Deas Plant.
11-10-2003 11:50:28
|
Re: Re: Sean, Check this photo. in reply to Sean, 11-10-2003 08:39:56
|
|
Hi, Sean. We have no trouble getting parts for the older machines in our fleet, the 941's and 943's, both of which are now no longer in production. The youngest of the 941's is a 20 year-old machine, the oldest is 30 years old and all 3 of them still do a full day's work every day, 5 1/2 days a week. They've also got a lot of company amongst the other contractors who are using track front end loaders. My boss tried Cases when he first started and they very near broke him. He still has most of the first Cat 941 he ever bought. It was rolled a couple of years after he got it, stood back up on its feet and put back to work. He only parked it and started parting it out for the 941's about2 1/2 years ago because the transmission was getting a bit sick. We still buy mostly new parts or re-conditioned assemblies and have no trouble getting them. Just occasionally, something will have to be overnight air-freighted from Caterpillar Australia in Melbourne, around 1,000 crow-type miles South of here. Komatsu now no longer make any of their crawler loader line except for the D75S, a 25 ton machine that was last upgraded around 1978. You can start to get a 'feel' for your machine and especially the business - bucket - end by watching the way the bucket and loader frame moves as you put load on it. And move it will. You may remember that I mentioned having a machine fitted with a ripper. Where you can get the ripper to them, it will do a better job on the tree roots than the bucket. In many cases, simply ripping around the base of the tree to cut the surface roots is enough. Our summers may be similar, Sean, but I doubt our winters are. I still go most places around here in the middle of winter on most days dressed in shorts and shirt. The nearest snow - summer or winter - is normally around 800 miles South of here. And, we are still around 300 miles South of the tropics. I am pretty much right in the middle of a 400 mile coastal strip that has similar conditions and I regard it as being one of the very few places on Earth that are fit for human habitation. Funny thing is a real hot day might be 90-92 deg. F. here and 600 to 1000 miles further SOUTH, closer to the South Pole, they get 100's and 100-pluses, on the coast. You have a wonderful day. Best wishes. Deas Plant.
|
|
|