So, I did a stupid last night and tipped my 247b track loader on it's face. I was carrying my bucket high and stopped quick on some soft dirt. Went flat on it's face. Tried righting myself and couldn't so killed the power. Well, it didn't kill the motor. The motor started running off of the oil for about 2 minutes. Looked like a fire coming out of the exhaust. We pulled the filter and it has a good amount of aluminum shavings in it. Cat says the motor will be $6700. The ****** thing is that it only has 33 hours on it. I'll post a picture later. -Daniel
Yikes! Are you still under warranty or anything?
I think you void the warranty when ya flip it over
LMAO Smart ass
First thing I learned when running skidloaders, is when it feels like it is going down to drop the arms NOW.... Not sure why that wouldn't be the first reaction instead of shutting it down. I rolled a 95xt case into a pond on its side, now my first reaction was to turn it off before it went under, luckily I did. Spent the afternoon drying it out, that was after my HOT shower, since it was late november in Tulsa. Luckily someone was there to help me out of the pond, I was starting to go into shock..BRRR....
I would run until the motor goes for good, really $6700 doesn't sound that bad for cat. I with Rolloffhill, I guess something good did come for learning to run one of those POS skid loaders.
Yup, its a natural reaction, as soon as you start to feel the weight shift you need to slam the bucket to the ground, even if it means you hit your head on the roof of the cab. It could be worse, you could be thrown out and crushed....
PSDF350, I didn' think he was being a smart ass -- and if he was, I really have no idea how the warranties work on construction equipment. My computer has an accidental damage clause so I must have applied that across the board to machinery as well... :Cowboy
I imagine very few warranties would cover damage due to operator error. That having been said, sure Cat320 was being a smart ass, by stating the obvious, but in context, that was just being a smart ass in a good way. (Trust me on this--it's something I strive for in at least 50% of my posts.) :bouncegri
retard I think my Physical Damage insurance from cat is going to cover this. http://www.cat.com/cda/layout?m=37510&x=7 I can say that I definetly learned my lesson to ride with the load low versus high. -Daniel
With any machine, it's a good idea to transport with the bucket down. You're lucky you went on the nose rather than the side, you'd have probably been hurt if that were the case. The center of gravity gets so high any abrupt movement can spell disaster.
i dumped a new case 1845 on its nose but i got it to wright it self real quick like befor the boss man saw what i did :bash
I think he was. But like digger said in a good way.
No offense taken!
We take fences all the time! :bouncegri
I am suprised you couldn't get it to bog down and stall out after it flipped? Maybe you did not think of it, I may not have either but that is something I was told once, that it may keep running on its side and to try to stall it by overloading the hydros. Never had it happen though. To bad. I agree with the idea of running it till it dies. Change the oil twice and go back to work. Bank a little from each job for a motor. Who knows it could run a long time. If not then eat some credit fixing it. Not going to damage anything else.
If you conyinue to run it you will probably not be able to lodge an insurance claim. Your policy should cover it...it was an accident.
So far it looks like it will be an insurance claim. I still haven't been able to pull the picture of it off my phone. I'll keep you guys in the loop.
Check your insurance and pry for the best. Problem will be that you will be with out for a bit during the summer. It would be nice if these lessons where learned with out hurting machine or yourself but most of the time it cost money. I sunk my excavator last year up to the seat in a pond and it cost me a new starter and someone to pull me out. I was very lucky that the motor did not go. Water was coming out of the exhaust when I spun it over by the fly wheel. Lesson learned no ponds around already preexisting creeks.
I don't know if it will work with your phone but, with mine I can e-mail pics to myself (or anyone for that matter) by sending the pic as a message. Do it the same way you would sending a pic to another phone but, instead of entering a phone number just enter an e-mail address. Hope this helps. We like pics.:thumbsup
Picture Sorry that it's blurry Still makes me cringe to look at it. -Daniel
Not to bash but why wasn't your first instinct to drop that bucket just as fast as it would go?
The Cat anti-stall system is the reason why it could not be bogged with the hydraulics.
Ya know, up on its toes like that, the tracks sorta resemble ballet shoes... :wink2
It happened so fast. I really didn't think it was going to tip and then when it did I couldn't react. Now that I've gone throught this experience, I'll be sure to ride with the load low and I'll know to slam the bucket down if this happens again.
Really, on any piece of equipment be it a skid, excavator, backhoe, loader, you should really keep your load low and lift it when you need to. I see guys on backhoes all the time loading into trucks they start lifting the bucket way up way before then even get to the truck, while i time it so that the bucket is just high enough as it's passing over the side of the box. its very important to keep your load low when working on any kind of slope.
I have seen worse than that...putting the bucket all the way up while backing up when loading trucks:spaz
It also kinda resembles some of the people that I've seen in ballet shoes:eek2
I stalled a 277B the other day. :Cowboy I was very impressed with myself, because I haven't been able to stall a [correctly adjusted] Cat before. The way to stall it is to operate both boom/bucket at the same time as operating the forward/reverse -- given from the picture, however, this wouldn't have been all too feasible... especially not in that position! And remember, it's easy to see what we could have or should have done, but it's harder when you're in that spot and are trying to think of the best and safest method of going about it.
Which is to say, don't beat up on somebody else, or yourself, for screwing up, because it happens to all of us eventually. On the other hand, that's one of the reasons I always try to share when I screw up, and am happy to read about other's screw ups too--this very discussion might save somebody an engine, or a limb, or a life, somewhere down the road, because now they've had the opportunity to think about that unfortunate event, and the best course of action away from it, in advance. :thumbsup
Absolutely. I'm supposed to get some stick time on Thursday (with 11 other interns), and I'll let you know if something stupid happens to me... ie, rolling the machine over on a 45 degree bank. (Which may be fine for most of you, but my hands have no experience on hills!) Anyhow... did the dealer give any resolution to the 247B issue? Any insurance claim ability there?
Man that sucks, I know from my rock crawling 4x4 experience, as soon as you flop, shut that engine off! Engines apparantly dont like it when the cylinders fill with oil and you try to start it. :Banghead
From experance they don't like running with no oil around the pickup tube eather.
Just to add to an already long thread... As others have said, it's good to keep a load low at all times. However, on machines like backhoes you are sitting up higher and should start to feel uncomfortable long before your actually in danger if you are going slow. On skid steers you are sitting much lower and chances are that the machine could be in danger of tipping before you start to feel it. Personally, the thought of ruining a very nice machine is enough to make me take it easy. Any small increase in productivity is not worth the risk if you ask me.
Cat420, since we're on the subject of tipping over, let me ask -- how steep of a grade could I be on before a BHL tips? I was running a Volvo over some backfilled dirt when the right rear tire sank in about five or six inches... I was really nervous, but how far can I sink in (or how steep of a grade could I be on) before a BHL will tip on its side?
The machine can go a lot farther than is comfortable for the operator, but it's best to leave a safety margin for soft spots or simply just momentum from driving over rough ground. I don't know a figure for the maximum grade, but this picture from Cat's website shows how far you can go. And of course the grade you can safely operate on decreases very quickly as the arms are raised.
Swing the boom around on the uphill side and put the bucket out as far as it will go and you will be surprised at how much of a side hill you can traverse. I was working on a side hill one winter and the ground started to give away under the down hill tires. No matter what I tried it kept slipping farther and farther and I was sure I was going to roll. Then I got the idea of letting the air out of the up hill tires and I drove out no problem. I even finished the job.
X2 I have taken one on an 11/2:1 and didn't roll, but had a hard time staying in the seat.
theres no doubt in my mind the skidsteers love to rock around and try and tip. i had a couple small tips before in my earlier days, but now i know better than to lift it high when i'm not near the truck/bin. One way of preventing the tip when it begins is to gently jolt it forward while dropping the bucket (it takes alot of practice)
ive seen em do fine on a 2:1 w/ hoe swung uphill, and i seen em roll on what they thought was level ground, soft spots,not paying attention ect.
i don't understand why the engine would fry being tipped, though? pull it back on its tires, release the hydraulic pressure, take it to the dealer and tell them with only 33 hours on it, the engine has fried.
The oil pickup in the pan most likely was not surrounded by oil at that angle and the engine ran with no oil pressure.
probably wasn't getting any lubrication at that angle?
shouldn't have buggered up. the case has a cummins 3.9L and it's run at those angles (or damn near close) without any trouble.... could the oil level have been down ?
check this out, sorry if its a repost. http://www.metacafe.com/watch/187741/bobcat_loader_handstand/
not too good for the hydros.
oops!!..........is it break time yet good thing your ok though,
So, this was an insurance claim. It would have cost close to 8k, but ended up costing me 1k. I'm glad I had the accident insurance from cat. I've been riding with my load low and am happy to report no more wrecks.
roll over Beethoven's. The comedian, Steven Wright (bald on the top, long black hair on the sides, really dry sense of humor,...) once asked the audience while doing a gig on the Improv I think, "You know the feeling you get when you lean back on a stool, and just before you fall backwards, you catch yourself...well, I feel that way ALL the time"...:bouncegri :notworthy :bouncegri I had the same sensation ONE time only, when I was crawling up a wicked steep bank with a Cat 320 hoe, and the boom was all the way up, stick was down, but I wasn't really focused as usual. It "ALMOST" went over backwards, but I jumped on the lever and it slammed me forwards. Had to change my BVD's, but laughed it off immediately. :nono