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I spent the day making up 44 one way valves.

1608377359_one_way_valves.jpg


I've got half of them in place.

1608377413_one_way_valve2.jpg


Hopefully I get the rest in place tomorrow. I'm held up for welding wire at the moment. I found the Bossweld gasless wire from Bunnings to be much better than any other gasless wire that I've ever used. I called the Bunnings trade desk and asked if they can post my order. The girl said "post or courier, whichever you choose" so I placed an order. I called yesterday to see if my order got away but was told "no way, we can't post anything like that". Typical of the type of service I've been getting from most suppliers lately :mad:

1608377889_bellows.jpg


Another piece almost assembled.
 
Thanks HL, that's good advice and I needed a reminder. I've been caught before. I had a company in New Guinea looking for a fully optioned Hummer camper. They gave me a specification of the vehicle they required so we were to import a vehicle from USA, convert it to RHD then fit out the camper. I just happened to find a US vehicle that almost ticked all the boxes. After negotiation with the NG group we decided to purchase the already optioned up Hummer. Usually I'd wait to receive payment from my client but because I was concerned about losing the deal in the US I just went ahead an transferred the money. A couple of days later both the add for the used vehicle and our customer in NG had disappeared. Even though the receiving bank in the US knew it was a scam they wouldn't reverse the transaction.
 
Goldtalk Leonora said:
How about a little traxcavator rather than the small loader....you would be able to move more dirt with one.
Click to expand...

Well I had to google that one. I've never heard of a traxcavator but I guess that would do the job nicely however they are quite expensive as well :(
 
any machine will be expensive mate...either at the purchase price or the repair price. A lot more wearing parts with dozers/excavators... but...you wont think so if you need to buy a new loader tyre. Also...More traction mmeans more dirt. If you keep any machine under 10t then it will be a lot cheaper to move around with a tilt tray. A little D3 size tracavator (around 8-9t) may be worth looking at?? That way...when your not fixing your dryblower you can fix the loader!
 
Goldtalk Leonora said:
any machine will be expensive mate...either at the purchase price or the repair price. A lot more wearing parts with dozers/excavators... but...you wont think so if you need to buy a new loader tyre. Also...More traction mmeans more dirt. If you keep any machine under 10t then it will be a lot cheaper to move around with a tilt tray. A little D3 size tracavator (around 8-9t) may be worth looking at?? That way...when your not fixing your dryblower you can fix the loader!
Click to expand...

At this point moving the loader hasn't been a consideration. We have two leases where we're waiting for our POW to be cleared, one 600m from the house, the other 3km. We have 3 more leases on their way that are also about 3km from home. I can't see us going too far too soon.
 
your lucky it's in your back yard......have a look at a backhoe perhaps? cat428 or a Jcb 4cx..try and go for 4wd...fairly versatile for what your doing....drive them out to site no probs and if you buy right they have a good re-sale vale..parts and maintenance is easy as well.
 
nucopia said:
You could try Pickles and Mannheim auctions under salvage - earthmoving or mining equipment.
https://www.pickles.com.au/damaged-...3CX-Sitemaster--4x4-Backhoe-Loader/2022099232
Click to expand...

Yes nucopia, I know there are some good buys out there but my problem is sorting the wheat from the chaff. If I am lucky enough to buy a good brand cheap and it's in poor condition then the repair costs can be very expensive. On the other hand it will very likely be a long life machine.

If I end up with a cheap Chinese machine then the components are usually cheap as well but then I still only have a cheap Chinese machine with a limited life expectancy. At this point I leaning towards a cheap Chinese brand because I don't want any surprises that I can't afford to fix.

My aim is to start mining without too much financial outlay and then I'll know what we can afford to do. I took a 1450km round trip to Perth last week. I'm still shopping but some of the results have been very disappointing. I've seen brake pipes bent by hand with kinks at each bend then unsupported for their entire length. I've seen wiring using cheap quick-connect fittings that are fully exposed to the dirt, dust and water(in one case the positive wire was hanging loose). I've seen an overuse of plastic zip ties to secure hydraulic hoses and wiring. I've seen paint so thin and poorly prepared for and applied that rust is already evident in many areas before leaving the sales yard. I've been offered a warranty waver that only covers me for parts and only major components at that. I've been offered vehicles for sale with impossible delivery dates on machines that have not yet been ordered.

There are some good Chinese machines and perhaps some good dealers selling them but there's a lot of foot work to be done to find one. At this point I've been offered one of the better brand/model Chinese machines that has been traded in at 3000hrs. It will arrive in Perth in early January and according to the dealer it's in good condition.

1609029993_wcm30.jpg


The A/C is not working but the dealer has agreed to sort that out before delivery. If I buy this machine I have an ex-WCM heavy diesel fitter living in town. The price is acceptable too and a used machine should hold its value if we choose to move it on sometime down the track.
 
No problem Phil
Ive bought some great bargains from Pickles and Mannheims, cars motors bikes water pumps and others odds and ends ..its a gamble at best buying anything sight unseen.
Im fortunate to have a good friend thats a motor rebuilder and can fix just about anything with a motor.
From my own experience, I bought a mini dump truck for the hardware store 3 years back direct from the assembly plant in Angeles City Philippines ..was half the price of a new Japanese import draw back was the quality is no where near the same as the Japanese truck and the parts need replacing more often but its serves the purpose and parts are available from the same plant that assembled it at a decent price.
I try and make sure the driver keeps a good maintenance schedule and fix things when they need replacing and every Saturday the wash and inspect it for anything that needs attention..

Like yourself I went with what I could afford and also knew that I could readily get parts when needed..
The rest is really about maintenance and how conscientious is the driver ..
 
The fish pond water has cleared up nicely although the dead algae around the edges looks bad. Last week I cleaned out a lot of the leaf litter from the bottom but it did nothing to improve the excessively high phosphate levels so this time I pumped the sediment right out onto the driveway.

[video=480,360]https://youtu.be/sOV5B6M90Ww[/video]

I disturbed a lot of the bottom stones and possibly injured a few fish as well but hopefully the water quality will improve as a result of the cleaner bottom. The fish are looking healthy and full of energy and the plants are growing well so it's not all bad.
 
Today I started out working on the conveyor. I stretched out the new chevron conveyor belt. I ordered it by accurate estimate ;) and I think I got it about right.

1609077301_belt.jpg


The difficult part is building the conveyor frame to suit the belt :(

1609077466_conveyor.jpg


It's a lot easier to order the belt to suit the length of the conveyor frame and rollers but it takes time to make and my planning is not really all that organized. Anyway by mid morning I'd given up. I just couldn't get my head around it so I went on with another job.

1609077812_pulleys.jpg


After attempting to buy belts and pulleys I gave up on that too. Blackwoods could supply 2 large pulleys, 2 small pulleys and 2 belts for about $680 and I could have them by June 2021. A quick trip to Cue-Bunno and I returned with a set of Subaru timing pulleys and a belt. I got a perfect 2:1 ratio as well. Mounting them onto a 25mm shaft required a little brain power but I settled on a flange mount. That way I can still change pulleys if needed and I can still slip the bearings off the ends. I only got one drive pulley but I have the VIN off the donor vehicle so I easily get another pulley and a belt of the correct length is easily available.
 
Moneybox said:
The fish pond water has cleared up nicely although the dead algae around the edges looks bad. Last week I cleaned out a lot of the leaf litter from the bottom but it did nothing to improve the excessively high phosphate levels so this time I pumped the sediment right out onto the driveway.

[video=480,360]https://youtu.be/sOV5B6M90Ww[/video]

I disturbed a lot of the bottom stones and possibly injured a few fish as well but hopefully the water quality will improve as a result of the cleaner bottom. The fish are looking healthy and full of energy and the plants are growing well so it's not all bad.
Click to expand...

Are you sure that this wasn't just an excuse to have a dip with the fish?

Rob P
 
goldtrapper said:
Do you run a filtration system in the pond?
Click to expand...

Yes I had a big pool filter with bio-balls inside and I replaced it with a radial flow filter. I used the same bio-balls and put them into the radial flow filter. It doesn't do much because you can watch the leaves and stuff swirling around in the viewing chamber at the bottom but not much settles. It has too much water movement to capture the heavies and they just stay suspended in the water and pump right through.

https://www.backyardaquaponics.com/forum/download/file.php?id=90752
 
Now you have the belt....make the conveyor a poofteenth shorter and you can cut the conveyor and connect with a mechanical joint? I am assuming you have an adjustable tail pulley for belt training?...that will give you plenty of wiggle room?

I was down in Perth for xmas...saw two backhoes at "Davies International" in Maddington. Both are dirt cheap(around 10k mark)...which worries me....but may be worth a look?
 

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