At long last I've been able to re-mount the 'Shovel Reset' or as it's sometimes called 'Return to Dig' assembly on the shovel ram.
This is a simple but very cunning mechanism that once you have tipped a load from the front bucket, automatically returns the shovel to a horizontal position ready to scoop the next load. The left hand (shovel) control spool has a magnetic detent that holds the spool in the 'I'm coming back up' ie far left, until a microswitch on the mechanism mounted on the hydraulic ram trips dropping the detent and allowing the spool and lever return to the neutral position.
In my case the microswitch wasn't playing fair - always open circuit. Now they come as a plug, cable form (moulded into the microswitch) and Honeywell microswitch with a roller ended lever operating arm and are hugely expensive. Opening the microswitch failed to allow me to resurrect it and the only 'none JCB Spare' equivalent micro switches were equally stupidly expensive (actually slightly more!)
So I ordered up a genuine spare but when it arrived it was faulty
![:bang:](https://madmodder.net/Smileys/default/BangHead.gif)
Replacement arrived overnight and worked fine so that is what I fitted this morning. A bit of nifty lacing of the cable form to avoid it being sliced as the rams move and not only is it fitted - it works
![:clap:](https://madmodder.net/Smileys/default/happy0065.gif)
The mechanism is clamped by jubilee clips round the hydraulic ram and unfortunately I rather scratched up my new paint but it'll touch up when next I have an open paint pot.
The idea is to set the 'detect' position to 'shovel level' so a few iterations with a spirit level got it to an acceptable setting.
Before the switch had arrived I'd tested the circuit to make sure that the wiring was OK and that the magnetic detent solenoid worked (paperclip replacing switch!) In these tests the coil was drawing 1.1 amps which seemed reasonable but the control wasn't being retained fully left. Now the engine was not running so no hydraulic pressure but I'd have expected the shovel spool to be clamped. Now it's back together it works so I can only assume that it uses hydraulic pilot pressure somehow.
. . but hey . . .it works !