small earth moving machines
- Thread starter adeso
- Start date
I was reading up on it, a lot of hate towards them lol. If it isn't a "grey" model I think it would be ok for what I'm doing, if the hour meter is still working on it. Cats are nice but I can't help to feel that I'm paying for stuff I don't need. Seems like cat is really good about getting your stuff fixed asap, which really matters if you are using that machine to pay the bills vs me where I can wait a few weeks on parts
I thought about it, but I think buying old is the way for me. I'm not going to put a lot of time on them. I would rather let it sit broke for a few weeks than have a new one with a large payment sit all winter. Might go old cat D3 or 4, or a 350-450 JD. then get a tractor with a bucket to do the light lifting.
The way I figure it, after this winter I can overhaul a mid hour older cat D4 and have a nice tractor for the cost of one of the new tracked loaders. And I know I can do more work next summer with those machines.
so, here is what I plan on looking at when I buy something old
Sprocket and idle condition, check the pins in the track for roundness.
look for signs of overheating, bad fluids etc
take the machine out for a test spin and bury the blade, make sure the trans doesn't slip and the TC isn't messes up.
with the blade burred release each turn clutch and make sure they feel good
I ran some dozers as a kid, but I'm sort of retarded when it comes to them
Sprocket and idle condition, check the pins in the track for roundness.
look for signs of overheating, bad fluids etc
take the machine out for a test spin and bury the blade, make sure the trans doesn't slip and the TC isn't messes up.
with the blade burred release each turn clutch and make sure they feel good
I ran some dozers as a kid, but I'm sort of retarded when it comes to them
Do you already know where you're gonna buy equipment from? We usually buy from richie bros. auctions. We've bought some mid price range items to get our 2nd excavating crew going. They seem to have good deals on mini exs and skid steers too. Though buyong a bobcat brand new is probly the way to go. They've had quite a bit of warranty work to do..
Sent from the drivers seat of an 06 dmax
Sent from the drivers seat of an 06 dmax
the cat D4 and D5 are perkins powered. I amnot impressed with them. the Komatsus are cummins powered they are more reliable.either way stay away from hydrostatic drive they need more maintenance and get weak as they wear out. try to findsomething with a fresh bottom end.
no clue yet. But I'm about set on the dozer/light tractor route now. And going with an older machine. I will have a few months to work then all winter to tinker with it for down time so might even try to find some farmer who is getting rid of one.
And thanks for all the info guys, this really isn't my strong area
The machine I'm liking has hydrostat lol. How bad are they to repair if worn out? thousands or tens of thousands?
The machine Im looking at is a D39PX-21A that was a rental machine for a while with 4100 hours on it