A tale of woe from an ebay purchase, so buyers beware!!

[Rob]

Good evening guys, its nice to have the time to get back on here now, I have not posted for a while due to work and stuff recently, anyway, here is a classic ebay tale that i have learnt my lesson from the hard way (again).

I posted a while back that i had purchased from ebay a KB180 backhoe from a B7100, which will also fit my B6000 and i was hoping for more info on it. well after a lot of failed searches etc i spoke to a very helpfull guy in the service dept at kubota UK (he had been with them since the year dot) and managed to get a copy of the owners/workshop manual from Kubota UK back in january.

When i collected the item back in January it all looked reasonable and the guy said it was all working just fine but with a few minor bits and a bit of play in parts, just a few minor jobs to get it upto 100% working condition, man was i wrong.


Having stripped the backhoe down to its smallest managable sections to clean down(a major degreasing job alone) ready to start work on, i found problem after problem, some of the damage was major to say the least.
Here is a short (maybe that should be long) list of the item that needed repair or replacing.

Both left and right slew rams had severly bent cylinder rods, shots seals etc.
Bucket ram has a slightly bent cylinder rod.

All,and i do mean all the bushes on and throughout the backhoe needed replacing with the exception of 2 on the boom.

most if not all the pivot pins were shot with the exception of 3 on the boom and dipper.
The main frame had major breaks in several key steel section which had then also been poorly welded to try and fix and then re-broken .

The main yoke boom support section was wrecked and needed major cutting and replacing of sections and then new boss and bushes fitted.

The whole dipper arm was a bin job, i only managed to save the bucket ram mounting brackets, welds are broken,the dipper is even bent, take a look at the pics and you will see that it has been broken allmost in half.

So then, apart from that lot, everything else is not to bad, hydraulics, lines, and pump and spool valve seem to be fine.
a new seat is required, but i have a spare in the shed.
The subframe and its fittings all seem to be fine and straight, also fit the tractor(thats a bonus).

In summary then, I've done most of the hardwork now, replaced all the bushes and pins,cut/welded and replaced steelwork where needed even fabricated whole new sections such as the dipper arm which had been really abused.
rebuild rams etc, so just a few bits left to do and some more nice orange paint and it can go to work.

I suspose the moral of the story here is this, do not buy anything of ebay without first seeing it in the flesh and being able to satisfy yourself that its what you are expecting to get.
failing that, get someone you know and trust to have a look if possible, before parting with your money, moreso if you are not willing nor able to do some work and repairs on the item yourself.
I have no real issues with working on and repairing plant, i find it a very rewarding to see and use the end product, i dont have lots of special tools, just enough to do what i need to do which saves me a lot of time and money at the end of the day.

some pics attached, sorry if it was a bit of a long story but i though it might inspire others to tackle a similar projects without fear of failure.

rob

attached are from ebay before i got it home.

 

[Rob]

Here are the some follow on pics of the new dipper etc, it not A1 fabrication but its not too bad for me.

I supose i had no real choice with dipper as they are no longer available as a spare/replacement part now and its unlikly i would find a good used one either, so i had to make one......
I tried to keep to as close to original spec as possible, pins are hardened steel.
The box section is 80mm x 80mm x 6mm thick cold drawn steel and is as close to the original spec item as i could possibly get. the original is 5mm thick so i've gained a bit of strenght overall. the rest is of the same spec steel and thickness.
Pivot boss and bushes are hardened also.
pics..

 

[Rob]

some more..and yes , the dipper is bent also.
previous owner must have been a total butcher!!!
you can just make out the breaks in the old dipper arm etc and around the pivot mounts.

 

[Rob]

final few of the main frame and main yoke ready to accept the all other parts now.
the bushes were so worn on most parts even the stabilizers bushes were shot, i had to ream out all the holes to acpet the next size up bush and then fabricate new pivots pins to fit the larger bush.

 

[Rob]

i'll put some pics of the completed item up in the next few weeks before i put it to work.

rob

 

[DsBota]

Looks good so far Rob. Looking forward to seeing it all back together.

 

[Kytim]

You've got some real "cahuna's" my friend taking on that job. Some steady hands and must be a cool head too!! Looks great, there is nothing, or as the kids around here say "nuttin" to be ashamed of. it'll look A-1 when your done.

Keep us up to date, Kytim

 

[pat331]

Rob, thanks for posting the pictures and giving us a blow by blow description of what you ran into. You do good work. It is too bad you had to find out what all was wrong with your purchase after you got it home. Looks like the previous owner could tear up a 500 lb anvil with a rubber hammer.

 

[300zx]

Rob, your work looks great.

I share your advice on looking at ebay items before you buy them. I am rebuilding a B219 FEL that I bought off of ebay, but I went to look at it before I bought it. What I didn't notice was the pitting on the chrome piston rods on the cylinders and the poor weld repair on the front cross piece between the lift arms. I am currently replacing cylinder chrome rods and rebuilding the cylinders. The welds have been repaired and all of the hoses are being replaced. So, I am close to being back together. My only consolation is that I got the FEL at a good price, so with the repairs, I am still OK cost wise.

I don't know if you have replaced your bent cylinder rods yet, but my dealer recommended a professional Hydraulics shop that remakes rods and provides all of the seals at about 60% of the cost of buying OEM ones. They stock standard sized high quality chrome rod and then cut to length and machine the piston end to the original threads and diameters. They cut the other coupling end off of my rod and welded it on the new rod. Very professional job. I don't know how big their rod inventory went to, but I saw piston rod up to 6" being replaced on excavator and bulldozer cylinders. They claimed they could remake any cylinder from scratch. One of their lathes had an 18' bed. They had 4 machinists dedicated to remaking rods. Needless to say, I was impressed. I don't know if you have this type of facility near you in your part of the world, but it is definitely worth checking out.

I , too, have really enjoyed and admired seeing your repairs. Keep the pictures coming.

 

[Bulldog]

Rob, it sounds like someone tried to give you the shaft but it looks like you're on your way to gold. Nice looking work on the repairs you've done so far.

 

[firejunkie]

Too bad about the ebay deal, happens way too often, but aside from the very nice work on getting the unit back in shape, good job. I also agree about getting the cylinder to a repair shop, most times they cane buid new rods and pistons for much less that oem(if even available) o help save costs, they are very common here in the States, I am sure you can find a shop there as well.

 

[Rob]

hi everyone,
many thanks for all the replies guys, they were really appreciated.
On the subject of the rams , i have had both slew rams totally rebuild back to the original spec, but i need to get the bucket ram done now. I have a small service shop near me which does a really pro job on hydraulics at a fraction of the new parts cost.
I am able to get all the hydraulic component parts from a trade outlet at a real good price, but by the time you get the welding done properly and it all tested, its better to get them to do the whole ram for only a few ££'s extra.

There was another issue the boom ram also, the cylinder rod was slighlty bent at the very top just below the mounting boss, the boss would not lineup with the mounting plates on the boom.
After some carefull measuring of the rods travel , I was able cut the boss off the rod,clean and square things up and then reweld it back on, so its all nice and straight now with no other obvious damage or seal leaks.

Anyway, its all nearly back together now, all respayed etc with just a few bits left to do.

Just a quick word on the subject of hydraulic pumps on these back-hoe's.
The pump fitted to mine is a webster ( 116YCA0 I1-3L G83DP ) pump, with a good overall pumping performance, but it came of a clockwise pto setup.
I was a bit concerned that it would be unsuitable for a anti-clock pto, spoke with a few people who said they knew all about pumps etc and they all said it only worked clockwise due to the larger oil supply input connection 3/4 and a 1/2 outlet (pressure) connection and that i would new a new pump (at great cost) to work backwards, etc etc.
Anyway, i never accept the first few answers i get until i have investigated it fully myself as i hate being ripped off .

I had the pump on the bench today and split the two halves apart, what do i find inside, nothing special at all, the gears are not cut or set for a specific direction (contary to what i had been told earlier) they are in really good condtion also.
Also there is nothing else that makes the pump a specific direction pump, having looked very carefully at the both segments and all the fittings, all that is require to change it from clock to anti-clock function is to rotate the rear segment with the inlet and outlets through 180 degrees, this then puts the 3/4 oil input on the correct side so the oil then pumps out the 1/2 pressure outlet to the spool on an anti clock pto.
I 've tested it out and its perfect, job done, and without anymore expense.

So , if in doubt, take it apart and check it out yourself, its works for me..

pics coming up shortly guys

cheers
all
rob

 

[pat331]

You are doing a great job restoring that BH. Thanks for keeping us updated. Please post some pictures of it when you're finished.

 

[Rob]

Hi guys, just an update on the backhoe project.
Following on from my other posts, most of the build is completed now, but i do need just a few small bits, and a couple of parts need to be fabricated.

I am trying to source some new rubber gaiters that go over the hydraulic control levers etc, also two new knobs for the central levers.
I've not had much luck as yet, but i suspect something will turn up soon.
also i need to fabricate new pins for the seat tipping option and also the height adjustment, i could just use some long bolts etc, but pins with clips to secure will be far better in practice when using the backhoe.

Anyway its 99% back together now, i'm off to get a new hydraulic filter and 4 gals of hyd oil tommorow, so that will done and its ready to use when i get the above sorted.

here are some more pics, some of the pivot pins need there head paintings (bare metal as present) but i will do them all at the same time.

anyway pics here.

rob

 

[Rob]

just a few more.

 

[B7100]

Nice job your doing there Rob!
for the gaiters you may want to take a look at ones off a car steering rack,they look very simiular.
Knobs here may be worth a look at : http://www.agriengineering.co.uk/en/store/secure_listItems.asp?strSearch=KNOB-GEAR
dave

 

[Rob]

Good thinking dave, i knew i had seen something similar , i was looking at suspension gaiters also but they were a bit to large in diameter.
I'll give the link a try.

cheers
rob

 

[B7100]

Good thinking dave, i knew i had seen something similar , i was looking at suspension gaiters also but they were a bit to large in diameter.
I'll give the link a try.

cheers
rob

With the rack gaiters,you would probably need a non power steering type which have smaller ends like a MK1 Golf , mini. or similar small car
I have used these myself for control levers and gearsticks secured with cable ties.
Dave

 

[dusty-t]

Real nice job Rob. Dusty