I was wondering if anyone has had hydraulic problems with these CAT mtls. My 277B is always leaking or blowing fluid out somewhere. Cats covered the repair parts so far but I am out of warranty and just blew out the oil cooler. Thats 1300 out of my pocket, and with this economy I just mite as well file chapter 11. All I need now is some crank to call DEP on me for oil spillage :Banghead
I have no experience of the cat 277b, but what i would say is if you have had problems all along and its only just out of warranty id fight them for warranty! Or at least meet you part of the with the bill!
Thats what I am hoping for. The cats 4 years old but only has 1200 hours on It. what killing me is all the problems with leaks.I could see it if the machine had 5 or 6000 hours on it. This last episode with the radiator/oil cooler was caused by ice build up on the outside.we had freezing rain a couple of weeks ago and water got build up between the radiator fins and cracked the tubes where they join the tanks. When to work and it spewed oil all over the turbo,engine and the fan sprayed all over the back.The bad part is I had to hire a another contractor to cover the job until I got it fixed [snowplowing] Bad enough to lose the plowing income but 1300 for a cooler that I feel should have never failed. The new cooler is built differently to take care of this problem with a heaver bulk head. So I am sure that Cat knows they have a problem.
I'm not too familiar with the 277B hyd circuit, but I think I can say if your blowing out the oil cooler you have a serious problem in the return circuit. That's the "low pressure" side of any hyd circuit. There's never supposed to be pressure in the return circuit sufficient to blow out an oil cooler. I believe I'd be taking apart every component, hose, or line after the oil cooler until I get back to either the tank or the pump connection, whichever it leads to.
This wasn't a total failure of the oil cooler . It was cracked where the tubes go into the tank I was losing about a gallon or two a hour. The service manager was the one that mention to me that it mite be ICE. After I gave it a closer look I can see what he meant.
I don't want to rain bad news on you but an outside force acting on a component is not grounds for warranty. If interpreted strictly by the warranty book it most likely would not be covered. Most dealers do have an option though called a policy adjustment. Approach the service manager in a calm and steady voice and lay out your problem. He might have some lea-way to be able to help you out. Go in like a volcano ready to blow and he probably won't give you a second thought. You do bring up a great point in this. All the Cat skid steers I've been around have the radiator cooler mounted horizontally above the engine and open to snow fall. Heat from the engine could cause the snow to melt and drain through the fins until the heat is gone. I can see how it is possible for ice to form and bend the tubes when it expands. There might just be an opportunity for someone to mass produce a snow cover for parked Cat skid steers.
I understand what you mean on all three points John C. But Cat has redesigned the cooler at area at which my cooler was leaking. As far as warranty and repair work Cat has been good about it. Its just a little frustrating with all the oil I've dumped thought the belly pan and out on the ground. Some of my customers don't understand. At 700 Hrs the return hose to the hyd tank split and empty the tank in the middle of a street. At 1000 hrs it split a steel line off the valvebody back blading in the middle of a playground. Some people get a little hostile about the oil and Hasmat issues now these day.God forbid if I go near a pond or stream, I'll be in jail. :Banghead I carry oil dry in the truck now because of these leaks. Sorry for the rant but the machine only has 1200 Hrs on it. there no reason I should have to chase it with a oil drum and a mop.
I agree with you Shifty on the leaking issues completely. No one buys a new machine figuring that it is normal to have all the leaks and blown hoses you are talking about. I'm glad your dealer is treating you well and taking care of the issues. I was just commenting on how to get a favorable response with a little honey and trying to educate people that just because it doesn't exactly fit a written warranty policy doesn't mean it can't be taken care of. I have seen many problems with people building hoses nowdays. Most don't ever check their crimping dies. I'll bet I could check on ten hose shops and find that seven of them don't know they are supposed to grease their dies. Of that seven, probably five have never checked the finished crimps with a caliper or micrometer to see if the dies are worn out. Of that seven there are probably three that don't know there are different dies for one wire, three wire and six wire hoses. Good Luck!
Not to sound harsh,but if that machine was mine,Id try to get Cat to fix it,and as soon as I got it back,I'd sell it or trade it in.This machine is only going to get worse with time.Something isnt right,and unless youve got the money to chase it down,and find out why its blowing hoses,and coolers,unload it.
Hi Shifty Check that the lines to the cooler aren't getting kinked against the firewall when the cooler or the cab is lowered. If they are, get your dealer to check for a service letter or service mag on the issue