A year ago a neighbor buried his 200 class Komatsu excavator. I can't find the post now to add to it, but he had the counterweight sunk so deep it would not build oil pressure. They took a few days to freeze and dig it out and life went on. A month or two ago in a spot less than 100 yards of where the excavator was stuck he took his newer D6N that he bought a couple months earlier swimming. He had ditched a trail and then plugged it to try to dry it up enough downstream for him to do some clearing. The DNR ordered him to drain the ditch. He took the Cat and decided to smooth the road before he drained the ditch. Low and behold he slipped into the ditch. Afraid he would turn over he turned it down into the ditch as he slid. Then panicked because he can't swim and never turned the engine off as it went under. When he came to his senses and found that he was OK he realized that the engine was no longer running. With the machine pointed downhill the water was up to within 2 inches of the top of the seat front. After using the excavator to pull the dam, the water lowered a couple feet. Then using the excavator, his D5, and his D65(?) as anchors they rented a heavy duty rotator wrecker with a 6 part line on the main winch to slowly extract it from the mud and water. The got it in the shop and drained all compartments. No water came from the engine and very little elsewhere. Cat looked at it and estimated $40,000.00 to $50,000.00 to be reasonable sure it would work to its expected hours. He decided not to go that route, filled all he compartments with new fluids and started it up. So far they have about 50 hours run time with no known issues. Is it possible that he air cleaner plugged with water killing it before it injested water? What do you guys think he can expect down the road? This fellow is always pushing the limits and getting bad stuck is a fairly often occurrence. He is retired with his son running his roofing business and knowing he can't take his money with him, he plays with expensive toys. None of this work is for hire. Just playing on his own property. I can hardly wait to see next years episode.
D1ckheads like him should have their toys taken away IMHO........before they kill someone. Unfortunately because he already has a son if he kills himself he wouldn't qualify for a Darwin Award, much though he would deserve one.
I have never seen the point or reason to do a nice piece of machinery this way. Couple years ago I pushed out some sycamore trees which are a complete biotch. The following spring the owner had a guy with a size bigger machine push out some more. I was working next door in a cab machine and could hear him ramming the tree. The guy I was working for asked me what he was doing , my reply was to make my previous work look in efficient by knocking the tree over, and taking years of life off his tractor. If I owned that tractor we would of had words in a bad way.
Can't fix stupid. He is the obvious definition of that.
I don't think this guy deliberately wrecks anything. He just makes poor decisions in his machine operating habits and the way he goes about things. He was very smart in his business and became very successful. He does play at the limits and it has bit him more than twice. A few years ago he bought a untralight airplane without his wifes knowledge and a month later ended up crashing it into a big round hay bale when it veered to one side on touchdown. The thought would never enter his head about needing a 50 ft wide landing strip if the plane only has a 18 ft wingspan. He laid in the field for hours with the plane upside down on top of him dripping gas on him. A neighbor found him when curious what the heck was out their. He spent a number of weeks in the hospital on that one. He says the hospital needed a guard on him to keep his wife from killing him. In this case he walked the Cat over there from his shop and decided to do the road before starting the excavator and draining the ditch. He figured as long as he was in the Cat he may as well finish with it before shutting it off. He never gave a thought to sliding in. On the other hand if some one is in a bad way in the area he is among the first to help out.
Sounds like he just needs to step away from operating anything or he's going to end up seriously injuring or killing himself. Some people just aren't fit to operate equipment. What he did in his business is irrelevant. He had to be too close to the edge to slide in. Money don't buy brains or common sense but can buy you a casket.
I know a guy that rode a Euc truck down to the depths of around 100' under water after the frozen bank gave out underneath him. Got it recovered a few days later, heated up and dried out, fluids changed. All of the components went south throughout the following years. Last year up near OIH I know of a fellow who sunk his new deere crawler way over the engine/transmission during a -30 night in the dark wearing nothing but jeans and a sweatshirt. Had to run something like a mile to the pickup. Should have seen the sweatshirt that was cut off with a utility knife froze stiff. Insurance Co. totaled the unit.
I knew one of these guys... Because he could afford to buy it he figured that made him a qualified operator. I fixed a few stupid's for him. Then when he would do the same stuff over and over and blame me for his repeated failures... we parted ways. Then he found another guy to do his work, 'til that guy went to jail and got deported. Anyways Mr. super operator had "the other guy" install a "NEW" radiator core in his D-8K at the cost of $4K. When it started leaking a month later he called me begging to fix it for him. Hah, that rad core had more solder and rotten tubes than you could count. None of the side and bottom supports had been reinstalled so the core just broke off the top header. $4.5K later he had a real new core and all the proper core supports. It's funny though... he thought I was going to warrantee the other guys work? My Lawyer kinda straightened him out on how that works.
This one? HeavyEquipmentForums
Thats the one. It had sunk a lot more before they got it out. I wish I could have got the photos in my hand but his friend would not send them to me. He typically gets his tracked skid steer and his articulate 4 wheel drive JD tractor stuck a few times a year. He has the means to pull them out easily. He is determined to turn a swamp into farmable country. Why I don't know. Can't complain though, while he quit hunting years ago he has supplied the local deer herd with some great habitat while trying to clear this ground.
Turning "swamp into farmable country?" If he's In the U.S., he'd darn sure need to know that he's not impacting regulatory wetlands, for if he is without the extremely-hard-to-obtain permit, he could be headed to federal prison, courtesy of the U.S. EPA..
I know a guy that's been in the same lake several times, also almost tore his house down with a big excavator trying to dig a basement beside it. Lucky he has a lot of money.
He got fined $40,000 a few years ago for making a 30 acre pond without a permit. Another fellow had drawing designed by a wetlands engineer to dig a 7 acre lake and the DNR wanted $33,000 for the permit to go 12 foot deep. By going 8 ft deep he was told he did not need a permit. A local agent had gave the D6N owner a notice to drain the ditch. Thats why he was there. A year ago he was gave a notice that he had to hold the water. They swamp police are so messed up here its not funny. For years we could not harm cattails. Now the DNR wants them gone because they don't let the water flow naturally or so they say. Saving wetlands are fine in some areas but we have more wetlands then not. Regulations seem to be catch all instead of using common sense. If folks got locked up here for working in a swamp the whole damn north half of the state would be locked up.
Our house overlooks "innumerable acres," as cited in many deeds, of wetlands. Impact wetlands without a permit, and you will be in deep kimshi. Ask your lawyer.
Same in MO as MN. See a patch of swampy soil next to a plowed field it all becomes wetlands until all dries up then the claim goes away. Have a pond that fills with mud and it becomes wetlands even as manmade. Soil conservators of our DNR see it differently each time they look. Not supposed to allow livestock into runoff streams but is blind eyed most of the time unless someone pisses them off then they are like flies to fresh manure.
Certain soils are considered wetlands even if they aren't. Saw some trees removed in a field and the guy had to replant a couple hundred to satisfy them. Best to stay clear out of sight of these overzealous gov. agents.
Yeah, don't you just love people who think there's nothing to running a machine, and that anyone could do it?
The owner of the D6N was in the coffee shop this morning. He told us that he got one citation on Monday and another yesterday. The first one from the Soils and Water Commission. It said the corrective action was to plug the drainage ditch and remove the sand from the bog. A different person from the same office was the one that made him drain it in the first place. There is no sand in the bog. The other came from the Ag Commission said he has to clean the growing matter from the ditch and maintain the drainage ditch going forward. Both offices are in the local courthouse. He is going there today. Stay tuned for the fireworks show. Goverment intervention at its finest.
I had coffee with the fellow that owns this D6 this morning. Its actually a D6M LGP, not a N as I stated previously. He had a bout with cancer and was out of commission for a while. I asked him what happened with his citations. He said he requested a meeting with all the parties that he was getting crap from. He said it resulted in a big constrained pi**ing match (which he enjoyed immensely) between the different departments, ending with them telling him to go home and they would send him the findings when they get it sorted out. He has never heard another peep from them to date. Now for the current problem. He has put about 200 hours on the D6M since then, playing on his property. Serial number is 4JN2041. It is a 2001 D6M LGP. Recently it has had issues with it going forward. Reverse works fine. It had all compartment fluids and filters changed after its bath. No water was found in the transmission. The oil still looks like new. The problem started with forward not engaging occasionally. By hitting neutral and then back into forward it would shift and push like it always did with no slippage. He could hear what he described as a mild noise like something trying to engage when it did not work. As of a few days ago it stopped moving forward at all while reverse still works perfectly. A Cat field service rep came out to check it over. He said that he checked the solenoids and all are OK and the transmission needs a rebuild. The Cat dealer quoted the rebuild at a cost of $35,000. Does this make sense or is it possibly something else that is causing it not to engage?
Any pressures taken? I would want a lot more digging before I felt like that was a reliable diagnosis.
I know this is late to the discussion above about government rules but reading back in it reminded me about a friend from work. He has a camp up in the Adirondacks Park here in NY. He says there is a rule you can't cut down any live trees. His solution to that is a dog. See you have to keep dogs chained up and the best way to do that is with a chain and the handy place to install a chain for the dog is that tree over there. After a summer of the chain around the tree with a crazy dog running back and forth that poor tree is not doing too well come spring time with the bark all cut through. Dead trees are a fire and insect hazard so better cut it down before it causes a problem!
is that the same cat dealer that said 40to 50 k to get it running again after its bath?..I would go for another diagnostic look over..
I dont think that there are any rules for cutting trees like that.. Adirondack Shorelines Among the most valuable resources in the Park is the land along its thousands of streams, rivers, ponds and lakes. The laws the Agency administers provide protection to water quality and aesthetics of Adirondack shorelines by establishing setbacks, lot widths and cutting restrictions. Shoreline restrictions apply to all lakes and ponds, all rivers being studied for inclusion in the Wild, Scenic and Recreational Rivers System, and all other rivers and streams navigable by boat, including canoe. For more on shoreline minimum lot widths and setbacks, see page 6 of the Citizen's Guide . Wild, Scenic and Recreational Rivers System Many Adirondack rivers are subject to special regulations and permit requirements adopted under the New York State Wild, Scenic and Recreational Rivers System Act. These regulations apply in addition to those set forth in the APA Act. Agency regulations apply to the designated rivers and lands adjoining them, generally up to 1/4 mile from the edge of the river. For more on Rivers System Act regulations and which rivers the Act applies to, see pages 6 and 7 of the Citizen's Guide . Removing Trees Generally, there ane no requirements for the harvesting of trees on non-shoreline parcels unless you plan to clear-cut more than 25 upland acres or 3 wetland acres, or the property is located in a Designated River Area. However, cutting of trees in preparation for aproject requiring a permit may not begin until the permit is obtained; tree removal is part of the project review process, In addition, there are permit requirements for the construction of woods roads or skid trails through wetlands. For more on shoreline cutting limits, see page 7 of the Citizen's Guide . Variances A variance from the mandatory shoreline restrictions may be allowed if, on the request of a landowner, the Agency determines that the strict application of the shoreline development restriction would cause practical difficulty or undue hardship. A public hearing must be held on each variance request. For more on shorelines, Wild, Scenic, and Recreational Rivers, removing trees, and variances, see pages 6 and 7 of the Citizen's Guide to Adirondack Park Land Use Regulations (pdf 370kb).
Here in MO we have the 'Clean Water Act', in a indefensible mode. The Interior Department thru other channels as CoE, consider most ANY small creek or stream no matter how far off a navigable river(the Missouri) as being a component part of that navigable waterway. They pitch fits over cattle manure and urine or grazed animal residue even as far as to removing rocks in low crossings are subject to discerning interpretations as to how much how many times and how large a operation. Gets kinda stupid.
The same dealer. You said the same thing as what I told him. Time to get a Cat service guy that is willing to really check and fix something in the field. Just reading old posts on transmission issues it seems like the starting point is always pressure checks at various points.
Navigable water as designated by the Federal Government around 1850 shows Navigable Water to be any Lake, Stream, or other Flowage that will float a 8" diameter log 12' long down it at some point during a normal rainfall year. It was initiated because lumber barons were blocking streams to keep other lumber companies from floating their logs to market. How do I know this. The owners of a hospital I was building in Two Rivers, Wisconsin got sued by a "green" group that tried to shut the hospital project down because it was in their opinion that the hospital was being built to close to a navigable stream. Federal law say you can build no permanent structure within 75' of normal high water. As it turns out normal high water is the normal average summertime flow, as described in Blacks Law Dictionary. The group tried to pass normal high water as a spring flood condition.
not to get off target, but the most important and profit making commodity we have in this country is fresh water and the government wants to control it all...just look at some of the crazy laws that have been put in place to make water on your own property untouchable....ok now back to your regular scheduled programing .....lol
Well the property this guy has in the Park is on a stream or river so it might fall in that "navigable" designation and have restrictions.
I would check pressures and pull the screen before saying it has died.
Pressure checks are necessary but the other issue I've seen on the M series machines was the speed sensors. They go bad and things get pretty squirrelly on the transmission controls. The dollar amounts given sound more like a complete new transmission rather than a rebuild.
I have not seen the owner and his phone has been off. I took a drive over to his place the other night. No one around and the D6M is parked on the low bed but not changed down. Night have just been moved home from his woods. I stopped at the local tavern for a beer on the way home and happened to bump into another local heavy equipment mechanic that is well respected in the area. We got to chatting over a beer and he had been called a few days ago and was asked to look at the transmission. Before he committed he called the CAT mechanic whom had originally looked at it. They had gone to mechanic school together and know each other well. He says the guy is a good mechanic. The CAT mechanic told him he pulled the filter, cut it open and it was full of gold colored pieces. He never went any further due to the amount of crap in the filter. Figured there was no use spending the owners money on something that had to be torn down. He never gave him a repair price. He's not sure where the price came from. The fellow I had the beer or 3 with declined to look at it. He told me that he is so busy with good work that he has no need to get into that mess. I'll update when I find out more. I think the owner might be hospitalized again as his phone is always off, he has not been in the coffee shop, and no one has been home.
The guy clearly has more money than sense so let Cat fix it and be done with it. Good thing he was good at business. Roofing is a great racket especially if you speak a little Spanish.
Don't need to know any Spanish in Northern Minnesota to be a good roofer. His son is a sharp cookie and going great guns with the business. Found out the D6 owner is fighting some cancer again so the Cat is still setting in the yard. Got most of his ears cut off last time but no info on what's up this time. Not up to visitors so I have not seen him.
I did flinch a little at "got most of him ears cut off". I don't know your buddy, but damn that has to suck.
True, Choreka roofing is a great business here.
Seen the owner of the D6M this morning at the gas station. He had a 2-1/2" half healed scar around his left eye where they had cut more cancer out. He said that's the only one that shows. Doc's are blaming it on agent orange. He lived in that crap for a year as a young man. He ended up sending his Cat to a small shop where the proprietor was a Cat mechanic in the iron ore mines up until recently. They found the clutches badly damaged from water in the transmission. They installed new clutches, all new seals, and a number of new bearings. He said the shop spent a lot of time cleaning and flushing everything. He has put about 30 hours on it since and it seems to be working correctly so far. He just hauled it home to change fluids and flush again per the mechanics advice. Just under $15,000 for the tranny work. Time will tell.
Dickhead---WOW??? Well anyways some guys just have too much money to play with..
Ya, But he is a good hearted and entertaining dickhead. He will go out of his way to help anyone in trouble so you can't help but like him. As long as it does not become unlawful to be a Class A redneck he will be OK. He earned it, he spends it. He recently paid for a new cancer procedure room at the local hospital so he doesn't waste all his money.
OIH,I agree 100%!!! Whats wrong with a guy having fun with his machines.... A dickhead? realy.. I worked for a man I loved dearly, and he earned every penny he ever made... he built several businesses and was a real innovator. Old School self taught man... He would like to clean out his pond every now and then... you always knew when he was doing it, as it attracted a lot of attention.... He would start with a D9, bury it, go get another one, bury that one and so on.... near dinner time, he would get one of his sons to come over the hill with yet another big machine and winch the rest of them out.... He seemed very happy doing this, even if it cost him repairs, time, etc. He loved it. Nothing wrong with that in my book.... He bought those machines and he would do what he wanted with them.
Well, I guess this is the final chapter in this post. After going thru a private hell my friend lost his battle with agent orange. Before he left us, he gave all his equipment to his one brother that always stuck with him. He has spent his working career as a operating engineer and you can bet the toys will have a easier life now. His wife was also left in fine financial shape. I was in awe at his funeral when one of our local hospital board members listed 11 children's based charitable and medical projects that he had anonymously paid for over the last number of years. He had not wanted them disclosed while he still lived. He may not have been the best operator, but he was a true patriot and had a heart of gold. He gave us all something to talk about, and good naturedly took some guff as well as handed it back. I will miss him. God speed my friend.
He sounds like he was a great all around guy. RIP.
Sorry for you loss.
RIP.... what we find out about people after they pass should be known when they are still alive..especially when its on the good side....
So sorry to hear, hate finding out old friends have passed.
Sorry to hear about your friend OIH. Sounds like a stand up guy.
I disnt realize who this was until he passes away. Small world we live in. He was one of the good guys.