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Earthcavator Unearthed-Post Your Earthcavator Pics


bowhunt4life

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Surfing C-list I found this Earthcavator and contacted the owner. I'll be picking it up tomorrow.

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Yup...veruy scarce with the Simplicity style hitch configuration. You will soon be asking 'why did they stop making these?'

They work amazingly well.

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The owner is a Cub guy and didn't have the heart to cut the hitch and fab up a hitch to fit his Cub....thank goodness.

This must be the larger 42" as I see 5 shanks and in most of the posts I reviewed I only saw 4 shanks.

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Huh, I missed that. Can't say I've seen an FD-42 with the Simplicity hitch setup. Mine is an FD-36, and they also oferred the FD-32. 42" would be great for grading, but for moving dirt, you're going to need a whole bunch of weight and AG's. They bite hard, and my 36" can stop a loaded down garden tractor easily if you let it dig. I've often thought the 32" would be ideal for excavation, but wider is better for grading.

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The other bucket is a skid loader.

I put the Earthcavator on the HB212 when I got home today and played with it. Very cool attachment. The shanks tore right thru the dirt and the scaper blade moved a bunch of gravel.

It is very heavy though and my hydrolift couldn't lift the unit unless I assisted by pulling up no the unit. I am guessing I will need to replace gaskets in my RAM. Other than having to assist the attachment worked awesome.

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Is your counterweight attached to the lift? Add a doughnut too...that should help significantly but yeah, the hydrolift should lift it with ease and hold it up overnight.

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The hydrolift slowly releases the attachment. To me that would indicate that the RAM needs new o-rings.

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Nice find! I'd also suggest you experiment with adding more weight to the front counterweight. Unless your hydraulic cylinder is leaking, I'm not sure new seals will do anything for you. I think you've just discovered the limits of the hydraulic lift... I discovered them on the opposite end of the tractor using a Johnny Bucket.

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That hydrolift should lift the Earthcavator easily. A new seal on that ram will probably do the trick. If it would hold it up, I'd say trouble lifting would be a loose belt on the pump, but if it doesn't hold it, it's teh seal. The old hydrolift will lift an HD tiller, which has another 100-150# on a 42" earthcavator, which weighs 145#, by the book.

What you will find, is that float position, using hydrolift on these tractors isn't really much of a 'float' with something that heavy. Counterweight is needed to ease the ground engagement of the unit, or you will constantly lose sufficient traction when grading, and most certainly, when ripping. Results will vary by soil type, but that thing DIGS!

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very nice find , and to have the factory hitch is very cool . was one forsale here in MI off a bolens tractor

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Very cool attachment!! Nice find dOd

and I too would add a front counterweight if needed. I think all my hydrolifts will bleed down over time...thats fine, as long as they dont leak I'm ok with it sm01

ps...bleed down is from the spoolvalves not the cylinder. because the two ends of the cylinder dont hold the same volume due to the rod on the one end. the only way the cylinder can cause bleed down is if it leaks (hydraulics 101)

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Im no hydraulics expert but a new ram seal has always cured hydrolift woes. On the tractor I use most (snowplowing) I get about 4 years of heavy use out of a Buna-70 ring, and then it will begin to lose its hold ability. First I will notice attachments settling to the ground over time, then it quickly worsens to where it wont hold a tiller in the raised position from the garden to the garage...then as bad as not holding raised for more than a 30 seconds or so. I go through the pain of replacing the seal and a tiller or dozer will sit raised indefinitely...weeks or longer.

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I can't visually see any leaks. I am not a hydro expert or beginner for that matter but will start with the RAM since that is the biggest pain to get at and out on the square hoods.

I did fire up the HB which still has the earthcavator mounted. I watched the belt and it spun and did not appear to slip.

It will raise and lower the weedcutter no problem, the ez rake no problem, the 36" HD tiller slow, struggles with the revitalizer and won't budge the earthcavator.

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It's not just the weight of the attachment. It's also the distance from the hitch point -- the hitch point(s) serve as the fulcrum of the lever. The farther the weight is from the hitch point(s), the harder it is to lift. That's what causes the problem with these excavators (and the Johnny Buckets)...

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Thank you all for contributing to this discussion. If you have an earthcavator please post a pic.

I am curious to see if there are any other 42" models out there.

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quote:Originally posted by bowhunt4life

The hydrolift slowly releases the attachment. To me that would indicate that the RAM needs new o-rings.


id="quote">
id="quote">Hydraulics 101.First, you may have wear in your pump, or the relief is cracking, OR the dang thing might be too heavy for the pump to lift, OR you have excessive leakage in the valve. Does the engine labor a little when trying to lift???You either have an internal leak in your cylinder, or in the HOLD circuit of the valve because of the drift while sitting.You can pull the cylinder and have it tested, but based on its possible unrestored condition, 40+yo seals should be replaced regardless.If there's still an issue of internal leakage, then the hold circuit would be the source of your problem.Put a tiller on the back and see if it holds up overnight. I'm sure these weren't tested to hold a heavy earthcavator in the air, just the heaviest implement that came off the factory floor.If your tiller holds overnight, I would follow Josh's recommendation and install a front counterweight.
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Thanks Tim for the education. I can tell you that when I have the weedcutter on the front in the raised position it slowly releases down to the ground.

The engine does not labor at all when trying to lift any of the attachments, earthcavator included. The manual says the earthcavator is 145lbs.

I do hear a high pitched whine coming from the hydrolift/cyclinder when I am lifting the heavier attachments.

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quote:Originally posted by bowhunt4life

Thanks Tim for the education. I can tell you that when I have the weedcutter on the front in the raised position it slowly releases down to the ground.


id="quote">
id="quote">Definitely bleeding down internally, somewhere. The Weedcutter is probably the lightest load the lift faces...short hitch, light weight, it shouldn't fall. I don't like leaving attachments raised on hydrolifts, just a preference thing, I suppose, but I do leave my Sweepster raised, to keep from gaining a 'flat spot' on the broom. I used it a week ago on the HB, and it hasn't budged. And that's is a heavy attachment.
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As reqeusted ;)

Pre-refinish

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Post-refinish

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The decals I had made up at our favorite decal joint...

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If you have the correct fittings, you could test the cylinder itsef by isolating it from the system by blocking up an attachment and disconnecting the lines from the pump and quickly plugging them, this will create a hydraulic lock. If the attachment drops, then you have a leak in the cylinder.

Any leaking down will solely be inside the cylinder.

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