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

Also known as www.oilyhands.co.uk

Fleming Micron digger Website 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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Frequently Asked Questions

Question	Answer
Where can I get some extra buckets for my towable digger?	If you were very lucky you might find some exact buckets that would fit your digger. They tend to make good money and are hard to find. At 15+years old they could also be worn out. I got some modern digger buckets from mini diggers for nothing. The hirers never grease the machines so the pin holes were worn right out and the hire firms don't mend anything these days. The brackets/holes were obviously different so I just cut them off and welded up some suitable ones for my Fleming digger. You could try this too. It has 1" pins so I got a cheap 1" blacksmiths drill bit which fits my pillar drill and used that to bore the holes. Took a couple of evenings to make up a 9 inch bucket. Alternatively you could use the bucket you have as a pattern then fabricate some other sized buckets from scratch. All the sides etc are the same shape but the backplates are different widths. It's easy enough using basic tools and a cheap arc welder and you can use teeth from modern mini diggers. Digbits sell new buckets http://www.digbits.co.uk/ but at what cost I don't know. They will also be able to supply some teeth for your old buckets. The common bucket sizes for towable diggers are 8, 12, 16, 20 and possibly 24 inch although this size would only be any good for loading from a loose stockpile. Most manufacturers also offered some sort of grading or backfill blade typically about 3 feet wide. I'm a mend and make do sort of guy so I try to keep costs down. If you want to save some money you could manage with homemade mild steel teeth. Just find some chunky bits of flat bar, cut them to size, drill them and off you go. They will last fairly well on a towable digger. Serious and longer lasting home made teeth can be made from truck leaf springs. The trouble is you have to heat them up in the forge and punch the holes as the steel is too hard to drill. I used plough bolts to hold my teeth on. I tightened them up ridiculously tight then welded the threads to the nut to stop them coming undone. When I get time I am going to make a new "bucket" page for the site so keep a look out for it.
Where can I get a flexible coupling to go between my engine and hydraulic pump?	Try DJS Power or White House Products. Both of these companies are listed on the Spares and Repairs page.
What sort of Hydraulic Oil should I use in my digger?	For Fleming Micron diggers please see the operators manual as the list is extensive. The Powerfab, Mantis and Benford manuals all specify Shell Tellus V37 hydraulic fluid or equivalent. The Roughneck used 32 grade mineral based hydraulic fluid, with 125 suction strainer in the reservoir and a 10 micron return line filter, which was a spin on canister. (Thanks to Wayne for this info). Gopher and Toe-Hoe - currently not known. It is probably best to seek a recommendation from the hydraulic oil supplier.
Where can I buy a towable digger?	Most of the towable diggers I see changing hands are on Ebay. This could result in some long distance travelling to go and view/collect. Having said that, I got my Fleming Micron digger without using Ebay. I put a wanted advert in Classic Plant and Machinery magazine which turned up a machine just 10 or so miles from home. I had quite a few other calls too from all over the country. The only other likely places are dispersal sales, auto/farm/plant trader or Freeads that type of thing. Have a good look on the website to familiarise yourself with the different types as there are a few con men out there who will tell you something is a Powerfab or whatever when in fact it's some piece of junk they want to flog! Also read the Towable Digger v Mini Digger page because towable diggers do have their limitations and mini diggers with tracks are getting cheaper all the time.
Where can I sell my towable digger?	Ummmmmmm, selling is actually the opposite of buying so I don't really need to answer that one.
Are Powerfab, Fleming, Roughneck, Gopher, Tow-Hoe still in business?	No. They are not. The only British manufacturer who is still trading is Smalley
How much is my XYZ digger worth?	Unfortunately l don't know. It very much depends on condition etc. You could try selling it on Ebay to find out.
Where can I get a new seat for my digger?	Try Northern Tool Equipment Co UK Limited
Where can I get parts for my Roughneck Skiploader?	Roughneck Excavators Ltd was sold to Portsmouth Aviation Ltd. This company continued to produce the Skiploader. However, visitors to this site have told me that they have been unable to contact Portsmouth Aviation. As at 25/06/08 there was a website at www.roughneck.co.uk which referred to the Roughneck being built by J.E.P Engineering Ltd. I tried to phone but it is out of service and the email I sent was returned. I have researched this company at Companies House and unfortunately it is in liquidation (announced 10/10/06 in the London Gazette). As at 28/10/08 Robin says, "The Roughneck Skiploader is now part of mck compact equipment and all spares can be obtained from them. Contact number 07766 144227 I hope this is useful to somebody. regards ROBIN" There is also a company called TTS Technologies Limited which now stocks Skiploader spares see their website http://www.ttstec.com
The daftest message received to date went like this!!	Bruce: "Could you provide me with a price list thanks?" Oilyhands: "A price list for what?" Bruce/Sara: "For the diggers featured on your website." Oilyhands: "I think either you must have my site mistaken for someone else or you haven’t read it properly? The site is for the free exchange of information about towable diggers, most of which have been out of production for many years. Nothing is for sale. There are links on there to a few current manufacturer’s websites but you would obviously need to contact them direct about prices etc."