redprospector
Addicted to ArboristSite
Well, I knew it was coming, I just didn't know when it would be. 
I blew the engine in my old Fecon FTX 90 Tuesday. I knew it was coming, when I bought it in June of 2011 I got it cheap because the engine was "a little down on power".
I had decided that as soon as I finished this last 20 acre project I was going to re-power it. The job turned out to be a little tougher than I had figured (I hate it when that happens
). It's 20 acres in the middle of the old Scott Able Fire that happened 13 years ago. I've done other jobs from that fire and the logs and snags were pretty much duff...powder. Not so much on this one. About 40% is powder, the other 60% is so hard that a cat couldn't scratch it. :msp_scared:
Well, the engine let loose about 200 yards up a 30% slope. I got it started long enough to turn it facing down hill, but that was it. A buddy was helping me yesterday to get it down. We tied a Caterpillar 277 tracked skidsteer behind it and unlocked the final drives on the Fecon. The little 277 held pretty good.....until the (I'm not going to say how) chain came loose. :msp_scared: Wasn't much to do but watch...and pray.
At the bottom was a group of 5 or 6 trees from 12" to 30", to the right was my buddy's KW and a crane truck, to the left was a couple of 24" or so stumps. The little Fecon was rattlin' the tracks going down that hill, I estimate it was going at least 25 mph, when all at once there was a big puff of dust, and I couldn't see it anymore. Well, there I sat hoping I'd see one of those trees shake from the 12,000 lb. tractor being totally destroyed, rather than hearing the sound of it plowing into the KW, or crane.
SILENCE
Then the dust started to settle, the first thing I saw was the top of the cab.....upright.....stopped.....in the middle of the road below the trees.
The tracks were easy to follow, since the head was on the ground. The Fecon got to about 20' above a 25" Doug Fir and abruptly turned 45* to the left. Then for no apparent reason turned 45* back to the right and went between another Fir and a stump, only knocking a little bark from each of them at ground level. The skidds on the head burried up in the road, stopping the machine with absolutly no dammage.
I guess the Good Lord must have decided to take it off the hill for me. I can't think of any other explanation for the events that occured.
I don't like turning wrenches too much, but I'm sure thankfull to be pulling the engine out of an intact machine tomorrow, instead of trying to figure out how to get a load of scrap iron out of there.
Andy
I blew the engine in my old Fecon FTX 90 Tuesday. I knew it was coming, when I bought it in June of 2011 I got it cheap because the engine was "a little down on power".
I had decided that as soon as I finished this last 20 acre project I was going to re-power it. The job turned out to be a little tougher than I had figured (I hate it when that happens
). It's 20 acres in the middle of the old Scott Able Fire that happened 13 years ago. I've done other jobs from that fire and the logs and snags were pretty much duff...powder. Not so much on this one. About 40% is powder, the other 60% is so hard that a cat couldn't scratch it. :msp_scared:Well, the engine let loose about 200 yards up a 30% slope. I got it started long enough to turn it facing down hill, but that was it. A buddy was helping me yesterday to get it down. We tied a Caterpillar 277 tracked skidsteer behind it and unlocked the final drives on the Fecon. The little 277 held pretty good.....until the (I'm not going to say how) chain came loose. :msp_scared: Wasn't much to do but watch...and pray.
At the bottom was a group of 5 or 6 trees from 12" to 30", to the right was my buddy's KW and a crane truck, to the left was a couple of 24" or so stumps. The little Fecon was rattlin' the tracks going down that hill, I estimate it was going at least 25 mph, when all at once there was a big puff of dust, and I couldn't see it anymore. Well, there I sat hoping I'd see one of those trees shake from the 12,000 lb. tractor being totally destroyed, rather than hearing the sound of it plowing into the KW, or crane.
SILENCE
Then the dust started to settle, the first thing I saw was the top of the cab.....upright.....stopped.....in the middle of the road below the trees.
The tracks were easy to follow, since the head was on the ground. The Fecon got to about 20' above a 25" Doug Fir and abruptly turned 45* to the left. Then for no apparent reason turned 45* back to the right and went between another Fir and a stump, only knocking a little bark from each of them at ground level. The skidds on the head burried up in the road, stopping the machine with absolutly no dammage.
I guess the Good Lord must have decided to take it off the hill for me. I can't think of any other explanation for the events that occured.
I don't like turning wrenches too much, but I'm sure thankfull to be pulling the engine out of an intact machine tomorrow, instead of trying to figure out how to get a load of scrap iron out of there.
Andy
though.
