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Largest Caterpillar Sidebooms

Northart

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Dec 2, 2007
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761
Location
Talkeetna, Alaska
Just for a little history ; of the Largest Caterpillar Pipelayers , or Sidebooms.

1. Cat 594 Built 1966-'75, 385 hp, 200K lift capacity

2. Cat 594H , 1975-'86, 410 hp, 200K lift cap.

3. Cat 589, 1986-'06, 420 hp, 230K lift cap.

4. Cat 591, 1989 (one only), 520 hp, 350K lift cap.

5. Cat 587R, 2006-'08, 351 hp, 202K lift cap.

6. Cat 587T, 2006-'08, 366 hp, 202K lift cap.

And here's a picture of a Cat 587T sideboom in NC Machinery's yard. Headed for Prudhoe Bay after some revisions, like a cab, engine covers,etc.
 

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Sparffo

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Mar 23, 2008
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223
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Finland
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Demolition contractor
Sidebooms are nice machines! but i have never seen one here in Finland, and i'm quite shure there aren't any sidebooms here, the pipelines here in finland is the same size as the straw's at mcdonalds in the states :D
 

D6c10K

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Apr 1, 2008
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681
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Iowa, USA
That's some heavy lifting....brings up a something I've wonderd about. Why don't you see any roll bars on pipelayers? None I've seen have them...even newer high-track machines.
 

AtlasRob

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West Sussex UK
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side booms

That's some heavy lifting....brings up a something I've wonderd about. Why don't you see any roll bars on pipelayers? None I've seen have them...even newer high-track machines.

Because they only have operators on em not drivers :D

Seriously, a very good question. I have seen booms on thier bonnets and I have seen booms on thier side in the ditch with the pipe, but I have never seen one rolled.
Thinking about it logically, the machine cannot roll to the left due to the boom, it will go a long way but not over. If a machine went over to the right with the weights out I find it hard to believe the machine would roll. Even with the weights in I find it hard to believe a machine could roll and even if it did the weights being higher than the operators seat would act as a roll bar :IMO

Heres a couple of shots of 583's to show the height of the weights.

boom 001.jpg

Yes, its me in 79 :D

boom 002.jpg
 
Last edited:

AtlasRob

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Just for a little history ; of the Largest Caterpillar Pipelayers , or Sidebooms.

Thanks for that Northart, I wondered how the numbering went with the high drives :thumbsup
Do you know if the hyd boom came in with the high drive or was it a later addition ?
 

roddyo

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Mar 24, 2008
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Arkansas
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Manipulator of the Planet
Atlas Rob

Where were the pictures of the booms taken at rob? If you don't mind me asking.

A friend of mine just come back from running the Bending in New York and said the High Tracks were hard to keep the nose on the ground on the steep ground. Anyone else heard of that?
 

AtlasRob

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Where were the pictures of the booms taken ?

It was in Algeria ( North Africa ) 1979-82. Nacap ( Dutch outfit ) Did 510 Km
of 48" from the gas field at Hassi-R-Mel to Arzew on the Med.
Plus a lot of smaller pipe from the numerous well heads to the pumping stations.
I have no experience of the high drives so any feedback is intresting.
 

roddyo

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It looked like the Mid East

It was in Algeria ( North Africa ) 1979-82. Nacap ( Dutch outfit ) Did 510 Km
of 48" from the gas field at Hassi-R-Mel to Arzew on the Med.
Plus a lot of smaller pipe from the numerous well heads to the pumping stations.
I have no experience of the high drives so any feedback is intresting.

It looked like the Mid East is why I was asking. My dad worked in Iran/Iraq a lot during the war about that time. That was the good thing about Brown & Root, they didn't pick sides I guess. :drinkup I was born in Wales in 1969, some kind of job was going on there at the time.
 

Buckethead

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Because they only have operators on em not drivers :D

Seriously, a very good question. I have seen booms on thier bonnets and I have seen booms on thier side in the ditch with the pipe, but I have never seen one rolled.
Thinking about it logically, the machine cannot roll to the left due to the boom, it will go a long way but not over. If a machine went over to the right with the weights out I find it hard to believe the machine would roll. Even with the weights in I find it hard to believe a machine could roll and even if it did the weights being higher than the operators seat would act as a roll bar :IMO

Heres a couple of shots of 583's to show the height of the weights.

View attachment 30031

Yes, its me in 79 :D

View attachment 30033

They can roll over, I've never seen it, thank God. Many years ago I did see pictures of one that rolled down a steep slope. The boom, the weights, seat, fuel tank and everything came off. They can turn over backwards like they are doing a wheelie, and go end over end.
 

AtlasRob

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It looked like the Mid East is why I was asking. My dad worked in Iran/Iraq a lot during the war about that time. That was the good thing about Brown & Root, they didn't pick sides I guess. :drinkup I was born in Wales in 1969, some kind of job was going on there at the time.

Small world, and this internet thing is making it smaller by the minute :)
Another big pipeline went in last year from the new LNG dock at Milford Haven across South Wales to connect into the main grid near the Severn I believe.
 

AtlasRob

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They can roll over, I've never seen it, thank God. Many years ago I did see pictures of one that rolled down a steep slope. The boom, the weights, seat, fuel tank and everything came off. They can turn over backwards like they are doing a wheelie, and go end over end.

I dont doubt that they can and have, what it was really about was why they didnt have a roll bar fitted. I dont know the true answer and was more thinking out aloud than anything else.
If the roll was bad enough to loose everything that was previously securely attached I dont suppose a roll bar would have mattered a toss anyway, :drinkup
 

roddyo

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And They Walked Away

A guy I worked with turned a 583 over in a Peet Bog. He was High Balling it down a set of 16' mats in reverse and didn't see where they narrowed down to 12'.:eek: The funny thing was they just filled it up with fuel. I don't know who filled there pants up more, my buddy that was on it or the Enviromental Inspector.:D
 

Northart

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Dec 2, 2007
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761
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Talkeetna, Alaska
Ancestory ?

What is the ancestory ?

Hard to say. for sure not the 591, as that was a one of a kind machine .

Looking at the dozer specs , the D8T-LGP and the D9T are the closest in spec.

The D8T (310 hp)and the 587T (366 hp) both have the C-15 engine but at different hp. The D9T has the C-18 @ 410 hp

The ground contact area of the of the D8T-LGP is 9576 sq".

The ground contact area of the 587 is 9613 sq".

I'm sure someone knows more . :drinkup
 

D6c10K

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Location
Iowa, USA
I was at a Richie Bros auction a year or so ago...they had several pipe layers that sold. Two or three looked to be D9 oval track size machines (don't know the model) They're definitely huge...was guessing the counterweight alone outweighed my D6c.
 

JDOFMEMI

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SoCal
The 587's are based on D-8R and D-8T, and it looks like the HP is bumped up a little. My D-8T is 310 rated horsepower, but 355 gross, of flywheel horsepower, before the accessories are added.
I think the 589 is based on a D-9L, but I may need educated.
Never new of the 591 till now. I will have to dig out some of my Cat performace books to see about it.

Thanks for the info and pictures Northart
 

Dug Overburden

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california
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Cat 589/591 sidebooms

Jerry,

The 589 is based on the D9N & the 591 was on the D9L. I have never even seen a picture of a 591 with only one being built now I know why. Only 591 I have seen is a diecast model!

Dug


The 587's are based on D-8R and D-8T, and it looks like the HP is bumped up a little. My D-8T is 310 rated horsepower, but 355 gross, of flywheel horsepower, before the accessories are added.
I think the 589 is based on a D-9L, but I may need educated.
Never new of the 591 till now. I will have to dig out some of my Cat performace books to see about it.

Thanks for the info and pictures Northart
 

Northart

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Joined
Dec 2, 2007
Messages
761
Location
Talkeetna, Alaska
Cat 594 and 589 sidebooms

Here's a couple pictures of the Cat 594 and 589 sidebooms.

Had the pictures for a long time,on the computer, scenes are from Europe, I'm sure. 3rd one, I think was from Turkey ??? The last one by "Quad", dunno .
 

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