Have a chance to purchase a low hour 1994 570B John Deere or a 2000 C 80 Champion motor grader. I have a small Sitework company in Texas & need a grader to finish pads, prep flatwork/asphalt & build/crown ranch roads. We use track loaders & skid steers to get the grade close, to this point. We call it "poor boying grading". Looking to be more efficient & professional. Can I get some thoughts please.
I would go with the one that has been maintained the best vs number of hours.
I really liked the 570B I wish they still made them. I'm not an operator but from a mechanical stand point they are a really solid machine.
Both brands low hours. Fleet maintained with records. Just looking for ease of parts & service. And will last if properly maintained & operated.
the c8o is built here and I know the owners they where pretty simple machines and you could source most parts locally and fix most of it with a cutting torch ,grinder and welder. good power for the size. they were also in the smaller paving and grading business so they built them from that standpoint your not going to go out and strip topsoil with them but a great finishing machine behind dozers,loaders and bobcats. I have run One 570b and was not impressed with the production and power for the size of it compared to the champion/lee graders
Understood would the C86 Champion/Volvo be a small bump up in production or significant? I work in deep sugar sand sites building ranch roads & pads.
if I remember correctly the c80 was the lee G440 and the c86 was the G550 just a little bit more weight. it will help a little bit but they are not a high production machines any way
C86 is front or all wheel drive, I believe. Just meant high production for its size or similar production to a 570 JD, if you can compare the two. Would the wide tires on the champions be much of an advantage?
the wide tires would give better flotation I've never been around sugar sand but I would imagine the flotation would help. years ago we owned the first lee grader they built with a loader on it and it was single rear wheel kinda funny looking but with the loader you could get a bucket full of dirt and hold the front end in place better when cutting or heavy side loading the blade. then we got a 670B and didn't have to work the small grader as hard but it was still good for tight spots and blading up the fill at the end of the day. I have a 770B now with a 14' blade and it will spoil you when heavy cutting or stripping but will **** you off when in a tight place I also have a G550 Lee that I bought a while back @ auction but have not got to run it much but have run others just like it . I always thought I would like a 570B because of the 670B I had had before but when I got to run one I was disappointed I was just spreading stone on a small street it not have the power that I thought it should and I remember the blade would not up very high not enough to get over a half spread pile of stone I remember thinking that I was glad that I had never bought a 570b . another good thing about the champion/ lee is that you can easily haul it on a tag trailer behind a dump truck or put on the lowboy with a roller or skid steer. thats why I bought the G550 so I can move it easy and for some small jobs
Tks for your input Clint. The hydrostatic trans on the champion would be a plus on tight jobs. Moving on my gooseneck trailer vs lowboy is a good point. I get my grades pretty close with my 953c/963c, so this would be a small finish machine. Also would be touching up dirt roads on our hunting ranch, down in south Texas.
John Deere!
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