FLU419 SEE HMMH HME Owners group

[Foxyjosh]

I can give you the measurements if you want. It wouldn't take much to make your own and put a ripper tooth on the end of it.

I'd like the measurements too. Also, Do you have a parts machine? I am trying to find the hose for the air intake. Not the accordion shaped one. (I have an extra one of those) It's the one with a 75mm opening that shrinks to a 70mm opening and has a couple of bends to it too.

 

[The FLU farm]

I think that making a template of it and sending it by mail, or taking a photo and posting it here with the crucial measurements might be the way to go. Your choice.

Unfortunately I have failed miserably in my attempts to get a parts SEE. Haven't given up, though.

Now I'm off to NAPA to buy a couple of ether canisters, so at least I should have the part number for those later today.

 

[jstark45xd]

That would be great if I could get measurements. I would also like the ripper bucket! Saw one and it looks awesome!

 

[The FLU farm]

Alright, before I forget, the NAPA part number for the ether cans is 33121. It's a basic Kat's product.

Ripper specs: Overall length is about 26 inches and it's 1" thick (as you could tell from the brackets on the bucket).
The only "critical" measurements would be by the pin, on the bucket side, and from the center of the hole it's about 2-3/8s to the radius, 2-3/4 to the back, and about 6-1/4 to the tip above it.
Worth noting is that the edges are ground down at the radius and up to the tip.
I would make one from 1/4", or maybe even 1/8" inch material first. Much easier to play around with and make sure it fits/works before cutting it out of a chunk of 1".

Sorry about the second photo ending up sideways. No idea how that happened.

 

[BigBison]

Maybe the snowpack starts tomorrow. Not sure if I hope so, or hope not. One of two HMMH batteries is shot. Meanwhile, I'm working on this crane service body while upgrading my truck to handle several hundred amps of surge juice to various DC motors + inverter, while integrating a third battery with the two tandem batteries under the hood...

Ever hear of a series/parallel switch? Installed alongside the Battery Integrator in the service body, I could hook one up to one of those NATO outlets like the FLUs have, for 24V. The connectors are pricey, but I've got all this 4/0 welding cable laying in a heap. With three batteries and an ambulance alternator, my Dodge Cummins ought to be able to jump-start, or at least charge, a FLU right? Just plug a jumper into the sockets and flip a switch with the Dodge running and the crane/inverter/compressor breakers off, maybe...

The past two days involved taking out one HMMH battery, hauling it back home to slap on the charger overnight, having it work well enough to start the HMMH *once* only to be completely done now, at five years old, and identical to the other battery which is in fine fettle. Of course I'll be replacing both at the same time, with what I haven't decided, but if anyone wants to come visit and haul off the good battery (or even the bad one), you're welcome.

Darn thing only needed to last a couple more weeks. My back's shot, those things are heavy even with handles and two people carrying.

 

[BigBison]

I could also plug a 24V trickle-charger into the inverter on the service body. I have a 24V charger @30A, has to be plugged into the house power, big 'ol NAPA thing on wheels... back to the marine-supply catalogs, charge the Mogs with either the truck running or plugged into "shore power." Sorry if I'm boring, but I am having fun figuring out the wiring between my Dodges, FLUs, and GMC w/ 6KW, 50A Onan generator! For working my remote building site. Instead of making two 10-mile round trips, removing/charging/reinstalling the one HMMH battery which would make a fine boat anchor except for the lead acid!

If my Dodge can start my FLUs, it can also start big-ass tractors, semis, etc. in the dead of winter, I would think.

 

[jstark45xd]

Thanks Flu farm.
another topic is tires. These suck for my area. I was looking at putting these on there. Opinions?

 

[The FLU farm]

another topic is tires. These suck for my area. I was looking at putting these on there. Opinions?

I'm a big fan of bias ply tires, for several reasons, but in your case one stands out; driving in/on rocks I think you'd be much better off with the thicker sidewalls of a bias tire.
Check out Interco, where you'll find a Super Swamper that's slightly taller and has a little bit wider tread than the Michelins. It has a 4,200-lb. load rating, so a bit of a margin. Also, the measuring rim for that tire is 11 inches, so a perfect match for stock wheels.
I have a set of Pit Bull Rockers, but they should be on a 13-inch rim. I'm going with 14 inchers, but haven't got the wheels yet.

 

[The FLU farm]

One of two HMMH batteries is shot.

The past two days involved taking out one HMMH battery, hauling it back home to slap on the charger overnight, having it work well enough to start the HMMH *once* only to be completely done now, at five years old, and identical to the other battery which is in fine fettle. Of course I'll be replacing both at the same time, with what I haven't decided, but if anyone wants to come visit and haul off the good battery (or even the bad one), you're welcome.

If you have a decent sized solar panel(s) you might be able to keep that sick battery alive for long enough, especially if you can charge it with the Dodge for a while before starting the HMMH. Or just leave it in there, hook the Dodge to it and fire up the HMMH. Just don't stall it too far from the Dodge.
Or, put two regular car batteries in there for now. That's what came in my HMMH and it starts just fine. Of course, it's also garaged.

Sure wish I had the time to come visit, which I'd like to do even without getting a free battery in the process.

 

[peakbagger]

another topic is tires. I assume you are aware of Expeditions Imports deals on new Contis? Quite the deal.

 

[peakbagger]

Well the trencher auction on Ebay is closed since the owner pulled the listing seven hours before the end time so per the rules we can now talk about it. I expect at least few folks are disappointed unless someone arranged a private sale. It is interesting to see that at least one of these trenchers made it out into the "wild". I expect the owner was expecting a bidding war but I know personally that when I buy things on Ebay that I usually use an auction sniping service and set my best and final offer so it registers in the closing seconds of the bid. On something like the trencher, these bids probably would have ratcheted up quite a bit as I would guess other folks do the same. Since the trencher was rare he might have pulled off a higher price for someone who had to fill out the set but expect there may have been a better way of listing it.

I wouldn't have had much use for the trencher but the bulldozer would have been a nice compliment for the SEE loader. Since technical details on this rig seem to be non-existent I wonder if it had the front suspension lockout? I cant envision a dozer being of much use without it, but then again they just may have intended it for pushing loose material like backfilling a trench versus ripping into the ground.

Here's hoping that at least one makes it on this forum at some point so we can learn about the differences.

 

[MSMOG]

I'm curious who else in the "club" was watching the trencher??? I was, although just as a voyeur.

 

[General Hood]

to the one who possibly own a SEE, HMMH, and the Trencher variance.....or multiples of each

 

[Migginsbros]

MSMOG I was watching,too. Did you get a remembermail from ebay some hours before ending?

 

[peakbagger]

I got the reminder a few hours in advance that the auction would soon end and then when I went to look at the posting I got redirected to auction closed notice.

 

[MSMOG]

The seller ended the Ebay auction prior to the scheduled close. Pretty sure he did a private sale with someone "off eBay". I suspect it won't be long before we see some pics on here...

 

[The FLU farm]

I got the reminder a few hours in advance that the auction would soon end and then when I went to look at the posting I got redirected to auction closed notice.

Me, too. Looks we were all watching that one.

 

[peakbagger]

I hear what MSMOG is saying about a private sale but usually a pulled listing on high ticket item on Ebay is a sign that the seller set the reserve too low and is worried that there isn't a bidding war so they get stuck selling at the reserve.

 

[BigBison]

Rewiring my '02 24V Dodge Cummins for the ambulance alternator, 600A of transient surge current, 24V FLU jumpstart capability and such, brings up the "fusible link" issue. It's more of an older American car/truck thing -- fusible link is a short run of wire, about 1/2 the gauge of the primary wire, meant to burn through without catching fire. Instead of a fuse. Do I add fusible link to my thicker-gauge rewiring job w/ milspec battery-terminal clamps, or go with an ANL fuse...?

Our German-American FLUs are a mixed bag of SAE/metric. My question for y'all re-harnessing ratfood wiring that's all black and such... anyone come across fusible link anywhere?

That flash I saw engaging the lockout the other day, doesn't correspond to any blown (euro-ceramic) fuse, or spark-mark on any of the handful of relays (none of which stop the pump from cavitating, above the "min" mark on the reservoir, bought an old-school metal gooseneck funnel yesterday to even get fluid into that reservoir after removing the barely-accessible banjo fitting and wishing I'd at least brung a turkey baster), let's not argue semantics and just agree this system isn't very well thought-out.

Next time I'm up at the jobsite, I'll be looking a little down-wire for some blown fusible link, to account for that flash I saw. As it is, I think putting some fluid in, will set the lockout to rights? If it can complete its cycle without cavitating (in operation, fluid sucks down to way below the "min" mark from just above it, on my HMMH), it should shut off, and revert to cycling on once every 10-15 minutes like before?

The weird noises I hear, now that I've got the metal cover off etc., correspond to the electric/hydraulic pump intermittently sucking itself dry, until enough fluid drains back through that banjo fitting I'm gonna remove to top it up, for fluid to pump again. Then I'll either fix or replace the existing reservoir, and be happier for having figured out just how the **** this retrofitted-as-afterthought-to-begin-with, barely-documented system is *supposed* to work. So I can figure out how to re-do it properly.

Retrofitted afterthought = not part of the original design, maybe before 1 HMMH was built, maybe after all 164 had been built, who knows? "Git 'er done" for 164 units, seems to have been the concept, the double-fuse-holder with only 1 fuse/ring terminals on it -- if I'd done that post-auction it wouldn't be a **** old-school euro-ceramic fuse. My HMMH is not intended as a garage-queen OEM NOS showroom-stock piece of useless equipment, I need it to work, and it's looking like time to throw out at least the wiring on the lockout, so why not most of the rest?

If only there were more feedback than me, and the other guy who disagrees with me, on these! Or we knew if the HMEs have lockouts, etc. There's going to be a "right way" to do this, and IMNSHO it oughta be plumbed into one or the other hydraulic systems on the FLU, instead of being a third which requires an hour of work to check / top-up the fluid level? Crazy. I've just gone through this with my newly-acquired from Southern CA '95 CTD dually and service body, completely impractical wiring for blingy purposes unrelated to getting work done. Spaghetti wiring.

A little more feedback, both the HMMH forklift and HME blade questions get answered in a way which tells me how to make it work properly, as opposed to just getting it done. How I roll. I don't care how the lockout on my HMMH "should" work or "should" be wired. Wish I had an HME so I could figure out one system which works for both (if the HME even has it), which would also work for SEEs if, like, you have pallet forks on your loader bucket or something, and want a simple lockout upgrade. I may be wrong, but I'm done arguing about something nobody really knows about for certain. If, as an owner's group, we can work something out between us, I'm sure we can work together to build it! Let's just agree to get along.

Nutshell -- I am *not* a fan of the front-suspension lockout on my HMMH, regardless of what anyone thinks about needing it or not, for one task or another, or whatevs. Plenty of room for improvement. Filling a hydraulic reservoir should be obvious, not require crawling under the truck, tracing all kinds of lines to see if it's even connected to the other two reservoirs, etc. I'm not beholden to any of it.

 

[The FLU farm]

So Bison, I'm guessing that the above means that you're not interested in trying to use hydraulic cylinders as a lockout, as discussed earlier?
And from what I can tell from the few photos I've seen, the HME's rear lockout would be easy to duplicate. I'd probably use trailer balls and couplers at the wheels, and something along those lines would be a near necessity on the front, but follow the same simple principle.
Just a few suggestions from "the other guy" with his "garage-queen".