Terex Power.

[qball]

jason, i agree with you completely. i absolutely hate running ts 14's, but, a pay check is a pay check. that old iron is cheaper to own, cheaper to run, and cheaper to fix.

[JASONM]

Thank you Qball. We've done it both ways and have measured the outcomes. Nobody (Const companies) here are guaranteed the work to justify new iron purchases. Well, there are staple pieces of eqt that you just gotta have; in our business this would be hyd excavators, utility eqt, a roadworthy truck and lowboy, and finishing dozers. I'm not sure how some of the really big operators do it....buying these $400,000 rigs, be it tractor-pan-combos or new conventional scrapers, but we surely cannot stomach that kind of equipment note!

BTW: the explanation of the New Orleans levee rebuilding thread is posted in the General Industry section. Somebody asked for it. I tried to explain. Enjoy.

[dayexco]

i have no clue as to what "acceptable" production rates is for a scraper...but i just saw 54 yds of material moved in one minute and 54 seconds in that video...looks like they're producing to me!!!

[qball]

what is the initial cost of a new 627 vs a beater ts 14?

[Truck 505]

Brand new 627G $750,000.00 ????
TS-14 Decent shape $20-30,000.00

[JDOFMEMI]

I look at it this way. Repairs and maintenance costs more on older iron, but when the job stops, so do the repair bills. With new iron, when the job stops, the bills keep on coming.

Run what you can afford, then take care of it so you can use it again for the next job.

Looks like you are doing a good job of that Jason.

How's your "new" D-8 coming along?

[Dominion 410]

I've never had anything to do with scrapers,as the terrain here is'nt scraper friendly.From what I can see in your video they can really move yardage.
Particularly on a short/medium haul.Would like to do a job with them to learn more about the finer point's.
Far as the Cat/Terex rivalry,some of my most memorable day's in thirty years of construction have been with Terex loaders (had four)and a 82-40 dozer.Those machines served us well,took a beating,and made money.Not sure the last year Terex built that style of scraper,but there still seems to be enough of them in service -must speak volumes.Could'nt agree more about pantie-waste operators.

Dominion

[CM1995]

Terex is still making the TS-14. The used ones on MT 2001-2007 are bringing $100K to $250K. Makes the ol' green weenie look pretty good in the $30K range.

I agree with Jerry, they may cost money while running but cheap enough not to cost money when they are sitting. One reason why I prefer quads over horses, you only feed quads while your are riding.

Interesting thread.

[JASON M]

i have no clue as to what "acceptable" production rates is for a scraper...but i just saw 54 yds of material moved in one minute and 54 seconds in that video...looks like they're producing to me!!!

Good eye there, dayexco. But to be more accurate, a TS-18 is rated at 18 CY, struck level. That means that they'll muster about 22-24 CY heaped/ unit/ cycle. Same for a TS-14; they're measured, struck level also. You can pile on about 18 CY (loose) on a TS-14..... pretty impressive. In that same string of video, I've got a TS-14 running in that same line-up. How that TS-14 doesn't break in half from its ponderous load is amazing. I'll try to load it up for you to see also. When I say that you couldn't put a teaspoon of dirt in the bowl after loading, that is exactly what I mean. But if you're considering the hard "pay-dirt," compacted, in-place, you figure would be damn close to truth, using a 1.3: 1 compaction factor.
Though that video was in optimum conditions, that's what WEIGHT and HORSEPOWER will net.

BTW JDOFMEMI, the old D8H is not turning out to be quite the Great Deal that I thought it would be; I'll have a little bit more $ to sink into it than I first expected... but it's still going to turn out good, I think. Engine runs great, all gauges in the green, tranny shifts and pulls well, all hyd cyl repacked, and Monster Ripper Rack out-back w/ a Monster blade out front; these are the Good. The Bad is that the old gal has "heard the Thunder" in its previous existence. Roller frame is pretty well shot in more places than one, the U/C is not 65% as advertised, but 100% worn in every department. And I'll have to replace a couple of the smaller drive gears (pinion gears) and bearings in the Final Drives. My mechanics are giving it hell though... got it all stripped down and are about to order parts. I'm guessing that I'll be about $70,000, all in, when it's said and done; this includes purchase. Thanks to Tony Choates at TCT tractor for the keen insight and good direction.
I don't think that I did too bad. In the new eqt market, $70,000 won't buy a little toy rubber-track skid-steer, with all the bells and whistles, and you still don't have crap; ran one the other day at the Case dealer. A joke.

[bolt thrower]

Cool Scrapers Jason. As far as I know the real limiting factor with old Terex's is the lack of cushion hitches, am I right? I have seen a few newer ones with suspended axles like a 615 Cat would use, do yours have that option? I have toyed with the idea of plumbing hydraulic accumulators with the bowl lift cylinders as kind of a home made cushion hitch, kind of like ride control on a wheel loader. I have no idea how or if it would even work, and I'm sure I'm not the first to think of it, be neat to try it though. The only real problem I can see is you'd have to carry the bowl pretty high to keep it from hitting the ground when you hit a bump. Maybe someone else here has tried it???

[2stickbill]

If these Tree Huggers and the Government keeps tightening up on emissions we will be parking the old machines permanently.

[JASONM]

Took a couple shots of the upgrades; coming along slowly but surely. Removal of superfluous air tanks! Dropped the tank count from (6) tanks to (1) tank........ less tanks, less fittings, less problems..... note the separate regulators and separate gauges for each air circuit. One reg/gauge for rear throttle, One reg/ gauge for shifter, One reg/ gauge for push-pull bail.
Then a rebushing of the front bail.
New scraper seats mounted on factory lower scissor assy, new air suspension cylinders pirated from the local O'Reilly's Parts Store (1976 Corvette rear air shocks)............ $50 for a set of (2)! How is that compared to the factory unit at $475/ each!
And hyd cylinders getting new seal kits.

I feel these are the mods that make them competitive and reliable.

[JASONM]

Here are a few shots.

[JASONM]

I must be slipping.

[JASONM]

Cool Scrapers Jason. As far as I know the real limiting factor with old Terex's is the lack of cushion hitches, am I right? I have seen a few newer ones with suspended axles like a 615 Cat would use, do yours have that option? I have toyed with the idea of plumbing hydraulic accumulators with the bowl lift cylinders as kind of a home made cushion hitch, kind of like ride control on a wheel loader. I have no idea how or if it would even work, and I'm sure I'm not the first to think of it, be neat to try it though. The only real problem I can see is you'd have to carry the bowl pretty high to keep it from hitting the ground when you hit a bump. Maybe someone else here has tried it???

I think that mine might have some type of factory accumulator mounted on the bowl lift cylinders. At least that's what I think it might be. Either that or it's a sequence valve that coordinates the bowl and the apron. Maybe someone out here knows; I haven't dug into that area too much..... but we'll get to that a little later.
And such, hauling at great speeds is not on my TS's agenda. If I've got to haul long, it's gonna get hauled in a truck, never a scraper; just can't make it come out right on paper...... but for shorter hauls, Push-cats and twin scrapers won't get beaten; not around here anyway.