24v Grading beam possible??

[Zetor Ad]

Hi folks I've been toying with the idea of a grading beam for my 13/15ton machines as we grade a lot of stone & sand but 2 have no auxiliary flow.
I am assuming I would only need to make fine adjustments to the beam and do you think a 24v power pack might be enough? I was thinking I could mount it on the beam run cables down the boom and utilise the existing joystick buttons.
Thanks for any advice

 

[CPS]

Hi folks I've been toying with the idea of a grading beam for my 13/15ton machines as we grade a lot of stone & sand but 2 have no auxiliary flow.
I am assuming I would only need to make fine adjustments to the beam and do you think a 24v power pack might be enough? I was thinking I could mount it on the beam run cables down the boom and utilise the existing joystick buttons.
Thanks for any advice

No reason it wouldn't work, but id think a diverter in the bucket line would be better.

 

[Shovelhands]

It will need some substantial cables to run the power pack.

As Aiden says, a diverter valve will do a better job, or pipe it up with an aux low flow circuit, a non proportional low flow circuit may be less than you think?

 

[Grahams]

I used to use my grading beam on hire machines with no tilt at all. As long as you get yourself set up pretty level to start off with it works great. Not as good as being able to tilt, but still much quicker and easier than grading with a bucket.
Graham

 

[V8Druid]

park a battery pack on the beam to run the 24v hyd pack ??
.... or as said 6 x 2 diverter valve in the crowd ram circuit, mounted on the dipper and a couple of pipes to the beam ram(s) be the easiest
if you used a couple of QCs on the dipper to couple up dedicated plumbing to the beam, could also use the diverter to power other things on the crowd circuit

 

[Zetor Ad]

Thanks folks, I'll look into the diverter valve does anyone know where I can get a couple at sensible money? I have seen them before but they looked really messy with pipes sticking out everywhere.
V8 Druid, I would run cables over

 

[Hydremaduck]

Ok, hands up, I've only used a grading beam under a tiltrotator and not very much at that.

BUT! back in the day, believe it or not i have had experience on machines without quickhitches and machines without a tilt bucket it is still do able folks!

HELLO! you do not need lots of gizmos, valves, rams, rotational bits a pieces, diverter valves, laser levels and **ck knows what else, its affectionally referred to as old school!

Benefit of a grading beam over a conventional 6ft ditching bucket is the area you can cover quicker and easier simply because the design of the beam defaults to floating over the material rather than trying to dig into it. As anybody who has leveled, graded and trimmed type 1 or similar knows, its far easier to trim it once its compacted.
If your competent to grade with a 6ft ditcher then grading with a beam is a piece of cake. You'll be used to getting your self level or on an angle by placing material under a track or wheel so continue to do the same.
Try it, you'll probably be surprised. Then consider if you need the additional circuits, valves, wires and batteries

 

[V8Druid]

Thanks folks, I'll look into the diverter valve does anyone know where I can get a couple at sensible money? I have seen them before but they looked really messy with pipes sticking out everywhere.
V8 Druid, I would run cables over

as said Zetor , ....... they'd need to be a serious pair of battery leads and'd draw some current with quite a voltage drop.

Flowfit's site is down this morning so can't give you a link to their 6 x 2 diverter valves ..... will have to come back to you with that. Similar to these, but theirs are a neater square block body and about 120 quid from memory

done right, they can look a real neat job ..... pipes only stick out every where if folk don't take the time to do a neat job and route pipes tidily

 

[doobin]

Divertor valve is so much easier and then you have it for other attachements. No brainer I'd say.

 

[V8Druid]

as said Zetor , ....... they'd need to be a serious pair of battery leads and'd draw some current with quite a voltage drop.

Flowfit's site is down this morning so can't give you a link to their 6 x 2 diverter valves ..... will have to come back to you with that.Similar to these, but theirs are a neater square block body and about 120 quid from memory

done right, they can look a real neat job ..... pipes only stick out every where if folk don't take the time to do a neat job and route pipes tidily

ooops ...... forgot the link

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/6-Port-H...20ee3cc2:m:moxgZtvpQh9ItIxsPyfMDNQ:rk:12:pf:0

this is actually a better looking unit, circuit-wise as it doesn't need a case drain, BTLs, unlike Flowfit's version that needs a 1/4" drain line for any bypass leakage

 

[Zetor Ad]

Thanks What size will I need for a 13tonner 3/4 or 1"??
(machines not handy)

 

[V8Druid]

Thanks What size will I need for a 13tonner 3/4 or 1"??
(machines not handy)

what size are the ports on your bucket tilt ram ??
that link's a 1/2" ported unit, running 90 ltrs/min

have seen a 3/4", running IIRC 120l/min .... believe Flowfit do them .... at the end of the day, how much oil does a tilt ram need .... or anything else you're likely to power with that circuit?? (like a rotate/grab circuit?) ...... not a lot .

you would ideally need to match your crowd ram ports though, or it'd slow the bucket down, if smaller than the ram ports.

from memory my ports are 16mm on the Drema (15t)

 

[Zetor Ad]

Ok, hands up, I've only used a grading beam under a tiltrotator and not very much at that.

BUT! back in the day, believe it or not i have had experience on machines without quickhitches and machines without a tilt bucket it is still do able folks!

HELLO! you do not need lots of gizmos, valves, rams, rotational bits a pieces, diverter valves, laser levels and **ck knows what else, its affectionally referred to as old school!

Benefit of a grading beam over a conventional 6ft ditching bucket is the area you can cover quicker and easier simply because the design of the beam defaults to floating over the material rather than trying to dig into it. As anybody who has leveled, graded and trimmed type 1 or similar knows, its far easier to trim it once its compacted.
If your competent to grade with a 6ft ditcher then grading with a beam is a piece of cake. You'll be used to getting your self level or on an angle by placing material under a track or wheel so continue to do the same.
Try it, you'll probably be surprised. Then consider if you need the additional circuits, valves, wires and batteries

Thanks not a bad idea I could still buy a tilting beam and replace the ram with something fixed then I still have the option of tilt if I need too or if I use it on the Case (with aux)
I can just remember them days cut my teeth on a old Leibherr 901LC & a KH101 mini neither had Qhitch only the 901 had servo I had to open the door to slew left on the KH

 

[Hydremaduck]

I could still buy a tilting beam and replace the ram with something fixed then I still have the option of tilt if I need too or if I use it on the Case (with aux)

Not too long after I went solo I had a mate operating my own machine as I was looking at the feasibility of adding a second duck with him working full time for me.
As a result I hired in a Case 988 duck and I went to work with that to test the idea.
The pins were so badly worn on it, when ditcher was on, it almost appeared to have a tilt bucket. How the hell are you supposed to grade with that? is the obvious question. Well in fact it works quite well once you suss it out slew slightly under load and the bucket can be made to dig slightly on which ever side you desire. I trimmed a couple of well compacted new A road slip roads within tolerance without too much drama once I had it sussed.

My point being, if your having a tilt ram on a grading beam, try it with the ram simply looped with a short length of hose, (with oil in it to act as a damper) and try it. You might well be surprised what you can achieve without having to get the machine to perfect grade every move.

 

[V8Druid]

Not too long after I went solo I had a mate operating my own machine as I was looking at the feasibility of adding a second duck with him working full time for me.
As a result I hired in a Case 988 duck and I went to work with that to test the idea.
The pins were so badly worn on it, when ditcher was on, it almost appeared to have a tilt bucket. How the hell are you supposed to grade with that? is the obvious question. Well in fact it works quite well once you suss it out slew slightly under load and the bucket can be made to dig slightly on which ever side you desire. I trimmed a couple of well compacted new A road slip roads within tolerance without too much drama once I had it sussed.

My point being, if your having a tilt ram on a grading beam, try it with the ram simply looped with a short length of hose, (with oil in it to act as a damper) and try it. You might well be surprised what you can achieve without having to get the machine to perfect grade every move.

The QH on Jake is a bit like that .... in need of attention, but as you say, a bit of practice and it works to your advantage
I had considered linking the ram too, but was unsure of how 'stationary' it'd stay ..... could always put a throttled adaptor into the circuit and slow responses down with maybe a 1 or 2 mm ported fitting

 

[Shovelhands]

Fill it with oil and fit an accumulator in each port, it will have a sensible amount of ‘give’.

I can see it working quite well.

I have been thinking of making a grading beam (no time available for this dream of course), but still think I ‘need’ the tilt after using my tilting bucket. The trouble is I can also see that on roads and tracks ect, rather than large areas, having the beam rotate would be a great advantage. But a rotating and tilting grading beam is a fair project.

Now, I wonder.......how can I get something to tilt and rotate on the end of the dipper?....

 

[V8Druid]

Fill it with oil and fit an accumulator in each port, it will have a sensible amount of ‘give’.

I can see it working quite well.

I have been thinking of making a grading beam (no time available for this dream of course), but still think I ‘need’ the tilt after using my tilting bucket. The trouble is I can also see that on roads and tracks ect, rather than large areas, having the beam rotate would be a great advantage. But a rotating and tilting grading beam is a fair project.

Now, I wonder.......how can I get something to tilt and rotate on the end of the dipper?....

POP James ..... buy one of these .... chop it up - rotator and rams all there and maybe a 6 x 2 diverter too ?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Cascade-...h=item41e7ea83f5:g:YgwAAOSwsh5bUKnB:rk:1:pf:0

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CASCADE-...h=item25d759a6e1:g:yDwAAOSwxu5ZJLAk:rk:5:pf:0

second one is what I was really after, when I bought my Cascade which is only a single pivoted arm, similar to the first link ... really wanted a twin

better rotator on the first one for 'creating with .... and a 4 gallery rotary coupling thrown in .... rams may be a bit of over kill for tilting a beam with though

interesting lil' trailer this one's sat on

 

[Mogman]

A few on here have already seen this, but this is what I made a few years back, a rotate of a FLT and a pivot so it can follow the ground but has a couple of screws to stop or limit the pivot

 

[Shovelhands]

POP James ..... buy one of these .... chop it up - rotator and rams all there and maybe a 6 x 2 diverter too ?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Cascade-...h=item41e7ea83f5:g:YgwAAOSwsh5bUKnB:rk:1:pf:0

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CASCADE-...h=item25d759a6e1:g:yDwAAOSwxu5ZJLAk:rk:5:pf:0

second one is what I was really after, when I bought my Cascade which is only a single pivoted arm, similar to the first link ... really wanted a twin

better rotator on the first one for 'creating with .... and a 4 gallery rotary coupling thrown in .... rams may be a bit of over kill for tilting a beam with though

View attachment 2395

View attachment 2396

interesting lil' trailer this one's sat on

View attachment 2397

Already had my eye on those Gra

Time is my enemy at the moment for any sort of project, that isn’t an emergency! And I’ve not got the space in the workshop for another long term project at the moment, I’ve still got a machine in there that’s been 18 moths now!

I think if I ONLY wanted a grading beam, then I’d definitely use one of those units as the base, I think it could work a treat. But........I would like to add a selector grab (which rotates), and also would like a tree shear at some point..........thinking about it logically there’s only one way this is all heading!.....knowing quite how to go about it all is the question????.....

 

[V8Druid]

Already had my eye on those Gra

Time is my enemy at the moment for any sort of project, that isn’t an emergency! And I’ve not got the space in the workshop for another long term project at the moment, I’ve still got a machine in there that’s been 18 moths now!

I think if I ONLY wanted a grading beam, then I’d definitely use one of those units as the base, I think it could work a treat. But........I would like to add a selector grab (which rotates), and also would like a tree shear at some point..........thinking about it logically there’s only one way this is all heading!.....knowing quite how to go about it all is the question????.....

was a bloke on the CEF made a tilty out of summat similar James ...... man of your kalyber .... no sweat get it made