2 degree side slope at the bottom of the ramp. They said I didn't need corks.... To anyone debating on corking their grousers and work with frozen base. Watch and see. http://youtu.be/34bG_yJR9FU
Well, it could have been worse. At least it is a gentle slope.
Oh 100% it could have been way worse. What i was trying to prove was of how little it is and the machine still slides like that.
Yup drifting on a cat or hoe may sound like fun but it sure aint lol.
You got that right! I think a hoe would be even worse then a cat, little more top heavy. lol
Well, at least a hoe has an adjustable anchor it can throw out.
If the ripper on the D8 i run had shanks in it, easy one button drop. Then have time to drop the blade. I do wish this D8 had dual tilt cylinders. That would be nice.
Our hoe is all corked but I can still slide it around like its on skates if I grab a little to hard onto something. My old 7 is partially corked(some have broke off) only slid around a few times with it. It sure do t take long to get places once you start sliding though.
Yair . . . Okay for someone who has never seen "corks" . . . could someone post a picture do you reckon? Cheers.
Here ya go Scrub.
How is the cork attached and does it really give u that much grip. I never even heard of this but then I never been in ice or snow either
It works like cleats. Smaller point if contact digs into the ice giving you traction like studded tires. Put em on in fall they're usually worn off by spring. They're welded on. Search on your tube corking the cat shows how it's done.
As you know just dropping the blade and maybe tilting it a little can be an anchor,sometimes swinging the dozer around enough to allow the growsers to dig in and give you some traction.That crossdrive transmission has some tricks of its own too.The excavators are worse except that you do have those bucket teeth to help a little.Fun nonetheless.lol.Ron G
Thanks Ippi makes sence at a guess cork on dozer grousers would not b as wide as the lug ?
Man , I'll have get lots of underwear to work in the colder climates
Yes, even the ones that shimmy showed. Are wide in comparison to the ones we usually put on. If they were as wide as the grouser it wouldn't help. Would be like they weren't there at all. One bad thing about corks is it wrecks decks on trailers, any pavement, and hard on everything because the track actually gets traction, and a lot of it. We had one two years ago rented that had a 1-2-1-2-1-2 pattern guys said it felt like they could climb a vertical ice wall. Lol If by underwear you mean long underwear I would guess so being from South Africa. I know what you meant lots of extra underwear for when you soil them. Lol. My whole ramp is made from snow. So after a day it sets up and becomes a big block of ice. Two years ago we got so much snow the ramp never even melted all the way there was a snow pile the size of 4 football fields left. It took till August of the following summer for it to melt. Here's what I think of when I say corks. Smaller and tall to really dig through the Ice and out pressure on frozen ground.
Now that gives a whole new meaning to a side shift blade.
I think that the term "corks" was carried down from the old days when we shod our horses in the cold weather horseshoes had round holes around the perimeter of them to drive "corks" in to increase their traction and to protect their feet when working on ice.The cork was round on the hole end but the exposed end was flat and tapered to get a grip on the frozen ground. I know that you did not need to know that and I guess that it shows my age a little but some may wonder where the name came from since the current version does not look much like the cork that we know.Ron G
One thing that suprises me is the lack of trap holes in the shoes for working on snow/ice.
Corks around here are spikes in the soles of a logger's boots. Something akin to the spikes in a golf shoe. I have seen the affects of a log shovel sliding sideways off a road and rolling over. The operator didn't get hurt at all, started going to church almost every week after that.
Those are actually spelled "caulks", as are the little sharp spikes on the soles of logger's boots that let them get a grip on slick logs, etc.
Here is what you need there.I wonder how that would be to clean the tracks on every night? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_9oo3Mk_VU
If you want a real fun experience, try doing that in a 1500 ton shovel! They don't stop quite so quick!
I find this all very interesting. Hey Nige could u still hook up a horse team lol just kidding now when u say trap holes is that what I would call trash holes? I would like to have a go at operating something in the ice and snow if I could get around I would b rugged up like the Michelin man. This is probebly a dumb question do u have to fiddle around with the fuel system in that kind of cold. You would have to change all fluid's is there some kind of special anti freeze for the cooling system that will stop it freezing up at that low a temperature. What about oil I can't c plain old 15/40 cutting the musterd. What prevents the diesel from turning to jelly in the tank what about the batteries here in Australia if a battery is a bit sad and u get a cold night it will die. I would want a big bad heater core on steroids to stop me turning blue brrr
We have winter fuel here. Although I don't know all the details as I've never really needed to now I believe it's more refined and some additives added to it. Could be wrong as I just dump it in when it's needed. We run 15W40 year round there's days where I do wish I had 0W40 but it does pretty good for the most part. Once it gets below -20-25C we usually shut down. Everything is remote where we work so it just takes that much longer to get stuff going. -18-20C stuff will still start up without any extra work or at least not much. I mix 60% antifreeze 40% water. Used to do 50 50 but they cheapened that up too. As long as theres no wind and the sun is out -30 -35 really isn't that bad to work it providing you're working steady or moving steady. Lots of layers is your best bet. I prefer -30 to +30C. I've always said you can dress up but you can only take off so much.lol.. Batteries are a regular maintenace item almost. Seems really hit and miss. Some will make it 5 or 6 years while others you're replacing yearly. Actually have one battery on the farm yet that I'm amazed hasn't craped out. It's about 16 years old. It's a group 31 that stays in our old 1500 IH truck. Gets started maybe a dozzen times a year but it has never failed to start it. Watch it'll be dead tomorrow now that I've said that.lol..
Mitch, plenty of the old-timers wrote "corks" or "calks", as well as "caulks", for the spikes on boot soles. Probably depends on region and country. ;-)
30 below are u nuts hoges ghost blow u jack imagine trying to swing a spanner in that! U wouldn't even b Abel to pump grease out the gun u would have to put him in the eng bay and get some heat in him first at a guess. Sorry mate I disagree I don't mind 45+ I can alwase cool of but u can't get warm oh Im talking metric deg Celsius to
We keep the grease guns and at least one grease cartridge either in the cab or engine compartment where it will be warm and some greases are formulated for cold weather.I have found that synthetic greases usually flow better in the cold weather. I have been known to keep my grease gun in the cab of my pickup to warm up on the way to work.I like to grease while the machine/machines that I will be using for the day warm up in the morning but some companies shut down at lunch time to do it for that reason.I contend that putting a machine to work before it has been properly warmed up cuts down on the life of the machine and also it is desirable to assign just one operator to a machine when you can.Ron G
Cam85,you need to take a trip north of Port douglas, Bamaga,or an island or three, Darnley,Thursday,Badu, you will find a woman there who will be Big, but Hey? Shes warm in winter and shade in summer.
Something like this mate. I can't recall seeing any tractor I've ever worked with on snow & ice not being equipped with track shoes like these. Also it stands to reason that you need some pretty decent grousers on the shoes to give them some bite.
In the d8 I run at work the dealer switched the oil to 10w-30 diesel oil. I agree I can take the cold better then the heat. Greasing the equipment is difficult in cold climates some times the grease existing on the joints turns into such a hard paste that pumping the new grease is practically impossible. I tend to run the equipment for a bit to try and get it moved around hopefully it frees it up to pump in new stuff. Cleaning off the undercarriage can be a severe pain. The final drives get warm and same with the idlers. Melting the snow and then it freezes to everything but with constant snow going over it it's usually not a problem. Sometimes it could freeze up and your picking at ice at the end of your shift under the final drive. I do not have problems with snow packing in the track. It's constant snow so it is always getting pushed around an falling out. Mud I could see being a problem. I use to work on a service rig on the oilfield. Doing pump changes and maintaining the wells. That was the coldest job I've had, outside all day long -40 weather during the winter working on the floor tripping pipe and rods all day long no wind guards or a boiler to give you heat. The boiler hand was mainly for thawing out the well head every morning. And melting snow off and out of it all. There's always wind here. Flattest part of Canada with no trees and no hills. There's always wind. If its -30 with no wind I could be outside all day and not even get cold if your dressed for it. -10 and 30km/h wind and wear the same clothing you'll be freezing within a couple hours.
One of the reasons that some companies have the policy of shutting down at noon to grease is the theory that the joints take grease better if they are warm.I cannot dispute that but you can tell if the joint takes grease or not when you are greasing it,if it needs to be worked a while before it will take grease then you can work it a while before you grease it.The equipment should still be warmed up before you put it to work. An old trick that I used to use to save me some work at the end of the day if you can do it is to find a sand pile someplace and exercise your machine in it to give your undercarriage a coat of fines as a first coat and the snow etc. will not stick as tenaciously and is a big help in cleaning the tracks.Of course parking on a log or scrap wood or whatever helps too but everybody knows that.Working in slop mud is the worst as you can never get it all out of the pins and bushings,you just have to move slowly a little bit each was until they free up.Ron G
Thanks Nige yea I call that a trash hole. Ippi yea mate I worked on exploration rigs for a few years but I still prefer the heat. I did a little reasearch and found that u can get a gell cell battery that's is good for like 60 below for working in Russa and really cold places. They have to blanket there engines when they shut down they have different coolant and special oils heater elements in the fuel tanks and all all sorts of things' I still can't finger out what the difference is in winter fuel to summer fuel though
Cam I'm not an expert either, but I actually found that even in South Africa there is winter and summer diesel for certain areas. But here is a explanation : Diesel fuel is prone to waxing or gelling in cold weather; both are terms for the solidification of diesel oil into a partially crystalline state. Below the Cloud Point the fuel begins to develop solid wax particles giving it a cloudy appearance. The presence of solidified waxes thickens the oil and clogs fuel filters and injectors in engines. The crystals build up in the fuel line (especially in fuel filters) until the engine is starved of fuel, causing it to stop running. The Cold Filter Plugging Point (CFPP) is based on a standardized test that indicates the rate at which diesel fuel will flow through a standardized filtration device in a specified length of time when cooled under certain conditions. Similarly the "Low Temperature Flow Test" (ASTM D4539[1]) indicates the winter performance of diesel with improver additives. Note that both the CFPP and LTFT temperature is some degrees above the Pour Point temperature at which diesel fuel loses its fluid character and that pumps would stop operating. There are a number of solutions available which allow diesel engines to continue to operate in cold weather conditions. Once the diesel motor is started it may continue to operate at temperatures below the CFPP - most engines have a spill return system, by which any excess fuel from the injector pump and injectors is returned to the fuel tank. When the engine has warmed, returning warm fuel should prevent gelling in the tank. Additives Retail stores offer a number of additives that will lower the CFPP of diesel oil. These will only be effective when added above the Cloud Point as the additive needs to mix well with the diesel oil - ideally the additive should be added at the gas station when the fuel is still warm from the storage tanks. The additives will not prevent the diesel from developing wax particles but these are hindered from melding together to form larger wax flakes that can clog up the fuel filter. In comparison with blending diesel fuel with lighter fuel (that has a lower CFPP) the usage of additives is cheaper and gas stations in cold regions offer diesel fuel with additives at no extra cost (see below). If the gas station offers winterized diesel you should not add additional additives - the fluid characteristics may deteriorate due to incompatible additives and the CFPP enhancement may be reversed.[4] Blending In North America, gas stations offer two types of diesel fuel - according to ASTM D975[5] these are named No.1 and No.2 fuel. No.1 fuel (kerosene) has a natural CFPP of -40 °C but it is more expensive than No.2 fuel. Adding No.1 fuel will lower the CFPP of No.2 fuel - adding 10% will lower the CFPP temperature by about 5 degrees.[6] For some diesel motors it is also possible to add even lighter fuels like gasoline to extend the CFPP characteristics. Some car makers were recommending adding up to 20% gasoline to permit operation in cold weather (at the price of higher consumption) and it had been common practice in Europe where No.1 fuel is not offered at gas stations. Since the 1990s car makers began selling only direct injection diesel engines - these will not withstand any gasoline portions in the fuel as the high pressure in the injection device will ignite the gasoline early on possibly destroying the injectors. Car makers selling Common Rail or Unit Injector diesel engines prohibit the dilution of diesel fuel with either gasoline or kerosene as it may destroy the injection device.
South African Standards for Diesel Cold filter plugging point (CFPP) 1) Summer, °C, max +3 2) Winter,°C, max -3 Summer = 1 October to 31 March (inclusive) Winter = 1 April to 30 September (inclusive). NOTE In case of a product sold in colder areas (as defined by historic meteorological data), additional CFPP improver should be included with the intention to achieve -7 °C or better.
Thanks Seat warmer I'm a light veichel mechanic and I did learn a bit about different grades of ulp petrol but never covered different types of diesel living in the northern part of Australia why would we I doe sent get cold here if it drops under 15 deg Celsius we start griping. I remember the carbey module of my trade and learning about high altitude tuning and it has got me thinking about mechanical injection diesel and if u need to fatten em up a bit if working in the mountains. I thank u for ur input from what u wrote it seem as though it's all about certain rating much like ulp is all about octane and level of refinement. U got me started on a bit of research from the info I have found it seems to b the lower the certain the better the bang and burn. Hoping someone much smarter than me reads this and can elaborate on this how would jet a one go in a tractor. Also I posed in workshop and asked this but I'm gunna put up here to what is calibrating fluid made from and will turn to jelly inside an injection pump and squirters and gum everything up or can u let it sit no problem. Regards cameron
Cam If I remember correctly from 40 odd years ago, farmers in the colder areas in South Africa used to mix kerosene with diesel in winter to prevent jellying. All the farms had diesel and kerosene tanks.
Kerosene mainly used on my farm to flush out crank cases and bottom ends of old diesel motors. My grandfather would drain the oil from the pan, drain the filter and fill it up with kerosene. Let it idle for a while. Drain it all again. And put on new filter and oil. Motors he did that on are still purring like kittens.
We have #2, #1, 60/40 mix, and kerosene all on the pump at our local Cenex station. Our 60/40 blend, 60percent #2 is good to -28F. We do not start anything below -20. Iron seems to break to easy when colder than that.
The diesel engines that were installed on the ships when I was in the USN used JP-5 aviation fuel which is nearly pure kerosene. Engines start nearly instantly in weather over freezing and take just a little more turning before lighting off below freezing. The stuff has almost no lubrication and injectors did not last long at all compared to what I've seen in civilian life. Having said that, we didn't change injectors because of the fuel. It was always for the water that gets in the fuel tanks and blows through the filters. People forget most of the time that the wax crystals are a burning part of the fuel. Cut back on how much wax is in the fuel and you lose BTUs with your mileage or run time being noticeably affected. When I worked on trucks people would complain in the winter of losing a full gear pulling a hill and wanting to run us through the ringer trying to find where they lost the horsepower.
I wanna have a go at running a tractor in the ice n snow but if had 2 swing a spanner in that weather I would have the biggest fire u ever seen raging right beside me ha ha ha.
When it's cold out like it was, the mechanics usually tent the equipment. They build a little enclosure with tarps/canvas and put a heater under it. To try and keep the chill off. Doesn't help the dozer radiates the -40 degree temperatures.