What quick hitch for yer mini?

[V8Druid]

Cheers Routy

if you're doing new plates, holing them as a pair will help dramatically

be sure to get the centres right and your pins parallel to each other and square to the cheeks .... horizontally and vertically

if you haven't got anything suitable to use as a substantial spacer/packer, tack a couple of braces across the tops, if doing loose pins ....

whilst stitching up and firming all welds
if they're fixed pins, some substantial stitches of the pins to cheeks'll keep them spaced and in place , but good stitches and sequential welding will keep things in place .... if you do have a good packer, even better .....

the thin card in these is to assist in getting the packer back out and give me an extra half mil on the tolerance

when you're happy everything's right ... secure the pins .... and burn it all in

shout if I can help in any way

 

[Routy56]

Update on my new quick hitch project:
The new hitch arrived direct from Harford as promised within the 10 day lead in time
Photo below shows me fettling it with black paint before fitting, after a few scratches were acquired along the way.

New hitch tried for size and it fit perfectly.
Note my nice new nipple covers (oh er Matron!)
The more observant will note that I specified a coupling eye.
This came with a test certificate and SWL of 1 tonne

As well as a nice printed manual Hartford supplied some nice new stickers

The next task was to modify all me buckets with dummy pins. 3m of EN8 bright bar was delivered last week
My stick welder was NOT up to the job with the thermal overload tripping out.
Borrowed my mates nice inverter welder. Absolute dream to use......

........arc was easy to strike up with excellent penetration using 2.5mm sticks.
Hardly had to use the angle grinder to clean up

Decided to tidy up the buckets with a lick of paint before they became a rusty mess on and behind the new pins.
Shown here is a nice grey etch primer

Had to get creative when I could find my tin of Neuson grey paint.
Knowing that we all have Ferguson paint kicking around, I darkened some nice Ferguson Grey with a splash of black.
Added some old fast thinners 'cos it was only 9c outside. Into the old spray gun and away we go

Chuffed with the results. The dark Ferguson Grey actually looks superb.
Didn't do the undersides and I know that the sides will soon get scratched to buggery, but I like things give a good clean up

So, there you go all sorted ready to tackle the growing list of customers and business partners wanting my services.
At least when I rock up with all this new looking kit, it looks like I now what I am doing

 

[doobin]

You bloody tart!

Looks great mate. Nice to have no slop in the hitch/bucket pins?

 

[V8Druid]

you painted your running gear/track frames, too BTLs

 

[Routy56]

you painted your running gear/track frames, too BTLs

Yep - did that when I put new tracks in a few weeks ago
BTW - thanks for yer help advice and inspiration in tackling this project

 

[Routy56]

You bloody tart!

Looks great mate. Nice to have no slop in the hitch/bucket pins?

Ha ha - thought someone would see the fun in what we do
Did the dipper bushes a few weeks ago
But still got add a few shims here and there now I don’t have to keep messing around with greasy pins

 

[V8Druid]

Yep - did that when I put new tracks in a few weeks ago
BTW - thanks for yer help advice and inspiration in tackling this project

'swhat it's all about .... I've had a lot of help and advice from various forums and only too pleased to be able to 'give back'
Looks good too Boyo

 

[6feetdown]

Update on my new quick hitch project:
The new hitch arrived direct from Harford as promised within the 10 day lead in time
Photo below shows me fettling it with black paint before fitting, after a few scratches were acquired along the way.
View attachment 4889

New hitch tried for size and it fit perfectly.
Note my nice new nipple covers (oh er Matron!)
The more observant will note that I specified a coupling eye.
This came with a test certificate and SWL of 1 tonne
View attachment 4890

As well as a nice printed manual Hartford supplied some nice new stickers
View attachment 4891

The next task was to modify all me buckets with dummy pins. 3m of EN8 bright bar was delivered last week
My stick welder was NOT up to the job with the thermal overload tripping out.
Borrowed my mates nice inverter welder. Absolute dream to use......
View attachment 4892

........arc was easy to strike up with excellent penetration using 2.5mm sticks.
Hardly had to use the angle grinder to clean up
View attachment 4893

Decided to tidy up the buckets with a lick of paint before they became a rusty mess on and behind the new pins.
Shown here is a nice grey etch primer
View attachment 4894

Had to get creative when I could find my tin of Neuson grey paint.
Knowing that we all have Ferguson paint kicking around, I darkened some nice Ferguson Grey with a splash of black.
Added some old fast thinners 'cos it was only 9c outside. Into the old spray gun and away we go
View attachment 4895

Chuffed with the results. The dark Ferguson Grey actually looks superb.
Didn't do the undersides and I know that the sides will soon get scratched to buggery, but I like things give a good clean up
View attachment 4896

So, there you go all sorted ready to tackle the growing list of customers and business partners wanting my services.
At least when I rock up with all this new looking kit, it looks like I now what I am doing
View attachment 4897

Where did you get your dummy pins?

 

[V8Druid]

Where did you get your dummy pins?

buy yourself a length of BDMS bright drawn mild steel EN8 and make some ... a bar is peanuts compared to what you'll pay for pins and gripped in a hitch, don't need to be anything really special ... Ex Stock in Zooport ... 01633 253111 Roger Meehan, will sort you out ... IIRC you're 30mm? waiting on a bar of 30 from 'em ATM - should've arrived today, but out of stock for a week or so.
they have got 1-3/16" which is a gnat's over at 30.16mm which in a hitch wouldn't be that critical, but I need a dead 30 .... depends what your pin holes're like in your buckets really

 

[Routy56]

Where did you get your dummy pins?

After advice from Gra @V8Druid Got it from a local Steel Stockholders - EN8 Bright Bar
Suffolk Steel in my case
1 bar 1 ¼ “ Bright EN8 Round (31.75) £76.80 per 3.000 metres
Delivery Charge £10.00 + vat
Cheap as chips. Cut to length and all welded in place

 

[hiluxman]

After advice from Gra @V8Druid Got it from a local Steel Stockholders - EN8 Bright Bar
Suffolk Steel in my case
1 bar 1 ¼ “ Bright EN8 Round (31.75) £76.80 per 3.000 metres
Delivery Charge £10.00 + vat
Cheap as chips. Cut to length and all welded in place

And if you don't have welding facilities just drill a hole each end and pop a nut and bolt in.

 

[V8Druid]

After advice from Gra @V8Druid Got it from a local Steel Stockholders - EN8 Bright Bar
Suffolk Steel in my case
1 bar 1 ¼ “ Bright EN8 Round (31.75) £76.80 per 3.000 metres
Delivery Charge £10.00 + vat
Cheap as chips. Cut to length and all welded in place

as an indication of how steel has risen .... had a 3m 'random' (can be 3m to 3.2m) bar of 70mm dia. in '2014 for 'Drema pins, for £72 +VAT ...
32mm is 6.3kg/m ...
70mm is 30.2 kg/m
still way cheaper than buying precut pins

 

[6feetdown]

buy yourself a length of BDMS bright drawn mild steel EN8 and make some ... a bar is peanuts compared to what you'll pay for pins and gripped in a hitch, don't need to be anything really special ... Ex Stock in Zooport ... 01633 253111 Roger Meehan, will sort you out ... IIRC you're 30mm? waiting on a bar of 30 from 'em ATM - should've arrived today, but out of stock for a week or so.
they have got 1-3/16" which is a gnat's over at 30.16mm which in a hitch wouldn't be that critical, but I need a dead 30 .... depends what your pin holes're like in your buckets really

I'll make some enquiries thanks

 

[CPS]

30mm Dummy pins, £14 each cut and drilled.
Plus postage

 

[doobin]

30mm Dummy pins, £14 each cut and drilled.
Plus postage

I’ll have ten please

my boss widths are 3200mm, thanks

 

[V8Druid]

I’ll have ten please

my boss widths are 3200mm, thanks

postage is not gonna be cheap on that @doobin

 

[doobin]

postage is not gonna be cheap on that @doobin

Check your phone grandad. We were five minutes away from you earlier today.
Should have been on the M4, but someone had managed to set her satnav to ‘avoid motorways’ and I’d fallen asleep ‍♂

 

[V8Druid]

Check your phone grandad. We were five minutes away from you earlier today.
Should have been on the M4, but someone had managed to set her satnav to ‘avoid motorways’ and I’d fallen asleep ‍♂

bugger .... sorry fella ... it hasn't rung all day .... bloody thing's been doing it a lot lately
pity .. would've been nice to see you both .... take it you were passing by

 

[V8Druid]

Check your phone grandad. We were five minutes away from you earlier today.
Should have been on the M4, but someone had managed to set her satnav to ‘avoid motorways’ and I’d fallen asleep ‍♂

take it you woke up on the A40 then ....... much nicer route than the bloody M4

 

[Maxus]

Waiting for the harford pro lok I ordered for my jcb 8010 a month ago has made changing buckets mentally challenging.

Just found out it'll be here Monday