Foden EKA Wrecker

[cosrec]

Could it be to lower the towing jaw 6" lower when towing certain trailors ???. Or to keep tow bar parallel with smaller vehicles.

[shopnut]

There are 2 of these items, they are used to enable the 'hernia' bar (not shown), to fit in a lower position to tow a lighter vehicle, the 'hernia' bar is a heavy member with a Nato pintle hook fitted, the position shown in the picture with the red circle around is the correct usage position, the other one is the opposite side.

That,s how I understand it.

 

 

 

Hi,

 

I recently acquired a User's Handbook for the Foden Wrecker and have been reading through it a few times :readbook: to absorb the material. Unlike U.S. manuals, the listing/description of the wrecker's associated recovery equipment is somewhat vague. Some equipment is shown laid out however most of the assocated recovery equipment is shown stowed away in their respective tool boxes and can't been seen due to the bad pictures. While looking at some photos I noticed a piece of "kit" that wasn't shown in any illustrations etc. in the User's Handbook.

 

I have attached some photos with the item in question circled. It can be obviously seen in one photo that this "item" is used as a mechanical lock for the rear winching spades during transport. It appears that there are others uses intended for this item as it has the two pin hole pattern that matches the rear pin-board for the underlift and detachable pintle hitch. What else is this item used for?

 

Thanks for your help, this is a great thread!

 

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]67385[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]67386[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]67387[/ATTACH]

[recymech66]

They are not used to 'tow lighter vehicles' Cosrec is correct they are designed to lower the hernia bar (Nato towing attachment) in order to tow the in service recovery trailer 20t Craven Tasker. Before these drop plates were issued the towing A frame of the Tasker sat to high when connected to the towing eye so these drop plates were designed to lower the A frame to the horizontal position. They also had the added advantage of keeping the stiff legs in the raised position due to being pinned through them.

 

Because these were an addition to the CES there was no correct stowage point designed therefore crews had their own ideas on were to best stow them, hanging off the rear step handrails were a bit chippy in my opinion. The best place was to fit them were they were intended to be fitted and you only had to unpin the bottom to lower the stiff legs when winching.

 

Incidentally 32KE34 used to be my Foden a few years ago. :-)

Edited September 4, 2012 by recymech66

[EKA_Wrecker]

Hi,

 

Thank you guys for clearing that up! It makes sense now.

 

So when you guys say "hernia bar" you mean the attachment bar thats pinned to the rear pin-board (see pic below) and when you say NATO hitch in American... you mean pintle hitch :cool2: . When we say hernia bar we mean: heavy tank towbar.

 

 

I'm really liking all of the innovative features on the Foden EKA wrecker. Redundant hyd. controls, bogie blocking, proper equipment stowage, underlift, hyd. outriggers, fold down bunk in the cab etc.

 

- Does anyone have a pic of the cab interior showing this fold down bunk?

 

- Has anyone experienced instability or tipping motion when using the crane boom under significant load at the rear quarters of the truck? (slewed 45° from centerline) Is the lack of rear side outriggers an issue? The front outriggers appear to have a very wide spread to make up for it.

 

Thank you again for everyones info/knowledge.

Edited September 5, 2012 by EKA_Wrecker
Added pics

[Richard Farrant]

- Has anyone experienced instability or tipping motion when using the crane boom under significant load at the rear quarters of the truck? (slewed 45° from centerline) Is the lack of rear side outriggers an issue? The front outriggers appear to have a very wide spread to make up for it. Thank you again for everyones info/knowledge.

 

Hi EKA Wrecker,

 

In my past I did a lot of work with Foden recovery vehicles, and also did all the testing of them for our area at the time (crane, winches, hydraulics, etc). I carried out overload testing when required, to ascertain that the safety systems were working and can tell you that it is quite a stable machine, but obviously if using it on soft ground you would have to be aware of legs sinking, etc. I cannot remember overload weights, but may come across them and post for oyur interest.

 

Your mention of instability, reminds me that the actual vehicle when driving, has a maximum inclination of 27 degrees if my memory serves me. I was involved with these from date into service until 1996, so a little while ago now!

[N.O.S.]

...Has anyone experienced instability or tipping motion when using the crane boom under significant load at the rear quarters of the truck? (slewed 45° from centerline) Is the lack of rear side outriggers an issue? The front outriggers appear to have a very wide spread to make up for it....

 

That's something that has always worried me :shocked:. Seems to me if your load suddenly shifted sideways you could easily get pulled over your line of stability - yet if you look at any modern civilian truck wrecker they are all the same :??? .

 

Guess you just have to be extremely careful when using these beasties.

[ian2b]

OPPPS

 

 

[Richard Farrant]

That's something that has always worried me :shocked:. Seems to me if your load suddenly shifted sideways you could easily get pulled over your line of stability - yet if you look at any modern civilian truck wrecker they are all the same :??? . Guess you just have to be extremely careful when using these beasties.

 

Tony,

 

The crane is designed for vertical lifts, not like a Holmes type wrecker for winching. They are good for what they were designed to do.

[cosrec]

Tony,

 

The crane is designed for vertical lifts, not like a Holmes type wrecker for winching. They are good for what they were designed to do.

 

Spot on i am no crane man but i was always told never subject crane booms to side forces only slew once wieght is clear of floor.

Also i am confident that the EKA will do the loads stated on the boom @ radius given comfortably. According to REME manual

boom fully luffed with crane fully extended 9000kg through out working arc.

boom fully luffed with crane fully closed 12000kg through out working arc

That is if they are as conservative with their ratings on the crane as they are with all other equipment they have in service

Some where on you tube there is a vidio taken in northern Ireland of one rotaing right round with an empty 6 wheeler cement mixer on thats got to be 13 ton

 

Found it

Edited September 5, 2012 by cosrec

[EKA_Wrecker]

Hi,

 

Thanks for your thoughts. That last video link showing the concrete truck being swung "around the corner" certainly shows that the Foden is a very stable platform! Impressive. I could do without that background music however :nut: haha.

[N.O.S.]

Spot on i am no crane man but i was always told never subject crane booms to side forces only slew once wieght is clear of floor.

....

 

In fact it was a photo, which I can't find now, that you put up of (I think?) your Drops you converted to winch truck that got me thinking about the centre spades. You had a high rigged winch cable going out on a straight test pull of your aircraft tug? The centre spade with high rope pull point looked potentially worrying to an untrained eye like mine - absolutely safe in that situation, but when pulling in a recovery situation you need to be very confident the load isn't going to suddenly slide sideways and change the angle of pull! I meant to ask you about the limitations of use at the time and forgot.

 

I looked at a couple of commercial heavy recovery trucks on the roads today - they both had spade legs on outer edge behind rear wheels, so better than I suggested in a previous post. They are obviously fine to use or they would be a different design, so just scaremongering on my part I guess :-D . But having said that, they can't seem to compete with the old all wheel drive girls for off-road work :cool2:

[N.O.S.]

I do of course appreciate that in soft ground the spade and much/most of the rear axles will be pulled into the ground creating a much more stable platform

[cosrec]

In fact it was a photo, which I can't find now, that you put up of (I think?) your Drops you converted to winch truck that got me thinking about the centre spades. You had a high rigged winch cable going out on a straight test pull of your aircraft tug? The centre spade with high rope pull point looked potentially worrying to an untrained eye like mine - absolutely safe in that situation, but when pulling in a recovery situation you need to be very confident the load isn't going to suddenly slide sideways and change the angle of pull! I meant to ask you about the limitations of use at the time and forgot.

 

I looked at a couple of commercial heavy recovery trucks on the roads today - they both had spade legs on outer edge behind rear wheels, so better than I suggested in a previous post. They are obviously fine to use or they would be a different design, so just scaremongering on my part I guess :-D . But having said that, they can't seem to compete with the old all wheel drive girls for off-road work :cool2:

 

If you look at commercialy built civillian modern recovery vehicles the rear legs are developing and getting wider apart as time goes on. Modern recovery vehciles with rotating cranes have now started getting rear legs that extend out to the side but not at the top eg like cranes but actually at the bottom of the foot its self. (does that make sense) will put pic on to show

[N.O.S.]

 

...(does that make sense)....

:thumbsup:

[EKA_Wrecker]

Hi,

 

I think this is what your talking about. (see attached pics) This design combines an outrigger with a fold down winching spade. "Piggyback" hyd. cylinders actuate the multiple stage horizontal portion of the outriggers.

 

When I first saw this style of rear outrigger years ago I couldn't wrap my head around how it worked with that angled support tube. :confused: How could it be fixed at the bottom and not at the top and still provide support? Well its attached at top and bottom but most wrecker bodies and tool boxes shroud the rear vertical outrigger tubes so I could never figure it out... until I downloaded a commercial wrecker parts manual. :coffee: and then it clicked. :idea: The vertical tube has a slit cut into it just wider than the support tube. A reinforced "collar" wraps around the bottom of the tube to keep it from twisting/failing. Its such a simple concept but when it's well hidden it seems like a chinese puzzle.

Edited September 7, 2012 by EKA_Wrecker

[EKA_Wrecker]

Here ya' go. These Jige (French?) wreckers don't have toolboxes shrouding the rear outrigger assembly. You can easily see how this system works.

 

It would be neat to incorporate this idea to older military wreckers with manual outriggers however the retracted height would need to be raised to increase ground clearance and departure angle for offroad.

[cosrec]

Yep thats what i was trying to descibe.

I believe the actual concept was first used on the Century range of wreckers. Jige is owned by the same company as Century hence they use them as well.

[djwalker]

Very nice looking Foden EKA in arena at Welland yesterday. Belongs to anyone here? Really wanted to go over and have a look at it and ask the owner some questions, but was part of the AFS display desperately trying to pack up our pipes and hoses before rain started good and proper. Regards, all. Dan

[djwalker]

Here is 34KE59 in its new home in the dry, where it has been now for a few months.

[cosrec]

Here is 34KE59 in its new home in the dry, where it has been now for a few months.

 

Did you get new rope for top boom have 500 meteres brand new on reel if you need any

[djwalker]

Anyone know where I can get hold of the ground reaction plates (feet) for the rear ground anchors and for the side stabilizers? Rgds, Dan

[djwalker]

Another question - did the cold-start system use ether? And does "cold start" mean less than about -20C?!

[simon jameson]

Anyone know where I can get hold of the ground reaction plates (feet) for the rear ground anchors and for the side stabilizers? Rgds, Dan

 

Try David Crouch from crouch recovery, or think I remember a guy called Wayne Medows advertising Foden recovery equip.

[djwalker]

So I had my first drive in 34KE59 today. (Prior to that, my son James had moved her round.)

Steering: *extremely* heavy, as if the power steering was off. Occasionally seemed to become light.

Couldn't engage 4th or 8th gear.

No light on when "body electrics" green button pressed. (Looking at the state of some of the red emergency "off" buttons/boxes on the e.k.a. body, I suspect one of them my be failing to disengage.)

Clearly a lot to sort out, but I'm sure we will get there eventually.

But what an awesome piece of equipment.

And we are slowly getting together the c.e.s..

Thanks for the various suggestions; I have asked Mr D. Crouch about ground reaction plates and he is going to get back to me. Regards, Dan

Edited January 1, 2016 by djwalker

[Southall wizard]

Hi dan,the old girl is looking good,the gear change prob is most likely the blocking cylinder on the gear box to prevent top gear being engaged in low range.as for the steering mine was stiff til I flushed the system and new filter fitted.i can probably locate some reaction plates for you if your stuck.i also have the proportionate control boards that your missing for the control box operations.as for the green light not coming on it could possibly be the stops,but I had a right headache sorting mine.