I have a 7400 hour 330CL (DKY038**) with a stress crack in the side plate approximately 2 feet behind the boom jack. I saw pics of "Lee" repairing one and prepping to do another. Boy, do I have questions. My cat dealer says they'll buy 2/3's of a replacement boom, and I pay 1/3 of the boom and full labor. It is just a 9" crack, and reading up on Lee's repairs, it sounds as if cat had a published repair instruction. What tree do I need to shake at cat to get those? How much to repair one? Why does my dealer think I need a "new" boom?
There is another thread here on HEF about 330 B and C machines with the same problem as yours. It seems somewhat common, and Cat knows it. That is why they are pushing the new boom angle. Probably the dealer is pushing it hard so they can make the warranty money, plus your labor bill. Some more research and then approaching the dealer again just might get you a better deal. Here is the other thread: HeavyEquipmentForums
OK, here goes. There IS a repair instruction for cracks on 330C booms but it only applies to reach booms. I don't think your machine has that type of boom based on the information I have. Also there are 6 different crack locations described in the instruction and some of them are considered "non-repairable" because it puts the crack directly over the top of one or more non-removable internal baffle plates inside the boom. Access to repair the crack from both sides is an absolute necessity (you have to cut a "window" in the boom that is put back later) and if this cannot be achieved the recommendation in that case is to replace the boom because neither Cat nor the repairing dealer could stand behind the repair however much care was taken to do it correctly. I would hazard a guess that your crack, despite being only quite short, falls into that category. The Service Program for repairing/replacing 330 C/D booms again only covers reach booms. Your machine obviously doesn't have such a boom (or at least it didn't when it was new) because I can't see any machine in the DKY038xx Serial Number range included in the program. I would guess that the dealer has gone to Cat with a request for what's known as Goodwill based on the position that the customer did not receive "fair value", so the deal they are offering with Cat's blessing is based on your specific circumstances & determined by the hours on the machine at the time the crack was discovered, that's where the 2/3, 1/3 split likely comes from. Effectively what they are saying is that the boom should be expected to live around 22,000 hours for a "normal" life to the point it is considered unfit for further service. Usually the customer picks up 100% of the labour hours, but I have also seen cases where the dealer split the labour hours 50/50 with the customer. How much in terms of dollars are they talking about for your part of the new boom plus the labour ..? How much to repair one ..? PM me an e-mail address and I'll send you the repair instruction. Get a reputable welding contractor with prior experience of equipment repair welding to inspect the crack and to quote you for a repair EXACTLY as per what the instruction describes for your specific crack location, that's despite the fact fact that strictly speaking the procedure does not apply to your boom. It will be close enough. Compare that price with what the dealer is offering on a new replacement boom and make a choice which way you want to jump. One option gets you a new boom with full factory warranty, the other one gets you a repaired boom with whatever warranty your repair welding contractor is prepared to give you on his repair. Bear that in mind when making your decision.