Turntable Excavator Tows Behind Pickup

2014 - Volume #38, Issue #4, Page #27

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“It’s a simple machine that makes digging faster, easier and cheaper than commercial units,” says Richard Gostomski, Thorp, Wis., about his one-of-a-kind, self-propelled excavator mounted on a powered turntable.
    The excavator rides on the wheels and axles off a Chevy 1/2-ton 2-WD pickup. It’s equipped with a 6-ft. dia. turntable that supports the boom and its 22-in. sq., 18-in. high bucket. The machine is held steady by 4 outriggers that are hydraulically raised and lowered. The boom folds down quickly for transport. A pair of 55-gal. barrels on back of the machine are filled with water to serve as a counterweight.
    Power is supplied by a 20 hp. gas engine that belt-drives a hydraulic pump. The pump belt-drives a pair of tubeless rubber wheels that ride inside channel iron around the top of the turntable. With the booms and outriggers fully extended, the turntable can be rotated up to 185 degrees in either direction before it hits a “stop”.
    The operator sits on a pedestal-mounted seat 3 ft. above the turntable and uses a foot pedal to rotate the boom from one side to the other. The outriggers can be extended 24 in. and moved up or down all at once and then leveled individually. The bucket can reach out 16 ft. and down more than 10 ft.
    “This machine has a lot of advantages. It can be towed behind a pickup at highway speeds with no need for a truck or trailer. The rubber wheel that rotates the turntable eliminates the need for gears, chains and cables. And it’s built with common parts so it’s easy to repair,” says Gostomski. “I think it would make a great machine for rental agencies. The customer could hook it up to their vehicle and pull it home, then quickly unhook it and put it to work.”
    The design of the turntable applies pressure toward the bottom of the excavator so the machine’s frame can be a lot lighter, says Gostomski. “The turntable on most commercial excavators are gear-operated, which puts all the pressure in the middle of the machine and therefore requires a more heavy-duty frame.”
    The machine has electric steering. A small electric motor shaft-drives a gear actuator, which drives a cylinder that Gostomski welded to the cross shaft of the steering wheel. “I press a switch to steer one way or the other,” he says.

    “If I could do it over I’d use a 4-WD pickup and all terrain tires, but it’s hard to get everything right the first time you build something,” says Gostomski, who notes that he’s looking for a manufacturer.
    Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Richard Gostomski, W8495 Lil Lane Road, Thorp, Wis. 54771 (ph 715 669-7055).

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Turntable Excavator Tows Behind Pickup MISCELLANEOUS EQUIPMENT Earth Movers “It’s a simple machine that makes digging faster easier and cheaper than commercial units ” says Richard Gostomski Thorp Wis about his one-of-a-kind self-propelled excavator mounted on a powered turntable The excavator rides on the wheels and axles off a Chevy 1/2-ton 2-WD pickup It’s equipped with a 6-ft dia turntable that supports the boom and its 22-in sq 18-in high bucket The machine is held steady by 4 outriggers that are hydraulically raised and lowered The boom folds down quickly for transport A pair of 55-gal barrels on back of the machine are filled with water to serve as a counterweight Power is supplied by a 20 hp gas engine that belt-drives a hydraulic pump The pump belt-drives a pair of tubeless rubber wheels that ride inside channel iron around the top of the turntable With the booms and outriggers fully extended the turntable can be rotated up to 185 degrees in either direction before it hits a “stop” The operator sits on a pedestal-mounted seat 3 ft above the turntable and uses a foot pedal to rotate the boom from one side to the other The outriggers can be extended 24 in and moved up or down all at once and then leveled individually The bucket can reach out 16 ft and down more than 10 ft “This machine has a lot of advantages It can be towed behind a pickup at highway speeds with no need for a truck or trailer The rubber wheel that rotates the turntable eliminates the need for gears chains and cables And it’s built with common parts so it’s easy to repair ” says Gostomski “I think it would make a great machine for rental agencies The customer could hook it up to their vehicle and pull it home then quickly unhook it and put it to work ” The design of the turntable applies pressure toward the bottom of the excavator so the machine’s frame can be a lot lighter says Gostomski “The turntable on most commercial excavators are gear-operated which puts all the pressure in the middle of the machine and therefore requires a more heavy-duty frame ” The machine has electric steering A small electric motor shaft-drives a gear actuator which drives a cylinder that Gostomski welded to the cross shaft of the steering wheel “I press a switch to steer one way or the other ” he says
“If I could do it over I’d use a 4-WD pickup and all terrain tires but it’s hard to get everything right the first time you build something ” says Gostomski who notes that he’s looking for a manufacturer Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Richard Gostomski W8495 Lil Lane Road Thorp Wis 54771 ph 715 669-7055

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