Unclejake

Thanks. I should have done the maths before ordering the pipe. 50mm would have been much better I reckon my high point in the 40mm is around 6m below the tank. I'll measure flow as soon as I get back there, but I'd guess it's around 30lpm. . I instlled the washdown to wash salty re-bar prior to concrete and to compact sand so it needs to be a decent flow. I'll have a look at diesel fire pumps as well as 12v. Long term this bore water will be toilet flush, washing machine and outdoor garden tap. I ran an additional 40mm for rainwater from the same tank stand, but intended a 240v pump for the rain (which is about a year away from being use Really appreciate the advice.

The tank is vented mate, but I understand why you're asking. For the avoidance of doubt: My first drawing wasn't that clear (sorry) The 8 metre and 18 metre numbers on the right of the drawing are vertical measurements. The tap that performs well is about 40lm of 40mm pipe away from the tank and about 18m below the top of the full tank. She's a gusher. The tap on the left of the drawing is 140lm of 40mm pipe away from the tank and about 8m below the top water level of the tank. That's the tap that I needed most (40mm ball valve with a 25mm PVC washdown hose and nozzle.... but I pulled the hose off the 40mm ball valve this afternoon and the flow was still lame. Someone fax me some more gravity please. Ha!

Yikes. That's alarming reading. Thanks NickJ. I'll measure flow on Friday. If it's ~ 50lpm then I guess that's as good as I can expect. Really appreciate it.

That would work to expel the air, but due to untold trees is physically difficult and would only work once (if there's even an air restriction - and I honestly don't know if there is), but I'd have the same problem again if the tank ever ran dry. Laying the empty pipe through the trees is ideally a three man job. Managing it full of water would be next level harder. Two of us can barely lift an empty coil onto the ute. I'm trying to think of a way to test if there's an air restriction without drilling a hole in $4,500 of pipework, but I'll be buggered if I can think of a way! I figure the pressure in the pipe would be the same with or without the air and I haven't thought of a better way to check it (yet). LOL

^ Internet is slow here. Sorry. Can't do much about it. What's your thinking wrt a sponge?

Dear all, I just installed several 140 lineal metre runs of 40mm Alkatene pipe (gravity fed) and am getting less than ideal water flow out of one end of the single pipe that's charged with water. I may have a partial air lock..... but without spending ~ $400 on tee connectors, valves and freight (and a couple of weeks wait) I can't discount a partial air lock. QUESTION: Is there a way to test for an air 'restriction' before cutting the pipes at the obvious high point of the run and adding bleed valves? I.e. is the pressure going to be the same with or without the air restriction? I suspect a pressure test is useless but am no expert. The water flow seems lousy... but I accept there's a lot of friction on 140lm of pipe (even at 40mm i/d).

Pretty stoked to receive sea-freight for the first time since March Whilst I've been 'waiting' I decided to start cutting ground for an orchard. I don't even like fruit, but I do like earthworks with a classic machine. There's only a very thin layer of organic matter over the sand so I need to be careful, but I know a guy with a woolshed full of sheep shit. I'll offer him some free removal once his land is dry enough to work over. Bad photos because rain and broken phone. Oh well. Oh, and also a few hours to backfill the footings for the deck. It's a ring foundation kind of thing which will have a concrete pavement.. and although it may seem odd to build the deck first on a 24 hectare site - the access (and my love of the wee stunted trees) means I have to pour the deck before the house pad.

Work and weather got in the way of progress over the last few weeks, but the local mechanic fixed most of the JCB hydraulic hoses before he had to boost off-island for a medical drama. They tell us a ship will arrive next week. It will hopefully have a concrete mixer on it (thanks @nzstato). If it does I only need one more other ship that has irrigation pipe on it so we can get water to mix and pour these deck footings. Shit this is taking a long time... Oh well.

Fortunately the local mechanic does them. He's a good bugger with a great stock of fittings, hose and a press....and he will stop what he's doing to repair a hose for most of us whilst we wait. Cray boats all have hydraulic pot haulers that get soaked in salt water so he's got plenty of repeat business, but we need to take the busted hose to him. For me that's a one hour round trip, but it's amazing to be back at work the same day

It turns out that building your own house only on good weather weekends (when there's no materials to buy, no fuel or water available and limited daylight) is a bit slow. We have a limited amount of diesel now and I managed to get 5 litres of petrol on Wednesday so am feeling a bit jubilant. Progress got even slower this morning when another hydraulic hose blew on the JCB - showering my associate in hot oil and sending the slew into all sorts of convulsions. None-the-less the perimeter boxing for the concrete deck is installed. It was going to be a rectangle but I changed my mind late last night so now it's a trapezoid. It's just myself and one other chap on the tools so we're not quick, are pretty tired and sandy, but keen for more on Sunday morning

Lol. Nice to see you pop up again. Mine went to a buyer in Townsville quite a few years ago. I miss it sometimes... but largely don't the towing and waiting around at race circuits

Loving this. Nice to see a genuine two door

The mid-June fuel didn't arrive and paid work has been real challenge due to no petrol for six(?) weeks and no diesel for about 8 days.... but I still have a bit of stale helicopter fuel and finally some time off work with calm weather to scrape out for the concrete deck. Good lord this cabin is taking a long time to begin, but it may be worth it. No concrete can get poured without a freight ship (due mid July?) but I figure on getting at least the deck footings formed up in the next few days. To pour concrete I need water (pipework waiting on shipping), steel (as above), a concrete mixer (thanks for that assistance @nzstato), petrol to run it.... and diesel for the ute to go pick it all up. Oh, and also some money. It all sounds easy. Ha!

The view from 6 metres up is pretty mean. Now it's almost time to start the cabin foundations. They tell us we may have fuel by mid June.

I'm down to less than half a litre of petrol now, but no one got killed, nothing got broken.... and the water tower got driven up the hill and is bolted into its stainless steel stirrups. It was pretty dark by then so it's a shit photo. More to do soon to brace it all, but she's up! There's only been two of us on this job. We've done OK TBH.

The weather didn't allow erection yesterday, but Saturday looks sort of OK. I haven't totally worked out how I'm going to stand up a 6 metre high top heavy thing with a machine that barely reaches 4 metres (and then drive it 200 metres and up a small hill), but I've got a rough plan. We'll see if it works tomorrow. Ha!

Not much to report gentle readers, The island ran out of petrol a couple of weeks ago so I can't use the generator much, can't cut firewood and lawns can get fucked. We do still have a little diesel but I've been feeding the JCB 50% diesel and 50% jet fuel (I had some left over from a helicopter project) Today's mission was a tank stand for water header tanks. Hoping to finish that tomorrow. TBC. Ha.

After clearing out the fuel system and sealing the lift pump leak the same trip took 36 mins this afternoon It's still hellishly noisy, but too wet and cold to pull the rocker cover off today

Problem most likely solved my friends. Those suggesting fuel were correct. The lift pump body wasn't tightened down properly. That and perhaps some restriction through the sediment filter was starving the engine of fuel. Noticeable power increase now, but I am still going to check valve clearances when I get a spare afternoon. Thanks all. Really appreciate the guidance. I am starting to like diesel engines. These old ones are refreshingly simple to work on once you understand them

Untold fuel getting to the injector pump (using the manual lift pump) so I think we're clear on the pipe elbow scenario sir, but thank you for the thought.

It might be air in the lines ... but more likely the exact order of re-assembly of the teeny, weeny springs, poppet valves and diaphragm injector pump parts that sprung out onto the grass. Without warning. Like a pouncing menace Puhuhuhuhu TBH it wasn't that bad and nothing much got lost. I may have just put a poppet in on the wrong side of a spring. I have the electronic workshop manual so will check soon.

Hey chaps, to partly update the JCB saga, the fuel tank was pretty grubby, the sediment filter gross but lift pump, spin on fuel filter and internal filter in the injection pump all really clean. We cleared as much gunk out of the tank and sediment filter as possible... but now she won't run for more than a few seconds so no chance to road test for power increase. I'll sort the new problem tomorrow as it'll be an assembly error (of mine) in the injection pump.

That's what I'm thinking. Hopefully we can find out in the weekend if I can gather the right tools

Thanks. The ATF is bright red and smells good so I'm hopeful the convertor and associated pump is still OK. Terrible weather here so no spannering today

Hi chaps, thank you and sorry for the slow response. Internet has been out here The machine should do ~ 40kmph according to the factory. It has a conventional manual 4 speed gearbox, but that's mated to a torque converter shuttle system off the flywheel (forwarder and reverser) which seems to be working well. Transmission system filters are all new. When travelling along the flat everything seems sort of OK but go up a hill and the engine slows noticeably so I don't think it's a transmission problem. Max RPM is about 2,200. I usually dig (using the backhoe) around 1,200RPM which is absolutely fine. There's at least adequate power for digging at those RPMs. At risk of sounding like a dick - I'm suspicious that the excessive exhaust noise has something to do with the lack of engine power. You can hear the machine literally half a kilometre away - even with a brand new 24 inch stainless packed muffler (admittedly a Coby muffler, but not a resonator). I only found that out a couple of days ago when I had a mate drive it. It sounds awful. Sort of an out of phase waffle. Not quite a running on three cylinder noise, but definitely an unpleasant sound and extremely uncomfortable without hearing protection The machine has been noisy and slow since I got it. I got a bit ripped off TBH. It had a blown head gasket which I had a local 'mechanic' replace. The engine should be about 82hp from factory, but it definitely has some blow-by out of the crankcase now so it's worn and probably burns oil (it leaks a lot too so hard to gauge how much it's burning). I've done all the disposable fuel system filters but haven't investigated the strainer in the fuel pump. Thanks for that tip. I will look at that in the weekend... but I think we'll take the rocker cover off and check valve clearances as well. I'm thinking perhaps the exhaust valve lash is too tight and perhaps the valves aren't closing properly? I think that could explain the noise? Maybe? There's a bit of black smoke under load but nothing significant. You have to look to spot it. The engine starts well and idles well at about 700RPM (any less than that and idle is a bit lumpy). There is also a rust hole in the air filter housing which will be contributing to engine noise. I'll sort that when possible.