V8Druid
do it as well as you can,but learn to do it better
so loosely on the theme of boats and cranes 
this was an absolute tub - belonged to a mate's dad who'd had it for decades and had had several incarnations as a tripper (remember the MSA) ... it'd sunk -- his old man had stuffed the hole and pumped it out and we whipped it off the water for him ..... he wanted it repaired - didn't take too kindly to the comment that it just needed scrapping - nothing left to repair - particularly as it would need inspection and I was NOT putting my arse and rep. on the line for this piece of crap ... and he'd want it doing for sod all ... no thanks - NFI
so it got off loaded in his son's yard (which I used to own, before buying and moving to the old bus station workshop and yard .... this was a much smaller place)
for a bit of scale on the 825's size ..... the son and one of his blokes, wrestling some chains onto the 25t hook block
the tub sat in the son's yard for pushing two years ... the 'father' tried to persuade a few of my guys to spend weekend time on attempting repairs on the hobble .. couple of 'em had a day each having a go and that was as far as it went - like trying to repair tinfoil - was only ever a 3mm springer hull and was a piece of tish from new - probably 35-40 years earlier - doubt it'd been off the water three times in that space of time. he eventually managed to sell it - presumably to some guy with a white stick and partially sighted guide dog with more confidence in his abilities, than sense (or ability, at a guess) - you could push your finger through in places and spit through it in others SCRAP
when I was shopping for a 45 tonner (were getting a lot of inquiries for a bigger tool than the 30s) I went to have a shufty at this .. thought I had more pix somewhere - might find 'em yet ... was very nice, totally oil tight, as all the Jap stuff tended to be, but I'd never seen another
was in Leicester and hadn't had a hard life - look how straight the rigger beams are and the amount of daylight under it ... Jap motor, Nissan or Isuzu - can't recall, but had a temperamental starter ... which is why the guy beside it is looking so PO-ed... it let him down right there -- I eventually managed to get a price for a new one (out of interest - see what spares prices were like?) and that was the end of my interest -- over a grand, plus VAT - early '90s .. can't recall exactly motor from Lucas for a 6 pot or V8 Cummins was around 150 quid - starters can take a beating on mobiles. I always had a spare for each machine on the shelf -- in case
I'd also been trying in vain to find a Demag HC130 - 50 tonner, but not as big as the Grove's 45 offering (quite) -- couple of nice examples off the 'net for illustration -- the HC75 had come from Sweden originally and I could not find a single 130 in the UK for sale - did not want the faff of importing so eventually bought the TMS475 from GWS in their Alfreton depot. had looked at a couple of Coles Hydratruck 45/50s, but more of a lump that the Groves and a bit 'old hat' ... were some lifters though
HC130s
as said before ... ran the 45 for a couple of years, 'fore it took two trips to Paraguay, where it ended up, after replacing it with the 825
this was the day I went up to Derbyshire for a gander and a deal - privateer running it and giving up ..
tried it out and all worked fine, tested it up the road and pulled well ... we had a deal... only thing needed doing was a new off-side kit locker ... was looking a bit s/hand (on t'other side) -- looked like it'd had an encounter with a low bollard
met him at Sandbach services a few days later and brought it home .... gave me good service for several years.
on her way to a new home
this was an absolute tub - belonged to a mate's dad who'd had it for decades and had had several incarnations as a tripper (remember the MSA
) ... it'd sunk -- his old man had stuffed the hole and pumped it out and we whipped it off the water for him ..... he wanted it repaired - didn't take too kindly to the comment that it just needed scrapping - nothing left to repair - particularly as it would need inspection and I was NOT putting my arse and rep. on the line for this piece of crap ... and he'd want it doing for sod all ... no thanks - NFIso it got off loaded in his son's yard (which I used to own, before buying and moving to the old bus station workshop and yard .... this was a much smaller place)
for a bit of scale on the 825's size ..... the son and one of his blokes, wrestling some chains onto the 25t hook block
the tub sat in the son's yard for pushing two years ... the 'father' tried to persuade a few of my guys to spend weekend time on attempting repairs on the hobble .. couple of 'em had a day each having a go and that was as far as it went - like trying to repair tinfoil - was only ever a 3mm springer hull and was a piece of tish from new - probably 35-40 years earlier - doubt it'd been off the water three times in that space of time. he eventually managed to sell it - presumably to some guy with a white stick and partially sighted guide dog
with more confidence in his abilities, than sense (or ability, at a guess) - you could push your finger through in places and spit through it in others SCRAPwhen I was shopping for a 45 tonner (were getting a lot of inquiries for a bigger tool than the 30s) I went to have a shufty at this .. thought I had more pix somewhere - might find 'em yet ... was very nice, totally oil tight, as all the Jap stuff tended to be, but I'd never seen another
was in Leicester and hadn't had a hard life - look how straight the rigger beams are and the amount of daylight under it
... Jap motor, Nissan or Isuzu - can't recall, but had a temperamental starter ... which is why the guy beside it is looking so PO-ed... it let him down right there -- I eventually managed to get a price for a new one (out of interest - see what spares prices were like?) and that was the end of my interest -- over a grand, plus VAT - early '90s .. can't recall exactly motor from Lucas for a 6 pot or V8 Cummins was around 150 quid - starters can take a beating on mobiles. I always had a spare for each machine on the shelf -- in case I'd also been trying in vain to find a Demag HC130 - 50 tonner, but not as big as the Grove's 45 offering (quite) -- couple of nice examples off the 'net for illustration -- the HC75 had come from Sweden originally and I could not find a single 130 in the UK for sale - did not want the faff of importing so eventually bought the TMS475 from GWS in their Alfreton depot. had looked at a couple of Coles Hydratruck 45/50s, but more of a lump that the Groves and a bit 'old hat' ... were some lifters though
HC130s
as said before ... ran the 45 for a couple of years, 'fore it took two trips to Paraguay
, where it ended up, after replacing it with the 825this was the day I went up to Derbyshire for a gander and a deal - privateer running it and giving up ..
tried it out and all worked fine, tested it up the road and pulled well ... we had a deal
... only thing needed doing was a new off-side kit locker ... was looking a bit s/hand (on t'other side) -- looked like it'd had an encounter with a low bollard met him at Sandbach services a few days later and brought it home .... gave me good service for several years.
on her way to a new home
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.. not fit to be driving a roller skate 