Scaling Bar for an Excavator

From time to time, the usual attachments and ideas don't work anymore. Scaling loose rock at the max reach and height of an excavator boom/stick is dangerous and nerve racking work. The possibility of doing damage to the machine, and having a chunk of rock come through you window are fairly high.

Here are a few pics of a successful design of a scaling bar attachment that was built for 345/450 sized machines.
The thick wall round tube design is much stronger and rigid than any size of I-beam or H-beam designs.

I have used I/H-beam scaling bars...and the first thing they do is flex like a wet spaghetti noodle. We had a 12 inch I-beam bar on a 200 Hitachi, and it bent easily with very little torque applied.

The round  model in the photos has a replaceable tube that is held in by a pin.

Here's a few things that I have learned about excavator scaling bars.
1. It's dangerous work.
b. Put your best guy on the job
c. Put you ugliest machine under him ( you will hit the machine with rocks, no ifs ands or buts )
2. Make sure that the machine is well guarded.
3. Build a berm of soft material in front of the machine to catch the scaled material
4. At high angles, the loose rock has a tendency to run right down the stick and boom...right to the shiny and expensive parts of your machine. Build a guard on your scaling bar to minimize this.
5. Scale your way into the site, make sure that the wall directly above the machine is stable.
6. If it looks like the whole hillside is going to come down, retreat and re-think. You might have to go to hand scaling and explosives. ( please use experienced professionals for this, you don't want to be on the YouTube Gong Show for the rest of your life )
7. When you go to build one...build it heavy and build it once.

Flimsy I-beam Scaling bar

It's a good idea to build a berm in front of the tracks out of soft material to protect the machine and operator

The tougher model...approx 20 to 22 ft long

Replaceable working end held in place with a pin

Machine on the right has a round scaling bar

Long view, Cut 9 in Segment 1 of the Sea to Sky project

I-beam scaling bar