Johnny's PC30MR-1 Ruffy.

[johnny.race]

This is my Komatsu Digger. It's a 3 tonner of (probably) 90's vintage and has done unknown hours. It's in worn/well used state, is still operable, does not use water or engine oil ... but does leak hydraulic fluid (and possibly diesel) underneath from places, has worn broken plastic covers, dented steel covers - and is in over all poor (unloved) condition.

I have need of an excavator to do work on our little block. My intention is to fix/maintain/use and modify this machine to suit me and my needs. I have allocated a park space in another shed where this park. It has a lower roof than my workshop so in preparation for this I removed the ROP's. Our block is flat and I will not be getting up to anything freaky. It's not going back on. 

Nek trick will be removing the counterweights. Everything's fucking hard when there is only one of you and you're old.

My intention is to strip this down as much as possible yet still keep it mobile. I want to be able to shift it outside so i can clean it to allow me to see what I'm actually fucking with in terms of leaks and broken things. 

 

Fuck me ... there are obviously tricks of the trade when it comes to fucking with these things. I have a question though. I want to rip all of the existing wiring out from this machine and replace it with a basic push button starting, and charging circuit. I would plan to incorporate the factory start/inhibitor switch with the addition of a main battery disconnect. Race car style. Fuck all but simple and reliable. I plan to run 3 mechanical gauges ... water temp, engine oil pressure and hydraulic oil temp. Everything else has sight glass or dip stick. 

Question ... do the hydraulics on something this old have any electrical sensors (or anything) that hook into the factory loom? I've looked and can't see anything. I have not got a manual, but i thought with something this old there'd be nothing like that. Anyone know?

This project is slow time for me. I know what I want (a rat excavator, lol!) at the end of it - an older machine that is mechanically sound and reliable ... looks not so much.

[cletus]

Needs a hilux or similar ratty old truck cab adapted on to it haha  

[johnny.race]

Right! More progress. I got the counterweights removed. Heavy fuckers. There were two of them weighing a total of just over 600kg. This is the 400kg one sitting on my cross country little arsed trolley I made for carrying heavy stuff across my metaled driveway. Handy as fuck. Made from Honda (or Nissan - can't remember) rear beam axles. One day I intend to own a tractor but until then this will have to do me.

Clean as! Used engine degreaser followed by prolonged steam cleaning. Made a mess of my driveway but in a spot that gets used for nothing. Also thought ahead and placed a piece of scrap sheet down underneath to zero in on the leaks. So far i have identified 5 major leak spots and am setting about identifying in detail what needs tightening, replacing and or something else doing.  

This nek pic is a source of one of them. This yellow thing with all the hoses going into it. Does anyone know what it's called? The hoses are all from the hand control joy sticks. I have not got a manual and the online schematics I can find confuse the hell outta me. Anyone know the name of it? So I can further discuss with a local workshop what the best course of action might be. It's leaking around the end join between the end cap and the barrel of the body. This leak is one of my major ones that drip directly onto the rubber tracks then down onto the undercarriage which shits me.