Bridge collapse on M20
Discussion
alfie2244 said:
Digga said:
cahami said:
Does anyone on here have first hand experience using these machines? Can it be of any use with the bucket that way round or was it just fitted like that to transport because the bucket was laying that way. Also can the bucket curl under as it were when mounted that way?
Yes, yes and yes.On the former, I'm qualified up to 30 tonnes operating weight.
On the latter, it is of limited use and minimised breakout force (the ram's pulling not pushing) but sometimes useful, for example in confined spaces, or if you want to dig a square lower corner to the far wall of a trench.
The bucket above has teeth, so it's termed a digging bucket (narrower toothed buckets are sometimes referred to as trenching buckets), ditching buckets almost never have teeth and are a shallower profile:
Digging/Trenching bucket:
Ditching/Leveling/Grading bucket:
croyde said:
Closing that part of the M20 in both directions andthe M26 this weekend.
At the end of a 400 mile motorbike journey last night, I rode under the remaining section, with a truck in front of me, and knowing that they have changed their minds from last weekend when they said the remaining section was safe to leave. Goosebumps or what! Hard to imagine, even from the seat of the bike, what must have presented itself to the biker involved last weekend, and the split-second decisions he had to make.
Vaud said:
Digga said:
As someone who designs and mnanufactures excavator buckets and has been doing it for 25 years, I can tell you 100% for sure it is not a ditching bucket.
Suddenly your user name makes sense!
Pluss, add to my 25 years, the bloke at the desk next to mine who's been in the industry since he was selling these things (when they were brand new):
Vaud said:
Digga said:
Pluss, add to my 25 years, the bloke at the desk next to mine who's been in the industry since he was selling these things:
Just one step forward from being coal powered... 
Digga said:
As someone who designs and mnanufactures excavator buckets and has been doing it for 25 years, I can tell you 100% for sure it is not a ditching bucket.
The bucket above has teeth, so it's termed a digging bucket (narrower toothed buckets are sometimes referred to as trenching buckets), ditching buckets almost never have teeth and are a shallower profile:
Digging/Trenching bucket:
Ditching/Leveling/Grading bucket:
Having looked closer I now see the teeth so in fact you are 100% correct.my apologies (was toungue in cheek in the 1st place though The bucket above has teeth, so it's termed a digging bucket (narrower toothed buckets are sometimes referred to as trenching buckets), ditching buckets almost never have teeth and are a shallower profile:
Digging/Trenching bucket:
Ditching/Leveling/Grading bucket:
) Having driven plant for 40 odd yrs I should know better...clearly a sign of getting old 
alfie2244 said:
Having looked closer I now see the teeth so in fact you are 100% correct.my apologies (was toungue in cheek in the 1st place though ) Having driven plant for 40 odd yrs I should know better...clearly a sign of getting old
It's careless buggers like you that dig out concrete footings with poor old ditching buckets and wonder why they bend like a banana. ) Having driven plant for 40 odd yrs I should know better...clearly a sign of getting old Digga said:
I can remember, at about 3 years old, having a look inside the engine bay of one of these old RBs whilst the Dorman diesel engine was running - deafening. A lifetime defining experience. A short while later, I 'drove' my first hydraulic digger (with roughly 90% assistance from the operator) in a gravel pit. And I was hooked.
My 1st tracked machine was an RB175 with an air cooled 5 cylinder Deutz engine with bog tracks. Brilliant machine and a step up from my dads Hymac I learned on the farm aged about 9 
alfie2244 said:
Digga said:
I can remember, at about 3 years old, having a look inside the engine bay of one of these old RBs whilst the Dorman diesel engine was running - deafening. A lifetime defining experience. A short while later, I 'drove' my first hydraulic digger (with roughly 90% assistance from the operator) in a gravel pit. And I was hooked.
My 1st tracked machine was an RB175 with an air cooled 5 cylinder Deutz engine with bog tracks. Brilliant machine and a step up from my dads Hymac I learned on the farm aged about 9 British machines got left behind by the Japs though. The old man went from RB to JCB, but at that time, they couldn't really compete either, despite taking the competition's machines to bits:
I was hired to put in a long deep drain with dragboxes... she tracked / slewed really slow getting shingle etc so, much to my annoyance (3 months contract) the Irish foreman off hired me and brought in the gleaming NEW speedy Hitachis ((think tortoise and hare). H & E services IIRC.
The gangs were on pricework (paid per mtre) and were furious...the new Hitachis looked fast but couldn't pull 2 boxes along in the clay, top one had to be taken off, bottom dragged along, top put back on again - Was eventually persuaded to go back with an hourly hire rate increase
Sorry for thread drift - memories
The gangs were on pricework (paid per mtre) and were furious...the new Hitachis looked fast but couldn't pull 2 boxes along in the clay, top one had to be taken off, bottom dragged along, top put back on again - Was eventually persuaded to go back with an hourly hire rate increase
Sorry for thread drift - memories
CAPP0 said:
croyde said:
Closing that part of the M20 in both directions andthe M26 this weekend.
At the end of a 400 mile motorbike journey last night, I rode under the remaining section, with a truck in front of me, and knowing that they have changed their minds from last weekend when they said the remaining section was safe to leave. Goosebumps or what! Hard to imagine, even from the seat of the bike, what must have presented itself to the biker involved last weekend, and the split-second decisions he had to make.I'm 53 and hurt enough just falling over the pavement .
CAPP0 said:
At the end of a 400 mile motorbike journey last night, I rode under the remaining section, with a truck in front of me, and knowing that they have changed their minds from last weekend when they said the remaining section was safe to leave. Goosebumps or what! Hard to imagine, even from the seat of the bike, what must have presented itself to the biker involved last weekend, and the split-second decisions he had to make.
In fairness, if they thought it was dangerous then the motorway would be closed. More likely they've ah-hem realised that they can't just replace the missing section and leave this thing (allegedly) under-height, so they'll need a whole new bridge. Added to which, it will have had some of its service lift knocked out of it by the, err, incident.But I don't think you have to worry about it falling down
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