Hi All, I’m looking for some advice or confirmation that I’m on the right track for my equipment. I recently purchased 150 acres of bush with some primitive roads in eastern Ontario. The land has mature trees and granite rock with areas of sand and a few small swamps. It’s typical Canadian Shield. Old old mountains. I want to update and repair the roads I have to allow car access. Also I have to construct about a 1/4 mile of new road to access a part of the property where a building site is. My equipment is old. I have a 1974 case 780ck backhoe that functions as it should. A few leaky cylinders and some loose pins but otherwise a1 for its age. I have a spare backhoe spool cluster for it so adding a thumb is an option in the future. I also have a dozer. A 1960 cat d6b with 6 way blade (2way power) and a 14 ton winch. It also runs and works as it should. Undercarriage is tired in sprocket and bushing area but I’ve worked it hard this summer and it’s held up very well. Chains are about 70%worn on height and only 40% worn on stretch. Tensioners hold tension well. I have an excavator on my radar. A 1987 cat 215 but I’m not sure if it’s wise to go for. The undercarriage is done. Chains have cracks. 20000 hours! The swing has been rebuilt and is tight from what I could see when it was operating. Engine seems good. Head has been done once. It’s a 3304. To me it didn’t seem crazy powerful compared to my 780 but I have a 2’ bucket and it’s got a 4.5’ bucket. Obviously the 215 articulated better etc. They want 20k cad for the 215. Which seems upper end. And I’m not loaded. So do I have big deficiencies in equipment for what I want to do or am I ok? Thanks
Not sure why you would need an excavator if you have a 780. $20K for the 215 that needs undercarriage in the worst way??? With 20,000 hours and needing a $10K or more for undercarriage I would think the undercarriage is worth more than what machine is worth. I think the machines you have should do what you need. You could possibly look at a renting a machine for the finish work or hiring that part out. Get everything roughed in and hire a newer machine for a day.
I would run what you got. I see no reason why it would not do the job. You could very well be slowed down by that old excavator doing repairs on it. Don't pound the crap out of what you got and you may well get along fine.
Perfect. Thanks guys. That’s the route I’ll go. I appreciate bouncing options off you.
Keep in mind a lot of logging roads were built and Bush roads in general were all done before an excavator was ever thought of. Get it built and hire a blade for a day to smooth it all up if your good with the dozer you can get close enough that it wont need smoothed up and dont right off the capability of a backhoe they are way more capable than most think possible
I'm in Eastern Ontario as well, and I'd run what you already have as well. Around here (Ottawa) it tends to be either easy digging, or solid rock, in which case a 16t shovel isn't gonna cut it. Dozer to cut the road, backhoe to dig the ditches/culverts, dump trucks to spread GA/GB and loader on the backhoe to smooth if required. Won't be production road building speed, but also won't cost as much as production road building. Worst case, hire a grader or tractor with a box blade to finish drag the road once it's in.
I was wondering about a box blade for finishing. I have a small 2wd Belarus tractor 30 hp that would pull a box blade nicely. As for a dump truck, I’ve been seriously considering one. You guys will probably laugh but I have an old grain truck in Manitoba that I could bring out here. It’s a 1962 gmc 3 ton with a 261 straight 6.
Poor men have poor ways if it works use it
No way in hell I'd spend 20k on that worn out cat.
I would not laugh. If you are not hauling far, I assume on site, no reason that GMC would not do the job. Probably easier to get around with. Hoist might be light for dirt. If so just keep your load toward the back a bit and figure out what you can lift without busting something.
My thoughts exactly. I had an old F350 mason dump at the shop we used to load 4+tons in to just to move it around the property. Truck was rated for 2 tons. Not street legal, but worked totally fine for the 3 years I had the truck.
The plan would indeed be to use the 3 ton on the property only. In fact after I relocate the dump control from the outside drivers side to in the cab, it’d be a good job for my 13 year old to run...