New bloke with a Thwaites Orion dumper

[gardnerman]

Thanks for that

[XS650]

This guy specialise in THWAITES dumpers , parts and rebuilding to as new . He has the parts diagrams for Marles steering boxes on his website so i assume he sells a lot of them !

http://www.davidcornwallis.com/machines.php

VINTAGE AND COLLECTORS! We have an extensive parts inventory inc. engine spares and parts books records for many of the older THWAITES models (and some other British makes of dumper.) Please ask.
David Cornwallis
Hamnish Court,
Hamnish,
Nr Leominster,
Herefordshire
HR6 0QW
U.K.
Tel: +44 (0)1568 760243 Fax: +44 (0)1568 760465

[gardnerman]

This guy specialise in THWAITES dumpers , parts and rebuilding to as new . He has the parts diagrams for Marles steering boxes on his website so i assume he sells a lot of them !

http://www.davidcornwallis.com/machines.php

VINTAGE AND COLLECTORS! We have an extensive parts inventory inc. engine spares and parts books records for many of the older THWAITES models (and some other British makes of dumper.) Please ask.
David Cornwallis
Hamnish Court,
Hamnish,
Nr Leominster,
Herefordshire
HR6 0QW
U.K.
Tel: +44 (0)1568 760243 Fax: +44 (0)1568 760465

Hi
I have only just seen this, I have just sent a cheque to John Lewis dumpers for a second hand steering box.
However I will keep this address for future reference

[gardnerman]

[]Thank you Julian
I'll have to ring him tomorrow just hope he has a second hand unit, I suspect a new one would be an arm and a leg.
As you say the link doesn't work presumably because he's not kept up to date, I have found some references on the net but I think a phone call would be more productive.
I think I'll have to strip the gear box as the goo that came out is bordering on the consistency of grease but very sticky and hard to rub off anything it gets on and I must admit when I tried pulling away it sqeals a bit.
It would take so much flushing to get it all off every thing in there, is there anything that's going to require a "special" tool or anything that will spring and take my head off, particularly with the clutch?[/color]

Right, you won't get a new one, far too old, dates back to the late 50's or 60's that dumper of yours. But I'm confident JL will have a secondhand one for you.

Don't strip the gearbox yet. The squeal will be that brake drum clutch. (if indeed that's what you have) As it sounds like you don't want too much from this dumper I'd firstly replace the old oil and try it - if it works in all the gears and isn't too noisy then you'll be OK for the next 20 years! My gearbox made a horid sound when I got it so a rebuild was unavoidable!

One thing, the gate wears out on the gearbox and you can sometimes select two gears at once - not good really! If you take the lever out you can remove the gate and build it up with some MIG weld and restore it as good as new. Careful that you don't loose the two selector shaft springs into the bowels of the box when you take the gear lever out!

Julian.

Hi Julian
Thanks for the advice

[gardnerman]

Well I need to let this out as I'm quite frustrated by this.
I ordered a steering box from John Lewis dumpers two weeks ago, he claims he sent it by TNT not last Monday but the one before.
He then claim when I rang up last Friday evening that it had been returned to him as the packaging was torn, he sent it this Monday and I've today finally received it (Thursday).
I've now found that despite the fact that I sat on the dumper on the phone for a quarter of an hour describing the thing as there are different types that he was sure he had one, what has arrived not only is of the wrong mount type (could cope with that with some metal work) but it's from a left hand drive and even if I could get it cobbled on it would turn the wrong way when steered.
I managed to leave a message for him (he's not the most accessible bloke in the world

[gardnerman]

I have now finally contacted him and the plan is that in the morning I will investigate modifying to make fit as this is from a Bentall (probably not the correct word), if it's a no go he will replace it.

[gardnerman]

The steering box I have fitted is from a Benford.
The box on a Benford fits the other way around but I've managed to get this to work.
I've made a wedge/tapered mount to compensate for column pointing forward instead of backward.
I've removed some of the chassis member where it's mounted to make fit of drop arm possible since this picture.

[sean]

Richard,is it just something to tinker with or have you got a job to doo with it?
sean

[gardnerman]

Richard,is it just something to tinker with or have you got a job to doo with it?
sean

Hi Sean
This was a affordable alternative to a tractor, I find tractors fetch too much money for me.
I have a use for it and how good it will be remains to be seen, I have no access to my back yard other than through my bungalow, I build and restore vintage stationary engines and up till now I get the smaller ones through by removing the doors and through a straight corridor.
I now have three that are too large (one is around a ton with it's trolley) and I have been borrowing a grey Fergy and trailer when I want to show those, I don't want to keep borrowing so the dumper (hopefully) will become my method of getting around a couple of fields to the front of my house.
I will use it as a dumper first as I have some earth to get rid of but after that I am toying with the idea of removing the bucket and fitting a platform to carry the smaller one around to end the removing of doors scenario.

[sean]

Richard,my old man had a small thwaites dumper with a flat bed instead of the usual skip,he bought it from Union carbide graphite at sheffield,the fitters there used it to carry their tools around the huge site,must be a common idea.Allways found these small dumpers went up steep muddy hills better in reverse.
sean