• Thank you for visiting HeavyEquipmentForums.com! Our objective is to provide industry professionals a place to gather to exchange questions, answers and ideas. We welcome you to register using the "Register" icon at the top of the page. We'd appreciate any help you can offer in spreading the word of our new site. The more members that join, the bigger resource for all to enjoy. Thank you!

140M Pics

ovrszd

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 1, 2008
Messages
1,523
Location
Missouri
Occupation
Retired Army
A local governmental road maintenance agency called me and said they had a Demo 140M if I wanted to see it. I've got some video that I shot of it in action but I can't get it to download. It's MPG file type and around 20mb in size. Anyone know how to do that?

As for the still pics attached, they aren't much but they do make a couple points. First impression was that you can't see the front tires. Visibility straight forward is not good. Blade visibility is comparable to C model or earlier JD blades. It's better than our current D model JD though.

Second thing I noticed as soon as I entered the cab was how dirty it was inside with only 200 hours on it. Unless they ran with the doors open, it's got issues with the filtering system. Again, I'm comparing to a JD which keeps the cab very clean.

Third thing I noticed as I ran it around the circle drive, steering the front wheels, rear steering and raising/lowering the left blade at the same time is a challenge that would take a little practice. I only played with it for about five minutes. I found myself causing machine action that I didn't intend. For example when twisting the left joy stick to rear steer I had trouble maintaining a constant front steer angle and once found myself adjusting the blade height unintentionally.

As shown in one pic, the hydraulic hoses for the AWD system at the front wheels is dangerously exposed. Not sure why they did it that way. Looks like an afterthought so they just hung them on there. They are actually held up by a cheesy looking rubber strap.

The operators here said it has no engine guts compared to their 140H. They liked the tightness of the table and said it was an improvement. They said after a couple hours they adjusted to the joysticks until they would get in a tight spot or haul butt down the road, then they were still nervous. One operator said he had to look at the rear steer gauge to tell when the machine was straight because you aren't looking down the backbone at the front tires like the H model. They hadn't used the AWD at all so had no opinion about that.

As for me comparing it to our JD770D, I didn't like the limited visibility straight forward. If you want to know what's going on under the front axle or just in front of the center of the blade it's an effort and requires you to move around in the seat, which then changes your hand position on the joysticks which are very sensitive.

I struggled as I said above with the complexity of the two steering functions and blade lift all on one stick.

The fuel tank appears very exposed.

The cab has shrunk quite a bit with little to no space for extra clothing, cooler, etc. The cab doesn't appear to seal very well.

The hydraulics appear to be about the same speed on the blade as our JD. JD turntable might be a little quicker but lift/lower, sideshift, blade tilt seems to be comparable.

An operator that lives near me is getting a new 140M in a couple weeks. When it shows up we'll park it beside our JD770D and get some really detailed pics for comparison.

If someone can tell me how to load these videos I'll post them up.
 

Attachments

  • DSC02088.jpg
    DSC02088.jpg
    59.9 KB · Views: 1,287
  • DSC02091.jpg
    DSC02091.jpg
    77.7 KB · Views: 1,299
  • DSC02092.jpg
    DSC02092.jpg
    69.5 KB · Views: 1,318
  • DSC02093.jpg
    DSC02093.jpg
    96.5 KB · Views: 1,288
  • DSC02090.jpg
    DSC02090.jpg
    70.1 KB · Views: 1,306
Last edited:

plowking740

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2006
Messages
207
Location
Calgary
Occupation
Equipment operator
whats that screen for below the key, between your legs, is that for a blade control? it wasnt in the one that I tested.
 

ovrszd

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 1, 2008
Messages
1,523
Location
Missouri
Occupation
Retired Army
long live the H model:my2c

The operator and I were talking about that and I said I had never heard anything bad about the H model and considered it the best one ever. He said he liked their G model better than the H but when I tried to get details about it he was vague and ended up talking about sliding windows or something. :beatsme
 

ovrszd

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 1, 2008
Messages
1,523
Location
Missouri
Occupation
Retired Army
whats that screen for below the key, between your legs, is that for a blade control? it wasnt in the one that I tested.

Yep, blade control. This machine was wired for all that but of course didn't have the high priced hardware attached. One of the operators said he had heard that you can also get a rear camera that uses that monitor?? I'm not sure about that.
 

Tigerotor77W

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2004
Messages
1,014
Location
Michigan
Occupation
Engineer
Guys, to be fair, picking up (and loving) the joysticks isn't going to come in a day... there are operators who take years to adapt to joysticks in skid-steers (from pedals), let alone the banks of levers in a motor grader! Yes there will be bumps and jolts at first... but given time, your opinion may change.

Don't give up on the M just because a few hours says that it's awkward and difficult to control.
 

euclid

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 7, 2008
Messages
284
Location
Maryland
Occupation
Engineering
that thing is a fly by wire machine! Most modern stuff in jet aircraft. I think it is amazing since I operated a 1969 12 series PTO drive arms.
 

ovrszd

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 1, 2008
Messages
1,523
Location
Missouri
Occupation
Retired Army
that thing is a fly by wire machine! Most modern stuff in jet aircraft. I think it is amazing since I operated a 1969 12 series PTO drive arms.

Yes, totaly drive by wire. Not a lever to be found in the cab.
 

euclid

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 7, 2008
Messages
284
Location
Maryland
Occupation
Engineering
Yes, totaly drive by wire. Not a lever to be found in the cab.

I'm sure it could be a trouble shooting nighmare, but I suspect besides industry pressure from other manufactures it is a great thing. I'd give it a go once i learned all the little knobs on the stick.
 
Joined
May 21, 2008
Messages
10
Location
OKC
The 140M has 8 E.C.Ms so it does take a little while for everything to sink up. the 140ms being delivered now have been flashed to slow down the steering and reduce the degee of rotation of the wheels with every upshift. theres basically 8 different steering maps. I always tell customers to hold the steering control tight front to back for positive blade control and loose side to side so the weight of yer hand doesnt give input to the steering. Ive had the pleasure of roading M series blades hundreds of miles. being that its easier and cheaper to road it than to have haul trucks move the demo machines from county barn to county barn. the machine wants to travel straight but i notice when im on rural highways at full speed and a semi is aproaching in the opposite direction i have a tendency to oversteer, wich usually makes the truck driver nervous and he gives me plenty of room lol.
 

Northart

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 2, 2007
Messages
761
Location
Talkeetna, Alaska
Cat 140M snow wing

Here's one NC Machinery just had in the yard. Set up with a snow wing.
 

Attachments

  • Ford Tractor 2 106.jpg
    Ford Tractor 2 106.jpg
    50.6 KB · Views: 1,175
  • Ford Tractor 2 105.jpg
    Ford Tractor 2 105.jpg
    57.2 KB · Views: 1,409
  • Ford Tractor 2 102.jpg
    Ford Tractor 2 102.jpg
    61.3 KB · Views: 3,140

satmike

Member
Joined
Apr 15, 2008
Messages
10
Location
Salt Lake city
I'm about 250 hours into a 140m and it's starting to get really comfortable. I have had 6 software upgrades so far and so far the most I notice are I think 3 or 4 in the tranny and clutch witch have helped greatly. I bet I get a lot more updates as the summer goes on. I am starting to get used to the hydrolics and the feel or lack of and it's getting easyer to grade with every day. I even had to hurry the other night to finish as they were paving it in the morning and it went great. I still don't think the steering needs to be near as sensitive as it is. In graders with steering wheels you don't steer that much when grading anyways. i got in 1 of our H's the other day and the cab felt very old. I think I'm past the point of no return.
 

Vantage_TeS

Senior Member
Joined
May 28, 2008
Messages
495
Location
Calgary, Alberta
Occupation
HE Operator. Surprise?
Most guys only use the articulation to steer while grading and hardly ever touch the steering wheel. Or at least the good ones ;)

As for having to look at the gauge to see if you are centered, why bother? Right hand button on the left stick is auto center for the articulation!

The back up cameras are mounted above the front window, or at least the 24Ms are set up that way.

I primarily run hoe so hopping onto an M is a laugh for me. The older style is still fun to operate as you are always dancing your fingers around pulling 3-4 levers at once.
 

ovrszd

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 1, 2008
Messages
1,523
Location
Missouri
Occupation
Retired Army
Most guys only use the articulation to steer while grading and hardly ever touch the steering wheel. Or at least the good ones ;)


Wow,,, I must be a horrible operator since I am constantly adjusting direction with the steering wheel. :eek:

I use one hand controls lifting/lowering blade with palm of right hand and running rear steer with right hand thumb plus steering with the left hand.
 
Top