Due to some requests I am posting some pics of our "Hyperized" Pt18 Vermeer trencher.
Picture 1 is of the entire machine.
Picture 2 is the illustrate the area where we did most of the work. We stretched the machine 16in right in front of the digging chain and raised the cross memeber 12 in. and widened the conveyor 6in. Those of you that have been around these machines in sticky wet much can understand why we would do this. These machines just didn't leave enough room for the dirt to make the corner and in sticky dirt it would just plug full. The conveyor was also didn't have enough capacity and slowing dirt flow down. We also made the conveyor hydralic drive to be able to varry the speed.
Pic 3 We replaced the 1713K digging chain with 2901K chain. The chain is a much heavier chain for longer life span and much more capacity.
Pic 4 We replaced original gear box that had 1.5" shafts with a heaver gearbox with 1.75" shafts After 24,000ft this fall and lots of rocks this one is so far seems to be holding up. We also replace the original friction clutch with a 2, 3/8 shear bolt driveline. The five gallon bucket is a poor mans chain oiling system.
Modifications we plan to do this winter is the redisign the the crumber and tile boot. We need to change the curve to match the bigger digging chain. It is still a work in progress but we have made signifant strides. Currently we are digging 30ft a minute but im sure i can get more out of it as we need to speed the digging chain up a little more.
Posted 11/14/2010 01:49 (#1434938 - in reply to #1434619) Subject: RE: Trencher PIcs
NW IA
What are you using to control the depth, and, is that a rubber belt for a conveyor? Need to replace the conveyor and upper shaft w/gears on a PT12, but I have a donor machine. Was thinking a belt conveyor would be less maintenance.
Posted 11/14/2010 09:11 (#1435086 - in reply to #1434938) Subject: RE: Trencher PIcs
Central Iowa
double u use the crumber to control the depth just as you would on your pt 12. And yes that is a rubber belt but that was standard on the Pt18's just 6 in narrower. I have only ever seen the Pt12's never worked on or operated them but they are a completely different animals and would thin it would be quite a job to convert to a rubber belt.
Posted 11/14/2010 13:11 (#1435440 - in reply to #1434619) Subject: Re: Trencher PIcs
Central Iowa
I can run eight in. tile through the tile boot now and can lay 10 in if we don't have to worry about cave-ins laying it behind the boot. We have talked about tile plow but as of now we are digging them all in. Surprising how much good tile is in field where guys have claimed there isn't any tile. Even thought we are laying on the grid we go ahead and hook up all the old tile it gives more drainage area. And from using a plow 10 years ago that even when cutting the old tile off multiple times they show up and need to be fixed. I could go into a long discusion of love and hate of tile plows.
Posted 11/14/2010 15:58 (#1435625 - in reply to #1435440) Subject: Re: Trencher PIcs
East Central Ia
Yeah i can see the good and bad of each. I like the plow becuase its cheap for me to run on existing equipment, can lay a lot of pipe in a hurry, and it doesn't bring all that clay gumbo crap up from underneath and put it on top like a trencher does. But I have to dig up all my laterals as opposed to having it already open... but I still think its easier/faster to do it that way then to have to go and backfill every single foot of tile.
Trencher PIcs
