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Cat 345bl II or 345cl

jprefect ยท 2015-12-23 15:37

I'm looking at purchasing a 345 or pc400. I have ran both sizes a lot but I have never ran a 345cl. I found a 345CL that I'm interested in but know nothing about the C series hoes. Anybody give me some insite on what to look for on them. Do they have any issues that I need to watch out for. Any help would be great. how do they compare to the 345BL II. thanks guys

Replies5
  1. #1mxsledder2015-12-24 02:50

    345 C is significantly quicker and more productive than the B series. Fuel economy is better and the cabs are much better. Really a great machine, you can't go wrong.

  2. #2John C.2015-12-24 15:01

    In my opinion as a mechanic the C series machines are where Cat finally caught up with the rest of the excavators on the market. Electronics are far better than the B with the diagnostics being a lot more intuitive. I can't comment on the speed and power but most all the operators I've gotten to talk to like the C real well. The Komatsu is also a good machine as well. Having worked on older units I can't think of any other machines that worked better. I don't know how the newer units do. The one down side of Komatsu in general is the re-sale values are always in the toilet. From my experience a low hour unit gets OK money and will run a long time. A high hour unit doesn't even make a good boat anchor. Basically when one major component is worn out, so are the rest of them and the parts costs to rebuild are just stupid.

  3. #3jprefect2015-12-24 21:04

    Thanks for the input guys. I have operated both the 400 & 345b a lot. I like the new stuff but cost a little more than I have at this time. I can't wait to hear from others opinions.

  4. #4JDOFMEMI2016-01-03 17:03

    If you can get a C model, do it. They are far and away better than the B model.

  5. #5jprefect2016-01-10 17:50

    Hey thanks guys for the input. Now I have another question for everyone. I found a 345cl that I'm serious about. I have only see it on the internet not in person yet , planning on that this week. It has about 12000 hrs on it. I guess that it's going to need a undercarriage with in the next year. How to do a undercarriage. Final drives are they something I need to worry about with only 12k hrs on it. If so what do I need to look for?