Quote:
Originally Posted by Automcdonough
wow.. building from scratch?? I hope you have the facilities to cut and weld 1/2" thick steel with reasonable precision!
honestly I don't see this working out to be any cheaper than buying one and converting it. 90% of that metal is going to be the same. unless you have some wild twist to put on it! mount this in the bed of a 4x4 truck instead of treads?
|
To respond to this, I will quote the wise and learned Bugs Bunny: "He don't know me very well do he?"
I'm a furniture maker and I fabricate in wood metal and glass. I have a bunch of scratch built stuff under my belt: Glass kiln, Glory hole, glass melting furnace, 24" lapidary wheel, Snow plow for my elec trak, house, etc.
As for price, I could buy a new cheapo harbour freight digger for about $3000 US but where's the fun in that? True, It
is orange which, for me is almost reason enough but I love projects, so this would go under the heading of : Q: Why did you do it? A: Because it wasn't there.
But seriously, the components that go into the harbour freight digger are mostly Chinese. I will be sourcing
mostly high quality Canadian and USA made parts. (Italian hydraulic spools, no less) I will have to go with some china crap but will try to keep it to a minimum.
As for wild twist: I have decided to go with hydraulic stabilizers which will make the machine easier and safer to use on my hilly property.