First generation hydraulic excavators?

[paul59539]

The PC200-8 Hybrid is powered by the Komatsu Hybrid System which uses a newly developed electric motor which turns the upper structure, power generation motor, capacitor and diesel engine. Compared with the standard PC200-8 hydraulic excavator, the hybrid model achieves about 25% reduction of fuel consumption.

 

[wnydirtguy]

I see some of these old machines around here all the time in my area. I will have to get some pics to add. love the tread

 

[WRS_Mark]

Speaking of old Iron, I just bought this circa 1970's Drott 40 the other day. Came with a cleanup bucket and thumb. Runs very well. Thinking it's going to take a few days to get used to the foot pedal controls for the swing and bucket.

 

[Shimmy1]

Does it have wobble sticks or do they just move back and forth? The very first excavator I ever ran was a Case 880B. Those levers were awful by about noon when you're 12 yrs. old. It had all four pedals but only used middle two for tracks and right pedal was for the house leveler. Possibly you could switch controls around and have swing on the stick??

 

[Deere500a]

Cruz Air & Gradalls are a couple of machines I would like to try someday just need money. Clean looking 40 you have

 

[WRS_Mark]

The levers just move back and forth. When I heard about the thing, I was hoping it would have pilot controls, but after checking it out and seeing the shape it's in, I figured I can learn a new way to dance.

 

[Shimmy1]

I wish I had some pics of the old girl. And pics of our second hoe, a 1080B. 50,000 lbs, hydraulic thumb, had a 6' 2½ yd bucket for loading trucks. I would put that hoe against ANY 200 class hoe loading trucks. No air, no radio, but you sure could shovel some dirt. I put close to 5000 hrs on that how, probably about 2500 on the 880.

 

[Shimmy1]

Yeah they didn't have pilot until the 1080/1085 size machine. A 880D had the pilot levers, but still had linkage back to control valve. You could possibly retrofit levers from a 880 into your Cruz air so you could have stick swing. The base of the levers is inside the cab, right?

 

[WRS_Mark]

Yeah, those old machine had no problems digging, they were just relatively slow. But like every good hoe operator knows, you don't have to go fast, just maximize every move and you'll make some less experienced guys in shiny iron look pretty silly.

And Deere500a, I'd keep snooping around for a deal on a Drott or Gradall. This pristine unit went for a very reasonable price: https://www.gcsurplus.ca/mn-eng.cfm...=1&str=1&ltnf=1&lcn=300429&lct=L&sf=ferm-clos

As for the Drott, I got that DIRT cheap. So they're out there.

 

[WRS_Mark]

Yes Shimmy1, the levers are on the floor. It's an interesting idea that I should investigate. My kid wants to learn how to operate, so having the controls set up like on a conventional rig is a good idea.

 

[Chopper95]

Really nice looking Drott 40 you got there WRS_Mark, there's two (not nearly as nice) sitting on a private excavating lot down where I'm at in NoDak that I've been wanting to get photos of lately; they're the white/ orange color combo.

Seems like they'd be fun machines to run!

 

[WRS_Mark]

Thanks Chopper! I was impressed by how clean it is compared to anything else I have seen from that vintage. Most have been pretty badly thrashed. And yeah, I'm looking forward to learning the new steps to get this one to dance. Thought I'd check and see if Shimmy1's idea about retrofitting the controls to get the swing and bucket functions moved from floor pedals to the sticks but that looks to be more work than it is worth. Besides, I may as well be the only guy around capable of operating my own machine.

 

[John C.]

I worked for a dealer of those units back in the late seventies and early eighties. We used to do frame up rebuilds on two units every winter for the state. Did that for three years and then the economy changed. As I recall they let 13 out of 33 mechanics go in the fall of 81. As far as I know the state never had another one rebuilt.

As I recall we only tried to swap controls over on one machine. The guy doing the change over had all the rods and levers out of the machine. Cut connections off here and welded them on there and would put is all back together and have an clearance issue or something and have to take it all out and make adjustments here and there. I'm sure he had it apart and back together at least three times that I remember. Maybe more.

I didn't see anything wrong with running all the levers and pedals back then. It sure beat getting down in the ditch with a shovel powered by arm strong. Maybe that would cure a lot of whining that goes on today.

 

[WRS_Mark]

Yeah, it's a pretty substantial undertaking, John. It can be done, but the time, effort and materials required is hardly matched by the potential pay off. The ones you worked on were likely identical to the unit I bought. Seems mine is a 1978 or '79, based on the serial number.

 

[mitch504]

Besides, I may as well be the only guy around capable of operating my own machine.

There's a lot to be said for that!

 

[John C.]

Does it have a four cylinder Detriot for power?

 

[WRS_Mark]

You bet. Screaming Jimmy power. I learned on a 266 Koehring, so in a masochistic way, I miss those drooling old lumps of iron.

 

[Chopper95]

WRS_Mark, seeing your machine sparked my curiosity enough to go down to the lot that I mentioned earlier this week and take a look at the two Cruz Airs that were tucked away.

I caught the lead excavator operator as he was leaving, he said the owners bought the two machines a year before he started working for them (thirty years ago) and he used to see them driving around town. He personally had no like for the machine since it went against all the controls he naturally wants to do when digging. Apparently one owner just retired, and the other one (older gentleman) is the only one who can run the machines to some degree; everyone else gets too tripped up by them.

I'd be curious to see how the later model ones with the Cummins (it's got to be a 4 or 6BT engine) compare to the Detroit engines. Still a cool looking machine in my book.







Wasn't able to find exact dates on the two, but one was a true Drott 40 (different paint scheme/ cab/ etc.) whereas the other was an early CASE model.

 

[rpacbigpipe]

No pics of BE 30H or 40H? Ours had a V 12 Detroit weighed 140,000# I can't find any old pics

 

[WRS_Mark]

I see those Case/Drotts have four outriggers, eh? Cutting edge '80's tech! I'm not sure how much more powerful the Cummins were back in those days, but I'm willing to bet they were quieter and likely slobbering a great deal less than those two stoke Jimmys. Thanks for posting those photos Chopper. I'm not going to be running the Drott until spring, but I'll post some video once I get reasonably proficient on it. Seems it was a solid, yet hilariously cheap investment considering I have four basements and it seems five septic systems to put in with the old girl. Run what you brung, I suppose!