Ford/Richier H-42

[brekkjen]

Hi everybody, new guy on here.
I've recently aquired an old Ford H-42 (1974) It's been sitting for some years but is in working order.
I was wondering if anyone on here had any information about these excavators. I believe they where made by a french company, Richier for Ford but it's very little information to be found about them.
I'm intersted in as much informaton as possible, if anyone would happen to have any manuals lying around I would be very interested in them.

Thanks
Leif

[Nick Drew]

Hi Leif,

Welcome to CMN, I would love to see some photos of your H42, I worked for a UK company back in the late70's early 80's that ran one but inever spent any time on the machine myself, as you say yes they were built by French company Richier.

Nick

[brekkjen]

Here is a videoclip of it just started up after several years left unattended outside. Engine was stuck but soaked the cylinders in oil and diesel overnight, added a new battery and it fired right up

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dISSh62k-mU[/video]

[Martyn Henley]

Ugly brute aint it ..and what a beautiful background

Martyn

[brekkjen]

Yeah it's not the most elegant machine around that's for sure
And for the background, I'll post some new pictures of it from the "right" side of that lake u see there.....

[brekkjen]

OK, here it is again, summer this time
It's had a oil and filter changes, greased up, some rust scraped of and one coat of paint applied. The electric has been rewired, dynamo and regulator replaced with an alternator from a car.
Then its been working on moving a whole lot of stone.
It has performed the job very well so far, just one blown hydraulic hose so far.

IMG_3364.JPG

[Jeremy Rowland]

Its looking good Leif please keep us updated on any restoration that you do on this classic machine. Thanks for posting.

Jeremy

[brekkjen]

Thanks Jeremy, I willl.

And if anyone have any information, manuals, parts sources or anything related to Ford/Richier machines I'm still interested.

Leif

[FOWLER MAN]

Hi,
I first came across these Richier excavators in 1965.
They were called The Clark Oleomat then and marketed by SLD Olding the Clark Michigan distributors in the UK.

Clark Oleomat.jpg

They brought one, together with a Michigan loading shovel, to our site on demmonstration.
It was quite impressive, but hydraulic excavators were the new kid on the block then, and my Boss said "it would never replace the Ruston and Smith navvies we were using."
In those days we still thought if it wasn't British it was no good, and this was French. even if it did have a Perkins engine.
How wrong we were on both counts!!
Soon afterwards West London Plant moved into the area,(anyone remember them) They ran a few Oleomats and they soon became accepted.
Later on Fords badged them and fitted Ford engines, Short Bros Plant became the distributors in South Wales and they built up quite a following for these machines.

Ford H 42.JPG

In think the Ford name was dropped when Demag took over Richier, and they used the Richier name.
Fred

[Jeremy Rowland]

Yes Fred I can plainly recall a local demolition company (H.E. Humphries) ran one of these machines in the mid seventies and that was badged as a Clark Olemat, it was the only one I ever saw and it was used to demolish the old cinema that had lay derelict at Hill Top for some years.

Jeremy