bucket pivot pin lesson.....

[FJRDarksider]

While operating my 853, I discovered one of the bolts for the lower pivot pin was almost completely out (it would have fallen out had I not seen it in time). I always make a habit of visually checking everything but perhaps I overlooked this one.....i grease regularly so not sure.
I had to do some minor repair to the threads on the bolt and managed to pull the pin back into the taper tight enough to slowly retighten the bolt......the pin threads must have some damage but luckily I got it back in.
Mental note to check them on a regular basis......

 

[Dave the Ozzie]

While operating my 853, I discovered one of the bolts for the lower pivot pin was almost completely out (it would have fallen out had I not seen it in time). I always make a habit of visually checking everything but perhaps I overlooked this one.....i grease regularly so not sure.
I had to do some minor repair to the threads on the bolt and managed to pull the pin back into the taper tight enough to slowly retighten the bolt......the pin threads must have some damage but luckily I got it back in.
Mental note to check them on a regular basis......

Yes, they can do a lot of damage if the tapered pin come out, 15 months ago I purchased an old 763F (2,300 hours) that had been parked up out in the weather for 4 years after the previous owner hadn't noticed the same bolt (was not an OEM bolt) had fallen out, tapered pin backed out causing the bob-tach/loaded bucket to come adrift on that side and snapping the end off the single tilt ram like a carrot. He put a load binder around it, loaded the machine up, took it home and parked it up as he's not mechanically minded.
I removed the ram, fully extended it and tapered the rod end with a grinder (it had basically snapped at the fusion weld) rewelded it but also noticed that the rod had also suffered slight bend in the rod before breaking. I used to machine for a hundred hours before the seal blew out due to old age. Seeing as it needed dismantling to renew seals I took the opportunity to straighten the rod in a 50 tonne press using aluminium buffers to not damage the chrome finish. It's done hundreds of hours since with no leaks.
So, check these bolts every time you grease the machine peeps, failing to do so can have dire consequences.