Geographical Track Loader use

[Wawrecker]

It seams to me that track loaders are in favor in certain regions of the country while other places like here in Washington you cant even rent one. California seams to be big on them or the 973 for wrecking and the South loves'em for diggin. Please way in on why or why you dont use a track loader.

[TRACKHOE71]

here in eastern pa, we use them for everything, digging out for basments, ponds, slope work, grading roads, loading trucks, backfilling pipe, running bedding for pipe, and carting pipe around, primarley alot of the companies run 953 and 963, with the bigger companis usally run them all and might have some 973's too

[Dozerboy]

I have ran a lot of them in NE, WI, and TX too

[tylermckee]

It seams to me that track loaders are in favor in certain regions of the country while other places like here in Washington you cant even rent one. California seams to be big on them or the 973 for wrecking and the South loves'em for diggin. Please way in on why or why you dont use a track loader.

im just an hour north of you and I don't think ive ever seen one in use around here

[Mass-X]

They're common around here. Many commercial developments have 953's and 963's running around doing all kids of work.

Up in the mountain projects it's fairly common to see 963's but more commonly 973's working on numerous things. Cuts too tedious for hoe/trucks, topsoiling slopes, etc. They're often used in cuts on slopes where a track crusher is placed in the cut and doesn't leave any room for a 966 or 980 to load and turn around.

They're very versatile machines and definitely have a place around here.

[Copenhagen]

None here. There might be 1 or 2 for demolition but thats it.

[srs_mn]

They used to be the machine of choice around my area of Minnesota back in the 70's and early 80's... Seemed like everybody had a John Deere 350 or 450 loader or, sometimes, a Cat 955. I don't see very many around any more, though; as soon as the track-hoe/excavators appeared around here, the loaders just kind of disappeared. There are still a few old ones around in private use, but almost none of the contractors use them for serious digging any more.
I had 3 of them myself, and I've always said that if I could only have one machine, it would be a JD450, 4in1 loader, with a detachable backhoe - it may not be very fast, but it will do anything you can dream up for it to do.
srs MN

[rino1494]

We have 3 of them. A Case 450, 955K and a 977L with a s/s ripper. We use the 450 to carry dirt where it is soft and can't get the trucks though. We use the 955 and 977 build roads, ponds, site prep and carrying rip rap. We also use the 977 in our shale pit to rip the shale and load the trucks.

[CM1995]

Here in the heart of the south we use loaders (that would be track loaders) quite a bit. They are used exclusively by the owner/operator types that do residential jobs. We use ours for pretty much everything - clearing/grubbing, hogging topsoil, grading, demo, supporting pipe crew,etc. It is a very handy machine to send to a job when you need to dig, grade and load trucks because you only have 1 machine on the tag behind the dump truck.

[stuvecorp]

Here in Wisconsin there use to be all kinds of 355 and 455's kind of wonder where they ended up? In town an older guy had a nice tandem GMC and it looked like a very late model 953, he did site work and basements. I always would see him out on the road, never got to see him in action and I think he retired now. There is another contractor and he has two 955's and he digs all his basements still but otherwise it is all excavators. I agree that a track loader would be a good backup or machine to round out the fleet. I would love to have a 953.

[dirtworksequip]

I think that the reason track loaders have become less popular are because most everyone feels that an excavator is a better all around machine.So, if they are going to have just one machine they opt for an excavator. Here in my area there are very few track loaders anymore. I myself feel that the track loader is by far a more all around machine. I find it funny that guys dig a new house foundation with an excavator. Throw the dirt two or three times and then also have a dozer there to push the dirt some more. Where a track can do the whole project more efficiently. Give me a track loader anytime for clearing,road building,pond construction,foundation excavation and whatever else. Also check out this observation I made. The track skid steers just keep getting bigger and bigger.........soon to evolve into a full sized loader. Cat's comming out with a 297 model MTL soon

Sincerely,
Dirt

[CM1995]

The only problem I see with the bigger MTL's is the cost of the rubber undercarriage. When I needed tracks for my bobcat T250 they were $4000. New pads and bolts for 953C were $3,800. I know that doesn't include rails but I thought that was a little rediculous.

Now if they come out with a MTL with steel undercarriage- ummmm.:cool:

[dirtworksequip]

Steve, I figure thats where the MTL"s are eventually headed. Steel tracks and a redisigned undercarriage. That would be a cool beast of a machine.

[CascadeScaper]

Yep, here in WA track loaders do not exist.

[2004F550]

We had a JD450 4in1 w/ the detachable backhoe. It was bought when 4wd backhoes were non existant and it did well in the mud and made money for us. After 4wd backhoes came out we just kept it around as back up and to use for land clearing, then got rid of it for another JD 4wd backhoe. Around here you see them in landfills and some demolition, never on sites anymore.

[cat320]

you hardly see them up here in MA well not new ones , tody most guys use excavtors or a small dozer,loader or tlb

[CM1995]

Between my partner and I we have two 953C's. Both are being run daily and can't do without them. I am even thinking of getting a D when they hit the dealer. Mine just had the front glass replaced today- that is why it is sitting.:rolleyes:

[Dozerboy]

The boss had me doing some pioneering and demo with a New 939 for the past several days. We got to BSing he asked how I liked the 939? I told him it wasn't any 977. He said then I got a surprise for you coming and left it at that. Today I got this for a toy it's a beast, like running a monster 9H with a bucket. We had a 980 brought in to make some fills and that loader couldn't touch the production I was getting with the 983 only if it had a 4n1 bucket.

[jhill]

Here in Mi tracked loaders are rare now. They have been replaced with hydraulic excavators and TLBs.

[dayexco]

nobody runs tracks here anymore except on excavators

[CM1995]

The boss had me doing some pioneering and demo with a New 939 for the past several days. We got to BSing he asked how I liked the 939? I told him it wasn't any 977. He said then I got a surprise for you coming and left it at that. Today I got this for a toy it's a beast, like running a monster 9H with a bucket. We had a 980 brought in to make some fills and that loader couldn't touch the production I was getting with the 983 only if it had a 4n1 bucket.

:notworthy That is an awsome machine. I haven't seen a 983 since I was a kid and never had the opportunity to run one. Your lucky and I am jealous.:D

[Wolf]

So, Dozerboy, how would you compare the 983 to the 977? How was that demo?

Anyone else have similar experiences?

[Wawrecker]

I was never lucky enough either but I did get to see a 983 go through a 12" concrete wall full of rebar. The operator just rolled up about half throttle and the bucket about half way up and drove into it, the wall just kinda shook and the operator stopped, backed up kicked it up a gear and did it again and it just went right through it! This building also had a basment with a masive boiler that the loader dug itself a ramp, went through the basement walls and just rolled the boiler out of its nest and up the ramp. This took place in the early 90's and the contractor was very old school. This combination led to the asbestos wrap on the boiler getting abated by the loader as it pushed it around the site, rolling it on the dirt. I was a young labor then and didnt realize the magnatude of what had taken place.

[Wolf]

That's an amazing story Wawrecker!

I too have seen a 977 roll right through the lobby of an old (1906) theater in San Francisco. The power and the destruction were truely awesome.

[lars]

Dirtwork, I agree that the MTL/CTL is replacing the small track loader. Even though the rubber tracks seen costly I bet they're still a lower overall cost when compared to steel. You may see some lower prices as some aftermarket people get into the mix too. The biggest advantage I see with the CTL is speed. The ASV that I put some time on could really move. And those UC's can work at a pretty fast pace with no damage. And don't forget that CTL's are cheaper up front too.

Deere seems to be betting on the demise of the small track loader as they ditched the 455/555 machine. Cat is really the only company that offers one but who knows if they will keep the 939 if they are making bigger and bigger MTL's.

[Dozerboy]

Running that 983 was better then running an 80ton hoe. It had no power shortage at all even digging in sand stone it could get a full bucket with very little work. Other then the fact it is slow compared to the 939 the 983 is the best/funniest machine I've ran even without a cab. All the demo was done by the time it showed up and it would of been to big to work in the close quarters I had to. I feel very lucky to run it and I've been told I've had a big sh** eating grin on my face for the past 2 days.

[Tigerotor77W]

Deere seems to be betting on the demise of the small track loader as they ditched the 455/555 machine. Cat is really the only company that offers one but who knows if they will keep the 939 if they are making bigger and bigger MTL's.

Actually, the 605C is a 90HP machine, just like the 939C is. I'm curious to know its acceptance, but it looks like a fine machine. And I think Liebherr picked up on it with the 614? I may be mixing numbers.

CM1995 -- if you have big pictures of the 953C at work, send them my way -- track loaders are still by far my favorite machine.

[lgammon]

well we have a
953b
943
941b
236 skid

and a 312

we have spent the last 3 days cleaning up where the have logged behind a new house, the 943 does about twice the area a day that the 312 will clean. before we got the track hoe i thought that it would replace the loaders,but after digging a basment with it a couple of times i realized that the loaders are the only way to do it. i do like the track hoe for digging stumps(spent 2 months diging stumps this winter). and trenching deep, and loading trucks in odd spaces. but i think i will always be a loader man

[Countryboy]

Welcome to HEF lgammon! :drinkup

[dirtworksequip]

There is a dealer not far from me that has a 605C for sale that has 100 hours on it. I think they want $140k for it. I was going to check it out just to see how it compared to the Cat 939C. I'm sure its a very nice machine,but $$$$$. too much for me.

[Deas Plant]

Hi, Folks.
Interesting thread with interesting posts.

I worked for 7 years for a local contractor who, when I first started with him, had 8 Cat track loaders, 5 x 941B's, 2 x 943's and a 955L. When I left, his fleet had only 1 x 941, 5 x 943's, a 953B, a 953C, a Cat D5B wide gauge dozer and 3 excavators from 12 to 22 tons. I would guess that he would stand a good chance of having the largest fleet of Cat track loaders in the Southern Hemisphere. All the track loaders and the dozer have rear rippers and all the loaders have 4-in-1 buckets. The dozer has a bull/tilt blade, not a PAT blade.

He had started off with Case track loaders 33 years ago. They nearly broke him in his first 4 years, before he bought his first Cat 941. It worked for him for 26 years before he cannabalised it for parts. He has bought exclusively Cat ever since, except for his excavators.

Almost all of his work is levelling house sites ready for building. Here in South-eastern Queensland, Australia, cellars and basements are unheard of. Most houses are single level with some split-level sites. There are some multi-story houses built on flat pads and some are also built on split-level sites. The most splits I have ever done on one site was five different levels and that happened several times.

Personally, I would not give you 2 paltry pinches of pickled possum manure for an excavator in this sort of work, UNLESS it was ALL dig and load out. Even then, it is FAR easier to cut a level floor with a laser level on a track loader than it is on an excavator. Don't get me wrong. I LIKE running excavators - on the right job. I just don't believe that cutting house pads is the right job.

I spent almost 2 1/2 of those 7 years on the D5B dozer and loved it for cutting house pads - and for every other job I did with it. In spite of the boss' dire predictions, I had NO trouble cleaning out blind corners in an excavation with the dozer, a job normally considered the domain of loaders or excavators. I also had no problem doing split levels and had a couple of house pads with 5 splits on them. The dozer also beats the pants off the track loaders for bulk pushing and handling rock while the track loaders beat the pants off the excavators for moving material more than about 12 metres. The bigger excavators leave both the dozer and the track loaders for dead in the rock, especially the harder rock where rock breakers were needed.

[CM1995]

Here ya go Tigerotor - sorry I couldn't get them sooner I have been slammed.
I will try to get better ones later.

[CM1995]

And one more.

[equipment fan]

great pictures,i like the 953c,do you will buy a 953d???:D

[CM1995]

great pictures,i like the 953c,do you will buy a 953d???:D

Probably so but I will wait at least 6-12 months so Cat can get the bugs worked out of them. Our local dealer hasn't even got one yet, but I have put my hands on one and they are sweet.:bouncegri

[equipment fan]

you have tried the 953d?

[rino1494]

The boss had me doing some pioneering and demo with a New 939 for the past several days. We got to BSing he asked how I liked the 939? I told him it wasn't any 977. He said then I got a surprise for you coming and left it at that. Today I got this for a toy it's a beast, like running a monster 9H with a bucket. We had a 980 brought in to make some fills and that loader couldn't touch the production I was getting with the 983 only if it had a 4n1 bucket.


They are good tractors. My dad used to run one for doing reclamation work. It is basically a D8 with a bucket. Can't keep front idlers on them though because they are so heavy.

[Countryboy]

The guys in the second picture must work for the City. :D

[CM1995]

The guys in the second picture must work for the City. :D

:eek: Wait a minute - their on my payroll!:Banghead

[Countryboy]

:eek: Wait a minute - their on my payroll!:Banghead

You got any positions avaliable? :D

[CM1995]

You got any positions avaliable? :D

:bouncegri Well, we do have a couple more shovels and an extra hard hat.:D

[CM1995]

you have tried the 953d?

I have went over one and sat at the controls but did not operate one. You see I kinda found out about where this prototype machine was and I didn't really have permission to be there............:rolleyes:

Anyway I can't wait to really operate one.:D

[trainwreck]

here in oregon you almost Never see track loaders. the only 1 i know of i owned by the company i work for. it is a 983 b. and as far as what our operators think of it, it can go to the auction anytime. it is big heavy slow and burns a ton of fuel, as well as get stuck on anything. has ton of lift power but no counter weight to be able to use it. but if you get it stuck then hook it to a rail car that is off in the ditch it will pull the line right off the winch. Oh and we use 1 3/8 winch line. ill try and dig up a pic of it

[95zIV]

I've only seen one in use in VT here's some pics. It's owned by R.J. Corman, the derailment services company.

[trainwreck]

are you sure that is a 983 and not a 977? It looka a bit small but i could be wrong.

[RT Engineering]

I think it looks like a 977 also.

Hey has anyone bought or run one of the new Deere track loaders? I am looking at a 605, any feed back would be appreciated.

Thanks,

RT

[Tn Bulldog]

Crawlwer loaders are few & far between round nowadays but there are a few on landclearing , excavating & demolition jobs round here still



the last crawler loader we had was round 1995' a 621B Liebherr w/4in1 bucket joystick controls & only pedel in the floor was for the 4in1 bucket man that was 1 smooth operating machine :D




later


Bulldog

[CAT955L]

Looks like a 977l
cool pics

[stumpjumper83]

hey wait, i thought you were suposed to close your 4n1 before pushing on anything?? Especially a stuck train car....

[95zIV]

I think he was right on the edge of the bucket and that car wasn't stuck. It was one that they had re-railed and they where just pushing it down the track to make room for more cars. Those cars actually move really easy when the brakes are released.

[D5G]

we use them in ohio for the pipe crews, don't know as much about demo. Mostly Cats too...don't see a whole lot of anything else

[JimInOz]

This has been a great topic.It's good to see the Crawler-Loaders are still holding up in dirt work.IMO,any machine that can rip,load,push,trim,grab & crush has a place in earthmoving of any era.
I'd like to hear from current owners about running costs....obviously the main reason for the partial demise of these machines in the first place.
Are they a hip pocket pain,but your business needs it anyway? Do they compare favourably when you offset running costs with versatility?

One thing I noted...In the US there a lot of crawler-loaders that are NOT fitted with ripper & 4:1 bucket .
In Australia,rippers & 4:1 bucket are almost mandatory .I think we have a culture of making the most of as few machines as possible.
I'd also like to see more 4:1 buckets on wheel-loaders which are doing general purpose work.A local guy digs ponds in hard clay using a Volvo loader ,fitted with 4:1 & ripper.A very versatile machine.

Keep the posts & pics coming.:)
Jim

[swampdog]

Here on the northern prairies, track loaders are about as common as Ivory Billed Woodpeckers. Wheel loaders took over from the track loaders by the 1980s, and now excavators have taken over for most excavating jobs.

I had a couple of 955Ks. They were great machines and very versatile in dry conditions. I would have liked them even better if they came in a LGP version with wider tracks. I can't count the number of times I had one stuck; one has to learn various tricks to extricate them from mud.

[stretch]

Only seen three here in CT, two were 973's for demo and a Deere 450 w/backhoe for landscaping/pool work sitting at a friend's house (will hopefully have pics if it's still there). They don't seem to be too popular around here. Wish there were more of them, they sure look like they'd be good on more demo jobs then they're already on and for utility and farm work.

[RKO]

I have ran a lot of them in NE, WI, and TX too

Track Loaders are far and few between in Nebr. now. The only time you will see a Track Loader is on a muddy pipe job were a wheel loader will not go. Most basements are dug with excavators, as most lots are small and the dirt needs to be loaded and hauled away. Wheel loaders and excavators have replaced track loaders. I have a Cat 953C that gets only a few hours (50 TO 75 hrs.)on a year. I did buy two Cat 953's this winter to use to clean up a couple farms I bought, only because they were cheaper than and older dozer. I bought both track loaders for less than a D6C10K dozer, and they are in great condition. (cabs, heat/air, 50% bottoms, good hyd. and tight)
It's funny how different parts of the country use different equipment. I really should sell the Cat 953C for no more than I use it, but to rent one for a couple times a year would cost 10,000 to 14,000 and a couple yaers I can keep what I have.

[farmersyorkies]

What do you think about a 1985 Dresser 175C. It has a 4 in 1 bucket. The owners says a little slack in the bucket but very usable and lots of life left. he states 50% U/C. He is asking about $12,000.

[farmersyorkies]

Owner says;

The engine is the International DT466 turbocharged diesel engine rated at 130hp.

The motor fires up good, runs out real strong and does not smoke. Engine is very strong and responsive like it should be. This machine is pedal steer with a 2 speed power shift transmission with high and low range, making 4 gears avaliable in forward and reverse. Transmission is very strong and pulls good, it steers good also. The seat and arm rests are new along with the paint.

[later814]

I love the thread! I'm with a Cat dealer... believe it or not better than 2/3 of the WORLD's track loaders go into PA, MD, and the Carolinas. Mix is about 50/50 953 to 963. As someone mentioned in the 973 thread the C-Series was a little bit a problem for Cat. We have customers running 973's and most prefer to rebuild and keep older ones running. I've seen them with well over 15K hours.

I'll have to get some pictures but my father has the first Cat Loader he ever bought... a 70ies vintage 955K - 85J Serial Number with over 33K Frame Hours. The track loader started everyone in business up here!

We have a decent stock of D-Series machines... initial feedback is good but the housing bust has really deep-sixed new track loader sales.

[Taylortractornu]

JimInOz I like the pics you posted, I thought about buying a greymarket Mitsu loader they were cheap a freind bought some bottom land one time that hade grown up. we wanted to reclaims some roads and make a wildlife santuary for waterfowl and turkey. I pointed to a Mitsubishi BD2G with a supper swamp package like in your avitar. He gave 4500 for it and then Found a mMitsubishi loader liek in the pic but it had been converted to the supper swamp package. He sold the laoder when the job was down I was mad for not gettin the first chance. Il have likedit for working around the lake. I like to watch a good operator on a trackloader. I ve spent about 3 years on a Komatsu D66. Huntsville Al was built with one I remeber seeing them when dad worked up there when i was a little boy.
I like the Bristol picture I have a small pic I got off MMT Itallia thats a cut out of all the attachments and the skate kit with them. Im kinda hooked on finding infor about them.

[nkh111]

Track loaders are still very common and widely used here in central missouri.
Also for clearing, in my opinion, there is really not a better machine for it.
I can clear faster with a track loader than with a trackhoe or a dozer.

[scotmanster]

I think alot of it has to do with mud. The more muddier the region the less a track loader would be used. Just for the very fact is easy to slip a track in the mud. When bethlemhem steel/rupp rigging near buffalo was going full tilt though back when my father was growing up I don't think you had the option of a wheeled loader as much as you do now. He bought his track loader through them. His cat 933 still has the rupp rigging sticker on it.

[RKO]

I love the thread! I'm with a Cat dealer... believe it or not better than 2/3 of the WORLD's track loaders go into PA, MD, and the Carolinas. Mix is about 50/50 953 to 963. As someone mentioned in the 973 thread the C-Series was a little bit a problem for Cat. We have customers running 973's and most prefer to rebuild and keep older ones running. I've seen them with well over 15K hours.

I'll have to get some pictures but my father has the first Cat Loader he ever bought... a 70ies vintage 955K - 85J Serial Number with over 33K Frame Hours. The track loader started everyone in business up here!

We have a decent stock of D-Series machines... initial feedback is good but the housing bust has really deep-sixed new track loader sales.



I can believe that is were most track loaders are located. When I was looking to trade for my 953C, The dealer I bought it from had to get it from a dealer in Pa. or New Jersey. Also in looking for a dozer last fall most track loaders were located in those same areas. If you say you want a track loaders in the Midwest dealers will look at you funny. They do have there place and that is why I don't sell my 953C even thou I only put a few hours on it a year.

[hvy 1ton]

... believe it or not better than 2/3 of the WORLD's track loaders go into PA, MD, and the Carolinas. Mix is about 50/50 953 to 963... The track loader started everyone in business up here!
The funny thing is I've been told the exact same thing about Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas and maybe Nebraska, I can't remember. There is a company in town that has 9 Hi Lifts, 5 963s 4 953s, and 11 excavators from a TB145 to PC300-7. They have more trackies than Loaders and TLB's combined, and this kind of fleet disposition isn't uncommon around here. Even Mcaninch has more Hi Lifts than Loaders and TLB's, though they have a few more than 11 excavators and most of the trackies are 973's.

As for track loaders starting everyone's business, it's the same around here. My friends dad started out in the 80's with a tri-axle dump and a 963. He then bought a 15 ton excavator and second truck. The third machine in his fleet was a brand new 963C, suffice it to say he has a big heart for his trackies. I'm surprised he doesn't have a 963D sitting in the garage next to his Pete, i sure its coming! :lmao-I'm only half joking-:cool2

A lot of people talk about how you can't find a building site without a TLB, well around here you can't go by a site without seeing a Hi Lift. On larger sites you'll normally find 2 or 3 milling around, loading trucks, digging basements and grading pads. I keep meaning to take some pictures to illustrate my point, but I'll get around to it. About the only thing a Hi Lift can't do is dig footings, and they still build the pad and a excavator comes along and digs the footings.

[excavator22]

Here in Fl. track loaders are basically non-existent. 1 or 2 demo companies have them and 1 earthmoving co has just 1 953. Can't rent or buy down here, dealers here say the undercarriage gets eatin by the sand, but when I asked what the difference was compared to a dozer all he said was that the dozer was the most expensive fix cause of the undercarriage. I ran them when I lived in Wis., and would love to have at least 1 953 in my fleet, could have used it on a couple jobs I've had.

[CatTractorDerek]

We have seven of them for sale that are currently in our Rental Div. From 953 to 973 mainly rented for demo clean up.

[Case 580e]

we have a 977 in our sand pit we use it like a dozer and push i have never seen a machine push that much dirt. When i run it you can just feel the power when your pushing

[rvator]

I never saw any when I lived on the Mississippi gulf coast. You dig a hole there it fills with water. In Central VA they are still used. It seems like everyone still dig basements with them. Most farmers seem to all have either a 951 or 955 for land clearing. I know of one dirt contractor that keeps 2 977's for land clearing. I have watched a few old time operators that could do almost anything with a loader. I saw one guy grade my neighbors yard with a 963! You could'nt have dressed it up better with a skid steer or small grading dozer. He was good.

[KSSS]

The local city dump has 963C I think. That is the only track loader in use in this area. Its excavators and wheel loader country here.

[CM1995]

Welcome to the Forums rvatar!

I have a 953C that is probably the most versatile piece of equipment. In our county, there are over 200 track loaders in operation and those are just the one's that are covered by the Cat Product Support rep. That does not include all the ones semi-retired working on farms and other applications. They are quite popular here.

In my area, wheel loaders are used at quarries, batch plants, etc. You seldom see a wheel loader on a construction project, unless it is tending the pipe crew or street work.

[JimInOz]

JimInOz I like the pics you posted, I thought about buying a greymarket Mitsu loader they were cheap a freind bought some bottom land one time that hade grown up. we wanted to reclaims some roads and make a wildlife santuary for waterfowl and turkey. I pointed to a Mitsubishi BD2G with a supper swamp package like in your avitar. He gave 4500 for it and then Found a mMitsubishi loader liek in the pic but it had been converted to the supper swamp package. He sold the laoder when the job was down I was mad for not gettin the first chance. Il have likedit for working around the lake. I like to watch a good operator on a trackloader. I ve spent about 3 years on a Komatsu D66. Huntsville Al was built with one I remeber seeing them when dad worked up there when i was a little boy.
I like the Bristol picture I have a small pic I got off MMT Itallia thats a cut out of all the attachments and the skate kit with them. Im kinda hooked on finding infor about them.

Sorry TaylorTractor,
I missed your post until now.
Let me know if you need any info on the Mitsubishi Crawler Loaders....the occassional one gets sold here,& I know of one that recently sold on ePay.
I owned a BS3F Loader once & ,stupidly,sold it on to a guy who used it for years in a tree-lopping operation.
The Classic Machinery Network site might help you with Bristol info.

Jim

[ZAXIS]

I think alot of it has to do with mud. The more muddier the region the less a track loader would be used. Just for the very fact is easy to slip a track in the mud. When bethlemhem steel/rupp rigging near buffalo was going full tilt though back when my father was growing up I don't think you had the option of a wheeled loader as much as you do now. He bought his track loader through them. His cat 933 still has the rupp rigging sticker on it.

NOT SO FAST MY FRIEND!!! :nono Here in the Arkansas Delta Region our small underground utility company has owned a 555G WIDE TRACK loader for over 15 years. It has 24" DBG on it and goes where no rubber tired machine would dare go in the winter/spring. It is irreplaceable for material handling in muddy or remote areas for new sewer/water/storm drain construction.

[amunderdog]

A lot of people talk about how you can't find a building site without a TLB, well around here you can't go by a site without seeing a Hi Lift. On larger sites you'll normally find 2 or 3 milling around, loading trucks, digging basements and grading pads. I keep meaning to take some pictures to illustrate my point, but I'll get around to it. About the only thing a Hi Lift can't do is dig footings, and they still build the pad and a excavator comes along and digs the footings.

SE TN and N Georgia was the same.
The first machine dropped was a track loader (also called a high lift).
They start at the curb; clearing the land and building the driveway.
Then the site preparation, either stock pile the extra dirt - load it for removal or both. Then the other equipment and trades arrive.
Seen many a hillside the backhoe could not do fill lines on.
So my boss would get the track loader to dig the ditch - haul the rock and backfill for us.

This reminds me of some brothers who built houses. Quit the crew.
Anyway they had an old D-8 dozer from the fifties? They would clear there lots with.
It looked so odd on a residential lot; parked in a corner.
So large they probably went forwards and backwards a total of six times to clear a normal size lot.

[them1677]

I know Liebherr makes some crawlers and dozers for Deere. Has anyone tried the new style crawlers? They look great. I have not tried one myself.

[StevenL]

If anyone out there is looking, I have (2) 2005 963C for sale in Manassas, VA.

[abouttogobroke]

In west central Missouri it seems like to me that the one man show guys will have a trackloader. Most bigger outfits will ran a dozer-excavator combo on commerical jobs.

[Lee-online]

For some reason this area, (PA and MD) track loaders are very popular. So popular that Cat sends the Field follow units here for testing. They did this with the C's and D's.

[JimInOz]

Can anyone fill me in on the term "Hi Lift"? How does it apply to a crawler loader? :confused:
I'm aware of wheel loaders with an extended reach boom for loading trucks.
That really is a high lift...

Thanks,
Jim

[hvy 1ton]

Can anyone fill me in on the term "Hi Lift"? How does it apply to a crawler loader? :confused:
I'm aware of wheel loaders with an extended reach boom for loading trucks.
That really is a high lift...

Thanks,
Jim

I'll need to ask one of the old guys around here to confirm, but i i think has to do with fact that a trackloader has a higher lift than a dozer.

[Blue Goose]

In eastern Missouri, crawler loaders are common...

From Ritchie Wiki: (http://www.ritchiewiki.com/wiki/index.php/Crawler_Loader#Common_Manufacturers)

The introduction of hydraulic excavators diminished the market for the crawler loader because it was unable to match the excavator's lifting power and flexibility. However, crawler loaders are capable of maneuvering across the entire construction site under its own power, whereas most hydraulic excavators require towing or transport. While crawler tractors are still being manufactured today for niche markets, they reached their peak of popularity in the 1960s.

[CM1995]

Can anyone fill me in on the term "Hi Lift"? How does it apply to a crawler loader? :confused:

Hey Jim, I believe the term "high lift" is another term for track loader, just regional construction jargon. Down south we call them "loaders", everyone knows you are talking about a tracked loader because you didn't say wheel loader. :D

Welcome to the Forums Blue Goose!

[Blue Goose]

Thank you for the welcome to your great looking site...

In central Missouri you'll hear the term "high loader" used to describe a high lift.

[Demoguy324]

Yep, here in WA track loaders do not exist.

I don't know about that one...Our 977L and 977K have logged plenty of hours in WA:cool2

[JimInOz]

Hey Jim, I believe the term "high lift" is another term for track loader, just regional construction jargon. Down south we call them "loaders", everyone knows you are talking about a tracked loader because you didn't say wheel loader. :D

Hi CM,
I'm still trying to work out where the term Hi Lift came from...I wonder if it was made in comparing the lift height of a skid steer to a crawler loader?
In Australia,we generally call 'em Drotts or Traxcavators.In the early days,an excavator was often called a Kato,& a skid steer was a Bobcat .There were lots of both brands sold here.
In Japan,a crawler loader is a Dozer-Shovel,which is quite a descriptive name,I think.Hence the Komatsu D41S,D75S etc.Mitsubishi had BS3 ,which was Bulldozer Shovel 3.

Jim

[CM1995]

I learned the term "hi-lift" here on HEF, so that's a good question on it's origins. I believe the term predates the skid steer so it could be similar to the "dozer-shovel" term the Japanese use. It would make sense since the early track loaders were built on dozer type frames.

We call skids Bobcats down south.;)

[Blue Goose]

I think the Bobcat reference to skid steers is a kin to the way it used to be where any steel tracked tractor was referred to as a Cat. Years ago, and still some today, rubber tired loaders were all referred to as "payloaders". Payloader is Hough's trademark name. How many of us carry a thermos to work when in fact, Thermos is a brand name for a "vacuum bottle"?

The term "high lift" predates my entry into the operating profession, 1968 and long before Bobcats came into vogue. I grew up in the shadow of a rock quarry and heard the term as early as the early 60's. During that same time, regardless what brand of rubber tired scraper, around here it was a "Tournapull", a trademark of LeTourneau.

OK, before you guys start with the geriatric jokes, this is not me....

[Blue Goose]

Trivia question:
Did they call what Fred operated in that quarry for Mr. Slate a "high lift"? :beatsme

[JimInOz]

Trivia question:
Did they call what Fred operated in that quarry for Mr. Slate a "high lift"? :beatsme


Nah,it was a Brontosaurus! ;)

[Orchard Ex]

I think the Bobcat reference to skid steers is a kin to the way it used to be where any steel tracked tractor was referred to as a Cat. Years ago, and still some today, rubber tired loaders were all referred to as "payloaders". Payloader is Hough's trademark name. How many of us carry a thermos to work when in fact, Thermos is a brand name for a "vacuum bottle"?

The term "high lift" predates my entry into the operating profession, 1968 and long before Bobcats came into vogue. I grew up in the shadow of a rock quarry and heard the term as early as the early 60's. During that same time, regardless what brand of rubber tired scraper, around here it was a "Tournapull", a trademark of LeTourneau.

OK, before you guys start with the geriatric jokes, this is not me....

I think that Blue Goose is on the right track (no pun intended). I vaguely remember seeing the term " Hi-Lift" in an old advertisement that someone posted. A Case ad maybe? :beatsme

[hvy 1ton]

I learned the term "hi-lift" here on HEF, so that's a good question on it's origins.


The term "high lift" predates my entry into the operating profession, 1968 and long before Bobcats came into vogue. I grew up in the shadow of a rock quarry and heard the term as early as the early 60's.

I think that Blue Goose is on the right track (no pun intended). I vaguely remember seeing the term " Hi-Lift" in an old advertisement that someone posted. A Case ad maybe? :beatsme

CM1995, I seem to be the one that induced HEF to the term Hi-Lift. Being that my 450 dozer is twice as old as i am, i am in no postion to speak on its orgins. I have been asking around and still haven't found anyone old enough around here to explain it me. I have a feeling it has something to to with a high lift loader dozer, but nothing to back that up. Five years ago i would have had a handful of people to ask, but seems most of them are no longer with us.:(

[Shay Stutsman]

We still use them here!

http://img709.imageshack.us/img709/5835/1141448.jpg

http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/194/1181803.jpg

Sincerely,
Shay Stutsman

[Dozerboy]

I finely saw a track loader here in SE TX our ground it awfully soft for them here. I want to go see if they where hiring since I miss running them.

[nkh111]

We still use them alot here in missouri.

[hvy 1ton]

I like that 63D, just needs a 4n1 bucket.:D

[Exact Express]

I've been moving equipment around s.e. michigan almost 10 years and think Ive only moved one the whole time.

[dynahoescott]

I see the quick coupler on that 63 on the pipe crew , I was wondering do you ever run side dmps on them?:beatsme

[nkh111]

I see the quick coupler on that 63 on the pipe crew , I was wondering do you ever run side dmps on them?:beatsme

No we have never ran a side dump bucket on the trackloaders, but we have rented a rubber tire loader with side dump

[dynahoescott]

:drinkup:drinkuparound my neck of the woods you see side dumps on virtually every loader, even once in a blue moon a crawler loader:drinkup

[rocko59]

I may be able to shed a little light on the term high lift, I wasn't around in the hey day of track loaders here in BC, but there were many sold here starting with the Drotts in the 50's to around '62 ish, then IH track loaders . There was one built on IH crawlers & maybe others that was called a Malo overshot loader, the bucket lifted clear up & over the machine to dump into a truck parked behind it. Many Drotts & IH track loaders were sold here for work in logging, they were equipped with a winch on the back & could do several jobs, load logs & gravel & skid wood too if needed. The 250's were popular for areas that had big wood as they could lift almost anything seen in the interior here, up to around 45k for a 250C. In the late 60's & into the 70's they were equipped with tree shears, then saws for harvesting, mostly 175's.

[Tod]

I can believe that is were most track loaders are located. When I was looking to trade for my 953C, The dealer I bought it from had to get it from a dealer in Pa. or New Jersey. Also in looking for a dozer last fall most track loaders were located in those same areas. If you say you want a track loaders in the Midwest dealers will look at you funny. They do have there place and that is why I don't sell my 953C even thou I only put a few hours on it a year.

Itd be great to see pics of your 955K, dad ran one during the late 6os then traded in 1971 to a 955L 64J4260, paid about £13,500 GBP and sold it 13 years later for 9,500Gbp and beat the hell out of it, the bateries were full of dust with no tops on em but she always fired, dont ask me how.then we bought another in 1982, 8Y2954 Rops Cab £46,500 GBP another great tool but Cat had gone to sleeve metered fuel pumps and it couldnt cope with anything but spotlessly clean fuel, it was great to have a proper cab tho, those blowers above your head were fantastic in the summer, id have a track loader back anytime but im not sure there cost effective anymore, the 360 machines are so efficient in terms of wear n tear and fuel consumption.