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Madill 071 wizards, step inside!!

Hallback

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Jun 1, 2011
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Aberdeen Wa.
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Gyppo tower logger
We got a 78 model 071 that I would like to put on a hydraulic undercarriage. I found a John Deere LC450 undercarriage which would work well as the track frames bolt on.
Would just have to make some adapter brackets to bolt to the 071 tub and do some trimming and bracing and it would be mounted.

The part I'm curious about is how to drive the travel motors. Obviously I'll have to run some kind of hydraulic pump set up but curious on how to drive it and how large of one I would need?
 

Junkyard

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Claremore, OK
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First thought is getting specs for the drive motors from Deere. Pressure, flow etc should help you work backward to a pump size which will determine HP to run it. Another way would be to look at pump specs from that machine. They generally use one pump for each track so the pressure and flow specs for them would give you some guidance.

You could probably go down some on flow as I doubt you’d want a fast travel speed or two speed travel. Almost needs two pumps, one each side, so you can control each track separate with full power. Just a guess you’re gonna need a good 150 HP to run two pumps for tracks.
 

Hallback

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Aberdeen Wa.
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Gyppo tower logger
First thought is getting specs for the drive motors from Deere. Pressure, flow etc should help you work backward to a pump size which will determine HP to run it. Another way would be to look at pump specs from that machine. They generally use one pump for each track so the pressure and flow specs for them would give you some guidance.

You could probably go down some on flow as I doubt you’d want a fast travel speed or two speed travel. Almost needs two pumps, one each side, so you can control each track separate with full power. Just a guess you’re gonna need a good 150 HP to run two pumps for tracks.
Sure makes sense.
 

Junkyard

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Another thought is those drive motors are probably made by somebody else. If there’s a tag on them you can search their specs. After that it’s just math to get the HP needed. Buy me a plane ticket and I’ll come figure it out :)
 

Junkyard

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It would be quite a project between hydraulics and fabrication. A fun one to do no doubt. What does a 071 weigh?
 

Junkyard

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Claremore, OK
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Looking online it seems like a bunch have been put on Cat 330 UC so that 450 would be plenty big. Years ago we put a drill rig on an old Poclain excavator undercarriage. Those didn’t have any brakes, low pressure and flow. Tracking it down a ramp into a pit to drill for a high rise…..she took off down the ramp quite fast.

What is the current power plant on it now?
 

Hallback

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Gyppo tower logger
Looking online it seems like a bunch have been put on Cat 330 UC so that 450 would be plenty big. Years ago we put a drill rig on an old Poclain excavator undercarriage. Those didn’t have any brakes, low pressure and flow. Tracking it down a ramp into a pit to drill for a high rise…..she took off down the ramp quite fast.

What is the current power plant on it now?
8v71T
 

Hallback

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It's got a compressor that it runs off the engine and also has a PTO take off I believe downdrive for the travel. I think we could just run the pumps off the current downdrive as we won't be running a shaft to a RAGB & the finals at all anymore since everything will be hydraulic.
 

John C.

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I've not worked on yarders but have some experience with excavators. A quick search shows the original Deere running 285 horsepower at around 2,000 RPM. Depending on how you want to run it, you will likely need a tandem pump like what you show in that last photo. It will also need some kind of direction and control valve. Depending on how you want the performance characteristics, you might be able to run it on one pump and a two spool direction valve. It would likely be very slow and weak that way but less expensive on the capital cost.

The biggest issue I see is the type of PTO and pump mounting you will have to rig up. If you are coming out of a multi-drive, just pick the most advantageous output. You will likely have to do some figuring for the amount of horsepower the PTO will handle. Since you plan on using the old mechanical down drive it should be OK, but a check is warranted. What I see in your photos is some pretty serious engineering.
 

Plebeian

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Joined
Apr 2, 2009
Messages
432
Location
NZ
AP Plant and Machinery, Gisborne NZ - early stages time lapse video of 071 overhaul 2019.
Facebook post 28th November, 2019.
Tower off, remove almost everything. Take off old tank track gear. Trim lower chassis. (grit blast and primer paint chassis) Add side plates for excavator track gear and new chassis extension, cross braces etc. etc
(AP Pland and Machinery 071 in FB search finds the video)

What are options for the crew? Buy/ hire the crew an old yoder or skidder or two and log some small mature wood lots in the summer if they exist, while the 071 is overhauled.

Shaw's (facebook shawswireropes)Cambridge, NZ rebuilt a Bellis BE85 tower ( a fair bit in common with the Madill towers) 7th September, 2022 Facebook post
They added an iLog system to run it.

DC Equipment/ Falcon Forestry Equipment. When they converted the 171 added Hitachi EX450 tracks to the chassis.
 
Last edited:

Hallback

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I suppose yours is a five drum like the green one. Talking to Steve--it's a job. He knows of several
converted. Modern Machinery IIRC and a guy named Russ Smith is who he brought up.
Yes sir, Russ is good friend of mine unfortunately modern's not taking on any more projects so that's something we're going to have to tackle in our shop and yes it's a five drum just like Steve's.
 

Hallback

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 1, 2011
Messages
2,306
Location
Aberdeen Wa.
Occupation
Gyppo tower logger
AP Plant and Machinery, Gisborne NZ - early stages time lapse video of 071 overhaul 2019.
Facebook post 28th November, 2019.
Tower off, remove almost everything. Take off old tank track gear. Trim lower chassis. (grit blast and primer paint chassis) Add side plates for excavator track gear and new chassis extension, cross braces etc. etc
(AP Pland and Machinery 071 in FB search finds the video)

What are options for the crew? Buy/ hire the crew an old yoder or skidder or two and log some small mature wood lots in the summer if they exist, while the 071 is overhauled.

Shaw's (facebook shawswireropes)Cambridge, NZ rebuilt a Bellis BE85 tower ( a fair bit in common with the Madill towers) 7th September, 2022 Facebook post
They added an iLog system to run it.

DC Equipment/ Falcon Forestry Equipment. When they converted the 171 added Hitachi EX450 tracks to the chassis.
We have a Westcoast Hawk we can rent from a friend to use while rebuilding the 071.

Dale from DC Equipment is a good friend of mine. He is the best. Those guys crank out some amazing gear.
 
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