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A job for young guys.

Welder Dave

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 11, 2014
Messages
17,976
Location
Canada
I made up some special big back up washers for mounting a sprocket counterweight on my 931B. What a pain to mount! I used the backhoe to lift the back of machine up to give a little more room. I put heavy duty jack stands underneath and chained the stabilizers together for safety.

Just moving the weight was a chore but I got it close using a came-a-long. I had it lifted but then realized it was too far away from the sprocket hub. I had to take a track pad off. Thankfully the bolts loosened without issue but when I went to remove the pad, the chain on the come-a-long pushed the pad toward the machine and my hand got squished. Not too bad because the weight is only 300lbs. Bolting the weight on I had to shimmy under the back of the machine. I could only work on 1 bolt at a time in about the 5 O'clock position. Couldn't use my electric impact or even an extension on a socket. There was just enough room for my 1/2" swivel head ratchet. Getting back out from underneath was a challenge with the chain about 3" off the ground. I had to go under about 7 or 8 times to make sure the weight was lined up right. After I had the third bolt in I tightened it as snug as I could. Then I turned the sprocket to tighten the other 2 bolts as tight as I could. Took about 4 hours by myself but man that was awkward. I think every bone in my body aches especially my hips and back. It's definitely a job for a young nimble person not someone in their sixties with a crazy glued back.

I'll probably be aching for a week but glad I got the weight mounted. I wanted to mount it when I had all my tools at my disposal in my old shop. Hopefully if the pipeline goes through I'll be able to put up a shop on the new property.
 
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Welder Dave

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 11, 2014
Messages
17,976
Location
Canada
For sure! It's so hard to get help when you need it. Not many would want to crawl under there. My bone marrow cancer is in remission but bending and twisting and contorting my body really takes a toll. My back is held together with bone cement which is OK but the sides of my lower back will really ache. My legs were really aching when I got home. Must have used some muscles that haven't been needed for awhile. I'm glad I got it done though. Should have done it a long time ago but didn't really need more weight with hoe on the back. I'll be taking the hoe off at the new property when doing just loader work. The back end can get a little light if I'm loading moist clay. Can't have rear counterweights with the hoe brackets.
 
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