I work for a Township in Missouri where I've been the only Grader Operator for 36 years. In 1989 the Township traded their CAT 12 for a new JD670B. Since then I've had the Blessing of operating 8 new machines, all JD. All rack machines ending with a 672G. A month ago we took delivery of a new CAT 150AWD. The Brand change was purely economics. $23K savings compared to trading into a JD772G. I've clocked 70hrs on this machine since delivery. The controls are not quite intuitive to me yet but I'm getting there.
We wanted to keep our JD scarifier so we didn't have to trade V Plows and our front dozer blade. Foley Equipment came up with an adapter to allow us to do that. It moved the attachments forward 10 inches. So far I've only used it with the dozer blade. I'd have rather minimized that distance less. But I certainly didn't want to change to a Balderson type front lift group so it'll be alright. The Front Lift Group is controlled by a roller switch and buttons on a separate controller. It can be seen in the upper right corner of the next pic. This can be changed to the advanced roller and buttons on the right joystick. It appears I can do the change, according to the manual using the "Implement" section on the main display. I'm going to leave it as it is and see how I get along. When using the V Plow I think it's unproductive to have to take my right hand off the joystick to run the plow. I've talked with two different operators and they say it's no big deal. We'll see this Winter if I have to use the Plow.
The first 25 hours I put on the clock was elevating a roadbed. That was a good project to get used to the controls. My biggest hurdle was using my left hand to change height of the left blade end. My JD machines all had one hand lift control. Both blade levers side by side at the right end of the rack. If you are running a rack machine and don't have that feature, you are missing out.
AWD system. CAT chose to not flow fluid to the front wheel motors unless AWD is engaged. To compensate for the HP drain they boost the engine power. This boost varies depending on what gear is selected. But runs around 20hp. With that said, any time I'm doing work that requires much HP I run the AWD on. In the top center of the pic below you can see the two knobs that control the AWD. The knob to the right selects AWD when turned to the right. A green light comes on. Turn the knob to the left and select the creep mode which disengages the rear tandems and only pulls with the front wheels. The knob to the left selects the aggressiveness of the front wheels. Center positioning of the left knob has the front wheels turning at the same speed as the rears. This is the most common position. If ditching, banking or working on slippery surfaces turning the knob to the right increases front wheel speed and will hold position much better. I run AWD 75% of the time. It increases productivity of the machine considerably. Even when grading roads. It seems that the CAT machine makes tight turns better when in AWD than the JD did. CAT says they change the speed of each front wheel to make tighter turns. I'm not a fan of the HP variation. The system draw of the HP makes the boost a minimal effect. Only place I've saw a dramatic difference is roading. AWD on, 8th gear, 272hp. AWD off, 8th gear, 252hp. And the AWD disengages in 8th. So no systematic draw of HP.
Cab Design. This is a complete change for me. I'm used to a square, spacious cab. The areas where the CAT cab has better visibility are less than the areas where it has worse visibility. Worse at the heel end of the moldboard. Worse at the center of the moldboard. Worse at the front axle. Worse at the front tires. The outside rear view mirrors are almost useless, a vehicle can easily hide behind the machine with only the rear camera alerting you to it's presence. The center rear view mirror only gives you a great view of yourself. Any time other than straight up noon you are getting hit by sunshine, no roof protection from it. There is very limited storage space. Especially for a lunch cooler. The pic below shows the cooler I packed in the JD. The bag cooler on the left is the largest I can get into the storage area to the right of the seat of the CAT.
Issues to date. I've got 75hrs on the clock. At 30hrs I discovered the cab was getting dusty inside. I also had noticed the left door didn't feel right when it latched closed. Investigating I found that the bottom and halfway up the front of the left door was not sealing against the cab. So I started inspecting both doors. Discovered the right door wasn't sealing at the front edge from the middle to the top. I contacted Foley Equipment and they sent a Tech up to check it out. He worked on the right door and easily got it to seal by adjusting the hinges. He worked on the left door for an hour and got it where it appeared to be sealing. Within a couple days of use the left door hinges started squeaking badly. The adjustments made had stressed the hinges to try to twist the door into position. I call the Tech and he ordered a new door. Should get it installed in the next couple days.
Good grieve! Don't you pay extra on the invoice for the dealer to perform a pre delivery inspection and make adjustments where necessary? After all it's only a half a million dollar machine.
Yes you pay for a PDI (Pre Delivery Inspection). That's worth a lot less today than it was 20 years ago. Short story. 13 years ago we were purchasing a new JD770G. The Salesman had it set up to arrive at 10:00. He called me at 08:00 saying he would like to delay delivery until noon if that was alright. I said sure. When they arrived I asked him if there was a problem? He said when he called me he was sitting in the machine with it running, everything on. The Beacon Light was causing a low level buzzing out the radio speakers. He made the shop move the Radio Antenna further away from the beacon so the buzzing went away. That was Customer Service at it's finest!!!! We bought five machines from that Salesman. He was awesome!!!! He died at the age of 52 from a stress caused heart attack.... The JD672G that we just traded off showed up with a fault code active and within 30 minutes of running developed two oil leaks. It had 2.6hrs on the clock when delivered. This machine had 11.7hrs on the clock when delivered. They had ran it enough to bring everything up to operating temperatures 2 or 3 times. In regards to the doors, I hold the factory accountable for that. In regards to the AC, just one of those things. It worked fine the first 3 days. In regards to the Transmission Shift problem, I just accept that as the price for buying new. I'll follow up with the fix when they get it solved. I expect it to be a computer parameter solution. Worst case will be a wiring harness or connection problem. We'll see. Governmental price $437,000.
I'd imagine it's over $600K for a non gov't. purchaser. I'd much rather buy a new machine with even 50+ hours on it and everything is adjusted and working properly than have a machine that I needed to find all the bugs and have the dealer have to come back out to fix. Unbelievable on a $500K machine!
Congrats on getting the new machine one thing I learned this last year when I got my first new 150 is how to adjust the mirrors they need to be within and inch of the door when you open it once I adjusted mine I can see behind the machine just fine Try that should make a big difference also having the front lift group on the toggle is no big deal while plowing snow i hardly use my right side of moldboard control once I have it set so I just run plow and wing with my right had I know you don’t have a wing but I’m suer it won’t bother you any if your machine has grade control on it try it out I’ve used mine all this summer and am very impressed on how well it works compared to the M3 I had good luck look forward to more updates.
I agree Dave. I'm afraid this is common now with all brands. Good friend of mine is a LARGE AG farmer, planting 18K acres of corn and beans annually. Two years ago they bought a JD X9 Combine with 300hrs on it, trying to avoid this. Still had a lot of problems.
I have my mirrors barely clearing the doors. Can see straight along the edge of the grader behind me but hardly anything directly behind me. Can't think how to word that better.... On a JD machine you would have to pull a car right up against the back of the machine to hide it. A couple lengths behind and it's visible. I have taught myself to use the backup camera for a close look directly behind me. In regards to the front lift group control. Yeah, I'll leave it as is and see how I get along. I don't have nearly as much going on as you do with a wing. So I'll probably be fine. I'm hoping I get thru these initial bugs and get solid service from the machine. I'm not too worried about it. Just hoping to get everything worked out before snow flies. Initially I thought it was a thirsty machine. But now I think it's a little more efficient than the JD. I do road maintenance in 5th gear, 1300-1400 rpms, 6.4-6.5 mph. With AWD on it has sufficient power and machine stability. Half of my Township roads are hilly with short steep grades. The 150 doesn't like that if running with AWD off. It prefers downshifting to 4th and WOT. But fuel economy suffers running WOT. We're shifting from drought conditions to more normal moisture now. Getting at least two rains per week. Supposed to clear and turn cold starting Wednesday. Will be freezing every night for the next week after that. I'll need to run all my roads again to get them back in shape following Deer season which quadruples my traffic numbers for the next 2-3 weeks. Still waiting on a response from the Tech in regards to our issues. I'll report back here when that happens.
After mentioning to Mark my grade speeds I want to talk about the Cruise Control feature. The Cruise Control has nothing to do with setting ground speed. It simply sets engine rpms. I use this feature almost constantly when blading roads. It frees my mind from controlling speed with my foot and constantly having to adjust. There's a switch on the right B pillar to select Auto/Off/Manual for the Cruise Control. The difference between Auto/Manual is in canceling what's been set. In Auto, if you touch the foot throttle or the brake pedal the Cruise Control is canceled. In Manual, these functions do not cancel the engine rpm setting. Next to that switch is a rocker switch. To set Cruise you get the rpms where you want with the foot throttle, then hit the rocker switch and it holds the rpms at their current level. So for me, I'll start blading, select the gear I want, select the rpms with the foot throttle, select Auto, then tap the right switch. If I want to speed up slightly I tap the rocker switch again. This elevates the rpms 100. On the right joystick, on the front side, is a finger rocker switch. This switch has two functions. When Cruise is set and you want to slow down slightly you tap this switch. Slows the engine rpms 100. Second function is resume. If you deactivate the system by tapping the throttle or brake and then want to resume you tap this finger switch on the joystick. I have a complaint with CAT's setup. The rpm change by tapping the switch on the B pillar to increase or tapping the finger switch on the joystick to decrease is 100 rpms. That's too much. If I'm running low rpm in 5th gear that is a .4 mph change. Too much. Needs to be a 25 rpm change. JD is a 50 rpm change and that's too much some times. So if I set a speed and then decide I need to make a slight adjustment I have to cancel. Then try to get the desired speed using the foot throttle. Then reset. A simple algorithm setting in the computer could fix this. I'm attaching a pic of the B pillar switches. The bottom row has two switches. The one to the left activates the Auto/Off/Manual choice. The switch to the right of it is the rocker to activate or increase rpms by 100. Also attaching a pic of the right joystick. If you are gripping the stick you index finger will be on the rocker on the forward side. This switch is the decrease rpm function and reset.
All the controls look like a lot of stuff to remember. I thought graders had foot and hand adjust throttles that could be set at the speed you want. My old Champion the throttle pedal is also a decelerator that will override the hand throttle if you need to slow down.
had a 12h from new [2007] and got in a 12m in 2017 took a while to get used to it but i loved it, had a few short stints in the 12 h since but arms shoulders and neck knew about it.i like the electronic throttle control ,on prepping jobs for road sealing it was great , set up start grading and lock throttle and sit back for the long runs. it took getting used to not gripping the controls too hard, just feathering between your fingers.with the throttle lock still engaged you can shuttle shift backwards and forward up to 5kph if speed is higher it will down shift and pause until it is at the right speed . i found this handy when under the pump chasing a stableizing machine or a fleet of tippers carting in crushed rock. cheers
Neither JD nor CAT have hand throttles anymore. When they quit I missed it briefly but quickly got over it. As I said earlier, I use CC a lot!!!
In one of Mark's videos mentioned not gripping the joysticks. So I started learning that early on. When blading roads I only grip the sticks when turning around.
CAT Tech came yesterday afternoon and replaced the cab door. I was on a road trip to the city and didn't get to visit with him. This door fits nicely and swings freely. I don't think he addressed the AC or shift issues. Haven't heard from him today.
Update. Tech came last week and fixed AC. Was a bad connection at a Relay. I had the grader at my house. Took it back to the township barn with AC running. Seemed to work fine. The new door has the latch set so tight that you have to violently slam it to latch. I got a piece of paper out of the truck and tested the seal by holding it in place and shutting door, then let go of paper. At the lower front corner the paper falls out when door is latched. So it's still not sealing. I had decided I was done complaining about it and would just settle. Today the Salesman showed up at my shop. He wanted to know how things were. So I told him. I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed. In regards to the door I'll just accept that it doesn't seal. He repeatedly said that's not acceptable. I said do whatever you think needs done but I'm done asking for a quality level that's apparently not attainable. I told him I checked the neighboring Township's 150 with the paper test and both doors sealed correctly. He said he would pursue a fix. Ten minutes after he left the Foley dealership shop called to ask me how things were with the repairs. I said AC was fine. Trans shifting was fine. Door still doesn't seal. He said he'd have a Tech on it Monday. Standing by.
Good grief!
These days it seems like sales will promise a delivery date and time before a machine is even off the lowbed. Zero margin for error if issues are discovered on a PDI.
Yep. Even Research and Development is pushed out to the customer. When we took delivery of our previous Deere grader they unloaded it off the truck with the "code" light on...... I was chasing a scraper elevating a road so had to run it a couple days with issues until service got there and fixed what I hadn't already fixed. In my opinion, there's no excuse for that. Used to be a frequent poster on here, If I remember right his name was Randy Krieg. He ran a grader in the frozen North Country building ice roads and drill pads. I learned a lot about CAT M series graders from reading his posts here. Last I heard he was working for CAT in R&D testing equipment. He pushed CAT to develop low viscosity Hydraulic Fluids for use in extreme cold. If you search here you'll find a lot of threads he started. Excellent pics and videos with very knowledgeable dialogue.
Randy Krieg helped develop Cat G and H series graders. He delivered the 1st 24H and gave basic training to the new owners. He has extensive experience doing just about anything a grader can do. You won't go wrong taking his advice. It's a shame he doesn't post on the forum like he used to.
Same in my world. The customer always moaned at the dealer, because we were the closest, when in reality it was the factory they should have been moaning at. In our organisation usually the technical group would be busting their chops trying to get things sorted, often with little or no help from the mother ship. About 20 years ago a system was introduced called Dealer Solution Network (DSN). Those of us at the sharp end reckoned the acronym stood for Don't Solve Nuthin.....
Turns out International Harvester was ahead of their time when they prematurely released the TD-30 and it put a sour taste in everyone's mouths from then on. Today nobody is surprised.
I happened upon Randy's posts one night, and was so enthralled I read every post he had, and did not get any sleep at all. He was a bright guy and I appreciated his willingness to share what he had learned.
Its hard to give a customer your best work when some salesperson wants that cheque in their hand 5 minutes after the machine first rolls into the shop for its PDI. I think most customers would rather wait a day or 2 longer to see their new machine than to get it ASAP and have a field mechanic follow it around for the next week and a half. But I'm just a dumb mechanic so what would I know?
I agree. I viewed everything he posted and was always rewarded with knowledge.
It's my opinion that the door problem I'm having isn't the door. It's the cab. I believe the left door cab frame is crooked. I believe it comes straight down at the front of the entryway until it goes past the latch, then it curves inward toward the floorboard. After it goes around the corner at the bottom of the door and progresses rearward along the floorboard it comes back out to the proper line. This creates a "dip" that the door seal can't overcome. I am sympathetic toward the dealership concerning this problem. There's no way they'll ever convince CAT the cab needs replaced. I expressed this opinion to the salesman the other day when he was here. And I said I'm not mad, just disappointed. And that I'll not complain about it anymore and will just accept it. Of course he said "nope, we'll get it fixed". I said good luck.
YEP!!!! And his videos were spectacular!!!!
This is our first machine with this brand/dealership. I did appreciate that when delivered the machine had 11 hours on the clock. They had cranked it up and let it run two or three times up to operating temperatures to expose most leaks or computer glitches. Previously with the other brand/dealership the machine would have 2 hours on the clock. Their shop only ran it long enough to load/unload. I am very sympathetic toward the mechanics/technicians. My Son is an automotive mechanic. One man show. I visit his shop a couple times a week in the late afternoon. Drink a couple beers while I quietly watch him work. Most days everything is running smoothly. But some days he is stressed to the max because of technical issues that he can't chase down. He uses a website when searching for answers. Don't know the name of it. It's a site where mechanics can share problems/solutions.
You definitely need a good few hours on the clock. A drive around the lot and into a pile of dirt once or twice isn't nearly enough time to see if there are issues. Kind of why I like machines that have been on a demo or 2. They may not be 100% mint at delivery but its probably had a few bugs and deficiencies rectified at least.
Obrszd, that web site is likely iATN —international automotive technicians network. I have learned a lot, just reading the discussions on there. Enough so that I support the site with a automatic credit card payment each month. There is another, similar site; DTN diagnostic technicians network; which is designed for the more deeply involved, technically oriented technician, somewhat over my head. If I need help that badly, I’m perfectly willing to call in our local on-site diagnostic tech, or recommend that the customer ask for help from the dealer.....
Good stuff, thanks for posting the names!!!!
Door Update: After the Salesman's visit the Service Manager at Foley Equipment called me to discuss the door issue. I told him about my paper test. Stick a piece of paper between the door and cab, latch the door, let go of the paper and it falls out. I told him my opinion about the cab. He said they would contact CAT and let me know what they said. Fortunately for me, they had a 150 in their shop. They video'd the paper test. Struggled to get the paper out without tearing it. So I went to our Grader shed and video'd a test on our machine using a dollar bill. It simply fell out. I also shot a video showing light shining between the cab and door. Sent those to Foley. Went back home and got a straight edge, then placed it vertically down the A pillar and showed the gap down at the bottom of the cab where it curves rearward. Placed it horizontally at the door sill and showed the gap at the front where it curves upward to the A pillar. No question the cab is built crooked. Shot videos of this and sent them to Foley. A couple hours later Foley called. Said they had six machines in inventory. Ran the paper test on four of them. All four gripped the paper tightly and they struggled to remove the paper. Said they sent CAT my videos and their videos. Said they would pursue a solution. I visited with my Son about it. He said he had saw issues like this with new cars/trucks. Said it's an easy fix. Sand off the paint and put on a layer of bondo or fiberglass. Fix the dip. Repaint the area. Problem solved with no visual issue that it had been repaired. Then he said "the township paid $437K for this machine and the cab should be replaced." I agreed. He said to never mention the "patch" fix. Wait and see what they do. I agreed. Foley has two new 150s sitting on their lot at my dealership. Both of them passed the paper test. The next time I am contacted with anything other than a solution I am going to suggest they come get our machine, swap our tires, lights, front lift group to one of the machines on the lot and bring it to us. Then they can resolve this machine's issue however they choose. As my Dad would say, "That'll go over like a lead balloon".
Having been in that exact same position before on many occasions in my experience it is up to how loud the dealer shouts and how far up the "decision-making tree" they elevate the issue if they initially receive a negative response to their request. Because of the value of the potential repair work, in their position I would be contacting the Cat Area Representative as a first step, not for help directly but to simply to make him aware of what was going on. Then if they get no response through normal channels they could call on his assistance to go into bat on their behalf, especially on an almost brand-new machine with low hours.
They claim to be in contact with CAT. But I don't recall them ever declaring the title of whomever they are talking to. I'm actually eager to see what they do. I told the Salesman that Foley will have to be very noisy about this to get any resolution. So we'll see. Thanks for your comments Nige. Wish you were our Cat Area Representative.
From what you have written so far it appears as though the dealer seems to be genuinely trying to find a solution on your behalf. At this point they are most probably still trying to put this through the normal warranty approval processes. Why not ask them straight out if they have at least included the Cat Area Rep in the loop yet.? That can't hurt anything.
I believe they are trying to find a solution as well. Next time they call I'll ask about the Rep. Thanks Nige. Happy New Year!!!
Mention to your salesman that you won't be looking and buying anymore Cat machines unless this is solved quickly and he could certainly go to bat for you. Especially if he's a top salesman and has been with the dealer for awhile. Good sales people can have a lot of pull.
He assures me they will fix this problem I've had time to study the manual that "coalrulz" pm'd me. It's a CAT repair document for Techs to use in the adjustment of 150 doors. Very informative. Immediately realized my Tech has either never researched this manual or doesn't care. The door latches are automotive type with a safety latch and the main latch. He had the cab pins pushed inward so far neither door could use the main. Both were just hanging on with the safety latches. I reset them so the main latch is used on both. The Tech manual gives a very simple method to adjust the doors but it requires removing the door seals. Gives specs for spacers at the latch and each hinge. Adjust the hinges and latch pin to the proper gap between cab and door frame. Then reinstall seal. If door leaks, replace the seal with a fatter/softer one which would overcome imperfections. Since that's never been mentioned I'm guessing my Tech doesn't know such a thing exists. Coalrulz's manual even gives the part numbers for both seals. I'm going to let the Foley people get educated by CAT in regards to proper adjustment procedures. I'm sure CAT will want to ensure the Tech has used these procedures before they even consider replacing the cab. If I haven't heard from them by the end of next week I'll share Coalrulz's manual with them and see what happens. I'm reluctant to have my fingerprints on any of this. For example if I try the manual adjustments and for some reason damage the seal who buys the new seal? Or if I discover that all I need is the fatter seals who buys?
I have worked at a Cat dealer and all this particular shop I was at gave a crap about was how fast the job was done. Maybe your dealer is different but if it isn't I can see why the mechanic didn't bother with that little stuff on the PDI. I was once hauled in to the office and reamed out for taking a couple hours too long on a job that I never took apart and had never even done before lol.
I understand. I always take the Tech's side first. Let the Tech prove to me he's incompetent and then I change sides in the discussion. This Tech has proved his incompetence. That saddens me. So, I was told the Tech had fixed the AC when he replaced my door. Salesman told me that. Of course the AC still didn't work and they had to come back. I told the salesman to look the Tech straight in the eyes and ask him what he did to fix the AC first trip. So he did. Tech said he drained the freon and recharged. It was low on freon...... I asked where the leak was and if he fixed that? Salesman said he didn't say anything about fixing a leak. I asked why they didn't have to add freon on the second trip? Silence. In this particular case I have lost faith in the Tech. Confirmed by his bandaids applied to fixing the door situation. Because of experiences like you describe I have little faith in the dealership fixing the door problem. I'm 50% sure if it gets fixed it will be at my hands. But, we'll see.
It seems very odd the tech. wouldn't check to see if there was a bulletin on adjusting the doors. Should have been adjusted in the PDI though.
The doors on my 150 awd bend very easily, the door you use to enter all the time over time of it being opened and closed will bend to the point the glass will crack, this has happened to me, had to bend mine back square so they could replace the glass in it, if you notice your getting dust or cold draft in the winter its bent out of square, and only will get worse, my door are also rusting bad, try to keep them cleaned up and painted
If your cab doors have bonded windows and suffer repeated window cracking problems it’s worthwhile having them modified to take zip-in glass. The welded-in modification kit to accept the zip-in glass also has the added advantage of strengthening the door.
I roaded our machine today 6 miles, 34F temp, cab got colder the farther I went. I could feel the draft at the left door. Door bending and rusting is horrible news.....
My door glass is the zip-in type.
Seems like Cat should come up with a better door design as part of a recall if it's a common problem.
Just becareful when opening the door on a windy day, the door will slam back against the latch lock and bend, cracking the glass, i believe where the door hooks open for entry and exit is the problem, its location with those big doors makes them bend, never had a problem in my H series, the M series doors are more flimsy, not built as strong as the H series doors
That was a problem with the bonded glass cab windows on the early M Series about 15 years ago. We couldn’t keep glass in our early 16Ms, it was an almost weekly thing to be replacing door windows. The problems with those early machines was the reason why the zip-in glass retrofit kit was developed. I’m not aware of it still being a problem with the doors built from new with zip-in windows.
Yeah Nige it’s still happening, the zip in are better for sure can handle more flex, the doors need to be reinforced a bit better, on our 140m they were the bonded type and glass would crack in them, we had to send the doors out to be repaired they were rusted out bad with holes in them, are shop repaired them and reinforced them and put the zip in kit in, no more problems with cracking glass,
Something else I will add about the new m series, I have a buddy that is a mechanic up in northern Ontario, he stopped in to see me at our shop, he was telling me that the 160m’s at his workplace were cracking the goose neck right where the hydraulic hoses come out of the goose neck in front of the cab in the upright bend, they have had 3 160m’s crack there, 2 of them were fixed under warranty’s and one he had to fix by him where it had no warranty, where there was 3 different ones that would rule out just a fluke, buddy said it’s a problem with the m series especially the 160m ‘s, so keep and eye out for this on your new M’s
That's an odd place to crack.
Foley Equipment Tech called me at 11:00 this morning and asked where the Grader was parked? I said at the Township barn since I'd just quit grading. I asked why? He said I'm headed your way. I said why? He said to work on the door. I asked are you bringing a new seal? He said yes. So I waited a couple hours then went to the grader barn. They were just finishing. They had installed a new seal. The seal recommended in the Service Bulletin that coalrulz had mentioned to me.... They had that Service Bulletin laying on the rear tire.... The new seal is 25% thicker and much more pliable. When the door is latched shut you can actually push in on the door and move it slightly. Can't do that at all on the original seal. He said I think this will fix the problem. I said let's do the paper test. He complied and the door is sealed all around. I asked if he brought two seals and he said no. I said let's paper test the other door to make sure we still don't have a problem. He did. No problem. I think my problem is fixed for now anyway. I'll know after this weekend. Supposed to get a windy snow so I'll spend Sunday night and Monday in the grader. After the dust settles and I can feel confident this fixed my problem I'll price the softer seal. If it's not ridiculously expense I think I'll buy one and install on the other door. Just seems to be a lot less stress on the latch mechanism and the hinges. I haven't heard from the Salesman or the Service Manager in regards to this progress. I'm disappointed with that. In my opinion one or the other should have called me this afternoon to follow up on the repair. I'm not calling anyone....
Actually it is a week point in the goose neck, they have two big holes cut on each side of the gooseneck to allow the hydraulic lines through, this is where it cracks, above and below those holes
Glad to hear they got you taken care of.
Seems like they deserve a bit of credit though.
I think it all started when they were given a bit of a prod by the customer to point them in the right direction to look for a certain document….
I don't think you should have to pay for the new seal on the other door. Seems if that door got used a bit you'd have the same problem.
Is the fix to put reinforcement plates around the holes? It seems like something that would be easy to tell is a weak point with modern finite element design. All the grader specs. I've seen list linear weight per foot and vertical section modulus referring to the main frame. I'm not sure what vertical section modulus is but think it refers to the vertical strength of the beam.
I’m not sure what Cat did to fix the two 160m’s that were under warranty that were cracked, but the one that wasn’t under warranty they welded reinforcement plates on both sides of the goose neck
Thanks for your help!!!! I was armed with knowledge. I even had a copy of the Service Bulletin in my truck if needed. I'm glad the seal change fixed it so we didn't have to fight over a cab change.
No one will ever admit it, but I think CAT came back at them with the Service Bulletin and seal change. I don't think the Dealership knew of it or they would have started there. I'll credit them with not considering me a whiny nut job and ignoring the problem.
I agree. I rarely use the right side door but eventually it will start leaking at the top of the A pillar. If the dealership contacts me concerning the repair I am going to suggest the right door seal be replaced. I'll follow up with their answer.
Believe it or not but when the M Series machines first came to the market in 2008 an opening RH door was only an option.........
I did not know that!!!! The way the cab is set up it's not any harder to enter/exit the right side versus the left side. In my particular case I have the grader shed set up with the fuel storage barrel and all oils/fluids stored on the left side of the machine. The machine fuel points and oil checks are on the left side. So I'm just used to using the left side.
There you go. This is from that time frame. The first line is the standard equipment offering included in the base price of the machine, the second line is the optional (extra cost) attachments.
A lot of it is dealerships I think. When we bought our latest Mauldin grader in 22. The service guy came to the shop to show me how everything worked. I had already researched the machine, and watched videos on it. I showed him the machine, and shared the info I had with him. It was had to get any information out of the dealer, but the factory was more than willing to help. They actually sent me a software patch for an issue that I gave to the tech to install. The dealership actually demanded I let them handle that stuff, and stick to operating the thing. Gone of the days of producing products that will ensure the company continues. All they care about is the next quarter. Prime example is the snowmobile industry. Both Yamaha, and Arctic Cat have halted production for lack of sales. They have produced a product so expensive, that only the super rich can afford it. My 1996 ZRT 600 was $10,200, taxes in. I think they are over $20,000 now.
Crazy thing is I didn't know Yamaha was even still making sleds. Newest one I remember seeing was an old Phaser. Even the used sled market is crap right now. They're all selling pretty cheap or aren't selling at all.
Yamaha and Cat made a sled together. https://www.supertraxmag.com/features/a-rant-about-the-yamaha-cat-mixture/ . Winters here have been terrible, and trail passes are almost $300. They park the groomers at our shop, and they have not been out yet. I think they went out tramping, but not all the bogs were frozen. The club lost a 2 year old groomer a couple years ago. It went down, and by the time they were able to get a machine out to get it, it was ruined. I figure if we don't get some cold and snow soon, the club will be in trouble next season.
Suzuki made Arctic Cat engines, not sure if they still do. Sledders are much more serious than dirt bikers. They will buy a sled for $15K or more and then throw another $6 to $10K into aftermarket accessories to give it more power than they could ever use. Here most sledders have to drive 2 to 4 hours away to get to the good sledding area's. The one guy making a killing is Carl Kuster. Check out Cark Kuster Mountain Park. He's a Ski-Doo ambassador and rents out brand new sleds and provides lodging.
My 15 year old bone stock 800 does just fine in the mountains. I dig in and burry it long before I run out of power lol. Couple folks I went to school with were huge into sledding. One actually ended up on a couple factory race teams over the years.
I’m big into snowmobiling and SxS’s, love the outdoor activities in my spare time, love fly fishing, the winters here are hit and miss lately, last year was quiet till Feb , then got 4ft of snow in 3 days , lots of strain on the gear, did get in some great trail riding after things settled down at work and got caught up, I’m a die hard Yamaha guy
Yamaha makes fast pianos.
2025 is the last year for Yamaha sleds. I see one for $28,399 on their page
I think they just got too expensive for the average person and there's not as much snow. Kind of sad since Yamaha had some great sleds. In vintage racing the SRX was the sled to beat.
Makes sense. I never use the right hand door. Even if I was on that side, I always walk around. I think it's just because you have to step over the throttle. Even on my small graders, the travel peddle is on that side. My newer Mauldin, the control joystick is always active, and it acts like an excavator, and revs up if you touch it. Come to think of it, I always use the left side getting in and out of a dozer as well.
The question we asked Cat Corporate, as a corporate customer ourselves and looking at the safety aspect, was “where’s the second (emergency) exit in case of the LH door being out of commission for whatever reason.?” By the expression on their faces it was obvious that they hadn’t even considered it.
Old habits. I'm the same way.
my young neighbor decided to get a sled. Bought a running two seater for $400. Don't know brand or age. He's happy as a pig in mud.
And now CAT has a glass hammer mounted in the cab......
30 years ago I drove up to Ft McCoy Wisconsin during Winter for a military conference. First time up there for me. Snow on the ground. Immediately noticed the small towns liked Bars. Also noticed sled trails around the towns like spider webs spreading in every direction. Sledding obviously a big deal up there. I was driving home on Interstate 90 around midnight. Had the cruise control set on 80mph. Trying to stay awake. Suddenly a group of sleds went past me out in the cornfield along the highway. Going wayyyy faster than I. Damn kids. I was jealous.
We like to take credit for that…!! We installed our own glass hammers back in the day to keep our safety germs happy.
On our 2008 140 M the right hand door only opens from the inside, you can’t enter that door from the outside, latch does not work, emergency exit I’m thinking
I think most machines have them now. As long as the teenagers don't find them.