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FLU419 SEE HMMH HME Owners group

I am changing my status on this thread from "lurker" to official member. Just paid for a FLU419 in Atlanta that was sold on the big auction site. Seller tried to make money with backhoe services and decided to call it a day. The machine is supposed to drive and be usable. We will see.

View attachment 679530
Once the title arrives, I am planning to get plates and then drive this thing to our new home in Asheville over back roads at a slow pace. For this I need to stow the backhoe which is currently extended and lock the front loader arms. What wrenches should I bring to replace any badly leaking hoses on the main hydraulics and what tools are needed for the front loader lock? My trunk toolbox only goes up to 1" on the open ended wrenches and I doubt that this will be enough.

Before sucking a lot of diesel through the system I may also get a filter kit and replace the existing filters. Any other suggestion other than reading the maintenance manual several times?

And yes, I will have my electric kit and a sharp-toothed apprentice (aka Rat Terrier) with me in case some migrant Texan rodents or their Atlanta relatives are still at work on the wiring.

View attachment 679529
Congrats, and welcome.

You won't need much for the front loader lockout, other than maybe a hammer and prybar to get them loose. There is one on each side, and they are held in either position (stowed/locked) by a cotter pin. They just keep the boom cylinders from compressing past a certain point. Nothing fancy. I haven't heard of anyone having trouble folding the backhoe down, other than in complete hydraulic failure. Engaging the travel lock down in front of the operator's station can be tricky though, and has been well covered in this thread.

The SEE's chassis is all metric; don't know about the case hoe though.

Be forewarned that the fuel system is very intolerant of air in the lines.

Good luck!
 

General Hood

Member
712
2
18
Location
Fort Towson, OK
I am changing my status on this thread from "lurker" to official member. Just paid for a FLU419 in Atlanta that was sold on the big auction site. Seller tried to make money with backhoe services and decided to call it a day. The machine is supposed to drive and be usable. We will see.

View attachment 679530

Once the title arrives, I am planning to get plates and then drive this thing at a slow pace over back roads to our new home near Asheville, NC. For this I need to stow the backhoe which is currently extended and lock the front loader arms. What wrenches should I bring to replace any badly leaking hoses on the main hydraulics and what tools are needed for the front loader lock? My trunk toolbox only goes up to 1" on the open ended wrenches and I doubt that this will be enough.

Before sucking a lot of diesel through the system I may also get a filter kit and replace the existing filters. Any other suggestion other than reading the maintenance manual several times?

And yes, I will have my electric kit and a sharp-toothed apprentice (aka Rat Terrier) with me in case some migrant Texas rodents or their Georgia relatives are still at work on the wiring.

View attachment 679529
Welcome to the group from SE OK
 

peakbagger

Well-known member
734
360
63
Location
northern nh
You are a braver person than I to drive a potentially unsorted 419 over the road from Atlanta to Asheville.

I would suggest a power pull and some straps in case you need to coax the backhoe mast all the way back to its travel lock. Bring a can of spray lithium grease and spray down the travel lock latch as they tend to need grease. If they weren't greased they can be permanently bent.

A few IMHOs, if its running, don't mess with the fuel system, its a potential can of worms that are difficult to field diagnose. Use a strong flashlight and look down into the tank bottom, if you see crap your road trip could make it worse by loosening it up. If there is crap in the tank its going to end up in the fuel strainer (unless the strainer is missing or has a hole in it and that is a potential weak point as the gasket that seats the strainer body inevitably needs replacing as its lost its sealing ability. I used a sheet of neoprene, a lot of patience and razor knife and cut one that works but would prefer not to do it on the side of the road.

The loader travel locks may be painted in place. Once you get them loose they are pretty obvious as long as you can get the bucket high enough.

Others may be more brave but don't plan on more than 40 MPH and that would be on perfect flat new road. Add in a crown and any bumps (like concrete slabs) and 30 MPH is probably more realistic.
 

anthkey

Member
98
7
8
Location
Cumming ga
I am changing my status on this thread from "lurker" to official member. Just paid for a FLU419 in Atlanta that was sold on the big auction site. Seller tried to make money with backhoe services and decided to call it a day. The machine is supposed to drive and be usable. We will see.

View attachment 679530

Once the title arrives, I am planning to get plates and then drive this thing at a slow pace over back roads to our new home near Asheville, NC. For this I need to stow the backhoe which is currently extended and lock the front loader arms. What wrenches should I bring to replace any badly leaking hoses on the main hydraulics and what tools are needed for the front loader lock? My trunk toolbox only goes up to 1" on the open ended wrenches and I doubt that this will be enough.

Before sucking a lot of diesel through the system I may also get a filter kit and replace the existing filters. Any other suggestion other than reading the maintenance manual several times?

And yes, I will have my electric kit and a sharp-toothed apprentice (aka Rat Terrier) with me in case some migrant Texas rodents or their Georgia relatives are still at work on the wiring.

View attachment 679529
I would have it hauled, or haul it yourself, way too many chances of things to go wrong,
I have had mine now for a month have tilted the cab 2 times now chasing the 4x4 problem ,
now leaking trans fluid, gotta tilt again....
 

General Hood

Member
712
2
18
Location
Fort Towson, OK
You are a braver person than I to drive a potentially unsorted 419 over the road from Atlanta to Asheville.

I would suggest a power pull and some straps in case you need to coax the backhoe mast all the way back to its travel lock. Bring a can of spray lithium grease and spray down the travel lock latch as they tend to need grease. If they weren't greased they can be permanently bent.

A few IMHOs, if its running, don't mess with the fuel system, its a potential can of worms that are difficult to field diagnose. Use a strong flashlight and look down into the tank bottom, if you see crap your road trip could make it worse by loosening it up. If there is crap in the tank its going to end up in the fuel strainer (unless the strainer is missing or has a hole in it and that is a potential weak point as the gasket that seats the strainer body inevitably needs replacing as its lost its sealing ability. I used a sheet of neoprene, a lot of patience and razor knife and cut one that works but would prefer not to do it on the side of the road.

The loader travel locks may be painted in place. Once you get them loose they are pretty obvious as long as you can get the bucket high enough.

Others may be more brave but don't plan on more than 40 MPH and that would be on perfect flat new road. Add in a crown and any bumps (like concrete slabs) and 30 MPH is probably more realistic.
I used to rodeo back in my teenage years. Driving a SEE over 40 mph reminds me of those days
 

The FLU farm

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I would have it hauled, or haul it yourself, way too many chances of things to go wrong
I agree, oddly enough. Oddly, because I'm usually the first one to go on an adventure in uncharted territory. One reason I have been getting away with it so many times is probably because "ignorance is bliss".
Knowing what I know now about SEEs, I wouldn't want to go on a trip of any real distance. Walking distance, basically. Even if I had spent weeks preparing the machine, changing and/or checking every fluid, lubing everything, etc.
It's not that I mind roadside repairs. They're usually fun, at least in retrospect. It's because there are so many things that can go sideways that wouldn't be easy (or even possible) to fix along the road.

But since you're probably going to do it anyway, get the Gold AAA Card, and then some. I'll measure some wrench sizes for you, but the only large hoses that matter (that I can think of) are the ones for the front pump. Which I'm not sure you really need to have functional anyway, if chaining the loader bucket.
 

The FLU farm

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I used to rodeo back in my teenage years. Driving a SEE over 40 mph reminds me of those days
The good thing with those rodeo horses was that they didn't have 20 to 30 year old Michelin radials on them.

Buying a trailer and putting an extra four to six spare tires in it may not be a bad idea for a longer trip. Yes, I dislike radials, and really hate old radials.
 

The FLU farm

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The actual midwest, NM.
The machine is supposed to drive and be usable. We will see.
For this I need to stow the backhoe which is currently extended and lock the front loader arms. What wrenches should I bring to replace any badly leaking hoses on the main hydraulics...
Looks like you'll need at least a 1-1/2" wrench, for the front pump hose. But I'd cut the belt and keep going instead of messing with hoses along the road.
But as far as "drive and be usable" goes, why didn't the seller stow the backhoe??
Sounds to me like the seller got in over his head, and realized it. If he couldn't even figure out what to fix to get the backhoe folded up and parked in position, do you think he checked the air system (which reminds me, I need to order more stuff from Bel-Metric), made sure the portals have fluid, and so on?
The more I think about your proposed trip, the more of a bargain trailering looks like - the cost of the 40-something hours it takes to remove the transmission (by people who know how to do it), for example, or of a ruined portal, or...
I know that I couldn't afford that gamble if I lost. Which would be the likely outcome in my case.
 

Migginsbros

Well-known member
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Location
Berlin-Germany
Once the title arrives, I am planning to get plates and then drive this thing at a slow pace over back roads to our new home near Asheville, NC.
alpine44, seems like a 200 miles trip. It´s not recommended to do this with an unknown rig. Apart from this, Flu farm is right, (getting over 200, 100, 50miles or walking distance) is a misery at least a great challenge.
From tecnical side is right to think about oil in the differentials, the portal axel gear housings, the fan/waterpump belt and so on.
We think it´s worth to trailer the SEE, although I realy like the forum posts "getting my MV from......to .... 2 Tires blown or car crashed in my back an get on fire, no one hurt.
Good luck and a warm welcome.
 

The FLU farm

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Hey, FLU farm, is it true that all your friends used to call you "Lucky" when you were kid?!
No, it isn't. I've been extremely lucky with bigger things (or I wouldn't be alive), but with the little stuff it's usually the opposite.
As an example, a few posts back I showed a photo of a ferrule that was installed the wrong way. There's a 50/50 chance of getting it right - even if you don't know which way it's supposed to go. I do, and still got it wrong. Okay, maybe that's not really bad luck, just stupidity.
And as a kid, out of hundreds of kid's paperwork, guess which kid's the school managed to lose? And it happened more than once.
Eventually I got used to the one step forward/three steps back routine. I don't get mad when things go wrong, but become very happy when they don't.
 

Another Ahab

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And as a kid, out of hundreds of kid's paperwork, guess which kid's the school managed to lose? And it happened more than once.
Eventually I got used to the one step forward/three steps back routine. I don't get mad when things go wrong, but become very happy when they don't.
I hear you. I actually follow pretty much the same approach myself. :mrgreen::beer:
 

alpine44

Member
397
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Location
Asheville, NC - Elkton, MD
I hear you guys and promise not to just hop in the cab, push the starter button and blast off. As part of a thorough pre-flight inspection all fluid levels will be checked and all drive-line, suspension, and brake components will be inspected as much as possible. If there are any safety-critical squawks, then we will call this a sightseeing trip to Atlanta and worry about the retrieval of the FLU419 later.

When I look back at my life, it is clearly the "breakdowns on the road" that were the memorable events, the experiences that built character, knowledge, and friendships with people I would otherwise have never met. This started right after graduation as a mechanical engineer with a flight to Johannesburg, South Africa where a friend and I put a Ford inline six under the hood of a Landrover, replaced the seals on the front axle joints and a couple other drive-line issues before spending the next 2 month driving back to Aachen, Germany. I learned a lot on that trip about properly designing and welding custom engine mounts, tuning a leaf spring suspension for maximum ride comfort (if there is even such a thing as comfort in a classic Landrover), and met a lot of interesting shops and folks along the way. Most importantly I learned the value of patience in cultures where "inshalla" does not necessarily mean tomorrow but definitely "not today".

From there on I looked at every aspect in life as a journey of continuous improvement, not as a quest for destinations of imaginary perfection. As long as I experience the sun rise in the morning, nothing is ever completely broken nor is anything ever perfect. In today's world it may appear that cars are either perfectly running along or "broken down". But I can still feel the nuances that the book 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance' touches. There are days where the diesel in my boxtruck cannot find its own rhythm and then I think about taking the injectors out and having them gone over. The next day the same engine purrs along like a Swiss clockwork and I decided to leave things alone until the rough days get more frequent.

As a pilot I have never flown an airplane where everything was 100%. What I care about is that the systems are "sufficiently safe" to start the flight and that things are not deteriorating too quickly during the flight. Which is exactly the same issue with weather, traffic, and my own performance.

Ironically, friends and colleagues from different practical and philosophical backgrounds who insisted on perfection have had more catastrophic breakdowns in various aspects of their lives over the decades. I think that an awareness and acceptance of living in an imperfect and ambiguous world avoids or drastically shortens the denial phase when things start to go south. Whether it is on the road, in the air, on the job, or in relationships, 90+% of the "explosion" occur because we chose to ignore the early warning signs. (The remaining portion - like getting cancer - is largely unaffected by even the best preparations and reactions).

In the end, I may decide to put the FLU419 on a truck but why should I now limit my options to grudgingly writing a check in my office and then cursing to myself while fixing nit-pick items in my garage if a reasonably smooth journey of discovery and improvement is not yet out of question? Also, if predictability would be my goal in life, I would have bought a Case, JD, etc. backhoe.

Please keep the suggestions coming of what to bring and what to check to increase my odds of getting home without major "explosions".
 
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