# Pins, pins, pins!  And Pins again!



## Dargo

Anyone with any heavy equipment that digs has likely had to deal with pins at one time or another.  One of my 'little projects' earlier this summer was to move a 600' long 8' high and about 50' wide (at base) dam about 75' and then I added about a half acre or so to my existing lake.  Anyway, I now have about a half a dozen pins that were getting a bit loose that now really need replaced.  If you are familiar with excavators, putting a new set of pins in one makes it feel like a brand new machine again.

The problem I've found since the older fella my dad knew with a big metal lathe (he inherited from Peabody Coal somehow - I never asked) passed away and his family sold all of his estate, including that lathe that had to have weighed 20 tons, is that it seems that manufacturers want an average of $700 or so *PER PIN*!   So, the price for me to get a pin made went from about $50 for the hardened rod and $25 or so for him to turn it down to the specs I needed to roughly 10X that amount per pin.  Talking to local guys who own excavating companies tell me that it's not uncommon for them to spend $25k or so a year buying pins.  To me, that is just nuts!

I've spent hours and hours scouring the internet and all I ever get is replies a month later in Chinese from companies apparently in China wanting me to be a distributor; which I have no desire to do.  Does anyone have any insight on a place that either sells pins for a reasonable price or some metal/machine shop that will turn pins out on a lathe?  I'm not desperate, but I'd prefer to not have loose and sloppy equipment.


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## JimVT

can't help on your question  but being a hammer mechanic I have used car axles in the past.


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## bczoom

I think there's a guy around here that makes them.  My neighbor goes through a lot of pins and recommends this guy.
Can you provide any details?  Pin sizes or make/model of equipment?


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## XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq

Just go on Ali-baba and post the specs and what you are looking for.  I'm sure the quality will be first rate.


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## Dargo

bczoom said:


> I think there's a guy around here that makes them.  My neighbor goes through a lot of pins and recommends this guy.
> Can you provide any details?  Pin sizes or make/model of equipment?



That sometimes is tough without just looking up each pin on the factory website. I'm sure there is a good reason why (which I do not know), but the tolerances to start are not the same with each pin. Some are just a few thousandths smaller than the hole and some are a couple hundredths smaller. I've just used my Dremmel tool on steroids to grind in grease passages. Right now I need most pins on a Takeuchi TB175. I have just over 4,000 hours on it and even keeping them well greased, they are showing wear.


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## bczoom

Sorry - the guy does custom hydraulic hoses, not pins.


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## Dargo

bczoom said:


> Sorry - the guy does custom hydraulic hoses, not pins.



No big deal  I appreciate the thought at minimum.  I may just have to find a good machine shop and try to talk them into doing some extra business.  It could be a huge market for someone.


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## Snowtrac Nome

buy a let lathe they cant cost that much unless you buy new and have to have a thread indexer


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## MrLiberty

I thought this would be a thread about sewing.......


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