Cost for Line Boring on 580M?

[Bote]

The bores in the frame for the upper and lower swing tower bushings are both worn oversized. Anyone have a rough idea what the repair will cost? The local CAT dealer is the only place I’m certain does this type of repair and they have a reputation for sticking it to non-CAT owners. I’ll call the Case dealer Monday and see if he can do it, but a bud had to haul his Case excavator 120 miles for a line bore 5 years ago. I plan on delivering the backhoe with the boom/swing tower removed.

I’m not sure how this happened as the bushings themselves didn’t have that much wear but the upper one was cracked and deformed to match the bore. There was actually grease between the bushings and the bores.

 

[materthegreater]

A similar thing happened to my Bobcat excavator a few years ago. I paid a local guy $800 for welding up and boring for just one hole. Prices will likely be higher now.

https://www.heavyequipmentforums.com/threads/2009-bobcat-e60.101041/post-1134175

 

[Bote]

Cool. Don’t know of anyone who does that in the field around here so I’ll have to haul my machine. I’m hoping my TLB doesn’t do anything weird when I load it without the backhoe attached.

 

[materthegreater]

I brought it to his shop for the work. I figured that even if he didn't charge less it would go quicker since he'd be doing it on his home turf with all his tools and equipment right there.



Sure was weird driving it around with no boom

 

[TheIrishStone04]

Hey Bote, do you have any machine shops that are in your area? Automotive machine shop probably won’t help but an industrial one more than likely can do it. At least in PA where I live they do mobile line boring too. Price varies from area to area, in PA where I live you are looking at $120/hr field service.

 

[MG84]

Is it worn on the side thats attached to the tractor or the swing tower casting (backhoe side)? If its the backhoe side you might be able to remove the part and do the machining on a mill. My 480E has similar problems and I'm hoping that will be the case. I think it would fit on a large Bridgeport, weld it up and machine it out, no special line boring equipment needed.

 

[1466IH]

I see you are in Ky, what part? I can get to the northwestern part fairly reasonably. I know there is at least one line boring manufacturer that has a dealer down there but I can not remember which one originally what the name of the dealer is. I believe it was around $1000-1200 to rent one for a week but they also did bore repair themselves. I will have to see if I can find my notes from when I was shopping around. PM you zip code and I will see how far away you are

 

[Bote]

Latest: Case dealer can't do it. Machine shop they farm it out to doesn't take walk-in work anymore. Second machine shop doesn't do it. The local CAT dealer will do it if I can get a dimensional drawing of the bores from Case. They want to bring down techs from a larger branch in Louisville and do it as a training exercise. Probably won't be able to get drawings from Case as I'm sure that's proprietary. MacTech, a nationwide on-site machining service has a branch 20 minutes away. They can do it but not sure of the timing, will call me back. My KY farm exemption allows me to transport the machine up to 150 miles in either direction. It looks like MacTech might work out but if that doesn't I'd like to give my business to someone on this board.

 

[Bote]

Is it worn on the side thats attached to the tractor or the swing tower casting (backhoe side)? If its the backhoe side you might be able to remove the part and do the machining on a mill. My 480E has similar problems and I'm hoping that will be the case. I think it would fit on a large Bridgeport, weld it up and machine it out, no special line boring equipment needed.

Hi MG84, it's in the frame. Two 3.5" bores 1.5" deep 20" apart.

 

[1466IH]

MacTech is who I was trying to think of last night just couldn't come up with it that late lol

 

[Bote]

If I didn't have shims holding it in place you'd never know how bad it was lol

 

[92U 3406]

Any good machinist should be able to do the job with just the OD measurements off the new bushings.

 

[TheIrishStone04]

Any good machinist should be able to do the job with just the OD measurements off the new bushings.

this is facts right here

 

[1466IH]

Finding a good machinist these days is the problem. Was talking to a cousin a while back who is a machinist at a custom tooling manufacturer and he said they won't hire from the local tech schools anymore. All they are teaching is how to program machines and load parts. They don't know how to grind or cut tooling or how to make one off parts or repairs with manual machines. The last job shop in my area closed down 7-8years ago when the man who owned it passed away.

 

[HarleyHappy]

Part of it is liability. My daughter went to the same engineering school I went to, Wentworth in Boston. When I was there they had 30 different machines and if you got in good with one of the teachers, they would give you a key to the machine shop.
We made all kinds of stuff and would be in there half the night.
When I took her there for the first day, we did the tour and they only had a one knee mill and one lathe and a whole bunch of smaller stuff.
They told me students were getting hurt and making things that could go boom.
So they sold them all off.
I still have a sand rail that a group of us built, with a Honda 900 four, engine and transmission, in that shop.
She couldn’t even make a shaft or run my personal knee mill.
She knows how to use and program a 3D printer though and use Camworks.

 

[edgephoto]

The trades are where it is at. I am in the car business and call on 36 new car dealers as part of my job. Mediocre techs are making 6 figures. I have a bunch of Master techs making $200k+ per year. They are turning down $60/hr because it is not enough.

If you are decent at a trade you will do really well and you will never be without a way to feed your family.

 

[92U 3406]

The trades are where it is at. I am in the car business and call on 36 new car dealers as part of my job. Mediocre techs are making 6 figures. I have a bunch of Master techs making $200k+ per year. They are turning down $60/hr because it is not enough.

If you are decent at a trade you will do really well and you will never be without a way to feed your family.

Just don't let the word get out. Last thing we need is skilled labour being overrun by the woke gen z kids.

 

[1466IH]

Just don't let the word get out. Last thing we need is skilled labour being overrun by the woke gen z kids.

Have you ever met a safety manager