New poster, looking for JCB 3 info

[Scooby]

Let's deal with those swivel couplings first. They were a pain in the neck. On this age of machine, even if you got the seals (and each seal is a kit with various seals and two backing rings) they probably wouldn't seal because the swivel part wears grooves in the stationary part. Absolutely fine when they were new but I used to put new pipes on, similar to what JCB had started to do, i.e. making them go round the kingpost. Have a look at a newer digger.

Those bolts ? I'm not sure what's going on here. Someone seems to be substituting those bolts for the proper clamp bolts. Could you send us some more photos. of the area involved. This was of course before hydra-clamps were introduced. It doesn't look as if your digger has been pushed across the slide rails recently but I don't understand why they have got these extra bolts. I can see from inside the cab that the backing plate for the proper bolts isn't against the frame.

[kaos]

Here are a few more photos:

0162-0054 24-07-2010 18-06.thumb.jpg

Side view of the remaining extra bolt.

0162-0057 24-07-2010 18-07.thumb.jpg

Here is the other side. The remains of the broken bolt are still there, stuck in rust.

0162-0058 24-07-2010 18-07.thumb.jpg

Nobody home.

0162-0062 24-07-2010 18-09.thumb.jpg

Here is a top view of the clamping plate, showing how the plate of the new bolt has gotten pinched behind it.

Let's deal with those swivel couplings first. They were a pain in the neck. On this age of machine, even if you got the seals (and each seal is a kit with various seals and two backing rings) they probably wouldn't seal because the swivel part wears grooves in the stationary part. Absolutely fine when they were new but I used to put new pipes on, similar to what JCB had started to do, i.e. making them go round the kingpost. Have a look at a newer digger.

Ok, I will check that out. Might also open the coupling up to see how badly worn it is.

Those bolts ? I'm not sure what's going on here. Someone seems to be substituting those bolts for the proper clamp bolts. Could you send us some more photos. of the area involved. This was of course before hydra-clamps were introduced. It doesn't look as if your digger has been pushed across the slide rails recently but I don't understand why they have got these extra bolts. I can see from inside the cab that the backing plate for the proper bolts isn't against the frame.

Yep; as I said before, my best guess is that somebody didn't trust the original bolts for some reason.

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Best regards,
Kári.

[Scooby]

I am really confused now.

In 0162-0053 24-07-2010 18-06.thumb.jpg it looks as if that long bolt goes through the rails and into the cab area. Or is this a trick of the camera ? And yet it look as if it does in 0162-0062 24-07-2010 18-09.thumb.jpg

But in 0162-0054 24-07-2010 18-06.thumb.jpg it clearly doesn't ! If I remember correctly those bolts were to fasten the kingpost to the kingpost carriage.

If you look at 0162-0062 24-07-2010 18-09.thumb.jpg a couple of square spacers can be seen between the rails and the plate that holds the valve block. I reckon that these have been put there because the very large bolts that hold the whole kingpost on to the rails have a section of their threads that are u/s and so there was a need to use a different part of the thread to get the large nut to hold.

In days before hydra-clamps you had to undo these four large bolts (2 at the top and 2 at the bottom) before you could slide the digger from side to side. Lazy types would work with them loose so that they didn't have to do this but it had the effect of making a mess of the rails and smoothing off the threads on a section of the bolts.

For some plant firms working a machine like this was a sacking offence. Obviously before the unfair dismissal rules !!!

[kaos]

In 0162-0053 24-07-2010 18-06.thumb.jpg it looks as if that long bolt goes through the rails and into the cab area. Or is this a trick of the camera ? And yet it look as if it does in 0162-0062 24-07-2010 18-09.thumb.jpg. But in 0162-0054 24-07-2010 18-06.thumb.jpg it clearly doesn't ! If I remember correctly those bolts were to fasten the kingpost to the kingpost carriage.

The bolt does go into the cab. What fools the eye in 0162-0054etc. is that there is an extra nut on it to clamp the kingpost to the carriage. As a matter of fact, these aren't really bolts at all, but threaded rods with a nut on each end + one in the middle.

If you look at 0162-0062 24-07-2010 18-09.thumb.jpg a couple of square spacers can be seen between the rails and the plate that holds the valve block. I reckon that these have been put there because the very large bolts that hold the whole kingpost on to the rails have a section of their threads that are u/s and so there was a need to use a different part of the thread to get the large nut to hold. In days before hydra-clamps you had to undo these four large bolts (2 at the top and 2 at the bottom) before you could slide the digger from side to side. Lazy types would work with them loose so that they didn't have to do this but it had the effect of making a mess of the rails and smoothing off the threads on a section of the bolts.

Do you mean the plate that the extra bolt goes through? That might have got wedged there in an attempt to slide the digger, but the practice that you described might very well be the reason that the original bolts failed, and this "solution" was found. Anyhow, it seems clear now what needs to be done: Replace the outer bolts with shorter ones, like those that were there originally, and replace the bolts or maybe the whole clamping plate assembly. Many thanks for your assistance.

--
Best regards,
Kári.

[Scooby]

Yes, I see now. It seems as if those extra threaded bars with nuts are there to keep the kingpost and carriage tight on the rails. In fact, because of the way that the plate between the valve chest supporting frame and the rails is compromised by the bolts it is never going to be possible to slide the digger across the rails.

Good luck anyway.