Have you ever think about how to get a tractor up to a hopper? Look at this link 
http://www.trainorders.com/stories/2002/10/21/455.php
http://www.trainorders.com/stories/2002/10/21/455.php
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I'm pretty sure that the company that owns that tractor isn't real swift on the idea either! That driver better hope the hydraulic lines don't give out during mid 'heave!'
I saw a picture in MR a few years ago that showed a backhoe on top of a hopper car. I wonder if its the same one.
Can you hear the boss:"O.K.Pete...you got it up there.....now get it down!"
Can you hear the boss:"O.K.Pete...you got it up there.....now get it down!"
I dunno BDC....Looks to me like there's at least one "wheel" watching the operation
What I want to see is the operator get the tractor back down after the hopper is unloaded and he's stuck in the bottom of it!!!! Looks like somebodys parents were playing in the shallow part of the gene pool.
I can't believe he actually did this and lived!
Michael
I can't believe he actually did this and lived!
Michael
C
Catt
Guys ,I hate to burst your bubbles but this is a common practice.To get it down they just reverse the operation or take it down on the other end. By the way the tractor is allwheel drive.If you look closely you will see that there are guides to keep the tractor from falling over the sides.
I use to work in construction, this is a very common practice as Catt said. I have seen it done 100's of times over the years. A good operator can do this in just a few minutes. BTW if you have ever seen dozer operators on steep slopes you will understand how crazy they have to be!!
I gott'a go with the majority on this one and say that this guy is crazy...
This does bring up an interesting point though. I have often wondered how they got backhoes on top of MOW gons so frequently without having a crane handy.
But, in another vein...
The attached picture shows a shovel on top of a gondola. I see this often as it is where I regularly like to stalk trains. I see it on the gon, or off the gon on a regular basis. Now, notice that this is not a front end loader with a backhoe attachment. It is strictly a one sided affair. Anyone have an idea of how they get it up and down without a ramp? I can go by one day and it is up, the next it is down. Sometimes I see it change 3 or 4 times a week. As the location is 20 miles from the nearest town or yard, I can't believe they haul a crane way out there to make the changes every time. Any ideas?
Tom F
This does bring up an interesting point though. I have often wondered how they got backhoes on top of MOW gons so frequently without having a crane handy.
But, in another vein...
The attached picture shows a shovel on top of a gondola. I see this often as it is where I regularly like to stalk trains. I see it on the gon, or off the gon on a regular basis. Now, notice that this is not a front end loader with a backhoe attachment. It is strictly a one sided affair. Anyone have an idea of how they get it up and down without a ramp? I can go by one day and it is up, the next it is down. Sometimes I see it change 3 or 4 times a week. As the location is 20 miles from the nearest town or yard, I can't believe they haul a crane way out there to make the changes every time. Any ideas?
Tom F
Attachments
Backhoe - OK, Trackhoe - ????
The backhoe thing I've seen done. Actually the BN using this arrangement to unload ties this last summer between Claremore, OK and points toward Afton, OK. And having a couple years experience operating backhoes, I don't see a problem with an experienced operator doing this. I haven't myself, but never had the opportunity to try either.
The backhoe in the pics is specially equiped for this task - guide on the rear outriggers, behind the front wheels, and also on the front bucket. With the front bucket being 8' foot wide, and as long as the digging bucket is kept pretty close to straight behind the tractor, the process would be fairly stable. TWO big concerns have already been mentioned, brakes on hopper and hydralic line failure.
Still don't quite get why they would ship this kind of material in a hopper if they were going to have to unload it this way. First thought was shipper ordered wrong type of car, and the company at the other end had to resort to this to get their material unloaded. But looking at the bucket on the rear of the backhoe, it is oversized considerably. Someone has spent some money on that bucket, more than for a one-time job. And that bucket is not suited to digging holes or trenches - no teeth and would make the tractor unstable at full reach with dirt, rock, etc. Even with the oversized bucket on the back, it seems time intensive to use this method. Any one know how many cubic feet or yards a hopper like this would hold??
As for the trackhoe in the other pic, I've operated those too. Only two ways I can think to get it up there: 1)ramp 2)crane. Is this the only hopper you see the trackhoe on? If so, is one end of the hopper hinged? If their using a ramp, or ever a seires of "steps", a 45 degree angle would be safe, because you can either extend the boom uphill as a counter balance, or downhill as a stabalizer on the ground. Either would work depending on the CG of the machine. That machine could probably negotiate "steps" 3' high X just longer than half the length of the tracks. In this case, why not buy a backhoe - their a lot more adaptable machines and travel (drive) much faster.
I've run out of ideas on this one, any others out there....
The backhoe thing I've seen done. Actually the BN using this arrangement to unload ties this last summer between Claremore, OK and points toward Afton, OK. And having a couple years experience operating backhoes, I don't see a problem with an experienced operator doing this. I haven't myself, but never had the opportunity to try either.
The backhoe in the pics is specially equiped for this task - guide on the rear outriggers, behind the front wheels, and also on the front bucket. With the front bucket being 8' foot wide, and as long as the digging bucket is kept pretty close to straight behind the tractor, the process would be fairly stable. TWO big concerns have already been mentioned, brakes on hopper and hydralic line failure.
Still don't quite get why they would ship this kind of material in a hopper if they were going to have to unload it this way. First thought was shipper ordered wrong type of car, and the company at the other end had to resort to this to get their material unloaded. But looking at the bucket on the rear of the backhoe, it is oversized considerably. Someone has spent some money on that bucket, more than for a one-time job. And that bucket is not suited to digging holes or trenches - no teeth and would make the tractor unstable at full reach with dirt, rock, etc. Even with the oversized bucket on the back, it seems time intensive to use this method. Any one know how many cubic feet or yards a hopper like this would hold??
As for the trackhoe in the other pic, I've operated those too. Only two ways I can think to get it up there: 1)ramp 2)crane. Is this the only hopper you see the trackhoe on? If so, is one end of the hopper hinged? If their using a ramp, or ever a seires of "steps", a 45 degree angle would be safe, because you can either extend the boom uphill as a counter balance, or downhill as a stabalizer on the ground. Either would work depending on the CG of the machine. That machine could probably negotiate "steps" 3' high X just longer than half the length of the tracks. In this case, why not buy a backhoe - their a lot more adaptable machines and travel (drive) much faster.
I've run out of ideas on this one, any others out there....