JimBruce42
Senior Member
I'm not really sure if this should be in the excavator or GPS section, so I'll start it here, and if it's wrong, someone will move it.
My question is about the placement of the GPS receivers on excavators. We use Trimble dual mast GPS and have it on all of our Mass Ex. and a couple of the pipe 345's as well. Currently they are located on the counterweights, where everyone used to put them, and because of how high and close to the edge they are, our safety department is now requiring that we put handrails around the entire upper deck. I think hoeman or pullpan posted a shot of the "prototype version".:usa Well anyway I had a safety thing last week and this came up, and I mentioned that I've seen photos of them place towards the front of the engine compartment so you don't have to climb up on the hood. To me this would be safer and you wouldn't have to worry about removing and assembling the handrails every time the machine had to move, so I asked why not just do that. The answer was that the boom will tend to interfere with the signal too much, which I get, but I wondered if anyone has run a hoe with the GPS in this new location and if they have found much difference in signal strength or reliability?
photo#1: GPS on counterweight
photo#2: on the front of the engine hood... sourced from Cat.com (Sorry, I know i've seen clearer shots than this, but this is the best photo I could find of it tonight:Banghead )
My question is about the placement of the GPS receivers on excavators. We use Trimble dual mast GPS and have it on all of our Mass Ex. and a couple of the pipe 345's as well. Currently they are located on the counterweights, where everyone used to put them, and because of how high and close to the edge they are, our safety department is now requiring that we put handrails around the entire upper deck. I think hoeman or pullpan posted a shot of the "prototype version".:usa Well anyway I had a safety thing last week and this came up, and I mentioned that I've seen photos of them place towards the front of the engine compartment so you don't have to climb up on the hood. To me this would be safer and you wouldn't have to worry about removing and assembling the handrails every time the machine had to move, so I asked why not just do that. The answer was that the boom will tend to interfere with the signal too much, which I get, but I wondered if anyone has run a hoe with the GPS in this new location and if they have found much difference in signal strength or reliability?
photo#1: GPS on counterweight
photo#2: on the front of the engine hood... sourced from Cat.com (Sorry, I know i've seen clearer shots than this, but this is the best photo I could find of it tonight:Banghead )