A Day of Recconing

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redprospector

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Cloudcroft, New Mexico
Well, I knew it was coming, I just didn't know when it would be. :laugh:
I blew the engine in my old Fecon FTX 90 Tuesday. I knew it was coming, when I bought it in June of 2011 I got it cheap because the engine was "a little down on power".
I had decided that as soon as I finished this last 20 acre project I was going to re-power it. The job turned out to be a little tougher than I had figured (I hate it when that happens ;)). It's 20 acres in the middle of the old Scott Able Fire that happened 13 years ago. I've done other jobs from that fire and the logs and snags were pretty much duff...powder. Not so much on this one. About 40% is powder, the other 60% is so hard that a cat couldn't scratch it. :msp_scared:
Well, the engine let loose about 200 yards up a 30% slope. I got it started long enough to turn it facing down hill, but that was it. A buddy was helping me yesterday to get it down. We tied a Caterpillar 277 tracked skidsteer behind it and unlocked the final drives on the Fecon. The little 277 held pretty good.....until the (I'm not going to say how) chain came loose. :msp_scared: Wasn't much to do but watch...and pray.
At the bottom was a group of 5 or 6 trees from 12" to 30", to the right was my buddy's KW and a crane truck, to the left was a couple of 24" or so stumps. The little Fecon was rattlin' the tracks going down that hill, I estimate it was going at least 25 mph, when all at once there was a big puff of dust, and I couldn't see it anymore. Well, there I sat hoping I'd see one of those trees shake from the 12,000 lb. tractor being totally destroyed, rather than hearing the sound of it plowing into the KW, or crane.
SILENCE
Then the dust started to settle, the first thing I saw was the top of the cab.....upright.....stopped.....in the middle of the road below the trees. :dizzy:
The tracks were easy to follow, since the head was on the ground. The Fecon got to about 20' above a 25" Doug Fir and abruptly turned 45* to the left. Then for no apparent reason turned 45* back to the right and went between another Fir and a stump, only knocking a little bark from each of them at ground level. The skidds on the head burried up in the road, stopping the machine with absolutly no dammage. :confused:
I guess the Good Lord must have decided to take it off the hill for me. I can't think of any other explanation for the events that occured.
I don't like turning wrenches too much, but I'm sure thankfull to be pulling the engine out of an intact machine tomorrow, instead of trying to figure out how to get a load of scrap iron out of there.

Andy
 
Sounds like what I would call an oh f**k moment.

Its a good feeling when it isn't nearly as bad as you thought it would be when the dust settles isn't it
 
Damn Andy! You got some serious Guardian Angel action going on! :msp_ohmy:

Glad you ain't pickin' up pieces of machine on the hillside! :cheers:
 
Damn Andy! You got some serious Guardian Angel action going on! :msp_ohmy:

Glad you ain't pickin' up pieces of machine on the hillside! :cheers:

Evidently I do.

I do have pieces of machine scattered all over the yard though. I hate living in town, I didn't even get the engine cover all the way off before one of the "neighbors" started whining.
I told them to suck eggs. :)

Andy
 
Evidently I do.

I do have pieces of machine scattered all over the yard though. I hate living in town, I didn't even get the engine cover all the way off before one of the "neighbors" started whining.
I told them to suck eggs. :)

Andy

I used to have a neighbor like that...It got to the point where I would intentionally piss him off.. If he was outside I would go drain the fuel filter bowl on my truck and let the diesel run down the driveway. Or go start up a saw and let it scream. Throw a tire on a bonfire buddy of mine is the firechief One day he walked out of his house and saw me backing my first dozer into the driveway... he sold out a month later
 
Evidently I do.

I do have pieces of machine scattered all over the yard though. I hate living in town, I didn't even get the engine cover all the way off before one of the "neighbors" started whining.
I told them to suck eggs. :)

Andy

I know a knife maker that lives in the desert bottom below you. . . Everytime you think you've got it bad, think about living down there. :laugh:

I feel your pain though -- good fences make good neighbors. I live on 27 acres, so it's kinda nice keeping them a few arms lengths away. I do have about 20 years worth of packrat'd crap piled up, and I'm going to start giving the local reservations a bad name. :dizzy:

I've been making lots of dump runs, and it's like I haven't made one. I think the trick to hoarding is to make it look organized. :laugh:
 
I used to have a neighbor like that...It got to the point where I would intentionally piss him off.. If he was outside I would go drain the fuel filter bowl on my truck and let the diesel run down the driveway. Or go start up a saw and let it scream. Throw a tire on a bonfire buddy of mine is the firechief One day he walked out of his house and saw me backing my first dozer into the driveway... he sold out a month later

Haha. This guy's been trying to sell out for the last 3 years. I guess property's not moving well right now.

Andy
 
I know a knife maker that lives in the desert bottom below you. . . Everytime you think you've got it bad, think about living down there. :laugh:

I feel your pain though -- good fences make good neighbors. I live on 27 acres, so it's kinda nice keeping them a few arms lengths away. I do have about 20 years worth of packrat'd crap piled up, and I'm going to start giving the local reservations a bad name. :dizzy:

I've been making lots of dump runs, and it's like I haven't made one. I think the trick to hoarding is to make it look organized. :laugh:

I bet I know your friend. Wonder if he lives anywhere near here.


That's the property we bought to put the business on. When I give directions I tell them to go through hell, and keep going 3 more miles...then turn left. :laugh:

Andy
 
He'll get over it...:msp_wink: or not. Buy em a box of Kleenex and some Midol.

I ain't buying him nothing! I would like to give him a swift :buttkick: though.
Same neighbor that raised cain about me running my bike saw in the front yard. The rest of my neighbors took up for me though, I mean who wouldn't want to watch (hear) your goofy neighbor run a Kawasaki KX 250 with a bar & chain on it?

Andy
 
I ain't buying him nothing! I would like to give him a swift :buttkick: though.
Same neighbor that raised cain about me running my bike saw in the front yard. The rest of my neighbors took up for me though, I mean who wouldn't want to watch (hear) your goofy neighbor run a Kawasaki KX 250 with a bar & chain on it?

Andy

I wanna watch & hear, wish I could see from here...
 
A little update on my Fecon situation.
I was going to replace the 87 hp Deutz with a 105 hp Cat, but...It wouldn't fit. :bang:
Well, I probably could have made it fit, but I need to get it back to work asap. I dumped a bunch of money today when I ordered a new Yanmar and Hydraulic pump. Hopefully she'll be going again by the end of next week. Wish me luck.

Andy
 
Ok, I know you guy's are just dieing to know what kind of progress I'm making. :msp_rolleyes: I'm going to tell you anyway. :laugh:
Went to El Paso and braved the 112 degree heat to pick up my new Yanmar last Thursday. Picked up the drive pumps from the hydraulic shop in Artesia last Monday, and Fedex delivered the new gear pump last Friday. Started putting things together, and sat the engine/pump assembly in the fecon for measurement today between rains.









Slowly but surely, it's getting there.

Andy
 

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