Druid's 'Drema's Druidfab Attachments !!

[v8druid]

There are companies that will re-gas your old struts if they're not physically broken. Even quite small bore struts take huge forces as they tend to mount them near to the hinge giving the weight lots of mechanical advantage.

this has reminded me that I need to replace the struts on my diesel bowser lid


http://www.sgs-engineering.com/gas-s...assing-service

Hi Andrew
Someone else on 't'other one' suggested these guys last night too and waiting for a replacement quotefrom them next week

Didn't pick up on the re-gas though. The one is perfect, but'll have to get the other one off for inspection first

Good spot though, that!

[v8druid]

right then and so to ...... the mast ........


Got myself an adapter, from the FLT mast cylinder port (JIC apparently, not Jap. metric), to get me to BSP. I'd already sussed that one of the 3/8" tilt hoses, that I'd replaced with quarters, when I was plumbing the VA-r finally, would be perfect for the job, so suitable fittings were acquired/pulled out of stock and said pipe persuaded into spot.
Getting the cylinder port fitting back in was a tad 'testing', but got there in the end ... took some getting out in the first place !!





having sussed t'other end, a suitable bracket was created for a b/head fitting .......





........ welded into spot and 'tar-ed' before the plumbing went in





prior to getting picked up again, off the bench,





and onto the floor for a try .........




Mog's plumbing solution was even easier than I'd originally recalled (he'd been catering for it being permanently plumbed into the system with a diverter valve) and was a simple case of returning one service direction straight to tank, whilst using t'other, to provide oil to the mast cylinder.


So a tank return was required and the easiest solution for a try out was the breaker return - looks a bit 'Heath' ATM as I was just using what I had to hand, to get it there. A neater solution will be forthcoming!!
Plus as I say I'm short on two metric/BSP M/M adapters from my shopping expedition !





It did however produce the desired effect!
Rotate pedal forward and up goes the carriage ......





Pedal back ........ and after an initial pause, where I'm thinking "bollo .... it ain't gonna happen", it quietly returned to the mast base.
The return was also better when the engine rev.s had dropped back to idle ?


Need to get me test weight down from where it's sat and stick it on there.


I was reluctant to take it full up, without a tonne, or more on it, to get the lil' b****rd back down
It also appears to have some 'air' issues, which a good amount of weight is going to hopefully 'iron out/dispel !!


This mast hasn't been used in 5 years, or more, so everything's a bit stiff. Chains have all been off, soaked and oiled and re-fitted, but until it's up, all the rollers are inaccessible for some lube and TLC


Also, having the mast on the floor and the oil tank 10 ft above it, returning through the filter top, probably didn't help, so it could well perform better with it in the air a bit, or as I say, with a bit of 'gravity assist' in the form of a 1200kg test weight.






The eagle eyed amongst you will have spotted that when I piped up the VA-r with its new hoses, I'd put a QC on the tank return port, as I wanted to 'borrow it' to give this 'un a try.


The pipes, as seen, are long because, as I say, I was some fittings short to alter the 'Drema's QCs on't dipper, which'll re-position the QCs a foot or so, further back up the dipper.




I'm still considering whether to do the same to the P port on the VA-r, (put it on a QC), so's the plumbing can get stuck away, in the dry/out the weather, whilst not in use.
It's currently 'hard plumbed' / fixed.


I realise that the more QCs, the more chance of a leak, etc., but it has its advantages, for me !!


Plus, with Jack at Holmbury back on the scene, with his bargain Holmbury FFs, I'll probably replace all the ISOs with FFs and they drop so little on the change, it's a negligible issue.


Any thoughts guys ?????

[v8druid]

This is the pine end I need to get at - the barges haven't had a coat of paint in 5 years and the window head needs re-sealing - this is the end that catches all the weather and if Mrs D's up to it, it also needs some dry verge screwing on too



The neighbour's yard is a good 6 ft lower and is the closest I can get - gotta reach over the shed, then UP !! - it's a kin long way up on a 6 x 4 tower scaffold and feels even further off a ladder - done it and don't fancy a second go!!

[Muz]

I'd just like to put my hand up here .. I decided last night to get a good read of this thread having glossed over a few posts ... and spent an age taking in all the data and studying the photos ... I finally looked up having thought I'd done it .. but realised I was only at the end of page one ... stroll on fella I shall attempt page 2 tonight

[v8druid]

I'd just like to put my hand up here .. I decided last night to get a good read of this thread having glossed over a few posts ... and spent an age taking in all the data and studying the photos ... I finally looked up having thought I'd done it .. but realised I was only at the end of page one ... stroll on fella I shall attempt page 2 tonight

LOL Muz ....... thought I'd better dive back an' have a look see what the end of page one was .......... you've a bit more to go yet Boyo
The main thing is, I hope you enjoyed it

I try to keep myself out of mischief (and sight of SWMBO) ....... don't always happen though and inevitably end up having to deal with her 'executive decisions list' of things that 'apparently' need doing!

Well she's either gonna have to learn to drive the 'Drema, PDQ (and well), or she's in the basket again shortly .......... pine end access got a test drive today ......... more later ............

[v8druid]

Had a foray up the bank to the upper level Tuesday, hoiked me test weight out from where it was hiding amongst the rubble/boulder pile and parked it somewhere a little more accessible from down the bottom level .......... well on the bottom level actually ...... damn this 'Drema'll reach with a lump on !!


While I was up there an' it was seriously nice an' dry I thought I'd quickly re-locate a pile of 300mm perf. pipes from the upper, upper level to somewhere a bit more accessible. They're hanging a bit odd 'cos they're stuffed full of lengths of timber in the one end, even with a lump of Armco for counterbalance, at t'other end !!





an' parked 'em in front o't sleeper pile for now





Rest of the day was taken up with some mower maintenance, ..... working out why it didn't want to stop and why it only liked driving in one direction across the bank, at the side of the drive - first suspect for that was the oil level in the hydro-static trans-axle!!


so that went on't bench next .....





Sledge hammers and walnuts, I know, but a damned sight easier to work on it up there than on the deck on yer knees!!


Jacks are a bit of overkill but nice and steady as supports go!!





You can't actually see and can barely get at the filler plug for the oil in the tranny and with only 5 bolts an' a linkage, or two, it was on the bench PDQ!


Oil level was fine but some of the linkages were way out of adjustment, which hopefully will have been the issue.


The brake was a different matter ............




Disc fits the little splined jack shaft out side of the tranny casing and is a tad devoid of splines internally - caliper's working great, shame the disc isn't 'in touch'/contact with the jack shaft a bit more other than keeping it covered !!


A retired mower expert on't t'other forum, with a penchant for 'heavy iron', has been a mine of info on this lil' so & so and has put me in touch with a mate of his who has some discs, so it got slung back together, to await the arrival of a.n.other disc (easy enough job with just a wheel off)


Usual story ........ cat making sure I'd got it back together properly and giving the copper slip I'd put on the axle a liberal application to his tail !!





Took some getting off!!


Anyway ......... came off the bench yesterday morning and is now like a GT model. Hasn't gone so well in ages and everything's nice and free/well lubed and ready to rock ........... once it's got some brakes !! Lower half of the bank's a suicide mission without 'em!!


So ........ on to the weight .........


Grabbed it yesterday morning, after unloading the mower from the bench, etc. ......





and sat it on the FLT mast forks ......





...... before coupling up to lift it all out of its corner.
Thought I'd just pop the safety in first, just in case like ..... !!

[v8druid]

Swung it round in front of the 'Drema and got ourselves all nice an' level !!





It's been over 30 deg.s C here the last couple of days and well over 38C in the boxes, which is where the hose was for this.

Mental note to self .... cool hose down, in the water butt, before trying to couple up next time - QCs each end and no-where for yon expanding oil to go, 'cept make a dash for freedom the moment you show one half of an ISO the other half!!!!!


After I'd cleaned up, I got it all connected up (all ISOs are going to be changed to FFs in the very near future)!!


So ........ a tentative bit of pedal motion and up went 1200kgs of concrete, sweet as!!





...... to the top of the first stage - this was a low headroom FLT mast and the carriage is always at the top of the mast before it extends, itself.
Tried it back down and again, sweet as with that lump on it.


So ........ back up and on upwards it went .....





the next two stages are simultaneous and keep on going, all the way to 18'6" off the deck !!!!!


This was the point at which Mrs D returned from her Keep fit class of a Wednesday evening and after the casual "oh you got it working then" remark announced tea in five "an' don't be long" !!


So it got put on't deck and that's where it sat last night, as it was a bit late to go back out and crank her up again after tea............. (deference to the neighbours, etc) !


So no, I haven't tried 'lofting' this and it certainly won't be attempted with the bugger at that height for starters and probably not with quite that much weight on board either ........... I'm after access, not lifting cap, least not for the foreseeable anyway !!

Been chauffeuring SWMBO about most of the day today, as a 'shopping trip' to Hereford was needed apparently!!
'Drema's been on her lonesome all day, but don't seem to have got a lot done in my absence
Not too much of an issue though, this morning, as it's been persisting down most of the day, so not a total loss an' the boss has had her day in Hereford ably assisted by Moi !!

[Muz]

you've a bit more to go yet Boyo
The main thing is, I hope you enjoyed it

Absolutely .. but its not the sort of thread for 'skim' reading .... to follow it , you have to (or well I do) really understand the processes you are going through .. which are considerable

[Muz]

Lol .. good job you dont have a nervous tick on your right hand crowd lever

[v8druid]

Lol .. good job you dont have a nervous tick on your right hand crowd lever

Yeh, you're gonna need a real 'Cool Hand Luke' touch on the old crowd eh?

Think the technique will be:-

get all you can with the boom/VA/dipper configuration, before resorting to going ballistic with the FLT mast - keep it short as you can ........ unless of course yer need about 50 ft of lift

As you can see from the location pic earlier, I gotta reach horizontally first, before going vertical !!

More testing tomorrow hopefully ('praps with a bit less weight on board)

[v8druid]

Absolutely .. but its not the sort of thread for 'skim' reading .... to follow it , you have to (or well I do) really understand the processes you are going through .. which are considerable

Umm! No not really and yeh, there were some considerable thought processes going into most of it, most of the time!!

As long as you enjoyed it though Muz, it was worth all the heartache

Do I pass the job interview? LOL

[Muz]

Do I pass the job interview? LOL

Youve got three yesses from me

[v8druid]

Youve got three yesses from me

I take it Simon Cowl didn't like my colour scheme then ???

[v8druid]

here's a couple o' thousand words for yer's








I could o' got a couple more feet on't boom, but it was 'kin blowy yer this mornin' an' I bottled out - should've put the 'trotters' down and give it all. The blade was well planted anyway

[Muz]

oooooooooooooooo this missus will be swinging next time the chimney need some pointing