After a tense day of considering my options, and the pros and cons of a number of different styles and brands, from an Iron and Oak dual action, to the 22 ton Forest King, at Menards, I went with the Northern Tools model. I ordered it at a quarter to midnight, last Sunday, and at 10:30 A.M. Last Wednesday, I got the call from the shipping company that the truck was a half hour out from my workplace, where I'd had it shipped to. So, about two-and-a-half days, from credit card to a crate on the dock. Nice. I'm in the middle of the assembly process, right now, and will post pics and commentary, as I'm able, later in the day. So far, so good, but man, that beam is heavy! Ended up using the forklift, just to stand it up. Anyway, more to come ...
I think I put together my 37 ton in about 1hour 45 minutes. (I didn't have a fork lift to help out.) I enjoy having the norther tool but I also was considering the iron/oak. The honda engine is great and I have never pulled the start handle more than twice; even after 8 months hiatus. That particular year, I had saved some real gnarly, ugly, knotty, twisted, crotchety chunks to try out right away! I also elected to buy ATF to use instead of hydraulic fluid....it is allowed and is posted somewhere in the manual in case you're considering and concerned about warranty. Hope you like it!
Nope, but I have a pager that goes off, when someone needs emergency service for their doors, and have to work around that. Just got home about an hour ago. Here goes. This was my work bench, so to speak. This unit is packed and secured well. Getting things unwrapped and unbolted took a bit of time, but since all that plastic, and those numerous bolts, kept everything in tip top shape, it was worth it. This was a pleasant surprise. In most of the pics and videos, there was just some weld on the end plate, but this looks like it'll hold about anything. After trying to muscle this brute up by hand, I was glad that the forklift was available. Aa-and the pager just went off. Again. Busy day, more to come.
Awesome stuff I've been looking at getting a 37 ton model. I love them things, they just look well made. Can't wait to see more of yours.
I'm back, hopefully for the night. This was relatively straight forward, with just a bit of trouble putting on the wheels. Not because of any design or mechanical issue. It was the packing. They put a generous slathering grease on the spindles, then wrapped them 3 or 4 times in a thin cellophane. Problem is that between leaking grease and set, stuck cellophane, I couldn't just unwind the plastic, and had to cut it off. This left a few small, basically invisible, being clear and mixed in the grease, pieces of plastic. These were enough to jamb the back bearing whilst trying to slide the wheels on. Not a big deal, but a heads up that may keep someone from spending the same 15 minutes, cussing and hunting for nonexistent burrs or dents on the spindle, until he feels the small pieces of plastic embedded in the grease. I should also mention that those tank fittings you see came pre-installed. They have some sort of dark amber, clear sealant on them. Also, the pipe thread fittings that came in the hardware came with a red dope that resembled fire caulk, if you know what that is. When assembling, I left this on the fittings it was applied to. On others, I used a high quality Teflon dope, good for 10,000 lbs. liquid, and rated for hydraulics. If either of these leek, I'll let you know. Just a quick pic of the engine tag. Honda 6.5 hp engine, Concentric 13 GPM pump, American made hoses, and a Brand valve. All feels extremely solid and well made. I didn't include pics of the motor/ pump, specifically, as you can see them in other pics. If anyone wants anything specific, just let me know. I can post them.
Engine mounted, I then went on to mount the beam to the chassis. This was extremely easy, since the hinge that attaches to the beam has an approximately 4" slot, instead of a round hole at the hinge point. Just back the chassis up to the beam, lift the hinge until the attachment bolt holes line up, and Bob's-yer-uncle. The other cool thing about this is the leeway it provides when going vertical on uneven ground. It gives a few inches play for the beam to be either high or low. The little brace, or kickstand if you like, keeps things secure. With the beam now horizontal, the instructions tell you to install the throttle cable, for the auto idle feature. In my opinion, this would be better left until after the hoses have been routed, since it goes through the same hose organizing loop as they do, and is hard mounted to the unit in a couple of places. The first time I took the beam vertical, after routing all of the hoses, this cable tightened up to the point that if I'd had an inch or two less cable, I'd have certainly wrecked something. As it was, I took it back apart, left it vertical (its tightest position), and rerouted it. Worked fine, after that.
By this time, it was getting late, and unfortunately, I didn't take any pics of hose routing. It's all done just as the assembly instructions suggest, and looks fairly neat and clean. Final adjustments were mostly about adjusting the auto idle to set the idle speed I wanted, and setting how far back in the return stroke it engaged. Also, the detent didn't release the first time I tried it. This was because the detent adjustment screw was completely loose, the lock nut just spinning on it. Not a problem, since I simply dialed it in, and locked it down. Once it was up and running, I let it run for about an hour, while I did cleanup. It would idle along, and every time I walked past it, I'd run it through a cycle or two. The vid shows the end result, in short. Working well, and no leaks, as of yet. I'll do some actual work with it, and after a sensible amount of time, I'll post a review on the review section. This has been a fairly broad strokes posting, since work really cut my time short, today. But, if you have any specific questions, or want more detailed pics of something, let me know, and I'll do my best. Answers may take a bit of time, as my schedule can get pretty crazy, without notice. If I don't answer in a day, or two, send a message to prod me a little. It may have gotten lost in the shuffle. I hope you enjoyed what I was able to get up, and thanks for taking the time to read this. All the best, and Merry Christmas, everyone.
So it returns to a slow idle once the ram is completely retracted? As i lay here, i may, just may break out the credit card and buy me one. Put my heap up for sale once i get home and out of the hospital. Gears are turnin boys!
Yes, and if you don't retract to the detent, it stays at operating speed. Nice if you split like me; off the tailgate, split, into the. cart, then direct to the stack. I don't like picking up rounds more than absolutely necessary. I go buck a truckload, after work, bring it home, and split/stack. Done like this, it's small, easy, fun bites. About a Rick at a time, over a season. This feature can be taken off, if you decide it's not your thing. It'll just be a normal Honda engine, with the standard engine mounted throttle.
Easy, now. After the day I've had, this Lazy Boy is the only thing on the agenda. It's not even in the yard, yet. Hope to get it home, tomorrow.
All me. I'm scheduled to go home on the 22nd. Fingers crossed. I had another surgery yesterday, feeling pretty good though for the most part.
