAnRBHK4I

Oh... I also got a new toy last week...:cool:

[doodlebug]

Hey Reg, it's definately faster :D:D:D Are you running any kind of oil or grease in the planetary gear box???

Congrat's on the new mill:cool::cool::cool:
Cheer's, Neil.

[RCP57]

I do have grease in the planetary but the original one had a plastic ring gear and the torque of the motor started twisting the teeth right off of it where the first set of steel planet gears made contact. The new set-up is all steel and has a bearing in it too instead of a bushing so hopefully that will help with wear and friction. It's a little too fast but at least I can dial it back a bit now.

The breakdown was a good excuse to use the mill though...

Reg

[modelman]

Good video-It does seem to be faster now. I wish I had a load of dirt like that for my shovel but if I put a dirt pile like that in my back yard I probably would be looking at a-d-i-v-o-r-c-e:eek: Nice mill too!!

[Madda]

Oh ****, I like it! Now it moves like a champ! Good job on that!
All the hydraulics were made by you?

That new mill looks massive, BF30? It seems that it has got DRO installed already. Any plans on converting to cnc?

[RCKiwi]

You be sure to post some pic's of your first projects off that sweet mill:cool:

Agreed will above, speed looks very good.

My local supply shop has some of the black hose similar to that used on your machine and I see yours too has green writing on it. The guys at the shop couldn't tell me the bursting pressure of it and didnt seem to motivated to hit the books:mad:.
Can you please let me know what's written on the black hose? I'd like to check to make sure its the same stuff.

Glenn

[RCP57]

Oh ****, I like it! Now it moves like a champ! Good job on that!
All the hydraulics were made by you?

That new mill looks massive, BF30? It seems that it has got DRO installed already. Any plans on converting to cnc?

Yes it is a BF30 with a sino DRO. There aren't any plans for CNC just yet as the mill set me back enough already but maybe in the future. I was going to buy a smaller mill and do the conversion right away but I think this mill will serve my other interests better because of its size.

All the hydraulics except for the pump were made by my father inlaw. We did sketches together of what I needed and he put it into reality for me. He actually made me a couple of pumps too but they didn't make as much pressure as I wanted so I bought the Jung and made my own drive for it. Now that I have this mill I hope to do this type of stuff myself but I need some(a lot) practice first!

Thanks Reg

[RCP57]

You be sure to post some pic's of your first projects off that sweet mill:cool:

Agreed will above, speed looks very good.

My local supply shop has some of the black hose similar to that used on your machine and I see yours too has green writing on it. The guys at the shop couldn't tell me the bursting pressure of it and didnt seem to motivated to hit the books:mad:.
Can you please let me know what's written on the black hose? I'd like to check to make sure its the same stuff.

Glenn

The hose I'm using is Eaton synflex eclipse air brake line. I looked it up online and I think the bursting pressure was 1200psi, working pressure 300psi. When I first got the pump turning in the Volvo I had it hooked directly to the boom cylinders and dead headed them by mistake. One of my push to connect fittings blew apart(one of two that I waited three weeks to get:mad:) but the hose was fine so I think it is OK stuff. I'm currently running at 30 bar+/- and haven't had issues yet...

I haven't really made much with the mill yet but I have drilled and tapped a couple of holes with it. It's nice to tap something right in the machine and have it straight for once!

Reg

[Madda]

What type of hydraulic valve did you use/make?

[RCP57]

It's a rotary valve. If you look back a ways there are pictures of the one I made myself and then the final one my father inlaw made that we ended up using. It's time consuming to make them but quite possible if you have a mill and a lathe.

Reg

[9W Monighan]

I really enjoyed watching your "IN CAB" video. Made me think I was in a 1:1 I also like the small stress cracks on your windshield. If only I could have turned the wiper on when it stated raining.:p

[RCP57]

I really enjoyed watching your "IN CAB" video. Made me think I was in a 1:1 I also like the small stress cracks on your windshield. If only I could have turned the wiper on when it stated raining.:p

Thanks very much! I was so mad when the windshield cracked:mad:. It took three tries to heat and bend without cracking it. The day that I did the "in cab" shot I thought I should clean the window and when I did it cracked again! I used plexy glass from a poster frame but it is really brittle so I guess I should get some lexan and try again.:o

Reg

[Vanisle]

Wow, that works better. Glad you got the pump speed / volume figured out. Nice looking mill. I have been away and had to go see if my BF30 was still where it was supposed to be. You will love the bigger mill with a DRO. There should be no limit to what you can build now.

[RCP57]

Wow, that works better. Glad you got the pump speed / volume figured out. Nice looking mill. I have been away and had to go see if my BF30 was still where it was supposed to be. You will love the bigger mill with a DRO. There should be no limit to what you can build now.

HAHA... Your wife wouldn't sell it to me...:p

I think it will be good for my needs for sure. I would have liked to go the CNC route but I guess I can do that later and in the mean time I have a decent manual machine. The DRO is not as nice as yours Richard but it still does plenty of stuff and the whole package was a pretty good deal so I'm happy. You were right about the guys in Van... Very good to deal with and made the whole buying experience enjoyable(no pressure). I think "the wife to be" even had a good time:eek:.

Reg

[RCP57]

I had a little time to play yesterday so I decided to take the 300 and the Euclid out and fill a hole in our lawn. It was pretty fun! I wish there was someone nearby to join in though because it gets boring by myself!

....someone should have checked the air pressure in the Euc's tires...

http://youtu.be/NUbQ7bzsER0 http://youtu.be/wKFfceeIh8I http://youtu.be/MWIi1y4Af_E

Reg

[izzzul]

amazing...!!! looks so close to a real excav...your move is somewhat so perfect...so smooth and i'm yet to master this.... congrate to you for such a wonderful build, thx for sharing.

[ihbuilder]

looks like you could've used the mack too ;) pretty cool Reg . I just cringe everytime I see someone side boom with an excavator , It puts a lot of stress on the dipper pin and boom yoke . My brother and dad did that for years on our 26,000# yutani , got to the point we couldn't keep the pin in . had to have spare bolts for evreytime the stay bolt broke :( .

[RCP57]

looks like you could've used the mack too ;) pretty cool Reg . I just cringe everytime I see someone side boom with an excavator , It puts a lot of stress on the dipper pin and boom yoke . My brother and dad did that for years on our 26,000# yutani , got to the point we couldn't keep the pin in . had to have spare bolts for evreytime the stay bolt broke :( .

Could have used you and your Mack for sure Steve! That Cat loader would dig into that pile pretty nicely too I think;) It would be interesting to see how long it would take to move a chunk of that pile if a bunch of us were together. It would probably go away pretty quick if battery life wasn't an issue. I just wish it was closer to my shop. I spend more time moving the stuff than I do playing:(.

Reg

[RCLogger]

I have been out of the loop for a time Reg, ( that work thing getting in the way )

WOW ! you have got it in high gear now ! GREAT model building skill, you have hit the big legue now with those builds and scratching all but the pump..
Very cool...
Great videos'
Greg

[RCP57]

I have been out of the loop for a time Reg, ( that work thing getting in the way )

WOW ! you have got it in high gear now ! GREAT model building skill, you have hit the big legue now with those builds and scratching all but the pump..
Very cool...
Great videos'
Greg

Thanks Greg, although you know I can't take any credit for the hydro's I do appreciate the compliment. I hope to make all the stuff myself next time around so we'll see how that turns out:eek::o...:confused:

[RCP57]

I made a couple new vids today... and tried some different camera mounts. http://youtu.be/5mpcgUn0xAg http://youtu.be/SPUx7e3zrwY ...I like the second one.

Thanks for lookin! Reg

[Madda]

Great!

What are the dimensions of your model?
What radio are you using?

[RCP57]

Great!

What are the dimensions of your model?
What radio are you using?

I'm using a DX8. The model is just short of 56 inches long when stretched out and around 14 inches wide. It weighs 50 lbs with two lead acid batteries.

Reg

[izzzul]

amazing..!! superb view

[saulij]

Hello

You have done a great job with Your Volvo EC 300. I'm building Volvo EC460 and now I'm wondering what colors to use? Are you using car paint? Have you any color codes?

Thanks in advace.

BR

Sauli

[RCP57]

Hello

You have done a great job with Your Volvo EC 300. I'm building Volvo EC460 and now I'm wondering what colors to use? Are you using car paint? Have you any color codes?

Thanks in advace.

BR

Sauli

Hello Sauli, I just used automotive(spray can)trim and bumper paint for the dark color and a shade of yellow that I thought was close to the real Volvo yellow color. I didn't try to find the right colors because the nearest Volvo equipment dealer is a couple of hours away.

Enough about that though... How far along is your build and where is the build thread? We definately need more info on your EC460!

Reg

[modelman]

Unique view from the truck-Good job-I like your dirt pile too-wish I had that:cool:

[saulij]

Hello Sauli, I just used automotive(spray can)trim and bumper paint for the dark color and a shade of yellow that I thought was close to the real Volvo yellow color. I didn't try to find the right colors because the nearest Volvo equipment dealer is a couple of hours away.

Enough about that though... How far along is your build and where is the build thread? We definately need more info on your EC460!

Reg

Here is my build thread, sorry its all in finnish.
http://rc-tyokoneet.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=maanrakennuskoneet&action=display&thread=10#

[Madda]

Lol I can even understand something from there, I'm Estonian. But seems good build, all cad and stuff like this.

[RCP57]

Here is my build thread, sorry its all in finnish.
http://rc-tyokoneet.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=maanrakennuskoneet&action=display&thread=10#

Very nice, thanks for posting the link! You should start a thread here;).

Reg

[RCP57]

A few months ago I bought a Torcman motor and Jeti spin esc off of a former member. I've been wanting to swap out my noisy planetary drive for this for a while so today I finally got to it. This combo spins the pump a far bit slower but the hydro speed is quite nice and makes it a little easier to operate. I ran it for over 1/2 an hour and the motor was barely warm. The old motor setup would have been hot to the touch in that timespan. I'm not sure what the issue is but sometimes the pump doesn't start when you pull a lever. This happened before with the old setup too but not in the first few months of use. I went to use it a xmas after it had sat a couple months and this started happening. Not sure if something has happened to the gear channel(pump runs of it) or what but the servos still operate the valves...few seconds later and away we go....

Any way here's a couple pics of old and new and a few videos of it in use. I got to use the thumb today a bit too!:D:D

Thanks for looking

http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_08912_zps52408147.jpg (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/RCP57/media/IMG_08912_zps52408147.jpg.html)
http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_08932_zps4e8cb768.jpg (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/RCP57/media/IMG_08932_zps4e8cb768.jpg.html)

http://youtu.be/7O_AdIcDoV4 http://youtu.be/WcgubSPQo1k http://youtu.be/Oe-MKykyspw

Reg

[carp]

Nice video and nearly a tip over ;) what is the noise everytime you have a large change of pump rpm? some kind of vibration? Your setting is a amazing are the trees behind all part of your backyard or did you go somewhere to film? More importantly when are we going to see the skidder working out there?

[RCP57]

Nice video and nearly a tip over ;) what is the noise everytime you have a large change of pump rpm? some kind of vibration? Your setting is a amazing are the trees behind all part of your backyard or did you go somewhere to film? More importantly when are we going to see the skidder working out there?

I not sure why it makes that noise. I guess the rpm change sends a vibration through the tin can of a body. I think I am going to add some sound deadener to the engine cover so that it shuts up a little more. It is quieter than before but when it makes that noise it drives me nuts!

Yes that's our backyard. I'm very fortunate to live out in the boonies a little and have a pretty big play area for all of my hobbies. Some of my friends always used called it the RCP compound lol.

My poor skidder... It has been sitting on the back of my truck for months now but I have been day dreaming about it more and more lately. I really need to make the hydraulic cylinders for it! I have so many different projects on the go that none of them are getting finished. The truck is my main focus but now that the Mack is working well and the Volvo is tuned up I only have a boat the KW and a wedding to prepare for by mid July... Oh yeah and work...Haha

[Espeefan]

Reg, just finished reading your build thread on the Volvo again! You are a metal working master. Amazing how you can making something out of nothing! I really enjoyed the in cab videos. What kind of camera are you using? I thought that your skidder was all finished? If only I had your metal working skills....... :D

[RCP57]

Reg, just finished reading your build thread on the Volvo again! You are a metal working master. Amazing how you can making something out of nothing! I really enjoyed the in cab videos. What kind of camera are you using? I thought that your skidder was all finished? If only I had your metal working skills....... :D

Trying to make something out of nothing is the best part! My fiancée is the first person I go to when I've used some sort of junk that's been sitting around. She is a neat freak so it helps justify my hoarding when she sees that I've put it to good use:cool:.

I have one of the first gen GoPro Hero HD cameras. It's been really good, I've filmed a lot of motocross-trail rides as well as some of our commercial fishing too. My battery has bulged so I need to pick up a new one for it. I would really like to have one of the new GoPro's because they have a remote. I would say that the lack of remote control is the biggest drawback to the one I have.

The skidder is finished short of the hydraulic pump and cylinders. I may try to in-list the help of my father in-law so that I can get it done by the show in July. I really want to see it pull some logs!

Reg

[JeanPierreBussio]

Where did you get the excavator?

[RCP57]

It's scratch built.

[RCP57]

Ari got my thinking about doing some welding so I started on these this afternoon. I decided that I wanted a bigger digging bucket and a clean up bucket. I was trying to film a video of it playing in the shop but a servo on the valve block fried so now I have to replace that before I can. Anyway enough talk.....

http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_11992_zps1f3731fe.jpg (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/RCP57/media/IMG_11992_zps1f3731fe.jpg.html)
http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_12002_zpsf1a781c6.jpg (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/RCP57/media/IMG_12002_zpsf1a781c6.jpg.html)
http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_1201_zps79c37ad1.jpg (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/RCP57/media/IMG_1201_zps79c37ad1.jpg.html)
http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_12022_zps4baced2e.jpg (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/RCP57/media/IMG_12022_zps4baced2e.jpg.html)
http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_12032_zpseb0d0b21.jpg (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/RCP57/media/IMG_12032_zpseb0d0b21.jpg.html)
http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_1204_zps1407fb41.jpg (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/RCP57/media/IMG_1204_zps1407fb41.jpg.html)
http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_12052_zps5e7cfd4e.jpg (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/RCP57/media/IMG_12052_zps5e7cfd4e.jpg.html)
http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_12062_zpsc4f051d7.jpg (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/RCP57/media/IMG_12062_zpsc4f051d7.jpg.html)
http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_12072_zps97773ccd.jpg (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/RCP57/media/IMG_12072_zps97773ccd.jpg.html)
http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_12082_zps285cf310.jpg (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/RCP57/media/IMG_12082_zps285cf310.jpg.html)
http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_12092_zps192a501c.jpg (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/RCP57/media/IMG_12092_zps192a501c.jpg.html)

Reg

[Espeefan]

Reg, you make it look to easy!

[Hemi1966]

Nice work Reg, it's easy when you know what you are doing:)
What's the material thickness?
Was that upper inside weld hard to do?
Can you take a picture of your torch. I'm thinking of purchasing a smaller air cooled torch, the one that came with the machine is water cooled and quite large.

[RCP57]

I wouldn't really say that I know what I'm doing. This material is .100 thick so it is much easier to weld than the .063 I normally work with. The weld inside was a tricky one to do once both sides were in place. I use 150amp air cooled torch and for this I also used the short back cap which makes it much easier to fit into tight spaces. I will take a picture of it tomorrow when I make the other bucket.

Reg

[chaseracer]

looks great

[Lil Giants]

I'm not sure what the issue is but sometimes the pump doesn't start when you pull a lever. This happened before with the old setup too but not in the first few months of use. I went to use it a xmas after it had sat a couple months and this started happening. Not sure if something has happened to the gear channel(pump runs of it) or what but the servos still operate the valves...few seconds later and away we go....

Reg

I see from your videos that your pump is allowed to shut off completely from no stick movement... the surge of amps from the esc to even start these larger outrunner motors is pretty high and when it stops working, your esc is in thermal protection mode. I had this trouble too when I 1st got my 850 running.

To correct the issue, set the "on" side of the gear switch to 20 - 30%. Using mix, the pump will ramp up to the higher speeds with stick movement, and then will never go too slow with slight stick movement, saving your esc from much unnecessary heat build up.

[RCP57]

I see from your videos that your pump is allowed to shut off completely from no stick movement... the surge of amps from the esc to even start these larger outrunner motors is pretty high and when it stops working, your esc is in thermal protection mode. I had this trouble too when I 1st got my 850 running.

To correct the issue, set the "on" side of the gear switch to 20 - 30%. Using mix, the pump will ramp up to the higher speeds with stick movement, and then will never go too slow with no stick movement, saving your esc much unnecessary heat build up.

Thanks Joe, I'll give it a try! Is there a way to set it up like that and still be able to turn the pump off? The way I have it now the pump is either pinned at full rpm with the gear switch down, and in the up position it is off until a stick or the knob is touched. I would like to be able to switch the pump off completely if I have it set to run at low rpm while in use with no stick movement.

Thanks, Reg

[Lil Giants]

The gear switch is two position switch, which is why said the "on" side set to 20 - 30%. If you want slower speeds with stick movement, turn your mix switch off (upper right corner of my radio).

I have my 850 on a DX18 now, but even when on the DX8 I had the pump on a 3pos switch & never used the 3rd pos anyway for highest speed, the mix would take care of that.

And I set my throttle ch (boom lift) to always go full speed with/without mix within the programming b/c I need full power & flow to lift with any sort of speed... can't remember off the top of my head how I did that... but otherwise dig loose material with the mix off too conserve battery run time.

[RCP57]

Thanks Joe. I started to change things a bit this morning but I decided to leave it for another day. I did manage to try out the new digging bucket though. This pump motor set up makes such a horrible vibration at medium speeds. It really drives me crazy. I'm using a love joy coupling but I think I may make a solid sleeve to try. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lI3tP8vGCSQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-F53RRfqUA

I got a start on the clean up bucket today but didn't get a chance to finish it...

http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_12102_zps041b5863.jpg (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/RCP57/media/IMG_12102_zps041b5863.jpg.html)
http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_1211_zps4130c243.jpg (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/RCP57/media/IMG_1211_zps4130c243.jpg.html)
http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_1213_zpsfddefaae.jpg (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/RCP57/media/IMG_1213_zpsfddefaae.jpg.html)
http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_1214_zps9043cf90.jpg (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/RCP57/media/IMG_1214_zps9043cf90.jpg.html)
http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_1215_zpsacfa72cf.jpg (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/RCP57/media/IMG_1215_zpsacfa72cf.jpg.html)

Here's a picture of my 150amp torch. I normally use a #4 cup and change the tungsten to match the amperage as required.

http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_1212_zpsf21d5403.jpg (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/RCP57/media/IMG_1212_zpsf21d5403.jpg.html)

Reg

[Hemi1966]

Thanks Reg:)
What tungsten do you use with aluminium ?

[RCP57]

Thanks Reg:)
What tungsten do you use with aluminium ?

Uh..yep...Haha I forget...I use pure tungsten but there is another one too and I forget what its called. I'll try to figure it out.

I finished up the clean up bucket tonight. Pretty basic buckets but they should do the trick!

http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_12202_zps422817b4.jpg (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/RCP57/media/IMG_12202_zps422817b4.jpg.html)
http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_12212_zps3d59e6d3.jpg (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/RCP57/media/IMG_12212_zps3d59e6d3.jpg.html)
http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_12252_zps8099ab0c.jpg (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/RCP57/media/IMG_12252_zps8099ab0c.jpg.html)
http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b588/RCP57/IMG_12262_zps89ee3168.jpg (http://s1293.photobucket.com/user/RCP57/media/IMG_12262_zps89ee3168.jpg.html)

Reg

[DADSGARAGE]

Those new buckets look great !!!

Do you have any more pics of the slip ring you made??? (need some ideas for my shovel)

KP

[RCP57]

Had the toys out briefly yesterday to fill in a pothole on our driveway...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drQIaqqLRXk&feature=c4-overview&list=UUrzqEOj31tJ-DusnO8Onw7A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOC5-iGbylE&feature=c4-overview&list=UUrzqEOj31tJ-DusnO8Onw7A

[JAMMER]

Hi Reg nice work on the buckets and your welds are getting better all the time. I hear that noise you pump makes on the video. I let mine run wide open just like a real one would unless they are doing some real tight work. I use 4S 6000 batteries and they run a long time. Joe ran my excavator at York Cabin Fever and ran it quit a while on 1 battery before I changed it. Keep up the good work. Ed