I purchased a CadDigger 628 over the weekend. I'm the third owner. The previous owner replaced the orignal engine, which should have been 5HP, with a 13 HP engine, and then tore the bucket apart digging with it. It's so over-powered, I need to use two hands to steady myself enough to make the small movements necessary to control it reasonably.
This is the first I've ever worked with hydraulics. I read a bit about using relief valves or restricting the flow. Would that be practical here? The seller told me the pump was original, and that it's 2.6 GPM, although I can't find any markings to confirm that.
I believe the proper thing to do would be to put a more appropriate-sized engine on it. I see that I can get a 6.5 HP Harbor Freight engine for $160. It already has a LoveJoy connector, so that part should be easy. Then I'd need to buy or make a bracket to mount the pump to the engine. The engine mount has a bolt hole circle diameter of 92 mm, which doesn't match with any NEMA size I can find. The pump only has two bolts. How can I find a bracket to connect these? If I need to make one, I do have a tiny DC welder, but not much experience with it.
