Welcome to www.diggers-dumpers-plant.co.uk

Also known as www.oilyhands.co.uk

Fleming Micron diggerWebsite with towable digger, excavator and backhoe information. Features Fleming Micron, Powerfab, Mantis, Benford, Roughneck, Gopher, Smalley, Tow-hoe, Standard Muscleman, homemade and other small diggers. Links to current manufacturers such as Groupe-FCM, Hubei, Dig It and suppliers of plans for the Ground Hawg Homebuilt Backhoe and CDP Excavator. Includes various other plant, construction and mechanical projects, Plant Photo Gallery and useful links for Spares and Repairs. Extra information and pictures to add to the site always appreciated. The website now includes a new section dedicated to preserving information about Johnson Machinery Limited.

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Spares & repairs - links to useful sites for digger spares, hydraulic pumps, valves, hoses, engines, and other information

I find I can get general supplies for my towable digger and other projects such as hydraulic oil, grease, paint, nuts and bolts and hoses from the local agricultural engineers - Christian Smith Agriculture. Because a lot of towable digger manufacturers went out of business years ago actual genuine replacement parts for many models are just not available.  However, this needn't be a problem if you are a bit resourceful.

Frame and Buckets

Most repairs to the actual frame, arm, buckets etc can be done using a basic tool kit, angle grinder and arc or MIG welder. Replacement pins and bushes can be made up by a precision engineer. Bits of plate for bucket repairs can be sourced from scrap, steel stockholders or fabricators off cuts.

Hydraulic Parts

The thing that you generally need in a hurry (probably on a Sunday afternoon!) is a new hydraulic pipe. I get these from the local agricultural place too. The longest pipe on my digger burst near the end. When I got the replacement I also got the original shortened and a new end put on. That pipe now hangs up in the garage as a handy spare as all the pipes on the machine are the same diameter and fittings, just different lengths.

Kontak hydraulic control valves If you are unfortunate enough to have problems with your spool valves you are probably going to need a specialist hydraulic engineers to help such as Swift Hydraulics below. These parts can sometimes be refurbished or if not replaced with something similar. Pumps can also be replaced (see suppliers such as White House Products below). If you cannot get the exact hydraulic pump then a similar one can be used provided you can join it up to your engine and the flow rate/pressure is suitable. Ram seals are widely available and the rods can be replaced if they are badly pitted, bent or rusted.

Above you can see the Kontak hydraulic control valves as fitted to the Fleming Micron. Even a simple machine like this requires 12 hydraulic hoses although the top right hose is only a low pressure return to the hydraulic tank.

Engine parts

Engine parts are going to depend on the make of machine you have. Honda and Petter parts seem to be reasonably easy to get.  When ordering I am sure to go armed with all the engine and part numbers as you inevitably get asked for them!  After many years of ordering parts (and wasted time) I usually try to take the old item with me just to be sure. Replacement engines are now widely available at very reasonable cost.

Loncin petrol engine fitted to replace Honda on Powerfab 125w diggerPowerfab 125w fitted with a Loncin engine as a replacement for the Honda. Mart says "Loncin 6.5hp engine is exact replica of Honda".  See links below to suppliers of the Loncin engine. Alternatively you can still get new Honda engines.

The most important thing with any digger is to check the oils and grease the machine daily. Low oil is the kiss of death for hydraulic pumps and engines alike and lack of grease will soon cause the bushes and pins to wear out. It's good to remember how many grease points your machine has so that when you are greasing it you can be sure that you haven't missed some tucked away grease nipple. My large grease gun came with a steel tube which was useless for accessing many grease points and was quickly changed for a flexible variety. I also have a small Tecalamet grease gun which is handy for some jobs. Replace any blocked or seized up grease nipples and make sure the grease is actually getting to where it is needed.

Workshop Manuals and Hydraulic Information

Workshop manuals for old plant can sometimes be sourced from Ebay or by putting a "wanted" advert in Classic Plant and Machinery magazine. This service is currently free to private advertisers. See http://www.cpmmag.co.uk/ for magazine details.

For an excellent explanation of all things hydraulic click here

List of suppliers of digger spares, tools and other useful links

If any links are broken or firms have gone out of business please report them to the webmaster by clicking here

Name Supplies what? Web address
Old Engine.org Information and data for Lister, Petter and other old engines Old Engine.org
E-Gaskets Gaskets for Lister and Petter Engines http://www.e-gaskets.co.uk
Microplant Possible source of spares for Powerfab diggers http://www.powerfab.co.uk/
Mead Plant Spares, for Lister, Petter, Benford and other makes http://www.meadplant.com/
Minimax Parts Rubber or steel tracks, idlers, sprockets and rollers for mini digger tracks up to 10 tonnes http://www.minimaxparts.com/
Small Engine Servies Spare parts for Honda, Lister, Petter, Briggs and Stratton and many others - mail order available. http://www.small-engine-services.co.uk/index.php
DJS Power Flexible couplings, hydraulic pumps etc http://www.djspower.co.uk/
Fencol Direct Ltd Hydraulic pipes, connections, fittings http://www.fencol.com/
White House Products Ltd Pumps and basically everything hydraulic. Can supply pumps for Powerfab 125. http://www.whitehouseproductsltd.com
John Lewis Dumpers Spares for dumpers from 1950's onwards http://johnlewisdumpers.com/service.html
Rogers Space Heaters Sales, Service,  Repairs - All makes. Also offers spares by mail order.  Has been keeping my space heater running since 1989! http://www.rogersspaceheaters.co.uk/
Northern Tool Reasonably priced digger seats, engines, tools, welders, pressure washers, trailer parts etc etc. Northern Tool Equipment Co UK Limited  
Towsure Good prices on tyres, wheels and all the bits for keeping your trailer on the road http://www.towsure.com
Honda Site with manuals for all popular Honda industrial engines http://www.honda-engines.com/Engines_owners_manuals/own.htm
Flowfit Pumps, rams, valves, gauges www.flowfitonline.co.uk/
W Robinson & Sons Ltd Replacement engines ("copies" of Honda and Yanmar) plus spares http://www.pump.co.uk/
Swift Hydraulic Pumps, rams, repairs, valves, everything hydraulic http://www.swifthydraulic.co.uk/
Glonet Replacement engines for Petter powered machines (based in India) http://www.glonet-india.com/main.htm
Hymac Spares Spares for Hymac diggers & excavators http://www.hymac-parts.co.uk
TTS Technologies Limited Spares for Roughneck Skiploader http://www.ttstec.com
Herts Insurance Insurance for classic plant machines www.hertsinsurance.com
Wickes Supplies for all your building/DIY projects Wickes
Winget Manual & Spares Lists PDF Downloads http://www.winget.co.uk/downloads.htm
Firefox A decent FREE web browser Firefox 2
Please let me know of any other suppliers which you think should be added to this list.

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