Not so classic plant!!!

[jakeboy]

Can you spot the missing piece ?? This was our ex800 with ram seals blown this machine very rarely let us down despite its 26000 hours of loading blasted rock on the face everyday into 70 ton dumpers, photo taken a few years back!

 

[jakeboy]

This 35 toner was used on a breaker most of its life breaking up the oversize which was considerable at this quarry due to the bad nature of the rock formations!!

 

[jakeboy]

Tidying up the counterweight!! A regular job! Drivers pride?

 

[jakeboy]

A quick rub down of the new paintwork on this 45 tonner

 

[nick...]

I hate to see scratches on counterweights.people would be more careful if paying for stuff them selves.ive allways made small bumper bars from 20mm solid bar and mounted them about an inch from the rear of the counterweight on my mini diggers.the bar gets scratched but not the machine.im lucky enough to not had a scatched rear end for probably 5000 operating hours doing mostly extensions and general building work.hope that comment is not the kiss of death
Nick...

 

[jakeboy]

I hate to see scratches on counterweights.people would be more careful if paying for stuff them selves.ive allways made small bumper bars from 20mm solid bar and mounted them about an inch from the rear of the counterweight on my mini diggers.the bar gets scratched but not the machine.im lucky enough to not had a scatched rear end for probably 5000 operating hours doing mostly extensions and general building work.hope that comment is not the kiss of death
Nick...

Oh it's always been a pet hate of mine Nick I know it's only machinery but I see so much abuse now ,no pride in what there operating but the worse thing is machinery not greased!! We hire quite a lot of self drive stuff now and when they come and pick it up after months or even years on hire they can't believe that it still resembles a digger and all greased up always!! It helps us out though we have new machinery swapped out all the time because we look after it and they bend over backwards for us at very short notice with plant availability.
To be honest my quarry years were my worst I guess ,the demands on everyone was never ending although we ran a fairly modern fleet of machinery and crushers and screens, problems were never far away the demands varied on a weekly basis depending on what was ordered we had to run understaffed most of the time to keep us all in work in the lean months but we had to use agency drivers!! And that was just one long merry go round of issues all together, some of them got very intimidated by the size of the stuff and what there job description was ie they had to operate everything!! Get there head around using infra red remote controllers to run the belt speeds and feeds and also choke feed these crushers which would take all you could shove in and more from a 45ton excavator!! And when the working shift had diminished you do any maintenance or 're configure the screens or crushes for different products the next day! Most operators wanted to be on the way home at 4.30!!quite a few didn't come back after the first day!!some that stayed had the unique ability to move more material with the counterweight than the buckets!?!hence me spending more time than I wanted to in the workshops touching up and keeping it looking tidy! The quarry we were subcontracted too were very particular about the machinery and its appearance! Even though it wasn't there's!!
When everything was running good it was worrying because it didn't last long!! Pretty much like farming I guess!
Although my working life is still busy today I get to sleep at night now, and I don't miss them days, but when I ring up everyday now and order stone / tarmac etc.. I appreciate what work goes into making it?? I have some more pictures I found on a memory card from a few years back I will list them if anyone's interested!!
Regards jakeboy

 

[nick...]

I could never employ staff for the reasons you state.id probably cry to see a scratch on one of my machines.no one cares now days either. No of people who see the word hire and abuse everything..my last mini i sold with 2000 hours on it at 5 years old and was like new.i got a reputation for seeing after stuff.machines are greased every day even with 50 hour intervals.allways do oil and filters at 100 hours too,engine that is.also run a cold engine for at least 15 mins before working it and getting on site early to allow for this.at the end of the day people pay for holes or earth moved but i got my morals and i stick to them.you could eat your dinner of my cab floor aswell but that me.i treat allmy farm machinery the same way too
Nick...

 

[jakeboy]

These are a few more odd ones I found!!

 

[jakeboy]

This Pegson cone crusher 100 tonner it had a big appetite for rock the 45 tonner could barely keep it choke fed !!! it came to quarry on demo!!!

 

[jakeboy]

Always plenty of spanner work !!! replacing front idler bearings ! this undercarriage had a very hard life on this 45 tonner.

 

[jakeboy]

1. Drivers view of loading impactor crusher, feeding robotrack screen making type1 and 6f5
   

 

[jakeboy]

Changing the oil on this old girl didn't mean bending down much!!? She was a very reliable workhorse!! Bottom shot of the 35/and 45 tonner at rest!

 

[Gone Shooting]

Great pics - used to have a jcb160 lc - it would look like a dinky toy against the 450 .

 

[scottyzx70]

Great to see them quarry yolks

 

[Kevtherev]

Mobile crusher up at Hv bowens
@jakeboy

 

[jakeboy]

Ooooohh it gives me nightmares!! Just looking at it!!!! Just waiting for something to go wrong!!? I don't miss it now!! Regards jakeboy

 

[Kevtherev]

Ooooohh it gives me nightmares!! Just looking at it!!!! Just waiting for something to go wrong!!? I don't miss it now!! Regards jakeboy

I hate tending the screens

 

[jakeboy]

I hate tending the screens [/

I remember replacing the hammers on our Metso impactor every 14 days!! 4 of them £1000 each and that's after turning them once!! They didn't call it hard stone for nothing!!

 

[wilt434]

What rock was it? We also run a quarry along with our farm and contracting business. Our rock is granite and we use old equipment that was there when we aquired the place two years ago.

 

[wilt434]