|
dplant8961
08-25-2003 04:42:38
|
|
Re: Deas- Please help in reply to Brian, 08-24-2003 20:54:18
|
|
| |
Hi, Brian. This reply may get a few laughs from some people but that is NOT gonna stop me posting it. VaTom and I have just been through this exercise and, the way he talks now, he sounds like a cat full of canaries. He wanted to get a 4wd loader to replace/work with his Cat 933 track loader and asked what would do the job. His main reason for wanting a 4wd machine is to avoid chewing the ground up with the tracks when turning. He gave me an outline along the same lines as yours about the work he wanted to do and the country he will be doing it in. He has one problem that you sound as if you don't have, at least to the same degree. Compasses don't work around his neck of the woods. There are only two directions on his property -- up or down. He is in a HILLY bit of Virginia. (Ain't it all?) He settled on a Cat 944 4wd, rear-wheel steer loader of around 11 1/2 tons. It has a 4 in 1 bucket. It does need a bit of TLC but he knew that when he bought it and reckoned it was still value for money. I suggested that he either find a 4wd machine already fitted with a rear-mounted ripper or plan on post-fitting the ripper. You -- and most other people -- would probably be surprised what you can achieve with good rear-mounted ripper on a 4 wd loader. Most people reckon that rubber-tired machines don't have the traction to handle a ripper. Believe me, a 4wd loader does when you fill the bucket about 2/3 full dirt. Having said all that, as VaTom said the other day in the earlier discussion, something like his Cat 933 would do all you want by the sound of it, especially if fitted with a 4 in 1 bucket and rippers. But then, I reckon a 4wd loader in a similar size with the same equipment would also do it. At 3/4 of a mile, distance is not going to be a major factor. This has pluses for both tracked and 4wd machines. It means you can add ballast to the tires of a 4wd loader because you aren't going to be travelling a million miles a day up and down the road. This makes an almost unbelievable difference to both traction and stability of a 4wd loader. If you go to tubeless tires and the beet sugar treatment, you can use tubeless repair kits for most punctures without even having to remove the tire. Another plus of fluid-filled tires is that they run at lower pressure and so are less prone to punctures. I have NO experience of water-filled tires in colder climates - I live in Australia - but is there any reason that automotive cooling system corrosion inhibitor/ anti-freeze can't be used instead of cal-chlor? Specifically: Something in the 6-12 ton class, either tracked or 4wd for which you can get service and parts but hopefully won't have cause to need them. Case W7-W8, 450 track loader. The equivalents in JD -- which I have had absolutely NOTHING to do with -- and for some unknown reason have always been a little 'sus' of. Kawasaki 50z, 60z 4wd loaders - I operated a 'Kwacker' 60z down here for three years and it was great little loader. Dollar for dollar, way better value than the Cat 920-930's it worked alongside -- 'cos it was half the price brand new. And the Cats couldn't beat it. Furukawa don't make a real bad loader either although spares and service may be a problem. I don't know what equivalents Komatsu might have in their 4wd loaders but they used to make a D41s loader that was not a bad little machine. I also seem to remember that they made a D31S. I know they made a D20S but it was only around 3 1/2 ton, probably a bit light. Further up there was the D50S (stick shift) and the D53S (power-shift.) which were around - I think - 12-13 tons. Cat.: 920 (low end of weight range), 922, 930, 931(Might be a bit light but a surprise packet), 933, 936, 938, 939, 944, early 950(top end of size range). All the odd-numbered Cat machines are tracked loaders and the 933 would be the only stick-shift amongst them. The 922 and 944 are late 50's-early 60's vintage, the early 950's would be mid-60's and the rest a bit later. International Houghs weren't a real bad machine either, the H50's and H60's but they always felt 'wobbly-booted' and were not the easiest things in the world to start cold. One that took VaTom's eye but would have been plain damn dangerous in his type of country was a Scoopmobile. The ones I am familiar with are the LD3, LD5 & LD7. All are 4wd and articulated. All are good, reliable machines if you can find them in good condition but have a basic design flaw that makes them VERY dangerous for all but flat ground work. (This comment might raise a scream or two from some people too, but I don't care. I KNOW what I'm talking about. If they disagree, they DON'T.) Michigan and Allis Chalmers are other names you could check out for 4wd loaders - AC 545 and 645 -- and even Massey Ferguson made one or two models There are also possibly a few on the grey market that I don't know about. MachineryTrader and other trade publications are good places to look This will hopefully give you somewhere to start. Hope this helps. Feel free to e-mail me if you want. You have a wonderful day. Best wishes. Deas Plant.
|
|
|
