I found these pictures on the Ritchie Bros Auction site. I thought Ford LT-9000 would especially enjoy them. I think they put these rigs together out in BC. Very nice, probably the nicest factory forest excavator in the woods.
The fuel tank is actuly part of the counter weight its self.. They have big tanks on those machines. 400 litres +
The only thing they screwed up on is putting a crappy non link thumb on there. Other than that, they're excellent machines. High walker with double grousers and that massive counterweight/fuel tank is an added bonus. I can imagine how nice it must be to have that huge front window on the cab, probably see the whole lift cycle through the front. I imagine that's why they do that, right? Make the front window taller to see through the cycle so that you wouldn't need overhead glass/hatch that could break and fall on the operator or compromise strength? Maybe LT9000 knows.
non link thumbs are most common here, or other wise known as "progressive thumb" I have only seen a few machines around this area with progressive thumbs. but I would love it if my machine had one!!
Is there ever a problem with the fuel getting too low and thus removing some of your counterweight or do they keep it pretty full?
I've often wondered the same thing. At least its an option with the Deere/ Hitachi machines. I don't think Cat even offers those style feul tanks. Some guys run the regular counterweight with another feul tank mounted to the top of that.
I don't think Cat offers the factory option counterweight fuel tank, but a company like HPF (Highline PortaFab out of Snohomish, WA) will do custom work for roadbuilders/log loaders. They build cab guards, hard doors, belly pans, just about anything a forestry machine should have, including progressive link thumbs :bouncegri
The Hitachi machines like that are usually built by Wajax they don't come from Hitachi like that. Brandt tractor builts the John Deeres the same. That machine is a road builder and can be used as a hoe chucker. The forestry cab is tough those are lexan windows or some kind of high strength windows. The Forestry cab gives a little better view your not looking through bars with regular gaurding. The machine has a standard counterweight the fuel tank just adds to the weight. You need the extra fuel when your working way off in a area where you don't want to walk the machine back to the road to a P/U truck with a slip tank. Finnings (Cat dealer) used to build machines like the Hitachi untill Caterpillar America (Cat manufacturing plant) said we want to build forestry machines in house. Long story short the Cat forestry equipment isn't a big seller because they are not built for West Coast specs. Finnings used to buy the parts and assemble the machines here in B.C. they used heavier undercarriage and completly beefed the machine up. Deere/Hitachi and Komatsu are building forestry machines then Madill a B.C. company builds nothing but forestry machines.
Madills are very nice machines... they seem to be taking over the other manufactures... I dont know if thats because of quality or just better leasing options.. but everytime I head in to the bush with my grandfather (Road superentendent for all logging road on the lower half of the Island... 3 divisions) I see less and less of the other machines and more and more madills!! Altho I have not seen anything for road building by Madill.. they have everything you need for forestry, well the logging end of it. Feller Brunchers, Long Poles, Grapple Yarders, Processors, Hot Saws... Pretty amazing to see them work... makes short work of it...
Madill only makes forestry machines I don't think they are in the market to build excavators. They mainly build Yarders,Log Loaders and Bunchers/Tree processors. www.madillequipment.com
Didnt I just say that?
Brain fart :bouncegri I got to compare a 3800 Madill compared to a Hitachi EX-300 both heal booms you could tell the Madill was better built it was also more expensive. Madill uses heavy undercarriages under their machines and heavier parts in general. For hoe chucking machines its pretty hard to beat a Madill healboom.
madill has some neat videos of their stuff in action for anyone thats never seen this type of equipment at work.
they are after all made specificly for BC forestry :yup
The forestry machines that Komatsu are building right now are really unimpressive. They might be a nice excavator but they don't seem to be built for the woods very well. In my opinion every forest excavator should be built to BC/ Pacific Northwest specs. if it can work and hold up there then it can probably work just about anywhere else with ease. I'm really starting to get tired of Cat's "we know best" policy. They've got these guys from the southern states trying to build forest excavators for the PNW but they don't seem to want to listen to people from that area. No wonder Deere and Hitachi are getting all their sales. You look at that Hitachi 350. You couldn't ask for much more on that thing. Cat is really shooting themselves in the foot with this one. Excavators are the main piece of gear on your site now(roadbuilders, processors, log loaders) . If everyone in the woods is running Deere excavators and having good luck with them then they'll probably start running other deere stuff like dozers, bunchers, skidders, etc. Cat seems to have this "our sh*t don't stink" attitude. I think part of the new Deere/ Hitachi deal has Deere putting together Hitachi's forest machines in the Deere plant in BC.
I bet you wouldn't have guessed that I'm actually a Cat fan?
I believe Wajax is doing the Deere/Hitachi stuff in BC. Madill looks very nice, it's no wonder that they're probably a better machine to run, they're built specifically for the woods.
In the new madill processors the computer is so complex that its only the younger guys that are able to figure them out.. or so Ive been told by a few of the older guys there.. if they took time and training they think they could pick up on it.. but the young guys are certainly running laps around the old and the wise.. but they still dont have the experience none the less that the older guys have!! Yeah I rarly see cats up in the bush now.. they have the odd one up there.. but mostly the main 3 are Madill, Deere, Hatchi. I use to be a fan of cat.. but latly I havnt liked what Ive seen and run... on our job right now we have a 2005 320LU the short tail but not 0 tail swing... anyways I got a chance to run it and it does not feel new! it was very dissapointing...
Which Komatsu forestry machines are you referring to Scott... the one in the photo posted earlier is well over 12 years old:laugh
Brandt tractor deals Deere www.brandttractor.com Wajax sells and services Hitachi. Right now Caterpillar has no interest in anything but the Oil Fields in Alberta because that is where the money is. Forestry isn't big business anymore or construction. Ohwell Cat's attitude is good for the other brands especially Komatsu that is moving in like a dirty shirt.
Wulf, I was actually referring to thier brand new ones. The ones they claim to be "purpose built". Like I said before theyre probably a nice excavator but they don't look to woods ready at all. Cat is going to **** off all the smaller outfits by treating them like garbage. Then when those little outfits grow into the bigger companies (who Cat seems to favor) no one will want anything to do with Cat because they got snubbed before. That being said, Cat's new feller bunchers are built in Canada and look to be quite rugged. They also just launched a new skidder line that look pretty good.
Nice shot of the factory built PC300LL
Wow, that PC300 sure is sexy. I really like the 7 series.
Komatsu is like a bad rash that won't dissapear they are moving in and pushing cat out. Komatsu has got a good hold on the construction market and they are into the aggregate mines again. Komatsu is okay but its not the best I would rather have a Deere over a Komatsu.
Who are you trying to kid, you'd have Deere over ANYTHING!
I personaly would take Volvo over anything... but they dont make forestry stuff But deere would be a close second... Isnt komatsu a cheap CAT knock off? the tail sure looks like a CATs Ass... The machines look very similar in my eyes.. only built to lower standards??
The only thing I really don't like about Komatsu is the super long levers, never understood that. Don't know if they have changed that with the 7 series, but the 6 series and the monster levers aren't my cup of tea. Nothing wrong with Deere whatsoever, I would have had no problem waving their flag when we bought a 12 ton excavator. Problem was, the Deere dealer is getting their @$$ handed to them by our local Cat dealer and they don't have a single new excavator on the lot, what kind of place is that? I called a couple times looking for prices on a mini excavator, never got calls back. Doesn't take a genius to figure out why we bought Cat and won't give the Deere guys the time of day, but there certainly isn't anything wrong with Deere/Hitachi if you can get service for them. Tell you what, the undercarriage on that PC300LL is no joke, definately built very, very well. Good for Komatsu, I never felt Cat produced a good tracked log loader in the least bit, they've never had that market in the PNW and they never will. Link Belt is super popular around here for strokers and loaders, some guys even run Waratah dangleheads with Link Belt units when working in pole timber. I know a good handful of loggers that run only Link Belt for loaders, usually with a Pierce heel loader front end.
Cascade - the longer levers are the norm in Japan and I wonder if its possible that the machines you've operated were Japanese market machines? By the way... the 300LL uses a PC400 carbody swing circle and final drives with forestry guarding and carrier roller arrangement which is what makes it looks so stable and beefy.
MVFD... I'm sure you know there is more to an excavator than the chunk of material attached to the back of the machine:laugh You would have to operate one to make any judgement... speed, power, fine control, multifunctioning, stability, comfort are different on all machines. And lower standards?... Komatsu is the Sony of excavators my friend!
I realise the differences that machines have.. but Im just talking about the over all design... I can see cat when I look at a komatsu. just over all body lines.. I have run komatsu's, cats, deere, hatachi, volvo's, linkbelts, kobelcos.. pretty much all of me them for a few hours here and there.. yes I have not work weeks on end with all of them but have tryed them with friends and other companies around here. Komatsu is a sony forsure... Volvo is the Lambourgini of machines... speed, power, fine control, multifunctioning, stability, comfort are different... Just my two cents.... I really dont have anything against any of the machines.. other then that Cat 320LU I ran a few weeks back.
That 320LU was a rental, right? If so, that's why you didn't like it. I've seen rental machines need new pins and bushings at 500 hours, nobody greases them. 1,500 hours and rental excavators are traded out.
No, it belongs to the company thats doing our pipe work at this subdivision. and the operator greases it everyday.
Actually they do. The ywo machines in the last picture are from 2001. I'd imagine they've improved since then.
wow those sure are sexy machines if you ask me....
Wow I didnt know that Volvo made that kind of forest machines. Are they special made or is it a part of their production?
Waycon Manufacturing in BC used to do all of the volvo guarding, cab, side guards belly pans catwalks etc that are on the machine in the left picture. They take care of all of that themselves now. We still build their rear entry tip over cabs: http://www.wayconmfg.com/excavatorOEM.html