Cmark's random photo thread

[92U 3406]

Yeah, you'd need a good sized loader or something else to safely lift an 8000lb. counterweight. You'd also need a helper. Machines like that should come with a way to more easily remove or at least move the counterweight out of the way. Hyd. or an electric winch maybe that holds it in place and then a few bolts that could be tightened with a 600 ft./lbs. torque wrench.

A dealership near here had a counterweight fall during removal recently. Killed one and injured another. Story I got was the lift mechanism was not connected to the counterweight and when they undid the bolts it dropped and caught them. Sad deal all around.

 

[Nige]

View attachment 270523

The old 6V6080 widowmaker. 18.5:1 Outlawed due to unfortunate incidents like this one.

https://www.dmp.wa.gov.au/Documents/Safety/MSH_SIR_133.pdf

I remember that incident. I was in Chile at the time and it got to us via BHP Safety.

 

[kshansen]

View attachment 270523

The old 6V6080 widowmaker. 18.5:1 Outlawed due to unfortunate incidents like this one.

https://www.dmp.wa.gov.au/Documents/Safety/MSH_SIR_133.pdf

First I heard of that one. We had one of those at the quarry that we inherited from some other part of the company. As I recall I had to replace the output drive a couple times due to it failing. I thought it was a handy tool for torqueing piston nuts on hydraulic cylinders.

The way I used it was by clamping the eye of the rod to a very heavy table we had in the shop, believe the top was 1 1/2 or 2 inch steel plate, used a 30 ton twin ram hydraulic ram to clamp it tight. Then used the 6V6080 with just the attached arm against the table top or for longer cylinders had it resting on a very large jack stand. Also used a large nylon ratchet strap to hold the ram from twisting.

Did have a few idiots try to tell me to use a 1/2 inch impact wrench to power the 6V6080 while running nuts on or off!

 

[John C.]

Bigger machines have the ability to remove their own weights…

Counterweight loaders are an option that cost extra. I've not seen any installed on anything smaller than a 65 ton machine.

I knew a guy who got on the release side of that big multiplier. Ended up with a compound fracture on one of his legs. Using one generated the same type of anxiety as pressing a sprocket off a D9G.

 

[92U 3406]

The most anxiety I ever had was rebuilding an 850 Hitachi track adjuster. Compressing that huge spring in a shop press and installing the nut had me puckered right up.

 

[Vetech63]

A 600 Ft lb torque wrench works with a 4 to 1 multiplier but how many people have that set up?

I do

 

[Mike L]

I do

Me too! Also have a torcup pneumatic torch wrench

 

[d9gdon]

View attachment 270523

The old 6V6080 widowmaker. 18.5:1 Outlawed due to unfortunate incidents like this one.

Wow, is it really outlawed by OSHA or MSHA? I have one that might've possibly twisted the anvil in two pieces...somehow. I wondered why they came with a spare in that little black cloth bag. I can see how someone could be injured with it after using it...

Good lord, I just looked at some recent selling prices of them in the the thousands of $. I gave $250 for mine...

 

[Cmark]

Wow, is it really outlawed by OSHA or MSHA?

Neither. It's banned by BHP who, amongst others, set the de-facto standards here in Australia. You can still buy it from Cat.

 

[Cmark]

The approved method. (One of them)

 

[John Shipp]

I do

Hello Vetech, if you get the chance, what make & model is it, and how do you rate it? I need to get one for exactly this scenario (reduced tail machine radiator cleaning access). Cheers.

 

[Nige]

The most anxiety I ever had was rebuilding an 850 Hitachi track adjuster. Compressing that huge spring in a shop press and installing the nut had me puckered right up.

It’s the same feeling that you get when disassembling or assembling a D11 recoil spring. At the time the weight goes on the cylinder you’d rather be somewhere, anywhere, but right there.

 

[John Shipp]

Neither. It's banned by BHP who, amongst others, set the de-facto standards here in Australia. You can still buy it from Cat.

When I search for 6v-6080 it comes up in the predicted text window but returns 0 finds. Possibly they are out of stock or discontinued now?

 

[Cmark]

There are still some out there. This is what I can see from here in Australia.

 

[Nige]

When I search for 6v-6080 it comes up in the predicted text window but returns 0 finds. Possibly they are out of stock or discontinued now?

The 6V-6080 is still available but it is 18.5:1 ratio and that’s not the one Vetech was talking about. It’s also horrendously expensive.
Cat also do a (from memory) 6:1 ratio torque multiplier. If you’re doing stuff like counterweight hardware then that might be the one you want, paired with a torque wrench around 350-400 ft lb. I’ll dig around and find some details.

 

[John Shipp]

Thanks guys. Yes, around 6:1 would be the ticket.

 

[Cmark]

The cost benefit of using a low ratio multiplier coupled with a 3/4" drive torque wrench is offset by the weight of the rig. Even holding the widowmaker and a light 1/2" torque wrench upside down is still a two-person job and after just 4 bolts you get a sweat on.

 

[Nige]

The smaller 6V-7820 Cat torque multiplier is 6:1 but only goes up to a maximum of 1200 ft lbs of output torque, so that would be too small a capacity for counterweight bolts.
This one's close. Max 1850 ft lbs. - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/144407635781?epid=1823823022&hash=item219f5da745:g:MokAAOSwZa9e7XmC

I've used Norbar multipliers before - https://www.htlgroup.com/product/bolt-torque/manual-torque-multipliers/

I would also suggest investigating the comparative cost between a torque wrench & multiplier setup versus something like a pneumatic HyTorc. That would only be valid if you always had a compressed air supply available though.
Hytorc do have a battery-operated range of torque guns up to 5000 ft lbs, the only caveat would be the price. https://hytorc.com/lithium-series-ii

 

[John Shipp]

That's excellent info there Nige, thanks. You get a good set for the money with the Sealey set, it is enough rating, the only thing is some of the Sealey kit is variable quality. Some of it works, some not so great. As it happens I'm at there hometown right now, Bury St Edmunds.

 

[terex herder]

I've got a smaller 4:1 and a 6500# 6:1 repurposed from the Jesus nut for a chopper. But I sometimes just use a slugging wrench. I figure a hammer at 100 ft.lbs at an easy swing, 150 ft lbs at a hard swing per pound hammer weight.