Hello everyone...I've decided to start my own thread on here so as when I have problems or questions, I don't have to pollute someone else's thread...
I'll give a brief recap of the story.... I live on a farm here so am not unfamiliar with wrenchs, spanners, welders etc. My father and myself had wanted a tracked excavator for years, but the price put us off. We hired out machines but finally decided to look around in 2016. We ruled out a rubber wheeled JCB type machine as we have a lot of drainage work to do and past experience with them getting stuck made a track machine the obvious choice.
We spotted a Hymac 580C in the local farming paper and went to look at her with my brother in law, who already had a 580C. The price was £2750 which was within our budget and my brother in law thought she looked OK. He did say one thing though, when I told him I knew nothing about Hymac's. He laughed and said "don't worry, by the time your finished with her, you will know ALL about them".
She is a late model 580C as she has never been cracked or welded and the frame is made of the stronger tubing. She has a Ford engine and I susprct she is '79-'80 although I have never checked with serial number.
The first thing we did when getting her home was to clean her and respray the undercarriage and fixed some rotting tinwork. Also Oil and filters in the engine.
Then I replaced the brake pads and repaired the Hydraulic seals in the brake rams.
Next was the seals in the bucket ram which were pouring oil out. Also replaced eye on ram.
Replaced two track motor pipes.
Seized top roller replaced.
Rebuilt track gearbox (This forum was a big help)
Replaced front idler wheel.
Replaced check valves to slew motor.
Replaced seals in Rotary Distributor.
We are lucky in that there is a breakers yard 5km from here and can source a lot of parts there.
Here are some pics
I have a few more jobs on my wish list such as improving the slew function by either replacing or regrinding the seats on Cross-line-relief or worse. seals in the slew motor. Also, I might do a joystick conversion.
She will never be in the condition of some of your machines but she is intended as a farm workhorse and I suspect she is in better condition than most modern machines will be when they are 40+ years old. She is very powerful I should add.