Older diggers for farm use

nashmach said:
Not too often you see Hymacs on Donedeal.
https://www.donedeal.ie/trailers-for-sale/hymac/21350794

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Not many on the go today. Good in their day, but wiped out of the Market in the 80's by kubota/Hitachi, far superior machines
 
Did they have a bad habit of throwing tracks?
Recall one emptying the slurry pit at my uncles. Was constantly loosing tracks. Could have just been that machine mind you. this was probably 25 years ago.
 
AYF said:
Did they have a bad habit of throwing tracks?
Recall one emptying the slurry pit at my uncles. Was constantly loosing tracks. Could have just been that machine mind you. this was probably 25 years ago.
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Any digger will do that if the chains/sprockets are badly enough worn or if the tracks aren't tight enough
 
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AYF said:
Did they have a bad habit of throwing tracks?
Recall one emptying the slurry pit at my uncles. Was constantly loosing tracks. Could have just been that machine mind you. this was probably 25 years ago.
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They hadn't enough hydraulic output to run the tracks and the boom together and the track controls were either on or off so kinda impossible to turn them without serious dragging, that would be no help to keeping a slack track on.
 
They were a Leaky yoke and were constantly losing oil and were generally very slow compared to modern machines . There was a shaft in the track assembly that used to fail . I remember the first non Hymac coming around the place and being amazed at the speed .
 
Arthur said:
They hadn't enough hydraulic output to run the tracks and the boom together and the track controls were either on or off so kinda impossible to turn them without serious dragging, that would be no help to keeping a slack track on.
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They had a terrible stiff detent on the track levers, drove one when I was very young and couldn't get the lever to neutral, kept missing and going from forward to reverse. Dipper on the foot pedals would confuse most now too!! :wacko:
 
They were faster than a priestman of the same era as i recall .
Fond of replacement engines too.
But the best available at the time.
I presume cat were making diggers too but probably too expensive for us
 
Seedsower said:
They were faster than a priestman of the same era as i recall .
Fond of replacement engines too.
But the best available at the time.
I presume cat were making diggers too but probably too expensive for us
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There were a couple of caterpillars around in the 1980s alright but id say judging by today's prices the cost would have been prohibitive then too.

I think some of them Hymacs used to hold a full barrel of oil compared to 60 or 70 litres in most Japanese machines of that era.

Low output pumps and big 6 cylinder engines driving them. It's the same as anything really in that as time goes on efficiency increases
 
Seedsower said:
They were faster than a priestman of the same era as i recall .
Fond of replacement engines too.
But the best available at the time.
I presume cat were making diggers too but probably too expensive for us
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JCB's with powerslide booms and Poclain were about the only other I remember from that era, Ford tied up with Richier and for a while H45's and H48's showed up until the Hitachis and Cats took over.
 
Arthur said:
JCB's with powerslide booms and Poclain were about the only other I remember from that era, Ford tied up with Richier and for a while H45's and H48's showed up until the Hitachis and Cats took over.
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There's was lads near here had a poclain tc45. It was about 12 ton and it had no blow off valves. Just heavier pipes. They used to move it with a fordson major.
 
Arthur said:
JCB's with powerslide booms and Poclain were about the only other I remember from that era, Ford tied up with Richier and for a while H45's and H48's showed up until the Hitachis and Cats took over.
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Hymacs were never that popular around here, it was Fords and JCB's. Didn't JCB buy out someone to get into the market - I can't remember who!
 
Arthur said:
JCB's with powerslide booms and Poclain were about the only other I remember from that era, Ford tied up with Richier and for a while H45's and H48's showed up until the Hitachis and Cats took over.
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JCB with the powerslide would be slightly newer than the Hymac above, JCB 814's had servo controls. A mate has a 806B which would be early 80's, you have to remove pins to move the boom on that, honestly if you have a day on that your on the phone to the Samaritans that evening!!! :tdown:
 
I heard the hymacs had ford engines, the porous kind and the earlier d800 six cylinder which werent a bad yoke driving hydraulic pumps and belt drives. it was the sideways load on the crankshaft that would destroy them I was told. the crank would shift, and fuck up the starter first and then worse.
 
AYF said:
Someone told me they are good till you need to fix them?!
Lots of specialist tools needed?
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There used to be several round here a few years back, can't say I've heard anyone say special tools are needed. Its a Deutz engine anyway, not sure who's the transmission is though.
 
Win said:
There used to be several round here a few years back, can't say I've heard anyone say special tools are needed. Its a Deutz engine anyway, not sure who's the transmission is though.
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Fairly sure it was one of Dad's friends had one. Was the height of technology round here at the time. But he soon shifted it after an expensive bill that could only be sorted through a dealer.
 
powerfarmer said:
Isn't it the axles are the problem with those older Kramers ? An unusual fabricated design and expensive parts
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I do know of one that had the back axle break through.
AYF said:
Fairly sure it was one of Dad's friends had one. Was the height of technology round here at the time. But he soon shifted it after an expensive bill that could only be sorted through a dealer.
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There's a local guy who used to do a lot with them and I can't recall him saying about special tools, trouble is unless you've owned one and had the problems you forget what you hear or I do anyway!!
 
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Win said:
I do know of one that had the back axle break through.

There's a local guy who used to do a lot with them and I can't recall him saying about special tools, trouble is unless you've owned one and had the problems you forget what you hear or I do anyway!!
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I recall that I had seen one for sale and pestering Dad that it would be cool (budgets or lack of don't come into a 12 yr old machinery head's mind do they!!)
His saying about the special tools could well have been a distractionary tactic then!!!

(he secretly regrets not buying the County 1184 that I had spotted for sale and pesstered him about...... A few years before they got to big bucks!
 
AYF said:
I recall that I had seen one for sale and pestering Dad that it would be cool (budgets or lack of don't come into a 12 yr old machinery head's mind do they!!)
His saying about the special tools could well have been a distractionary tactic then!!!

(he secretly regrets not buying the County 1184 that I had spotted for sale and pesstered him about...... A few years before they got to big bucks!
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We sort of looked at them years back but were more fond of pivot steer than rear wheel, hence we went with the zettelmeyer. I still think the one here is quite modern, just worked out its 37 yrs old!!!!!! Christ time goes on!!

That's one thing I got right buying a County before they got to big money, even if it was a wreck!!
 
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