Neal-Unit???

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Neal-Unit???

Post #1 by librarian62 » Fri Oct 28, 2011 7:50 am

While I'm on the subject of UNIT crane & shovel corp....... :think:
Can anyone elaborate on the Neal-Unit crane/excavator relationship?
I know next to nothing about this. Have seen a spec. sheet or two for sale on the ebay from UK vendors in the recent past. A machine that looked similar to a 271-C, but had a totally different model designation, and was rated as a 3/4 cu. yd. machine. Looked like 1960's vintage.


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Re: Neal-Unit???

Post #2 by librarian62 » Fri Oct 28, 2011 7:26 pm

Okay....did a bit of searching on this forum, and found some useful info on the subject, and some images that helped answer a few questions.
The Neal-Unit machines pictured are nearly dead-ringers of the usa-built UNIT 271-C, and with UK Ford diesel engines? The cab design was truly ahead of it's time.

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Re: Neal-Unit???

Post #3 by FOWLER MAN » Sat Oct 29, 2011 11:39 am

librarian62 wrote:Okay....did a bit of searching on this forum, and found some useful info on the subject, and some images that helped answer a few questions.
The Neal-Unit machines pictured are nearly dead-ringers of the usa-built UNIT 271-C, and with UK Ford diesel engines? The cab design was truly ahead of it's time.


Hi,
I'm responsible for most of the Neal unit posts on here, I looked after one for about 5 years, and occasionaly stood in for the opperator.
I can tell you from experience,though the cab looked modern it didn't provide much comfort.
Main problem was sharing the small cab space with two very hot slew clutches. They were originaly air cooled by an electric fan and the heat in hot weather was unbearable.
This did improve when the clutches were moddified. They were enclosed in an oil bath and the machine was fitted with oil cooler and pump.
The Unit differed from the other British excavators in that the engine, (Ford 365), was mounted front to back and not across the machine.
The drive was taken directly into a worm reduction gearbox which reduced the shaft speed and turned the drive through 90 deg. parallel to the winch drums.
This allowed all the drums including the safe and "bomb proof" derricking winch to be spur gear driven. (no chain drive on the machine at all except for the external travel chains).
The Unit was also fitted with internal expanding travel brake bands which engaged and disengaged automaticly when traveling. This was completely safe and there was no danger of machines running away out of control like some I could mention.
I think this machine was built in 1960.
Fred

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Re: Neal-Unit???

Post #4 by IBH » Sat Oct 29, 2011 1:39 pm

According to Peter Grimshaw's 'The Amazing Story of Excavators. Vol. 1: Makers of machines that reshape the world', the Steel Group (owners of Coles cranes) signed an agreement in 1960 with for Unit excavators to be produced as 'Neil-Unit' models in the UK and for Coles cranes to be produced as 'Unit-Coles' models in the USA.
R.H. Neal & Co Ltd, based in Grantham, Lincolnshire had been bought by Steels Engineering Products in 1959 and became the British Crane & Excavator Corporation Ltd in 1964.

Models were offered in crawler (C), wheel (S) or truck-mounted (T) versions.
The Neal-Unit 1620 was based on the Unit 1020 and was a 3/4 cubic yard or 0.6 cubic metre machine.
In 1962 it was upgraded to the 1621 and a new model-Neal-Unit 1720 was added, based on the Unit 271C, with capacities upto 1 1/4 cubic yards or 1 cubic metre.
Production ended in the 'late 1960's.
In 1969 the Steel Group bought Priestman, the Hull based English crane & excavator manufacturer.


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Re: Neal-Unit???

Post #5 by gah1950 » Sat Oct 29, 2011 6:21 pm

hello fred,
i remember G W SPARROW of Bath with a neal unit in BP Baglan Bay back in the early seventies and the driver was always complaining about the heat of the machine,it had some kind of a curved cab ,
graham.


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Re: Neal-Unit???

Post #6 by librarian62 » Sat Oct 29, 2011 7:38 pm

Thank you for the good info. I now know that the model 1720 was the UK version of the US 271-C. Neato! I'd imagine that the "oil-cooled" swing clutches/slew clutches became a necessary feature when folks found out about the heat problem. That feature was advertised as early as 1961 in UNIT magazine ads in the US, said to promote longer life of the swing clutches themselves--no mention of keeping the operator any more comfortable...... :eh:
The inline engine/worm drive PTO configuration was a big selling point. Popular machines here. Still see a few 1020/1220 draglines around the farm country. I hear folks that have 271-C's hang onto them because they can handle heavy work better than other machines of similar rated capacity. :claphands:

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Re: Neal-Unit???

Post #7 by FOWLER MAN » Mon Oct 31, 2011 11:34 am

Hi All,
Graham, (gah1950), emailed me this cracking photo. of a Neal Unit courtesy of "bubbleman" to post here.
I think it may already be on here somewhere?
It's such a good photo. I make no appology for posting it again.
Fred
33kf0o3.jpg
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Re: Neal-Unit???

Post #8 by librarian62 » Mon Oct 31, 2011 9:53 pm

White is a good color for that machine. I dig the Volvo tractor also. Good vintage pic. :thumbup:

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Re: Neal-Unit???

Post #9 by XS650 » Tue May 01, 2012 10:05 am

Came across these pics of a Neal-Unit lifting rails in Cornwall 1964 -
neal-unit 2.jpg

neal-unit cornwall rails.jpg
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