Does Cat still manufacture a D6T with an open cab? Or was the D6R lll the last 6 manufactured without a cab?
There's certainly nothing listed for an OROPS on a D6T. You might have to ask a dealer if the option is available.
OROPS has been going away for some time. Noise and dust means an operator has to wear PPE when running the machines so mining companies just quit ordering them.
Thanks Nige, that is what it looked like to me. Thought I saw one on an online auction about two years ago but have seen nothing lately. Hope all is going well.
That is what it looks like to me. I have a D6H ll OROPS I have been running for 26 years. Thinking about replacing and just do not really want an enclosed cab. Looks like if I want that I better just look for a low hour D6R. Will check with Cat dealer. The way ours has changed, older fellows retired etc, it is hard to get much info out of them. Sad.
why would anybody want an open cab with all the dust and noice?
I have been running an open cab dozer for 43 years. Started on a 96J D5. Then D6Ds. Purchased my current D6H ll in 1994. It is still doing the job. At this stage of the game an open cab is working fine for me. Less maintenance, easier to work on, slightly better visibility, don't have to worry about glass when clearing land. Really does not bother me. I do mostly soil conservation, rural type work. When it is too cold it is usually too wet to do much work anyway. Heat, no problem. Now for the bottom line. I will probably take it to the house is 3-4 more years. Figured I could save some money by not purchasing a cab and air machine. I would be counting on some folks like you who would not even consider a dozer without cab and air. Most operators this day will not operate a machine without cab and air. If a good machine without cab and air were in existence I would figure it would sell for a reduced price. Does that make sense? Now if I were about 20 years younger, like you probably are, I would go to Cat and purchase me a low hour D6T XL with cab and air that someone who thought they could get rich quick buying a brand new one had let go back to the dealer. One with less than 1200 hours. Don't get me wrong. I work with my son now and most of our other equipment has cab and air. It is nice. I primarily operate the D6H ll and 130G. Neither which has cab and air. Have two fans in the 130G. Works good for me. Maybe I am hardcore, but with only a few years left, I am still loving it.
PWR, you probably don´t realize the climate I come from. More or less all year round we have horizontal rain, sleet or snow. Well, mostly rain in the summer, but frequent strong winds. No operator would last more than a week with an open cab IN THE SUMMERTIME. As for air con. all our machines have had enclosed cabs for decades and only recently air con has been standard equipment. Air con or not, we don´t even have to use it that much in the summer. As for this open cab culture, seems to be specific to America. Even in in southern European countries like Greece or Spain with hot summers most machines have enclosed cabs and have had long before the advent of air cons. If it´s hot you simply run with all doors and windows open, and you close them to keep out the elements when needed, just like it should be...
Leifi, I understand that in your climate you have to have a cab, but not all the World is like Iceland (fortunately)........ Open ROPS are a lot more common than you may think. All of Africa for a kickoff, followed by big swathes of the less-developed parts of Asia as well. Running a machine with a cab with the doors open is a good way to damage the hinges, the doors themselves, or even the cab. If it has a cab the doors need to be closed while the machine is operating. If anyone wants to run with the doors open they are easy enough to remove though....
I guess the cabs I am referring to are mostly the old type that was around mostly before ROPS cabs or hexagonal shape became common. Especially the old Caterpillar cabs were well designed in that respect, the doors could be securely locked in open position by a screw that operated from within the cab and the doors wouldn´t even rattle. Of course the new hex cabs are slightly worse in that respect. And I am aware that in the poorer parts of the world there is less focus on safety and security, hence I was comparing America to Europe, Well just my thougts...
But let me add to give America some credit, as far as I know USA was the first country to make ROPS structures obligatory on all machines...
Leifi if you have a cab on a bulldozer in this part of the world and it does not have A/C the heat is almost unbearable in warmer months. It is unbearable in summer. Cab, no A/C, much worse than no cab at all. We do not operate any of our machines that have cab and A/C with the doors open. Dusty and easy to damage doors. Filthy cab not good! Good way for operator to loose job. Occasionally operate excavator with front window open when doing underground. Primarily for better visibility. Been many a year since I have seen a machine without a ROPS. Would not catch me on one.
I seen cab machines with the door open all the time. All the bad things that you all are talking about apply. The operators don't care. They want the AC on and fan on high but also think the door has to be open for real air. When I worked on AC all the time I'd just tell the owners that it was their machine and I enjoyed getting paid to fix AC units. I didn't tell them what I wanted to tell them. I hadn't found a way to get paid for fixing stupid.
Well, I really agree with you guys, I never run with the doors open on modern machines as I don´t like dust an noise. (and it might be too cold anyway..) I mostly worked on dozers in the early 70´s with old fashioned cabs and the only means of ventilation was to have a door open. I enclose a pic with a typical machine from that era, an original Caterpillar cab (its not me on the picture..)