The 22-RB was the most popular machine of the Ruston-Bucyrus range and the centre of the company’s main selling range in the 1960s. It was assembled on a production line basis rather than as a one-off, and it was still being built in Lincoln long after the link with Bucyrus-Erie was cut in 1985.
Ruston-Bucyrus 22-RB at a glance
| Maker | Ruston-Bucyrus Ltd, Lincoln, England |
|---|---|
| Production | main selling range of the 1960s; continued as an RB model after 1985 |
| In the range | with the 30-RB, 38-RB, 61-RB and 71-RB |
| Type | rope-operated excavator and crane |
| Engine | Ruston & Hornsby 6YDA diesel, typical |
| Mounting | crawler tracks |
| Rotation | 360 degrees on a conical-section roller path |
| Front ends | face shovel, dragline, lifting crane, grabbing crane; drag shovel, skimmer, pile driver |
| Controls | levers and toggle clutches; later pneumatic |
| Size number | loosely defined, possibly face shovel capacity in cubic feet |
| Built at | Lincoln works |
| Later name | RB from 1985 |
There is no Wikipedia page for the 22-RB itself, and this article is based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on the manufacturer, which describes the RB range as a whole. It does not give the individual production figures or dates of the 22-RB.
History of the Ruston-Bucyrus 22-RB
The most popular RB
By the 1960s the Ruston-Bucyrus range had moved from the original 10-RB, 17-RB, 19-RB and 33-RB, upgraded through intermediate models including the 54-RB, to a main selling range of 22-RB, 30-RB, 38-RB, 61-RB and 71-RB. The 22-RB was the most popular of them all and the one assembled on a production line basis, while still sharing the RB system of a standard base with optional front-end equipment. Above the range sat the large machines, including the 110-RB, which evolved into the 150-RB.
The 6YDA engine
Most machines of the range were fitted with diesel engines, and the 22-RB typically used the 6YDA, a Ruston & Hornsby engine. Electric motor options were available and were often used on the large machines. Control was by a system of levers operating toggle clutches into the drumshafts; despite the significant power being transmitted, the lever system was, if set up correctly, relatively easy for the operator to use, and the main control functions were later superseded by pneumatic control.
One base, many front ends
The machine concept was a standard base to each model, on which optional front-end equipment could be mounted with appropriate counterbalances, crawler track frames and minimal additional machinery. The most common variants were face shovel, dragline, lifting crane and grabbing crane; less common were drag shovel, skimmer and pile driver, and some cranes were lorry-mounted. All machines had 360-degree rotation on a conical-section roller path and ran on crawler tracks. The model size, an elusively defined number, was possibly the standard face shovel capacity in cubic feet.
After 1985
In 1985 Ruston Bucyrus was bought by its management, severing all links with Bucyrus-Erie and forming R-B Lincoln, which became R-B International, a subsidiary of Lincoln Industries (part of The Heather Corporation Ltd). Production of the existing Ruston-Bucyrus designed cable excavator and crane models from the 22-RB to the 71-RB continued at the Lincoln factory, with Improved Crane Dragline versions also offered, and from 1985 onwards all new machines carried the RB name instead of Ruston-Bucyrus.
Design and features
- Production-line assembly: the most popular machine of the range was built on a production line rather than one at a time.
- Ruston & Hornsby 6YDA: the typical diesel engine of the 22-RB, an in-house Lincoln design.
- Front-end choice: face shovel, dragline, lifting crane or grabbing crane on the same standard base, with rarer drag shovel, skimmer and pile driver versions.
- 360-degree rotation: every machine turned on a conical-section roller path and ran on crawler tracks.
- Long production life: carried over unchanged in principle into R-B International production after 1985.
Ruston-Bucyrus 22-RB versions
- Face shovel: one of the four most common front ends of the standard base.
- Dragline: the digging and lifting version used in the video below.
- Lifting crane and grabbing crane: crane versions of the same machine; some were lorry-mounted.
- Drag shovel, skimmer and pile driver: the less common front ends offered on the same base.
- Improved Crane Dragline: the version offered by R-B International after 1985.
- RB 22-RB: machines built from 1985 carried the shorter RB name.
The 22-RB sat between the original 10-RB and the 30-RB of the 1960s range. More machines are in the Ruston-Bucyrus collection.
Video: EMD Ruston Bucyrus 22-RB Crane/Dragline/Grab
Video by Cranes Etc TV on YouTube.
Sources
- Ruston-Bucyrus, English Wikipedia: the RB range, the 6YDA engine and the R-B International years
