Using my SEE for real work

[Another Ahab]

There do seem to be lot of surplus mercedes fuel filters and housings for sale on Ebay (along with the oil filters and housings). I expect when they dry up the price from Mercedes will be lot more dollars.

Likely the first chapter in the Business 101 textbook...

 

[peakbagger]

IMHO. Mercedes pricing for OEM parts is always expensive but the trade off is they keep a lot of them in stock for decades. Unlike the SEE specific non Mercedes parts that may be cheap while the surplus inventory exist, but once that gone I expect we will be getting creative or like one of our members, going into the parts recreation business.


One apparent scam is all the internet suppliers that pop up if an NSN number is searched for. I have never found one that has any inventory. Not sure if anyone would ever try to buy a part through them but I have not.

 

[lurkMcGurk]

OK, not a task FLU worthy, or at the far reaches of capability, but I did use my SEE for work today shuttling a few dozen potted Peony plants and day lilies out to the forest edge. I tucked the Wheel barrow on the bucket and headed out to "dig" or move rocks, more accurately, all day. I felt it necessary to show the one FLU attachment that will NOT be up for auction and clearly is coveted by enthusiasts and UNIMOG purists worldwide. I believe it is a govt issue cooling device as AC was strictly a luxury deemed unnecessary. it must be a prototype as it is not available in CAMO but fits in nicely with the spare tire. And NO it is not for sale I'm sorry to say

 

[The FLU farm]

Potted plants and an umbrella?!? What's next...fingerless driving gloves?

 

[SeeNebraska]

here is what I'm up to for the past couple of weeks. Feel free to tell me what I'm doing wrong

 

[Another Ahab]

here is what I'm up to for the past couple of weeks. Feel free to tell me what I'm doing wrong

I didn't have to watch more than 10 seconds of the vid:

- What you're doing wrong is forgetting to hire somebody ELSE to do all that dirty work!!

 

[SeeNebraska]

I didn't have to watch more than 10 seconds of the vid:

- What you're doing wrong is forgetting to hire somebody ELSE to do all that dirty work!!

I bought this SEE after i got a quote from someone else to do the work!

 

[peakbagger]

Looks like a project. Too bad you didnt have a hydraulic concrete saw to plug into the hydraulics. There is a chainsaw version and a wheel version.

 

[SeeNebraska]

Looks like a project. Too bad you didnt have a hydraulic concrete saw to plug into the hydraulics. There is a chainsaw version and a wheel version.

ya, i did a few searches for one but the price on this husqvarna one made it a better option for me.

 

[Pinsandpitons]

Looks very familiar. Only thing I would say is that I find it easier to leave the hoe up in the deployed position when using the front loader. Better balance with a loaded bucket and better traction for scooping. Just stow it to the left as normal but leave it up and not folded forward. Better vis for backing up too. What are your plans there?

 

[SeeNebraska]

Looks very familiar. Only thing I would say is that I find it easier to leave the hoe up in the deployed position when using the front loader. Better balance with a loaded bucket and better traction for scooping. Just stow it to the left as normal but leave it up and not folded forward. Better vis for backing up too. What are your plans there?

so stow it far enough to get it to latch so it won't droop once i disengage the pto? getting it to latch is the hard part so once i got that far i never thought twice about the extra time to fold it up, i just assumed that was the better position but i'll try leaving it down.

my plans are to open up a 15' wide cut along the building so that i can grade away from the shop down to some drainage tile. The existing sidewalk and wall has no grade and fills with water and snow and then floods the building. the sidewalk was poured up against the metal of the building. the existing wall doesn't have any gravel backfill and the drainage pipe they used was solid PVC with random 1/2" holes drilled in it and then they buried that pipe in dirt. having a "road" along the building there will really improve the usability of my property since I live on a hillside

 

[The FLU farm]

so stow it far enough to get it to latch so it won't droop once i disengage the pto? getting it to latch is the hard part so once i got that far i never thought twice about the extra time to fold it up, i just assumed that was the better position but i'll try leaving it down.

I dunno. To me the SEE is plenty top heavy as it is, and leaving the backhoe up doesn't exactly help with stability.
And why do you find it hard to latch? I can do it almost completely silently these days. But then, I also run low rpms.

 

[SeeNebraska]

I dunno. To me the SEE is plenty top heavy as it is, and leaving the backhoe up doesn't exactly help with stability.
And why do you find it hard to latch? I can do it almost completely silently these days. But then, I also run low rpms.

ya i wasn't thinking that it helps to stow it for CG, I was more thinking about that large mass hanging off the back maybe throwing off the balance on the springs. but honestly i just hadn't really thought about it much at all!

i have a hard time getting the boom to raise enough to latch. it stops shy unless i get some momentum by pulling in the boom cylinder with the dipper extended. that or i need to part downhill so gravity helps pull it to the latch position. is there a trick besides just pulling the boom stick all the way back? the guy i bought it from told me he had to use the momentum method.

 

[peakbagger]

Latching used to be major project for me. With practice its far less so. I wish I could give folks a big tip but it just seems to require practice. I think there is some correlation with the amount that the backhoe is used prior to doing a latch attempt but even when I just do a quick deployment it happens a lot quicker. Still not first time everytime but 1 out of 3 without doing things like swinging the bucket up in the air prior to latching.

 

[Speedwoble]

ya i wasn't thinking that it helps to stow it for CG, I was more thinking about that large mass hanging off the back maybe throwing off the balance on the springs. but honestly i just hadn't really thought about it much at all!

i have a hard time getting the boom to raise enough to latch. it stops shy unless i get some momentum by pulling in the boom cylinder with the dipper extended. that or i need to part downhill so gravity helps pull it to the latch position. is there a trick besides just pulling the boom stick all the way back? the guy i bought it from told me he had to use the momentum method.

You would be surprised what lowering the backhoe to the “use” position does to the CG. It does raise the dipper, but it lowers the large castings and large weld assembly that makes up a lot of weight. Because it shifts the CG rearward, it is easier on the front axle, particularly when carrying a load. Try getting a big scoop of dirt and backing up with the backhoe stowed. It won’t get enough traction on the rear tires to back up. Lower the backhoe and it does.
Regarding latching the backhoe, I made a video that might help:

. It takes a little practice, but can be done on flat ground at low idle.

 

[f800]

I second everything speedwobble said. A little disconcerting using the momentum technique at first, having the arm coming at you, but once you get the technique down, you’ll be impressed with yourself. Seems counterintuitive to “push” it at the last second, but I works. Also, having the BH “poised” to work, helps with counterbalance and rear traction. Now, if I can just figure out my air shift solenoid to get me SEE moving again...

 

[Another Ahab]

the drainage pipe they used was solid PVC with random 1/2" holes drilled in it and then they buried that pipe in dirt.

Cornpone construction, it's laugahable until you run into it on your own place.

I had a basement bathroom at the house renovated recently. The original homeowner had evidently done the job themselves:

- There was a U-Bend in the sanitary line, but run horizontal instead of vertical

Kind of like your perforated pipe, buried in dirt. ALMOST right, but just shy of competent.

What a hoot.

 

[SeeNebraska]

You would be surprised what lowering the backhoe to the “use” position does to the CG. It does raise the dipper, but it lowers the large castings and large weld assembly that makes up a lot of weight. Because it shifts the CG rearward, it is easier on the front axle, particularly when carrying a load. Try getting a big scoop of dirt and backing up with the backhoe stowed. It won’t get enough traction on the rear tires to back up. Lower the backhoe and it does.
Regarding latching the backhoe, I made a video that might help:

. It takes a little practice, but can be done on flat ground at low idle.

so I have managed to latch it with the same method you show. I just didnt 'realize what I had done to accomplish it! after it happened i was thinking to myself, what did i just do that made it latch so nicely. I'll try this tonight!

 

[The FLU farm]

Again, there's no need for high rpms or fast movements when latching the backhoe. It can be done very smoothly. Practice makes (more) perfect.

And yes, having the backhoe farther back obviously helps balance the SEE front to rear, but I prefer to keep it on all four wheels. Actually, I'm surprised I haven't put one on its side yet...with the backhoe stowed.

 

[SeeNebraska]

that little trick about reversing the lever at the last second works wonderful. Got it on my first try on flat ground with low rpms! I went ahead and did that about 10 more times tonight. I used to try to minimize how often i switch between backhoe and loader but after learning this trick i found myself jumping back and forth much more frequently.

THANKS