we own a 315 cat and i was wondering if there is a way to add a blade to the machine. it is just a very tippy machine
What do you mean by "tippy" Do the front Idlers rock excessively because they need to be rebuilt? I think blades suck on excavators except for maybe a mini.
the mechine tip over when diging into hard ground. It seems to easy to flip the mechine when dig hard ground the blade might provide more stability
What size bucket are you running? It´s probably cheaper to sell your machine and buy a bigger one.
At 300000$ plus for a new mechine i think it might be cheaper to add a blade
To add a blade you will of course need to find or have a blade built. Then you will need to find a rotary manifold with 2 extra ports, then add an extra valve to run the blade. Then do all the plumbing involved. I don't know if Cat ever offered the 315 with the blade option, if not I would think that finding the rotary manifold would be difficult. Does Cat have a spare spool in the control valve? If so, you will be OK there unless you already have a hydraulic thumb installed. I guess what I'm saying is this could very easily turn into a very expensive fix. There are thousands of Cat 315 excavators out there that do not have a blade on them, so there must be a much less expensive way to fix your problem. How about just adding more counter weight?
Shadow, I saw a Hitachi ZX200 last year with a blade on it and started this topic : Seems a few on here have added a blade to their machines so it's entirely possible. Personally I would love to have a blade on my EX200!
a few Cats have extra ports in the swivel, or you could use a radio controled diverter valve to use the track motor flow
Well, yeah....but I didn't say buy a new machine. I'm assuming that your machine is worth something if you were to sell it and that a 320 of the same series with similar hrs isn't going to cost $300k more than your current machine. The prices I'm seeing on used iron in the NE are very attractive right now. If you put a home made blade on your machine, you'll hear about it from every prospective buyer when it comes time to sell the machine. You might come out $1,500 ahead in the short term, but $8,000 behind when you go to sell.
I have a 315B, with an oversized bucket (60" Lemac swinger) that was tippy as hell bEFORE we added a mechanical thumb. I just make sure I dig parallel to the track with the finals in the back. It isnt tippy like that. ,,,,,,,and Ill sell you a 315D for $300,000. Hell, Ill even deliver it.
i was looking at used 328lcr excervators with low hours as an upgrade and keep the 315
What length boom is on your 315 ? Operated one with long stick and found it to be a little tippy as compared to one with a short stick. I know when lifting septic tanks the long stick would place 1000 gallon H10 tank were as short stick could handle1250 gallon tank.
it is so bad that when you dig into the ground clay the mechine will lift off its tracks side on or front on. trying to dig in hard ground is like ridding a roller coaster i know an excervator will fell tipping at some point i just do think the mechine should come off the ground whill digging in normal ground clay and packed dirt i wonder if a larger excervator might still do this
shadow where the hell are you pricing a shovel at 300k , we just bought a 36k pound machine with 70hrs for 54k its not a "cat" but hell 300k or 54k pretty simple choice
i am looking at a 75000k mechine with 900 hr on it cat 328lcr i am worried that this mechine might be too small to dig what we dig when we can esily flip the 315 with out trying
I have a 315 CL. It does have a long undercarriage but it also has a thumb and the long stick. I usually run the 36" extra heavy duty Cat bucket. I am used to it so I don't consider it "tippy". Someone coming of the same machine, without a thumb, would probably think it was a little "tippy". I might add that I don't think my definition of "tippy" is the same as yours. If the front of my machine was lifting off the ground when I dug I would simply apply less down pressure. If the machine wants to upset when extending the bucket out, loaded, or less likely, unloaded, than I would consider that a "tippy" machine. BTW Cat has offered a blade for the 315. I did not quote one when I bought mine but I did get a quote from Volvo for a 140. It was a $10,000 option and that was back in '02. I really like the blade on my mini, and I have used one on a 312. The problem I've found is that they are usually bent and the bigger machine is just less manueverable than the mini. Still, I think it would be a good option. I hope it works out for you. Keep us posted.
What does "75000k" mean? $75,000 (sounds like a pretty good price), 75,000# (machine probably weighs around 56,000#), or do you mean 75,000,000 dollars or pounds? Without knowing your specific tasks and ground conditions it will be hard to make a recommendation. I will say this. The 328 is a little bit better of a performer than the 320 so you WILL feel the difference when comparing to the 315. If you don't need the short tail I might suggest a 325. If I remember correctly it will out perform the 328, on paper anyway.
i love my blade on the 140 and also had one on the 9010b we had ,that one was used when we got it and yes it was twisted up and had to be worked on to have a flat edge but i still feel its a must for a small shovel, that being said i wouldn't want one on a 45k 50k class machine
75000 pounds
can anyone give me some info on my 330cl. this excavator was working great and it started getting some little leak from the bucket cylinder. Now the bucket wont open or close. that is it doenst tilt at all. am wondering if it has anything to do with the bucket cylinder leak or it is a completely different thing. any ideas?
so 300k for a 75000 lbs class machine? a 328 is that heavy?
it is colser in the weight of a 330
Sorry. I misunderstood. I thought you meant 321 (+/-320 size short tail). The 328 is obviously bigger.
DAMN! now when my 315 bounces or is the least bit unstable all I can think about is this thread.
theirs something to be said about a smaller shovel having a blade , they really do help stabilize the machine, and allow for a quick leveling of the staging area to start with , pretty much a must have for a 15t machine. lol i was thinking about this tread yesterday and just put my blade down and smiled
A blade can be a real asset to me. Leveling the machine, extra lifting stability, and be able to backfill faster and smooth the area up are all a plus to me.