RH60-RH75-RH90? O&K's promising start but what happened?

[Gavin Phillips]

In Keith Haddock's Earthmover Encyclopedia, it is mentioned that the RH60 was the largest hydraulic shovel at one point until it was replaced by the larger 151ton RH75 in the early 1970's.

This machine continued to be produced in fairly modest numbers in both face shovel and backhoe configurations, directly competing against Hitachi's then largest excavator, their UH801 amongst others. There was an RH75C model as well, I've seen some spec sheets for those on eBay although they were a little expensive for me to consider going after!

Then, in the early 1990's, along comes the O&K RH90, available as either a face shovel or excavator it would have appeared promising but since there's only one confirmed report of one in the UK, something must've gone wrong there! Incidentally, there may be another near Doncaster at a quarry which occasionally works. No idea on location though, since that was posted in a reply to a youtube video of the RH90C excavator at Brenkley Lane, there's alot of misinformation on youtube!

So, was the RH90 the replacement for the RH75? Perhaps it just wasn't commonplace here because of the number of RH120 machines (or equivalent sized units) already employed in surface mining operations?

Best regards

Gavin

[clockworklozenge1]

Hello, where out of curiosity is the one confirmed rh 90- I know that banks had one RH 90C face shovel from around 1990 - 2001 at Pit House West in County Durham, which could be the one that is now a backactor in Northumberland? I have a stock list of O and K machines which were for sale or lease in the uk from about 97 im sure it lists more than one rh 90 ,it also lists the previous owners and where the machines were currently working or stationed, ill try r to dig it out tommorow

[Gavin Phillips]

Hello, where out of curiosity is the one confirmed rh 90- I know that banks had one RH 90C face shovel from around 1990 - 2001 at Pit House West in County Durham, which could be the one that is now a backactor in Northumberland? I have a stock list of O and K machines which were for sale or lease in the uk from about 97 im sure it lists more than one rh 90 ,it also lists the previous owners and where the machines were currently working or stationed, ill try r to dig it out tommorow

The backacter that you refer to is indeed the confirmed RH90c that we know of in the UK. Its most interesting that the machine could have been a face shovel during a previous contract, is it common practice to reconfigure machines like this?

Many thanks for any clarification on this machine!

Best regards

Gavin

[Tracshovel]

Certainly more than one RH90 worked in the UK. At least 3 or 4 in Scotland alone. I would need to have look back in some files too.

[clockworklozenge1]

The pit house rh 90 was the first big o&k I recall seeing- I can remember at about 12 years old, watching it on excavating the overburden mound alongside the pit house lane- ,this part of the site was very narrow with an open drop to woodland on one side and a narrow country lane at the other, sandwiched in between was the o&k which was having to slew 180 degrees to load the 773 trucks which reversed up behind the face shovel- this narrow stretch was around a few hundred metres long, due to this area being so narrow the shovel would often swing outside of the perimeter fence while turning to load the dumps at its rear- this was a fantastic sight at such an age- the machine grafting with all headlights on in the thick fog

[L.Kezz]

Very interesting topic, I can also remember two O&K RH90-C's that banks had on a site not far from me, it was the Doe Hill site in Derbyshire. They had both excavator and face shovel. Think it was 98-2000 and something, maybe 02. They were loading what were at the time brand new Cat 777D.

[BulldozerD11]

The pit house rh 90 was the first big o&k I recall seeing- I can remember at about 12 years old, watching it on excavating the overburden mound alongside the pit house lane- ,this part of the site was very narrow with an open drop to woodland on one side and a narrow country lane at the other, sandwiched in between was the o&k which was having to slew 180 degrees to load the 773 trucks which reversed up behind the face shovel- this narrow stretch was around a few hundred metres long, due to this area being so narrow the shovel would often swing outside of the perimeter fence while turning to load the dumps at its rear- this was a fantastic sight at such an age- the machine grafting with all headlights on in the thick fog

Reminds me of Early machine i saw in the 80s. There were loads of open cast sites around Chesterfield and one arrived in bits from Germany & turned down a side road as i was going to the shop - Driver dident speak English and nobody knew the name of the site he had on the paperwork so we sent him up the road to were Junction 29A is now by the Old pit as ther were 2 open cast sites up there.

But i think it was the wrong site as later saw a Demag 185 working on the site between Brimmington & Whittington were they removed the canal as part of the works and relocated it to allow for a Link from the M1 to Chesterfield Bypass that has never been built (the canals now been reinstated and extended & is now running to a new marina). The Demag was massive and was working right next to the road at the end of the cut striping rock & you could stand looking level with the top of the cab as it worked. Unfortunately i did not have a camera with me at that time as could have got some great photos as the site did not have huge earth bunds round it like they do today. Some of the sites you could walk into as well.

Another site near home (earlier on as i still at school) had an small O&K in face shovel set up that one day the driver put on top of a pile of muck and we walked under after i asked how they got the hydraulics down from the top to the tracks. On the same sit used to ride on the Motor scraper till one of the bosses visited a had a fit with the drivers. They had several blokes with shovels cleaning the coal by hand aftera old Hymac had cleaned off the top & the old collaped galleries. But they abandoned it as the coal ratio was poor and the seams were only about 2 ft thick. Think they only got PP as the field had developed swallow holes from the old workings. They found bits of old gear and rotten props in some of it.the site had been worked as a drift mine as it outcroped on the side of the valley. The other side of the hill you can still find some thin seam with drifts in but they filled in a shaft near by IRC.

Dave

[jasonfisher]

I know of at least 2 in Scotland, one with Law Mining, and one sat at a plant yard in Newhouse just of the M8 for a few years, and as tracshovel mentioned he told me of a couple more. I also heard Bardon Aggregates have one still intact but not sure if it still works.

[GIZZY]

Whatley quarry had an O&K RH 60 i think on loan years ago so one of the guys told me when i worked there. Has anyone got any pictures of these anywhere? To post up on the forum

[kingfisher_61]

In Keith Haddock's Earthmover Encyclopedia, it is mentioned that the RH60 was the largest hydraulic shovel at one point until it was replaced by the larger 151ton RH75 in the early 1970's.

This machine continued to be produced in fairly modest numbers in both face shovel and backhoe configurations, directly competing against Hitachi's then largest excavator, their UH801 amongst others. There was an RH75C model as well, I've seen some spec sheets for those on eBay although they were a little expensive for me to consider going after!

Then, in the early 1990's, along comes the O&K RH90, available as either a face shovel or excavator it would have appeared promising but since there's only one confirmed report of one in the UK, something must've gone wrong there! Incidentally, there may be another near Doncaster at a quarry which occasionally works. No idea on location though, since that was posted in a reply to a youtube video of the RH90C excavator at Brenkley Lane, there's alot of misinformation on youtube!

So, was the RH90 the replacement for the RH75? Perhaps it just wasn't commonplace here because of the number of RH120 machines (or equivalent sized units) already employed in surface mining operations?

Best regards

Gavin

I think Motorways Plant had one of the first RH60s, does anyone remember that machine ?