The 30-RB was one of the five machines of the Ruston-Bucyrus main selling range of the 1960s, between the best-selling 22-RB and the larger 38-RB, 61-RB and 71-RB. It followed the RB formula: one standard base, a choice of front-end equipment and crawler tracks, with 360-degree rotation.
Ruston-Bucyrus 30-RB at a glance
| Maker | Ruston-Bucyrus Ltd, Lincoln, England |
|---|---|
| Production | main selling range of the 1960s; continued after 1985 as an RB model |
| In the range | with the 22-RB, 38-RB, 61-RB and 71-RB |
| Type | rope-operated excavator and crane |
| 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 |
| Engines | diesel as standard, electric motor option |
| 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 30-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 30-RB.
History of the Ruston-Bucyrus 30-RB
A machine of the 1960s main range
The Ruston-Bucyrus range developed from the original standardised rope-operated models, the 10-RB, 17-RB, 19-RB and 33-RB, which were upgraded through intermediate types including the 54-RB. The result was the main selling range of the 1960s: 22-RB, 30-RB, 38-RB, 61-RB and 71-RB. The 22-RB was the most popular and was assembled on a production line basis; the 30-RB was the next size of the same family concept. Beyond this range were the large machines, including the 110-RB, which evolved into the 150-RB.
The RB system
Each model was a standard base 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 also 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.
Power and controls
Most machines were fitted with diesel engines; electric motor options were available and often used on the large machines. The machines were operated initially by a system of levers which operated 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.
The Lincoln works
Production was concentrated in Lincoln, where the factory ran along Beevor Street for about 900 m on grounds up to 400 m wide, with more than 30 bays of roughly 150 m each, nearly all fitted with overhead cranes. At the far end was an extra-large bay for the large machines including the 150-RB and walking draglines, and beyond it a testing area where cranes were taken for calibration. The company employed up to 2,000 people on day and night shifts and completed virtually all manufacturing on site except foundry work. There were eight service depots around the UK, a team of service engineers working from Lincoln for international customers, and the machines were exported to most parts of the world.
Into the RB years
In 1985 the company was bought by its management, severing all links with Bucyrus-Erie; it became R-B Lincoln and then R-B International, a subsidiary of Lincoln Industries (part of The Heather Corporation Ltd). Production of the existing cable excavator and crane models from the 22-RB to the 71-RB continued at Lincoln, with Improved Crane Dragline versions also offered, and from 1985 all new machines carried the RB name instead of Ruston-Bucyrus.
Design and features
- Main-range size: one of the five machines that formed the company’s core selling range in the 1960s.
- Standard base: the same machine could take a face shovel, dragline, lifting crane, grabbing crane or rarer front ends.
- Crawler tracks and 360-degree rotation: common to the whole range on a conical-section roller path.
- Diesel or electric: diesel engines as standard, with electric motor options often used on the large machines.
- Lincoln-built and exported: assembled in a works that made nearly all of its own parts and served customers worldwide.
Ruston-Bucyrus 30-RB versions
- Face shovel: one of the four most common front ends of the standard base.
- Dragline: the digging and lifting front end of the same machine.
- Lifting crane and grabbing crane: crane versions, some lorry-mounted.
- Drag shovel, skimmer and pile driver: the less common front ends; the video below shows a 30-RB driving concrete piles.
- Improved Crane Dragline: the version offered by R-B International after 1985.
The 30-RB followed the 10-RB of the original range and sat alongside the best-selling 22-RB. More machines are in the Ruston-Bucyrus collection.
Video: Seilbagger RUSTON BUCYRUS 30 RB rammt Betonpfähle
Video by Soeren66 on YouTube.
Sources
- Ruston-Bucyrus, English Wikipedia: the 1960s range, the RB system and the Lincoln works
