Buying and renovating a Benford TT3000 dumper

[LKSF]

Well the new battery might have been a waste of money, but for anyone wanting to know which one fits it's an 096.
This is the biggest you will get in the original battery box

 

[Mick-the-fitter]

Which cylinder head gasket is blowing?

 

[LKSF]

Which cylinder head gasket is blowing?

The end one nearest the back end where the hydraulic pump and starter handle go.

 

[V8Druid]

The manifold will get some kind of repair wrap around it for now, it's more annoying than stopping the machine from working properly or safely. Will wait until I see a replacement for reasonable money, or just bite the bullet one day and make one.

I think trapping those flimsy eye things under the stronger one was a good move, one of them is too big anyhow. It's a stronger way of doing it (the nut and washer will tear them) and once it's all tightened up together becomes one mass with the current going through the whole thing.
The way is starts is amazing though to say it has no fancy electrics or glowplugs so it must be doing the job. It doesn't even turn over once or twice, just fires straight up.
Agree on that cable going over the chassis member though, accident waiting to happen so will sort it.

Weather permitting head gasket next as it's making a right row blowing out of there, not to mention overfuelling and losing power.
Seals to bucket ram.
Still haven't sent the BMC off for relining and new seals. I think it's shared with an old British car, but it's finding out which one that's the problem.

you could just put some big spades on them and put them on the two spades bolted to that post as they should be

 

[JD450A]

you could just put some big spades on them and put them on the two spades bolted to that post as they should be
View attachment 34109

Leave it be.

Spades on a machine like that are a f****ng nuisance. Corrosion sets in and between that and corrosion you will get issues

 

[LKSF]

I wasn't looking forward to doing the head 'gaskets' outside here as it's a fair sized job. I could see many studs and bolts waiting to be snapped off, the weather could turn nasty half way through (it is Easter afterall), as it was a 4 day holiday something would be needed that I couldn't get until Tuesday.
I also knew as an engine guy I would want to pull the whole thing apart and overhaul it, but that wouldn't be possible.
However a pessimist is never disappointed and it went ok in the end. I've worked on some devilishly complicated engines in the past, but this is fairly basic.
A couple of days earlier i'd noticed one other cylinder was blowing too and once you're in there you might aswell do all 3 anyhow so I did.

As you can see the gasket shims were shot hence it blowing. You get provided a bag of various thicknesses and fit them to suit the squish clearance of your particular engine.

Because this air duct gets sandwiched between the manifolds 6 gaskets are needed, but the supplied set only had 3 so I was forced to re-use the old ones, luckily i'd peeled them off carefully.

The shim gaskets are a bugger to get right and I think whoever did the job last had had at least one set on off centre and squished an edge. Maybe that's what had caused its demise, I don't know. If you put them in the head with some grease they fall off as you're lowering the head down. gasket sealer can not be used. I placed them on top of the barrel instead, centred them and dropped the head on. The problem is they sit in that recess so you've no idea whether they're on correctly or not. If the engine was out and on a stand you would turn it upside down and go up from underneath for a perfect job.

Why someone had been in there before me we'll never know, they didn't read a workshop manual I know that and you don't know what they did wrong, right, why or why it it had failed.

Those exhaust bolts pictured earlier were never going to come out in one piece no matter what, lots of heat had changed the metal and it was very hard and brittle, then rusted in by years of rain. Once off the machine I drilled and tapped them again.
Some other manifold studs broke as I couldn't get any heat to them until they were off, then they came out easy enough. I have a Mini-Ductor for that.

Back together again and will have a bit more power now it's not losing that energy out the side of the engine. It still makes a right old racket though! It sounds like some vintage aircraft on stubbies coming across the field.
I was hoping it would be a lot quieter than what it is. I think most of it is diesel clatter, also some exhaust noise perhaps and the fact it has no covers on it. I've pondered about putting an old used exhaust silencer on it, but it's a lot of work for (possible) little return.

I haven't worked on such old machinery since I was a kid playing with my Dads rotavator so I can't get my head around the nuts, bolts and studs on this thing. I've check the threads and they're metric, but the head sizes seem to be imperial. I didn't think that was possible, but have no idea. I'm not old enough
Another job ticked off and from a mechanical perspective just an exhaust pipe to make up and the front ram seals to do.

 

[Shovelhands]

I wasn't looking forward to doing the head 'gaskets' outside here as it's a fair sized job. I could see many studs and bolts waiting to be snapped off, the weather could turn nasty half way through (it is Easter afterall), as it was a 4 day holiday something would be needed that I couldn't get until Tuesday.
I also knew as an engine guy I would want to pull the whole thing apart and overhaul it, but that wouldn't be possible.
However a pessimist is never disappointed and it went ok in the end. I've worked on some devilishly complicated engines in the past, but this is fairly basic.
A couple of days earlier i'd noticed one other cylinder was blowing too and once you're in there you might aswell do all 3 anyhow so I did.

View attachment 34436

As you can see the gasket shims were shot hence it blowing. You get provided a bag of various thicknesses and fit them to suit the squish clearance of your particular engine.

View attachment 34437

Because this air duct gets sandwiched between the manifolds 6 gaskets are needed, but the supplied set only had 3 so I was forced to re-use the old ones, luckily i'd peeled them off carefully.

View attachment 34438

The shim gaskets are a bugger to get right and I think whoever did the job last had had at least one set on off centre and squished an edge. Maybe that's what had caused its demise, I don't know. If you put them in the head with some grease they fall off as you're lowering the head down. gasket sealer can not be used. I placed them on top of the barrel instead, centred them and dropped the head on. The problem is they sit in that recess so you've no idea whether they're on correctly or not. If the engine was out and on a stand you would turn it upside down and go up from underneath for a perfect job.

View attachment 34439

Why someone had been in there before me we'll never know, they didn't read a workshop manual I know that and you don't know what they did wrong, right, why or why it it had failed.

Those exhaust bolts pictured earlier were never going to come out in one piece no matter what, lots of heat had changed the metal and it was very hard and brittle, then rusted in by years of rain. Once off the machine I drilled and tapped them again.
Some other manifold studs broke as I couldn't get any heat to them until they were off, then they came out easy enough. I have a Mini-Ductor for that.

Back together again and will have a bit more power now it's not losing that energy out the side of the engine. It still makes a right old racket though! It sounds like some vintage aircraft on stubbies coming across the field.
I was hoping it would be a lot quieter than what it is. I think most of it is diesel clatter, also some exhaust noise perhaps and the fact it has no covers on it. I've pondered about putting an old used exhaust silencer on it, but it's a lot of work for (possible) little return.

I haven't worked on such old machinery since I was a kid playing with my Dads rotavator so I can't get my head around the nuts, bolts and studs on this thing. I've check the threads and they're metric, but the head sizes seem to be imperial. I didn't think that was possible, but have no idea. I'm not old enough
Another job ticked off and from a mechanical perspective just an exhaust pipe to make up and the front ram seals to do.

I know it’s a bit late to offer advice, but did you insure that the manifolds all lined up with a straight edge? As it’s easy for them not to be in line!

 

[LKSF]

I know it’s a bit late to off advice, but did you insure that the manifolds all lined up with a straight edge? As it’s easy for them not to be in line!

Yes I got that out of the WSM, you can bolt up the manifolds first, then torque down the heads.

 

[Mick-the-fitter]

 

[LKSF]

I know it’s a bit late to offer advice, but did you insure that the manifolds all lined up with a straight edge? As it’s easy for them not to be in line!

Do you know much about setting the governor up on these?

 

[LKSF]

Well it's taken from the last post in April until now for the 'Specialist' in the Northwest to recondition the brake master cylinder.
At first he quoted about £100 then when I sent it he said £180. I baulked at the 80% price increase so he moaned a lot and lowered it a bit. Then tried to talk me into having seals for brake fluid and not oil. I said it uses oil, not brake fluid, that's what the slave cylinders in the axles will be sealed for. Ffs, it was like pushing water uphill.
Then I had nothing but false promises and excuses. In the 8th week I asked for it back along with the money. All of a sudden it's finished and on its way

So I got it fitted, filled with oil, brake bleeder on and it blew oil out of a chassis member

Turns out one of the brake pipes had rotted straight through out of sight in a box section and was solid with rust and crap too.

Was it normal 5/16ths car brake pipe I had a reel of? No of course not, it's 6mm so I ordered some of that.
Got it all fitted today and woohoo, we have proper working brakes!
It's been so long i'm going to have to re-train myself not to use the engine to slow down and the handbrake to stop
I was worried someone might have put brake fluid through the system and buggered the seals inside the axles, but it seems not. I think they've tried as it had brake fluid in the master, but perhaps they hadn't been able to bleed it through, we'll never know.

I'd ordered a piece of stainless tube and a bend so cut and welded it together. I was pissed off to find my SS Migwire off a broken reel in a mess. Tried untangling it, but no way was it working so I used mild steel wire and painted it instead.

It's really close, but does miss the chassis and the engine is bolted solidly to the chassis so it doesn't move.
Does it sound any quieter? Not at all, It still sounds like a 1910 biplane taxiing across a field.

 

[Mick-the-fitter]

Thwaites have the same problem with brake pipes in the mud!

 

[LKSF]

Thwaites have the same problem with brake pipes in the mud!

They must have put them in there as they're building up the chassis and welded them in too. I tried threading a piece through it and it didn't work.
I wouldn't want brake failure on one of these going down hill with 3T in the front
Have you ever done the bearings on the centre pivot on one of these? There is a lot of play in this, it clunks a bit now the brakes are working.
I was wondering if it could be done somehow without pulling the two halves completely apart as that'll make it quite a big operation.

 

[V8Druid]

They must have put them in there as they're building up the chassis and welded them in too. I tried threading a piece through it and it didn't work.
I wouldn't want brake failure on one of these going down hill with 3T in the front
Have you ever done the bearings on the centre pivot on one of these? There is a lot of play in this, it clunks a bit now the brakes are working.
I was wondering if it could be done somehow without pulling the two halves completely apart as that'll make it quite a big operation.

little bar stewards to separate/extract too ... even with full w/shop facilities ... way easier with the skip off too
had to 'jack' / press the pins out.
failed find a new lower bearing for this un, so machined new seats, hardened 'em with an 'old black oil' quench, from cherry and stuck it back together - only an occasional use m/c ... customer happy to have it functional

 

[LKSF]

little bar stewards to separate/extract too ... even with full w/shop facilities ... way easier with the skip off too
had to 'jack' / press the pins out.
failed find a new lower bearing for this un, so machined new seats, hardened 'em with an 'old black oil' quench, from cherry and stuck it back together - only an occasional use m/c ... customer happy to have it functional

Thanks, yeah, looks like a job for another day! A bit worrying that bearing can't be sourced and I doubt you'll have the number for it now. The others in the steering rams were easy to find.

 

[V8Druid]

Thanks, yeah, looks like a job for another day! A bit worrying that bearing can't be sourced and I doubt you'll have the number for it now. The others in the steering rams were easy to find.

it may just have been my ineptitude in sourcing a bearing at a good price .... IIRC Thwaites wanted nigh on 400 quid and the customer wasn't up for that ... looked at sourcing summat from the likes of FAG or SKF ... will have a look back through my emails and see who I tried ... did find a spherical that was damned close IIRC ...
price up a set from Benford or whoever does their spares ... but take a seat

 

[LKSF]

it may just have been my ineptitude in sourcing a bearing at a good price .... IIRC Thwaites wanted nigh on 400 quid and the customer wasn't up for that ... looked at sourcing summat from the likes of FAG or SKF ... will have a look back through my emails and see who I tried ... did find a spherical that was damned close IIRC ...
price up a set from Benford or whoever does their spares ... but take a seat

I've found a few things are just standard 'off the shelf' items or robbed from elsewhere. Bearings especially, you could pay something like £60 for one from a Plant specialist or simply Google the number and get one for £8 or something from a bearing outlet.

 

[Lancs Lad]

I've found a few things are just standard 'off the shelf' items or robbed from elsewhere. Bearings especially, you could pay something like £60 for one from a Plant specialist or simply Google the number and get one for £8 or something from a bearing outlet.

Absolutely...get the number ring antifriction and get them for peanuts

 

[V8Druid]

Absolutely...get the number ring antifriction and get them for peanuts

well they weren't quite peanuts and couldn't supply an exact replacement ... (see pdf) ..... having refreshed my memory looking at the customers file, emails and sketches .........

I've found a few things are just standard 'off the shelf' items or robbed from elsewhere. Bearings especially, you could pay something like £60 for one from a Plant specialist or simply Google the number and get one for £8 or something from a bearing outlet.

always do the same ... washing machine bearing and seal - 90 odd quid from OE ... 'bout 10 quid otherwise
back to the dumper. .....
was going to have to machine two new housings for their suggestion ... cut the originals out and replace with new housings/bearings - angular contact thrust spherical plain bearings - to be exact, from Timken, as quoted for ..... customer was much happier with my alternative idea of making some new seats for the existing ball, which was well serviceable and worked out a hell of a lot cheaper ....... last time I saw him ('bout 2 years ago), was still performing fine - as and when he occasionally used it

bearing in question's spec is in the other PDF .... and a rough sketch of what I was after / trying to replace from Antifriction (amongst others)

 

[craig]

well they weren't quite peanuts and couldn't supply an exact replacement ... (see pdf) ..... having refreshed my memory looking at the customers file, emails and sketches .........

always do the same ... washing machine bearing and seal - 90 odd quid from OE ... 'bout 10 quid otherwise
back to the dumper. .....
was going to have to machine two new housings for their suggestion ... cut the originals out and replace with new housings/bearings - angular contact thrust spherical plain bearings - to be exact, from Timken, as quoted for ..... customer was much happier with my alternative idea of making some new seats for the existing ball, which was well serviceable and worked out a hell of a lot cheaper ....... last time I saw him ('bout 2 years ago), was still performing fine - as and when he occasionally used it

£67.50 in 2010, I wonder how much in this day and age