Hi all , after a long time looking at different brands and second hand machines, I've finally taken delivery of our new 140 M , I'm really looking forward to the different way of operating a grader. Have not driven it much yet because the first day it turned up I was trimming under string for kerb, then came top coarse between a 6 meter invert to invert road , and with all the rain have not got on to trimming yet. For this reason I've stayed with my komatsu 555-3 . I've put 23 hours over about a 4 week period, but when I went to do another job yesterday , jumped in turned the key then nothing. Everything on the dash went out. Rang cat at 11.30 am , the phone lines where full at the closest yard so it got transferred another place some 200 Klms south, it was a weird call as my first words to the service guy was that my grader won't start I think it flat batteries. After a dead pause he said and how's that his problem,to which I said considering it's got 20 hrs on the clock I think it is your problem. Anyway a great effort by cat as by 4.30 the auto sparky was driving out the gate job done, new batteries the old ones did not test out. But he did test for any draw and I can't remember what unit he was looking at volts,amps or even what decimal point it was but it was a draw of 2.37. He then started pulling fuses and found 7 of them drawing current that was all to do with E C M ? He did advise to turn the isolator every night to stop this but with good batteries in it, and daily use it should be OK So what does everyone else do? This grader is a lot bigger than the old one the 14 ft blade looks huge compared to the 12 ft blade especially when you got only 2.7 m from lip to crown and the 9 m cult-de-sac the there's not much room in it . Hopefully in time it will feel like the old one.
Turn the battery disconnect (Master, Night switch, Isolator, etc.) off every night. It's just a good habit, helps keep things from being stolen or messed with, cuts down on accidental fires, like that.
Our operators are taught to turn off the master (main disconnect) switch even at the change between one shift and the next which might only be maybe 30 minutes. For a machine that's going to be used on a dayshift-only basis I would say definitely flip the main switch off before leaving the machine every day. As a bit of homework get into the Operator Manual and see what you can actually do with the machine. The first thing you'll probably need to know is how to change the hydraulic control system sensitivity from standard to fine or coarse and back again.
Hey worm burner We run a lot of 140M's and if they sit around for a week they'll be sluggish to turn over and sometimes not start there's a lot of battery drain while not being used on them It from Hastings deering? Did they install a product link? Our Westrac units have it and it drains battery's like no tomorrow on our 950's with our fire suppression monitoring on them Cheers P_M
Thanks everyone,looks like I'll be turning the master off at the end of the day. I have read about the different hydraulic settings and will try each one out for different jobs. Yes the grader was from Hastings and does have product link. The biggest thing that I'm going to have to get used to is the direct drive as the 555-3 has the torque converter and really let's you sneak around on difficult spots like in front of kerb on cult de sac's. You know when I was younger I thought that the grader was a very boring place to be,all that fine fussy stuff,problems with soft spots ,not moving around the job much, rolling ,trimming ,stringing,time limits,inspections,always cranky with roller drivers,water truck drivers didn't do anything for me. The scrapers,diggers and dozers is where all the action was and so was I. The old grader driver told me that this was the best job on site,what did he know! Lucky for me everything he done he told me why and how, never really understood what for I'm not on the grader? Well for the last 10 years I've had the best job on site , and when things get difficult I think back and try to recall what he was on about. This forum also helps,thanks guys it all helps
Yes. And turn the radio of to.