Hymac Excavators

[Rolyd8k]

While on a pipeline in 1964 at Garstang in Lancashire,i was driving one of two case 1000 sidebooms owned by E C Pipelines of Cambridge,laying first a single gas main, then paired up with an oil main,it run from Heysham to Elsmere port,trenching was done by barber-green wheel digger on the dryer land and drag-line on the wetter land,trench cave-ins were an every day occurance and the only machines that could clean out the trench were hy-mac 580s with revolving grabs,they also used jcb six and sevens but they could,nt get about and did,nt have the reach of the 580s.
RB

[Robban_C]

Roly, very nice pictures. Lots of strange machines.
I´m not jealous at all about having to work in those wetter areas.

Those pictures of Hymacs with clamshell buckets is in the same situation that I was thinking about here:
Experience of clamshell buckets?
The reason for me isn´t cave-ins but it will be impossible to stand in the end of the trench so I have to stand beside it, just like the Hymacs above.
Did you drive those excavators?
Any ideas regarding capacity compared to conventional buckets?
What about cycle time?

I don´t think that I will get that job but I´m still interested in learning from you guys that have so much experience.

[Rolyd8k]

Hello Robban, no i did,nt drive the hi-macs but heres me and the machine i did,these pipelayers were forever getting bogged,the tracks were to narrow for the counter ballance weight, in the picture it took a D7 and 977 to pull me out,bucket capacity and cycle time is more than for the grabs,but there was no choice,grab was the only way.
RB

[IBH]

The 5th photo down above (garstang. 5JPG.JPG ) the crawler crane liftng the pipe section in tandem with the side looks to me like it is a Unit designed by the Unit crane and shovel corporation of Milwaukee.
Unit machines were built under license in the UK as Neal-Unit by the British crane and excavator corporation who owned Coles cranes from 1960.

The following models were built:
The Neal-Unit 1620- 0.6 cubic metre/ or 3/4 of a cubic yard.
in 1962 this model became the 1621.
Also in 62 a 1720 model was added - 1 cubic metre cpacity or 1 and 1/4 cubic yards.
All models were available as crawler (C), Wheel (S) or truck mounted (T) versions.


Source: The amazing story of excavators by Peter Grimshaw.

[Nick Drew]

Roly,

You have some absolutely fantastic "old era" photos thanks so much for sharing

Please dont stop contributing !!!

We really are getting some great material of late....Well done to everyone

Nick

[Rolyd8k]

IBH,your dead right, it is a Neal Unit,bought in to lift pipe and machines out of wet holes,because of its wide tracks they called it unsinkable,but it did get bogged just
one time
RB

[Lewis]

.

[Robban_C]

Roly, thanks for the info!

And thanks for the pictures.

[Jeremy Rowland]

Hi Lewis,

Thanks for posting the 610C pics your right she is in lovely condition for her age, does she see much action these days?

It would be nice if you could get a couple of snaps of the cast pad machine, whilst the early 580 and 580B were all cast pad machines, cast pad 580C are as rare as hens teeth.
Im posting a pic of an ex- George Winpey 580C that I have from time to time operated at Penns yard.
The machine in this instance had a broken drive shaft and was under repair.
In the background is the last of two Jones KL44 cranes that the yard used until the Hymacs came along on the scene.
This crane was torched for scrap not long after this pic was taken.

[Jeremy Rowland]

Here is a new (it was then) Hymac 610C with materials handling boom and dipper and fitted with an electro magnet.
This machine belong to a company called Chas B Pugh and operated in the same yard as the stand mounted 880.
This company still exists today but at a different location, I believe they operate Atlas material handlers these days.

Jeremy