Description

Thwaites 6000 Alldrive MkII User Manual – What the Factory Intended

If you are working on a Thwaites 6000 Alldrive MkII dumper and you are using some third-party rewrite of the factory data, stop. That is how bolts get stripped and operators get hurt. This is the real thing: the original Thwaites 6000 Alldrive MkII User Manual, 110 pages of what the factory wanted you to know. No aftermarket interpretation. I have seen too many DIY guys pull a torque value from a forum and then wonder why the wheel falls off. That 100 lb‑ft spec for the wheel nuts? Page 5 of this manual, right next to the warning about propping the skip. That is the difference between a safe machine and a lawsuit.

Operation and Routine Maintenance: What You’ll Find

Section A walks you through every pre‑start check. Engine oil capacity for the Petter is 12 pints; the Lister takes 11. Gearbox gets 3½ pints. Hydraulic oil is 14 pints. Tyre pressures front and rear are 35 psi. These are not suggestions – they are the numbers the design engineers wrote down. The manual also covers the correct way to use the starting handle (fingers and thumb on the same side, not wrapped around). Miss that detail and you could break your wrist. I have seen it.

Under Section B, Servicing Points, you get the grease points and intervals. The manual tells you which fittings take what grease. No guessing.

Brake Circuit and Tipping Valve: Factory Procedures

Section G covers the Brake Circuit. This dumper uses mineral oil in the brake reservoir, not brake fluid. Put DOT 3 in there and you will ruin every seal in the system. The manual spells out the bleeding procedure. Section K is the Tipping Valve. If the skip won’t dump properly, you need the valve adjustment specs from this manual. Aftermarket versions often skip the internal relief setting. That is how you get a skip that dumps when you don’t want it to. Page numbers? Let me be direct: the brake circuit runs from page 34 to page 42. The tipping valve is on pages 76–80. Don’t lose those pages.

Does This Manual Cover Both Petter and Lister Engines?

Yes. The manual includes separate sections for the Cyclopac air cleaner (Petter engine, Section C1) and the Burgess air cleaner (Lister engine, Section C2). It also splits the oil circuit into two sub‑sections (H1 and H2) based on machine number cut‑offs. If your dumper serial number is before or after M/C No. 3-56079 (Petter) or 9-56076 (Lister), you follow the correct diagram. That kind of detail is why the aftermarket stuff is garbage – they merge all versions into one generic drawing and call it done. Not here.

Section P covers the electrical system. Battery water level check, starter motor wiring, charging circuit. If you are retrofitting lights or troubleshooting a no‑start, you need the OEM color codes. This manual has them.

3 Critical Checks Before First Start

Number one: wheel nut torque at 100 lb‑ft. Number two: check the wheel nuts daily for the first week – the manual warns that new machines settle. Number three: never work under a raised skip without a prop. The manual has a full‑page warning on page 3 with an illustration of the correct prop position. Ignoring that is how people die. I have pulled enough wrecked dumpers out of ditches to know that shortcuts are not worth it.

Also tied to the Thwaites 6000 All Drive MkII Parts Book January 1977’>Thwaites 6000 All Drive MkII Parts Book January 1977 for exploded view part numbers, and the Hitachi ZAXIS225US-3 2007 Operators Manual | OEM Factory Specs’>Hitachi ZAXIS225US-3 2007 Operators Manual | OEM Factory Specs if you run a mixed fleet. For electrical distribution equipment, see the Masterpact NW08-63 IEC Low Voltage Products User Manual’>Masterpact NW08-63 IEC Low Voltage Products User Manual.

Get the Right Torque Specs

Wheel nuts are 100 lb‑ft. That is the only value I will repeat here because the manual lists about two dozen torque values across the drivetrain, steering ram, and tipping ram connections. You need the manual for the rest. Section D (Gearbox), Section E (Drive Shaft), and Section F (Axles) all contain torque figures. Do not rely on memory. I keep a copy of this manual in a plastic sleeve on the tool cart. When I rebuild a Thwaites 6000 Alldrive MkII, I check the page before I put a wrench on anything. The gearbox oil volume is 3½ pints – that is in Section D. The drive shaft bolts? Not printed here because you need to look at the manual.

For general theory on manual transmissions, you can reference Manual Transmission’>Manual Transmission if you need background, but the factory procedure is the only one that matters for this specific dumper.

Servicing Check-off List: Why It Matters

At the back of the manual there is a Servicing Check-off List. It lists every check point with a box to tick. Oil levels, filter changes, brake bleed, steering ram play. This is what fleet managers use to prove maintenance was done. If you are a home garage guy working on your own dumper, that list keeps you honest. Miss a step and you will know exactly which one. The manual also includes a Modified & Additional Parts section – a running log that the factory used to track updates. That is original OEM documentation, not a reprint.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this manual include wiring diagrams?

Section P includes the electrical system with a diagram. Enough to troubleshoot lights and starter circuit.

What torque specs are given?

Wheel nuts: 100 lb‑ft. The manual contains torque values for gearbox mounting bolts, drive shaft flanges, axle hub nuts, steering ram pins, tipping ram bolts, and brake caliper fasteners. You get over a dozen factory torques, each referenced to the specific assembly section. The wheel nut torque is on page 5; the rest are distributed through sections D, E, F, G, K, and M. Do not rely on internet lists – the manual is the source.

Can I use this manual for a later model 6000?

This is specifically for the MkII. The MkIII has different air cleaner and brake circuit routing. Check the serial number cut-offs in Sections H1/H2.

Is this a reprint or a scan?

Direct PDF of the original factory document, 110 pages. No aftermarket edits, no watermarks.

You need this manual on your bench before you turn the first bolt on a Thwaites 6000 Alldrive MkII. Thwaites 6000 All Drive MkII Parts Book January 1977’>Access the Factory Manual and get the real specs – not someone’s blog post.