This is a hurry-up build that I did 15 years ago when I needed a digger. It will go 17 feet down, will handle 24" bucket. I made a 12" bucket for tile repair work. The whole thing was scratch built with parts I picked out of scrap piles. This unit is pull-type, as I didn't have the time to make it self-propelled. It works well and will dig in hard ground/rocky stuff, and keep on digging. very strong for its size. Hope this gives an idea of what you can think up and build with old stuff.




Thanks; sonny

That's awesome. There's been several places on the farm I could've used that

finally got it home from the farm the other day, now gotta get the gas tank/pump/lines cleaned out. been in the shed for 10 years. --- Have a lot of work here to do with it. Might have to wait til spring but its home and I can work on it.

That's pretty cool

I think you had this photo over on Matt's old MBN site years ago Sonny..i kinda remember it

Ya I did put it on the old site when I was working on it. --- might have been some progress pix. there, cant remember for sure. Somebody some where was wondering why the big motor on it and---well 2 reasons--1 being thats what I had in the junkpile and 2 I kinda thought it would make a good counterweight.
I have pulled the engine down hard enough to open the governor on it, so the hydraulic pump does take a bit of power and the 230 has it.
The big bucket pulls hard --- its only a 27 inch bucket but it will drag dirt. I made this 12 incher from scratch to use for putting in field tile out on farms for neighbors.
It digs as fast as your eyes can focus on the ditch, so you can dig a long ways in an hour with it!
Engine is a Chrysler Industrial flathead 6 off of an Oliver 525 combine. It only had less than 500 hours on it since former owner had the new engine put on the combine.
Probably made it 35 years or so ago, used it a lot, never did get to finish it.
Wanted to hydro drive the rear end and hook up the out riggers but other jobs always got in the way.
In later years I bought the Case 580ck from the township and started using it, so this one didnt get used as much but still had to have for the deep digs! --- 580 was a bit short on depth. --- this thing went the extra feet for me! lol!
580 right now is waiting for somebody to help me get the injection pump off to send it someplace to have it rebuilt so I can get it runnin again.

Sonny how did you fab up the swing power for the excavator? is it a cylinder or hyd motor?

Swing is cable with a couple wraps around the brake drum then goes thru pulleys hooked to the ends of 2 single acting cylinders that lay down facing the front ( engine end) and hooked to a 2 two-way valve. I'll get some pix of that part ---- its a nightmare lookin setup but will come almost all the way around on the swing cycle, then you go back the other way, same distance.
Most of my diggins are a 90 degree swing , but it will go further when needed.
I copied the swing idea from a Bucyrus Erie 6 ton truck crane.
Dad also had an old Hopto pto drive backhoe that was cable / cylinder swing. They were set up this same way---- my way of doing the idea was real crude but works great and swings fast!--- kinda makes ya dizzy after a while runnin it LOL!

this one's for you Sonny, ..a hopto just like you talked about

Truck Hopto Resurrection

Ya they had several different sizes for trucks ----notice that they swing with a rack type arrangement on them. A tile guy I worked for in 1966 had one like that on a 48 chevy truck. --- only used it at the big ditch to start hole to set the big wheel ohio ditcher in to start the tile line going. Heavy made units and I never ever saw one that had welds on it -----they were monsters!
Dads was the small trailer mounted tractor pto drive model . it too was heavy made.

the video of it showed the swing drive cylinder setup like you said yours had..way cool

Here is an ad for the one like dad had---cept dads didnt have the bucket dump cylinder as that was a option on them
Look up the 1900 Hopto! --- 103 tons---5 yard bucket! lol!