i am trying to decide what type of loader i should get. I am looking for something to load top soil into my tandem dump. I dont have a whole lot to spend and dont care how old it is i was just wondering what would be the cheapest kind i could get that would still get the job done. i just want to hear everyones opinions
An old Terex 72-31 B would be good, you could pick one up for under $20,000. They have a Detroit Motor which is loud, but bullet proof. The Allison tranny is also bullet proof. Machine is pretty simple to work on.
Michigan wheel loaders were also bulletproof and parts are fairly common too. They were also very simple, No frills,just a hard working machine.
The companies should of stuck to the designs of the 70's and 80's, no electronic jazz, simple to fix. Back then if your alternator died, you just had no lights. Now if your alternator dies, your on a sinking ship with no life vest. My 966G went down during a snow storm because of a sensor. My Trojans and Terex kept on pushing.
We have two 175IIIA michigans that are just as reliable as our 980G's, if not a little more. One was factory w/318 detroit, one cummins. now they both have 318"s. We just beat on them and they wont quit. we will probably trade in our G series cats before we even have the thought of gettin rid of our screamin demons. Sure there ugly and uncomfortabe, but they do what there asked of and nothing less.
i have a terex 72-31 mp2-u its a 1984 low hr machine (1500) that runs great, it has a detroit, its a military issue, is this like the 72-31B?
an old cat 950..the ak47's of wheel loaders..IMHO
I agree with reddot. I have 3 old 950's, great machines!
We bought a '67 950 in '85 with about 15,000 hours on it and in need of a motor job. Ran it screening and loading materials in the yard for seven years, never did the motor. Sold it to a friend in '92 who was going to load one or two trailers a day with it, he still has it...And, still no motor job. Cant go wrong with an old 950, plus parts wont be to hard to get. Good Luck
I can't tell by the model name, but if you can post a picture I can tell you. I love the Terex loaders, those were the first loaders I had.
I would rather have an old 950 or 966c than a new G model any day of the week.
I gotta agree with the old Michigan/Clark loaders say a 75 B or C,parts are cheap unlike Cat's,and best bang for your buck since most are under $20,000 in decent shape.
cheap loaders: there is no such thing as cheap cat, but cat will get you any part you need, might have to pay through the nose but, you'll get the part. We ran michigan's for years i started on a 75b, although we repowered it with a 5.9 b cummins had a 555 v-8, damn nice little machine. you can get some parts through non oem's but any thing still held on to by volvo good luck. That's why we have 0 michigan/ volvo's now. old terex's can't tell you on parts but they seem to not wanna stop. I also wouldn't be afraid of an old kawasaki or komatsu
cat 966
get your self an old 950A or 950B we still have one 950B and its still a good loader. I miss hte 950A we used to have it was a nice little loader for road work. the 950G's are too big you can't really turn them around in the street. you could also look for a 936 or 938F my uncle has a 938F with 15000 hours and hasn't done anything to it. i ran it a few weeks ago and its still a nice little loader
I went through this decision a few months ago. Based on the advice from numerous people, an older Cat seemed like a good choice. A Cat salesman with about forty years of experience told me that the 950 and 966C models are both in the top five machines ever made by Cat. I passed on a few badly neglected 950s and 966s that needed lots of work. In the end I bought a one-owner, low hours 966C in good condition. You can buy an older Volvo or other brand for half the money of a Cat, but you should also get a lot more back for the Cat when you go to sell it.
I am a big fan of the Volvo Mini Loaders. The little 35's and 45's they will load a truck all day long, fast, and versatile. Good for anything from yard work to stock piles.
probably a CAT, easy to get parts. I have a Fiat Allis and it is hard to find parts for.
Clark /Michigan was the loader to have BITD These old 950 cat loaders without the z bar linkage could only fill the bucket with loose material in a pile. I couldn't wait til we sold this one.
What was wrong with the 950? Weak hydraulic pump, worn out cutting edge, or ?? I have owned three loaders, both tracked and on rubber, with the same linkage as that 950 in your picture, and they had/have incredible breakout force. A 955K that I had could dig basements in the hardest soil and even break in to frozen piles of clay to backfill basements in the winter. Aggressive, sharp teeth certainly help penetrate difficult soils.
I don't know what was wrong the thing it ran great and would spin the tires going into the pile , just never could fill the bucket :-( never had a problem with the track loaders.
i'd have to say go with and old cat 950 J model. we have a 1975 950 that runs like no other the only problem we've had with it is that it has to be plugged in in temps lower than 30 degrees and it doesn't have pilot controls for hydraulics so they take a little effort to run but the good thing is they don't move when u bump them with your pinky. it's got enough power to pick up and move a powerscreen screen machine with little effort. the loader loads up to 15 loads a day to and doesn't use hardly any fuel which in this day and age is a plus.
We used to have one of those 950's for a yard loader. I loved that thing we had a quick coupler forks and side dump bucket. it started on the coldest days could pick up any of the trench boxes we needed with it. Wish we never got rid of it. now we have a 938G for a yard loader same way with quick coupler bucket and side dump and it can't get out of its own way when driving anywhere and can't pick up half the boxes in the yard
I have to second the Michigan loaders. I ran one for a year on a wood grinding job. It had 16,000 hrs on it when we took it to auction.
My dad has had a 920 cat for prob.25 years, it just won't stop going. That thing has paid for itself thousands of times over.
clark michigan are extremely resilient
WA1200................just kiddin ya'll......i love this place..
At my buddy's sand & gravel pit, we used a Komatsu 250 and a 380, along with a Deere 644G and a 744H and had no problems with either
AS long as the komatsu is a Dash-3 or lower and not a dash 5......
I THINK FOR YEARS 70'S 80'S A BIG ONE WAS THE IH 90E WITH V8 TURBOCHARGED ENGINE DVT-573 IT'S REALLY A PUSHER FOR HIS CATEGORY:Banghead
I think 645 or 745 allis good machines cheap to buy . But make sure you check the brakes out good first . I have been looking for one 3 out 5 I checked out the brakes needed repairs.
We owned a lot of loaders. Some are being talked about here.I feel that a small contractor or private operator that wants a trouble free loader should look at something like a John Deere 544 in a B modle.No air brakes means less trouble. Deere engines will pile the hours on and last if the oil is changed at 250hrs. Hydraulics are quick. We have had these from new back in the mid 70's, and still have them. Also have a old A modle in a 644. We always had trouble with air brakes up here.Master cylinders, wheel cylinders ect.These older Deere's hold good value and parts are available used as many Deere skidders used the same components.
how about the plain jd 544 wheel loaders, the first in the line of them.
I've got an older IT28F I need to "phase" out if youre interested, it's been a good one for us. Pj
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How much coin PJ? What yr and hours. And yep its me.
Does anyone know of what the smallest size wheel loader I need to be able to lift 10000 lbs with forks. I need to be able to unload 40 foot shipping containers. Yes I know a forklift would be ebst, but it would not get used enough to justify. Any suggestions?
"Safest size" might be more important than "smallest size." A three yard loader (like a Cat 950) might lift it, but you would not have much margin for error. With an eight foot deep shipping container, the center of gravity also will move further from the loader arms than with a bucket. I might look for something like a Cat 966 size machine. Even bigger might be necessary. You also may have to add additional counterweights at the rear of the machine.