the page is in russian, but i'm sure you will enjoy the pics. http://digital-skull.livejournal.com/20931.html#cutid1
Interesting pics. Anyone able to understand what happend to it? What happend to make it end up like that??
The guy who took the photos says its not known what happened to it or why is it on the side. He says it is in the middle of nowhere and he heard from local hunters that there is a big abandoned dozer in a remote area so he decided to go find it and check it out.
Poor old girl, the rollers and idlers aren't that bad. DP
Canibles
Looks like a fitting end to a fair to bad piece of equipment. Doesn't look as tho it had real good maintenance, and "A" model 355's were maintenance intensive. Very prone to bust final drives. It looks like there is a mine off in the distance a ways behind the dozer in one or two of the pictures. If it was in a hard rock mine it was likely worked hard round the clock and thus would have racked up hours fast. It probably busted something and became a parts machine for the ones still able to operate. I notice there are other pieces of machinery scattered in with the Komatsu parts, so this was maybe a scrap iron pile for the activity. Not so different from coal mines in Kentucky and West Virginia that I've been around.
A lot of the equipment over there that is still attempting to do a days work is not so far from that condition
Welcome to HEF LDK! :drinkup
Thank you CB, I've been watching from the side lines for a while, thought it was time I made contact.
Well, glad you decided to join in on the fun. :drinkup Is that dozer in your avatar really the color it appears to be? Can you post the original?
I just had to laugh at LDK's comment! The "A" model 355's I had in Colorado were just about in that shape too. I had some D9H's in Kentucky that would have made the 355 look brand new. I still remember the ass-chewing I received from my boss after the company brass came by and saw the bare carcass of one D9 -- which just happened to still be on the books as an asset valued at $60,000.00. Oh Boy!!! But, we saved considerably more than that by parting the old girl out. The U/C was shot, and it had lost a final drive. Parts alone would have cost us the 60 grand, and we used nearly everything else off that tractor that was still in workable condition to keep the other 11 D9's working. I suppose I could have reinstalled the busted parts off the other dozers on the parts machine, but that would have eaten up labor time and money we didn't have. The boss explained it to me like this. The D9 was part of the collateral on a loan package, which if said loan had been called in, the Cat would have had to have been in operable condition. That would have been tough.
Yes, a pale grey and blue combination. It is a Japanese company, Yamazaki. When I was there about 13 or 14 years ago, I was told they had 2,200 pieces of CAT equipment and didn't have any Komatsu gear. Will post the picture later, its bed time here.
Sorry the picture is not of better quality, my wife took it with a through away camera.
Wow, that looks pretty good. Thanks! :drinkup
Those where 2 different machines. The one that is on its side is not a 355, It looks like a 455 hard nose. Just look at the head light brackets, radiator guards???
Your right. It is a D455A. A couple of pictures have a part number in them and the first three numbers "198" indicate it's a D455A.
Welcome to HEF steelman! :drinkup
Thanks Countryboy Been following this site and thought I'd join in!
355 remains Definatley a 455, just look at the sprocket,no track frame mounted to it, 455 track frames mounted to a pivot shaft forward of the final drives.
Welcome to HEF RDG! :drinkup
I agree
Speaking of 455's, anyone here have experience with them? Just wondering what kinda problems they have. I would think parts are hard to come by.
jd 555 looking to get a idea of cost to fix final drive or drives
I saw a pair of 455's go at an auction for 5000 each. Te man bought them to save them from the iron mongers. He did a job with one up in TN and sold them both to a mine in Belize. Got 70 000 plus handling fees.
I well understand Russian. D355A import bulldozer, most widespread in Russia. He can be met everywhere. I was too a little it I operated. It was pleasant to me. The powerful equipment also copes better than T-170.