Good morning, I've got an ancient Cat 988B loader that doesn't run or move that I have to drag onto a lowbed and haul to the scrapyard. I was wondering if anyone would know the approximate weight of this old dinosaur? I am guessing around 55,000 lbs? It's quite a bit smaller than the newer 988's, from the early 60's I'm assuming. Thanks in advance.
I think the book says 54000 Lbs. I owned four but never weighed one.
That sounds about right oarwhat...I know they're beefy but not like the newer ones thankfully. It's gonna get the slim down treatment with the hot wrench tomorrow anyway, by cutting the bucket off and about 2 feet of the cab to get her down to somewhat acceptable height. I only have to go about 15 miles with it and run it across the scales. Been sitting for 15 years, turbo's rusted fast, exhaust wasn't covered good, there was a fire around the filter housing...it's pretty much trashed. Hate to see something like this get cut up, but you can't save them all.
what‘s the history on that loader, Train Mover? Dailey’s had one , a straight 988, when I worked there; they got it around 1972, when they were supplying materials for building Super 7, up from Bennington. Yours looks older. Maybe not a B series, just the decal when it might have been repainted?
I actually made an error on my post... it's a 980B not a 988B...typing too fast for my own good. I don't have any history on this thing at all. I just know that the owner of the property wants it GONE and the owner of the loader needs me to make it happen. Been sitting in that same place for 15 years.
good on ya for taking it on.
Might not roll all that easy. These have 6 spring air brake canisters on them. I bet you'll something big enough to drag it.
I've got Hercules for the muscle, and the Hot Wrench for the brakes. It'll roll whether it wants to or not, lol
Update on the dead 980B... After I cut all 6 maxi brake rods and got the wheels to roll, I lifted and chained the bucket up a couple of feet. Then with Hercules (my Cat V300B heavy forklift,) I lifted the back end of the 980 up out of the earth and pulled it back about 30 ft. Next, turned it 90 degrees. Then methodically aimed it downhill to the lowbed deck, adjusting the angle of it's path as we went along... with a 1/2" G70 tethering chain for safety. Once lined up with the deck, I lifted the bucket/front end up and after several times adjusting the angle and locking the articulation straight with the bar pinned, we coaxed her up and on where she belonged. 5.5 hours later...but it's done. Waiting for the transport permits for tomorrow morning to get it to the yard so I can drain all the fluids so the scrapyard will accept it. Another one for the books.
Sharp looking, old school rig. I like it. I did leave my ass hanging out there, didn’t I ? odie
We'll assume you meant to say KW! Lol
Do you have any idea what all is wrong with it? It looks like you drove it on the trailer. You might try to sell some parts off it if you have somewhere to store it. If no interest in 6 month's then haul if off for scrap.
Well done and nice heavy forklift you have.
Everything's wrong with it. The exhaust was wide open to the weather for 12 years. The turbo is rusted fast. Water got down in the motor. There was a fire around the filter housing...it's really not worth trying to salvage anything off it at this point. Plus the fact that the owner of the land wanted it GONE asap, and the owner of the machine's 90 years old and can't do anything with it himself, so I helped him out with it. And believe me, that thing didn't get driven on the trailer. It was 5 hours of wrestling, cutting, rigging and bulling and ramming with a forklift of equal girth to get that thing from where it was sitting sunken in the dirt, to where it is in these pictures. Luckily, I have this V300B Cat lift, I just went up underneath the back of the 980 and lifted it straight up out of the dirt, pulled it backwards 30 ft or so, turned it 90 degrees and then methodically coaxed it downhill and up onto the deck of the lowbed. Wasn't easy but went smoothly.
Thanks, and I agree about the forklift, lol. I've done some really amazing jobs with that old girl. Some good mill machine work has derived from it, because I have the biggest one around this area. I like it so much that I had it painted and lettered up this spring and summer. I've fixed a lot of the little things that were wrong with it, like the E brake (just simple adjustment,) The electric fuel solenoid never worked even with brand new ones, so I made a manual one up with a cable into the cab that works fine. Got lights on it, and a few other things. It's a 1982 or 83 model, and spent the first few years of its new life in New Haven, Connecticut at the New Haven Terminal, unloading the ships that came in with steel, lumber, coils, etc. Then a friend of mine bought it from there and had it for a bunch of years. I rescued it a few years ago myself and started using it on jobs and found it to be one of the handiest machines I have, so I decided to give her a well-deserved paint job and some TLC. There's NOTHING like the older machines in terms of reliability and simplicity. I love older iron and it might show a bit...lol.
I got a little history on this old loader yesterday eastroad...was originally owned by Stub Thomas, he was the local big contractor/gravel producer over this way on the CT river in West Chesterfield, NH that did a lot of big work in the 70's and 80's, just like Willie Morse over around Bennington way did back then. It's lived over this side of the mountain all its life in Windham County, and Cheshire County, NH.
I have humble little Cat myself that I picked up for $500. Luigi needs brakes and maybe a converter and tune up, and the Siamese hose for the side shift. I just have to remember not to push that lever. I ran a nice long fork Hyster 360 for the 520 pontoon job, and they rented a 550 for the big panels.
Hey, any hydraulic helper is a friend indeed