Hi all, we are looking to add another dozer and are looking at a d5m lgp, with new salt tracks, and 4300 hours, open cab. It has a 3116, and after talking to some cat buddies, they said it is underpowered and can be problematic. However, I wanted some feedback from someone who has personal experience with them. Thanks all!
Wow! Where are all the kitty fans at? 87 views and no thoughts? Guess that's all I need to know
I've had a d5m, nice little machine especially if your in the soft stuff the lgp will serve you well, make sure it's a fingertip steer machine tho Pj
The problem with any lgp, especially if it has a PAT blade, is the width of the blade relative to the weight and horsepower of the machine. You just cannot cut like a conventional gauge machine. That said, I put a few thousand hours on a D5M, and enjoyed it very much for detail finish work. The only thing that I did not care for was the lack of touch with the fingertip controls. I believe that there is some calibration that can be done, but the one that I ran would get jerky and go from no clutch release to brake with seemingly no middle ground. It was worse when it was warm. I am a fan of the high track tractors for visibility and balance, and the little tractor had no issues with the exception of the electronic connection to the transmission in the back that is exposed to the elements. One of the other employees was ripping thin frost with it and a piece of frost came up and hit the wire connection, breaking the connector. A roll of electrical tape held it in place and we had no further problem. Evidently, in order to replace the connector one had to buy the entire harness, and remove the cab to install it.
I have had good luck with the D-5M. It works hard for its size, and once you get used to the fingertip controls, it is nice to operate. One trick to use when fine grading and needing a slight turn is to gently ride the footbrake before pulling the clutch. This evens out the brake application to both tracks, and lets you modulate the brake pressure given through the steering control without the herky jerky feel of a straight pull on the lever does. The only problem mine had was getting drowned once and cracking a piston or two. The operator?? was to blame for that, not the tractor. It also takes a bit to get used to the rattle it makes prior to warming up all the way. It has 2 piece pistons, aluminum skirts with a steel cap, and both float on the wrist pin. Due to the thermal expansion of the two metals being different, there is a slight gap when cold that mostly closes up once both pieces reach operating temp, causing the rattle that makes you swear it is ready to throw a rod.
Thanks for the replies!
This machine is a good tractor. The controls just need to be calibrated buy a tech(2 hr's) and they will work perfect! As for the steering and brakes, the same thing holds true have it calibrated and the inch brake and steering will be very smooth! The 3116 is a so called trow away engine compared to the old 3306 that it replaced. If you have a rattle in the engine there is something wrong, more than likely it the rack! The 3116 is a mechanical injection and is some what intensive to set. ALL Cat dozers are under powered from about the 80's on! And that is buy design, mainly for heating issues, mainly Torq converter heating. Other than BAD maintenance and abuse there is noting at all wrong with a D5M used for finish type work, as it is not designed for long heavy pushing. From a mechanics view point!