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  1. #1
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    Default Mini-digger bucket repair

    My son in law just bought a (well) used Kanga mini digger, and asked if I could help out with a couple of repair jobs.

    First up, the lower lugs on both the 4-way bucket rams were a quite flogged. Not surprising given the small surface area and no method of lubrication.

    Pins were seized solid in the bucket lugs so cut them out with grinder and recip saw.

    Then amputated the lugs





    Made up some new ones out of solid and gave the ends a rough rounding.



    Cleaned up the ends of the rams and tacked them on.





    After a couple of hours beating, heating, drilling heating and beating all the bits of pin are out of the bucket - except this one stubborn bar steward.




    19mm pin in 90mm long boss, heated it with oxy/LPG torch until one side was dull red, drilled about half way through the pin to 16mm diam but still the mongrel won’t move with mad hammer and punch or my old aircraft rivet gun.
    I’ve been sooo tempted just to hit the cutting lever on the torch and excise the whole boss, but that might cause some anxiety for SIL

    Any other suggestions?

    Steve

  2. #2
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    Default

    Id consider welding some all thread to it, and using a nut and washer over a spacer to jack it out.

    Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2018
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    NSW
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    Drill hole to depth of pin, pin punch to collapse the whole thing in on itself. Then moar hammer from the side. With some creative drill sizing, you could use existing hole for future grease fitting.

  4. #4
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    Is it open at the other end?
    Can you slit the offender with a hacksaw at either side of the hole and deform material inwards?

  5. #5
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    Murray Bridge S Aust.
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    I had a similar issue a few weeks back, I had to replace all the pins on a roller rocker suspension, and they were seized in solid. The cause of the problem was when the trailer was made, the CLOWNS did the bolts up that tight the grease couldn't escape.
    I made a frame to take a 10 tonne portable hydraulic ram, using some 25mm flat bar and 75mm channel ad pressed them out. The last one was that solid, it bent the channel, but did the job after hitting the back of the frame (25mm end) to spring the pin out
    Press frame jig 2.jpgRemoval press frame.jpg
    Kryn
    To grow old is mandatory, growing up is optional.

  6. #6
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    Drill it oversized and sleeve it. If it’s seized the bore is cactus anyway.

  7. #7
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    Thanks guys.
    Good idea on the allthread Ralph, but I was 100% confident either the allthread or my welding wouldn't stand up to the stress.
    So I messed about and drilled from the inner end of the pin with a 5mm drill, then managed to find a 10mm drill bit that was long enough to get all the way through from the outside.
    Turned the points off the head of a hi-tensile bolt so it would fit inside the 16mm drilled portion, spacer and nut on the other end, but only managed to shear the head off the bolt. The pin didn't move.
    Opened out the hole to 12mm, found a SHCS and reduced its head a fraction - then tried the same method (and a decent bit of heat).
    Still no go.
    Was getting a bit late in the evening so I decided not to add percussion to the mix, but that will be first on the menu when I get home from work tomorrow. If that doesn't work it will depend on my mood as to whether it just gets the gas-axe and a new boss or if I persevere with getting the remains of the pin out via hacksawing and punching etc

    Kryn - nice work on that fab'd press frame. If I'd done that at the start the whole job would have been done by now!
    I've got a nice little 10T ram here that I really need to make up some pressing/pulling tools for. Its on the list somewhere.....

    Steve

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by racingtadpole View Post
    Drill it oversized and sleeve it. If it’s seized the bore is cactus anyway.
    Sleeving would be way too good for this mongrel thing!!
    I'd thought about that, but wouldn't be as simple as it sounds. First I'd need some way of driving a ~25mm hole making tool (to give around 3mm wall on 19mm ID sleeve, then a jig to get it drilled square. Then stuffing around making a bush.
    Just lopping the whole boss off and drilling a 19mm hole in a piece of bar and welding it on would be a lot easier I reckon - and in hindsight is a call I probably should have made a few hours ago. Lucky I'm not doing this job to put food on the table, or I'd be pretty hungry tonight....

    Steve

  9. #9
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    You can’t say it wasn’t warned….




    Steve

  10. #10
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    You can only stand suffering for so long, then something has to give. As you say, it's been warned, where would we be without the mighty gas axe.
    Would you be able to set up a line boring tool, to get the new part to run true???
    I'd be putting in some grease nipples in the bushes also.
    Kryn
    To grow old is mandatory, growing up is optional.

  11. #11
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    Default Mini-digger bucket repair

    I’ve never done a lot of cutting, and certainly not much in the last 20 years - so although it probably resembles rabid rat chewing to some I was reasonably pleased with how it came out.
    Bit of cleanup with the angle grinder and turned up a new boss.
    The hole in the inner plate was still good and the pin was *just long enough to locate into it so made alignment easy.
    I tacked , did a trail fit of the repaired ram and then ran a couple of short beads alternating from the end to the side. Was getting a perfect sliding fit on the pin until the last 12mm of weld when it started to bind slightly. Will need a slight tap to fit it.





    The machine came with the spare pins and bushes for the bucket, and I’d wondered why there weren’t any bushes fitted to the hinge between the bucket halves.
    We knew the back of the bucket was a bit bent, but hadn’t picked up that the RH Inner hinge boss was at an angle and about 4mm aft of where it should be.
    Obviously the bushes were left out last time it was apart - so they could get it back together!

    Was dark by then so no photos.
    Will attack it again tomorrow.

    PS…
    Kryn, yes - there will be a grease nipple going in the lower ram pivot. The pin is fixed in the bucket bosses so will just get a decent coating of antiseize when it’s fitted.

    Steve

  12. #12
    Join Date
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    melbourne australia
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    Nice work on the repair Steve. I hate those sort of jobs.

    Quote Originally Posted by OxxAndBert View Post
    My son in law just bought a (well) used Kanga mini digger, and asked if I could help out with a couple of repair jobs.
    I have a feeling this isn't the last time you'll be working on that digger. I reckon you should move house and not leave a forwarding address.
    Chris

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by OxxAndBert View Post
    My son in law just bought a (well) used Kanga mini digger, Steve
    Steve, shouldn't that have read, "My son in law just bought a (well) abused Kanga mini digger,"? LOL
    Hope he got it REALLY cheap??
    Kryn
    To grow old is mandatory, growing up is optional.

  14. #14
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    Thanks Jack. I agree - it definitely won't be the last time I'm working on it. Hopefully it means I won't have to hire one when I need it
    Since they are currently living in our back shed while their new house gets built (hence the need for a powered landscaping machine) - I don't think I'd be able to make a successful escape without them noticing !!!!

    I actually don't mind the repair work. There's a certain satisfaction of knowing its in a much better condition when it leaves my workshop than when it came in. Plus I get to justify some of my toys tools

    Steve

  15. #15
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    Default Mini-digger bucket repair

    Weather and work conspired against me for the last few days, but finally got the repairs finished off and all back together tonight.

    Ended up cutting down the side of the vertical plate the inner boss is welded to, and across the bottom so I could massage it back into place more easily.

    My out of position welding sucks cosmetically but I’m confident there’s full penetration.
    I did the vertical up in short bursts. Only got a photo of the rear side, but was welded from both.





    What I did forget about until the rams were back on was to add some grease nipples.
    That’s now a job for ‘Ron.

    Back to getting the DSG lathe going now

    Steve

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