Hi all

Can you tell me who recons Acummulator for our RM
And the cost
Thanks

Paul
If you do a search for accumulators in the search facility above, you will find a number of posts about this. Who you use will depend on where you are, what needs doing, what warranty you are looking for and lastly postal costs if you are nowhere near any of them.

My bus number (if any): RTL 960 RMC 1458 RM 1585 and several RTs

Very difficult at the mo. I need 3 sets for customers abroad and the usual source, Imperial, are short staffed as there is only 1 guy there who can do them!

Retail price is somewhere about £300 IIRC. plus vat, plus carriage.

They also need our old units before they will release any as they are now very short of "core" units to recon as people have failed to return old unit in the past and quite a number are now beyond further rebuilding.

Same with foot brake valves.

Same with gearboxes, 2nd gear usually wears out, people keep driving them and completely wear the 2nd gear train beyond repair. Please people, if YOUR gears show signs of slipping, get it sorted sooner rather than later. Later will be too late as the parts will have worn beyond repair by then.

My bus number (if any): RML2532

Hi....Hebble Hydraulics were quoting just over £100 a year or so ago.....possibly they are the guys who re-con for Imperial. I believe they buy the bladders in from a firm in Sheffield. Their engineer told me even for a rusty unit they can rebore for extra cost. Very helpful. Best Regards Ian,

My bus number (if any): rm446 rm765

Ian, our last one was £170, unlike Imperial, Hebble charge on a work done basis. A search found Finch Buses had stock and apart from Imperial I believe Martin D is also now undertaking accumulator work

My bus number (if any): RTL 960 RMC 1458 RM 1585 and several RTs

I saw new, modern accumulators that had been fitted by Ensign to an RMA (I think RMA 58). They were spherical and seemed to have no obvious way of re-pressurising them. There was certainly no high pressure Schrader valve fitted. This may be a solution when our accumulators can no longer be rebuilt.

My bus number (if any): RMs 238, 471 & 2213. GS 17

ISTR the RMAs were fitted with the Girling accumulators (the spherical ones) from new, and I'm told they are almost impossible to get parts for.

If anyone knows other definite sources, I'd be pleased to know! Whoever I use must be properly insured!

My bus number (if any): RML2532

Hi Paul,

Just to confirm we do recondition the Lockeed accumulators and have recently come across the Titan type accumulators which are also fitted to some RM's, we have also had a batch of seals made for these as well as the Lockeeds.

Generally they can be resealed and the cylinders honed out however sometimes the cylinders are badly corroded or have suffered some kind of damage. If that's the case we can get new cylinders made by a local hydraulic company.

All my work is guaranteed for 12 months and the average cost is about £120 (no VAT) plus postage which is about £25 each accumulator. I also send them back fully charged.

We are insured.

I don't do the Clayton type as I can't get the bits for them however Hubble will make a modern equivalent.

Martin
www.londonbus4hire.com

My bus number (if any): RML2583 and RM1357

Martin, thanks for that info. What's your delivery time like for these? I may do some business with you. also where are you based? It's sometimes easier and cheaper for me to collect rather than post or courier!

To add that the Titan and original type seem to be interchangeable pipe-wise; the Titan type have genrally had the pipework altered to do away with the banjo bolts which in later years no longer offer a good seal. also, you'll need to fit a thick rubber spacer round Titan type accumulators to fit the original brackets.

I done a bus in Germany the other week fitted with one original and one Titan type!

My bus number (if any): RML2532

Hi Roy,

Generally I can turn them around pretty quickly as long as we don't have to get cylinders made. I try to keep a few seal kits in stock.

We are based in Monmouthshire, South Wales, about half an hour from the Severn Bridge (M4).

Your quite right about the Titan type accumulator being different, the non return valves etc are actually welded to the end flanges whereas the Lockeed type screw on. Internally they are almost the same as the Lockeed type but I have to say they're a cheap and nasty version of it. The end glands are only held in place by a retaining wire and not screw capped like the Lockeeds and the piston is made out of aluminium as oppose to brass and is quite a poor fit compared to the Lockeeds.

Any other information you want feel free to ring.

Regards Martin

My bus number (if any): RML2583 and RM1357

Thanks for that Martin. I'll keep you in mind; I doubt if I'll be in Monmouth very much as I'm near Folkestone, ideal for my European work!

I was at Imperial yesterday and they are having the factory refurbished, so there is a slight delay in some of their work at the moment. They're still doing accumulators though Ken says it is difficult as so many retruned unit are no longer rebuildable.

My bus number (if any): RML2532

Were they not clayton accumulators?

My bus number (if any): RML2366 & RMA58

Yes interesting you might say this, as the now owner of RMA58, this is correct.
There is a huge lack of information surrounding these as i found out when i needed to recharge these.
Eventually Brian from Hebble Hydraulics was able to help, (was originally told they were made by imperial for ensign, but they knew nothing of them)
They are a diaphragm accumulator, with a plastic paddle inside them, the main thing to be careful with these is that if they go completely flat, the plastic paddle will break inside, making them scrap, yes not worth repair.
They are made by a company in France. when enquiring earlier back in the year about these and if the paddle had smashed what the issue would be, Brian said that there was issue with supply at the time due to some strikes in France! wonderful
I think they were around £300 each new!

Luckily they had not dropped that bad and were fine.
They do not have Schrader valves so they cannot be charged in the normal manner. You need a charge kit, which is around £300 to buy, and is basically a t-piece that allows the current valve to come out, and then the gas to be pumped in behind it.
They were however charged for £20 or £25 each by Hebble i believe then plus carriage each way.

I'm just writing this from memory, not that anyone else seems to have these, but i would advise speaking to Brian at Hebble hydraulics if you need further accurate information on this system should you wish to change to this system. I'm guessing there might be a reason or need by i've no idea what other work is needed to fit these or if they are direct replacemnets.

My bus number (if any): RML2366 & RMA58

Thanks for that info. Like I said in my earlier post, they were genrally fitted to the RMAs and Northern General buses. There is an ex Arriva RML in my shed at the mo with Clayton accumulators.

My bus number (if any): RML2532 Keeping Europe's Routemasters on the road.