Hello everybody!
Would just start off by saying that english is not my native language, so I hope you understand my spelling.
I’ve been on the lookout for an old digger for a while now, and I came across this old Hymac 580BT on my way to a client two weeks ago.
I have been using other parts of this forum earlier and remembered this Hymac section.
After reading some of the posts here, I got inspired and traced down the owner of the machine.
The old machine had not been used for almost 18 months, but with the help of a portable batterybooster, the old girl fired right up!
I made the owner an offer and a couple of days later, she arrived at my house.
Incredibly there had only been two owners before me!
As you can see, she hasn’t exactly aged gracefully. But with a little time, some new paint and windows seals (I also got the two front windows) she should last a couple of more years.
The engine is a Ford engine from the mid 90’s. The previous owner put in an engine from an portable air-compressor after he bought the machine, so the engine runs smoothly. Because of the engine change, the manifold was a little bit different from the original, and therefore the rear engine-cover does not fit properly.
Anyways, I wanted to do a few things to her befor I put her to work.
First of all I need to give her a thorough cleaning. I also want to repair the cab, and give her a fresh coat of paint.
Okay, I started by stripping the cab. The electric system was in good condition, and came out easily. The frame for the seat gave up a bit more resistance. I ended up cutting several of the bolts from underneath the cab.
After cutting the bolts securing the cab to the frame (was way to rusted to unscrew) I started lifting the cab from the frame. Placed the cab on what we call a “Hydro-pallet” (a bit bigger than a Euro-pallet) so I could roll it in and out from the tent while using the angle grinder and welding.
This is after I removed a lot of leafs and dirt. The cab had been left open to the elements for quite a while. Not a nice environment to be sitting in!
After a powerwash the machine was driven into the tent, an work started on sanding down the old paint on the cab. Here I have finished welding some rust spots and primed the roof and left side of the cab.
I also removed the sliding door. I have decided to convert it do a hinged door to make it more watertight. The slides in the bottom of the cab had almost completely rusted away.
To make it fit in the opening of the cab, I had to cut off the top, bottom and rear section. I then removed some material and welded it back together.
More updates will follow
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