We picked up this used grader to use for parking lot maintenance at our plant (Ser # 740A-23-152-12058). Does anyone know if getting parts for this old machine will be a problem? The seller listed it as a 1978 model, so assume it may be somewhere around there. It has the 6-71 Detroit for power. I have little experience with graders except running a Champion 760 for a few hundred hours years ago.
I don't think parts are too much trouble for Champion. I think the 740A was pretty popular model.
I think Volvo makes them now under their own name. They may have parts available.
Volvo don't built graders anymore, but i think that they have parts. SDLG has takeover the Volvo Grader. I have find a website, maybe they have some parts: http://www.jadeequipment.com
From my experience Jade is going to be your best bet. I have a 720 of roughly that vintage and what I've found is you can source most of the components by breaking down what it is, if its a 6v-71 Detroit source parts through some place that sells Detroit parts or online. You can get the majority of the hydraulic cylinder rebuild kits for peanuts online. Basically make sure you get a parts manual and start googling, for hard to find stuff call Jade. They are very simple machines and if properly maintained they last a long time.
Thanks for the information from everyone on the 740A, including parts availability as well. The machine is about 2 1/2 hrs away from our home base so we have not moved it home as of yet. Hope to do so early next week.........
2.5 hours eh, well maybe grade some back roads on the way home, pick up some cash.
We made the 2 1/2" Hr trip to pick up the 740A Grader this morning. Doing an oil change on her tonight as we have some work to do with it right away. Keeping our finger crossed as she is an oldie...........
Brake and clutch hydraulics are problematic. Which transmission do you have? They all have a clutch brake but it is not as critical on a powershift.
Put the old Champion 740A to work today for the first time. The old 6-71 Detroit slobbers & leaks a fair bit of oil, but the old girl runs pretty good so far..............keep our fingers crossed..........
If you have not been around the old Detroits before there are a few tricks to slow oil leaks. If the valve cover is leaking, take it off and inspect to make sure the lip where the gasket seats is slightly bend in so the cover sits down into the head with a good flat mating surface for the gasket. Several of the flywheel housing bolts require copper washers to keep oil splashed by the timing gears from leaking. Also, get your 9/16 and make sure all of the flywheel housing bolts are tight including the two on the front side. There is also one under an accessory drive or cover on the V series. Make them snug but do not over tighten and risk breaking. A good solvent bath and air job should clean things up enough for you to see where the leaks are coming from. Good luck.
Thanks for the "leak pluggin" tips for the old Detroit. We actually ordered a new valve cover gasket today for it & hope to put it no within a day or two. Will follow your other suggestions as well.
My 6-71 detroit came with the stamped steel valve cover. It looked like they had driven over it, it was bent and twisted in two different directions (I think its mostly from people overtightening the hold down bolts). I found a newer style which is cast aluminum, it fits much nicer and doesn't leak.
We put a new valve cover gasket on the stamped steel valve cover & the leak is much better now. Cast alum is an option of the leak starts up again. Thanks for presenting the option..
Picked up 6 new scarrafier shanks & tips for the new to us 740A Grader & have a job to try them out on tomorrow. The previous owner had been using it the scarrafier without tips on some of the shanks, wearing the shanks down, so that the tips could not fit on anymore.
View attachment 156096 View attachment 156097 Picked up 6 new scarrafier shanks & tips for the new to us 740A Grader & have a job to try them out on tomorrow. The previous owner had been using it the scarrafier without tips on some of the shanks, wearing the shanks down, so that the tips could not fit on anymore.
I had a set of recaps put on the old girl for a reasonable price which will improve traction when working in soil & for snow removal too. I had thought that mismatched tires with different diameters may be somewhat hard on the drive components as well?
It's the same with any grader. With the chain drive in the rear tandems tyres have to be almost identical in rolling radius to avoid one tyre of the pair scuffing. It also significantly reduces tyre wear if the tyre diameters are close to one another. With the differential in between the LH & RH sides having exactly the same size of tyres on both sides is not quite so critical.
When we purchased our old 740A Grader, none of the lights were working & we have been working at doing some repair work on them, to get them working again. We reconfigured the mounting system by adding a light bar to mount them on, as it was very congested with the mounts all converging in one spot (see before & after pictures). It had some large yellow fog lights on the original set up on the back before we bought it, so we made provision to mount them again, but the fog lights are not yet hooked up. This was a municipal machine before we owned it at some point, so they were likely added for that application. Does anyone know if having fog lights mounted on the back is a standard practice & if so, whether they should be blinking or just on continuous when required & what their benefit is? We plan to use the grader for some snow removal work but nothing municipal, just operating on private property & some road travel to get there. Have the top mounted blue rotating beacon light, for snow work mounted on top of the cab as well.
We went ahead & hooked up the "fog lights" on the back on a separate switch with a blinker in line. Likely they are intended to be used in the worst type of winter weather to warn traffic coming up from behind of the slow moving snow removal vehicle?