972G loader

[orville]

I am doing a job where they have a couple of rubber tired loaders. We used the 972G with forks to move a metal assembly that weighs close to 20,000 pounds. The rear wheels were awful light. Could anyone on here tell me what size bucket this machine comes with? I am guessing 5 yards????

[JTL]

I had one on a job last year that had a 5.5 cuyd bucket. If you figure a heavy material wieght of 1.6 tons per yard, that equalls out to 8.8 tons per scoop, or 17,600 pounds. After reading you singnature I have no doubt you could tear hell outta a machine if you are wondering why the ass end was light when moving 20,000 pounds around!

[Nige]

OK, the static tipping load for a 972G Series II, which is all I have unfortunately, equipped with a pin-on bucket in a straight line varies from 39,400 pounds to 42,200 pounds. If it has a quick coupler the tipping loads will be less. Articulated at full turn the tipping load varies from 34,700 pounds to 37,100 pounds. Bucket sizes vary from 5.25 to 6 cu.yd. depending on type.

Does your machine have a Standard Lift or High Lift loader frame..? There will be a big reduction in the above numbers for tipping load (maybe 4000 pounds or so) for a High Lift

To calculate a tipping load for your machine first I'd say you have to identify if it's Standard or High Lift, then take the weight of the forks and quick coupler (if equipped) compared to the weight of a bucket. If they are heavier than a bucket that should reduce the tipping load even further.

Personally I would say (without having seen photos of the loader) that simply based on the numbers it should lift 20,000 pounds on a pair of forks with reasonable ease.

[JTL]

I can tell you from experince of running the machine I had on the job, that a good heaper of a bucket in common material, it would get quite light in the rear end. I don't care how many Cat performance Handbooks you read, weight is weight. 1.6 tons per yard is getting on the heavy end of common muck, untill you start pugging and adding bentonite to it.

From what you are saying Nige is a 13 yard bucket would fit right in on a 972 show. Ain't gonna happen. I've seen and operated 988H's that would tip at 34,000 pounds, or almost 11 yards loose.

[orville]

Thanks for the replies guys. The job I am on, or was on is finished. Our job was to put in a new rotor in a machine (I called it a metal assembly) This rotor has 8 inch bearings on it (shaft size) I don't remember what the outside diameter of the bearing was, maybe 16 inches. The 972 gets light use on it's regular job, on our job it moved this rotor about 500 feet twice and carried the load low and slow. The operator said the machine felt light on the rear. That was why I was curious as to what size bucket the machine normally had on it.

[Boss]

Put some chloride-water in the tires.