The Classic Machinery Network

essexpete wrote:I stand corrected the Orion should have a single cylinder.

New bloke with a Thwaites Orion dumper

I think you have a Tusker model, 2 cylinder that sometimes was fitted with a small 180 backhoe.

Thanks essexpete always thought the Tusker came with the backhoe and not a dumper, it’s a great piece of kit and I am looking forward in restoring her gear box and new front tyres/brakes soon and then to fully restore her to full glory next year with an engine rebuild as she smokes a lot from the head. I will try and document the refurb with pictures.

Àhh now the pictures are clearer and in context I can see the box is slightly different to mine . I definitely have a newage gearbox and my dumper is definitely an Orion . However as I said most of these gearboxes have basically the same layout so I would wait until you split it and you may be able to refer to the newage manuel you have already downloaded . All of the smaller models had single cylinder petter diesel engines ( nimbus Orion etc ) so as pete has already said I reckon you have a tusker . They have a larger carrying capacity up to 2 tons from memory . As already stated they can be fitted with a small backhoe I did see one for sale on eBay last year with the backhoe but it was a bit to far gone for me to consider another restore project ATM . There is a tusker on sale under dumpers on eBay right now it looks fairly original so might be handy to have a look as a reference for yours . I'm glad you already have her working as they are not meant to sit in the corner and be looked at . I have to be honest mine is one of the most useful bits of kit I have ever owned easy to maintain and simple to operate . No battery or water system to worry about either !

Is this any use? not certain its the right model but it might be. It covers the tusker dumper further down with some exploded diagrams of the box etc.
http://www.oilyhands.co.uk/Thwaites_Tusker_Mk3.pdf

MrF wrote:Is this any use? not certain its the right model but it might be. It covers the tusker dumper further down with some exploded diagrams of the box etc.
http://www.oilyhands.co.uk/Thwaites_Tusker_Mk3.pdf

Hi MrF, well thanks very much, this is my dumper for sure but without the attachment. This really help now understand what in the gearbox and what is missing.

Matchless?58 wrote:Àhh now the pictures are clearer and in context I can see the box is slightly different to mine . I definitely have a newage gearbox and my dumper is definitely an Orion . However as I said most of these gearboxes have basically the same layout so I would wait until you split it and you may be able to refer to the newage manuel you have already downloaded . All of the smaller models had single cylinder petter diesel engines ( nimbus Orion etc ) so as pete has already said I reckon you have a tusker . They have a larger carrying capacity up to 2 tons from memory . As already stated they can be fitted with a small backhoe I did see one for sale on eBay last year with the backhoe but it was a bit to far gone for me to consider another restore project ATM . There is a tusker on sale under dumpers on eBay right now it looks fairly original so might be handy to have a look as a reference for yours . I'm glad you already have her working as they are not meant to sit in the corner and be looked at . I have to be honest mine is one of the most useful bits of kit I have ever owned easy to maintain and simple to operate . No battery or water system to worry about either !

Hi Matchless?58, in the post from MrF I have now found my gearbox and identified my dumper. She has not been working for a while as my mini digger (also an old bobcat) needed fixing so she been sitting for at least 6 months, but a little fuel down the inlet filter and she fires first time. Very powerful piece of kit, and so easy to fix, takes me back to my early days working on old cars. Next year I will try and bring her back to some level of perfection for which I will record and post on line. Thanks for your help and advice.

One thing I would add , and sorry if this is obvious, but if these old dumpers stand out side then it is a good idea to cover at least cover the top of the gearbox and steering wheel/column to avoid water ingress. On first buying/using an old dumper check the oil in both as well.

Hi essexpete, thanks for the advice, we lived in the south west of France so the rain is slightly less than UK
Currently trying to find parts for the gearbox, but for a Tusker dumper it’s a little bit more difficult.

Hi All,

A bit of an update on my gearbox, finally managed to split the gearbox and grind off the bad welding, see pictures. I found the indent spring from one side, but still missing a spring and ball bearings so will need to order these.





As you can see quite a bad hole to fix, additionally it crosses the indent spring on the fork shaft so quite complex to fix. With have to see how the welding goes, more pictures to follow.

Any update on this.

Yes welding cast iron is a challenge but a lot easier with the right rods. Is best to preheat before welding and allow it to cool slowly. I had to build up a cam once a while ago for another brand of engine and I was all ready for the long hard slog to reshape it. But found by using a belt sander first to rough it to shape then a file to finish.
Brazing is yet another form of repairing cast but make sure the metal is very clean for both processes.