Winter Works

[Cat 140M AWD]

Well we kinda got lucky not much snow lees then an inch although had lots of rain freezing rain and sleet so I’ve been out ice blading trying to get rid of all the mess on the roads I think I would of rather had snow ice is never fun.

 

[20/80]

Well we kinda got lucky not much snow lees then an inch although had lots of rain freezing rain and sleet so I’ve been out ice blading trying to get rid of all the mess on the roads I think I would of rather had snow ice is never fun.

Yes for sure, my prediction for here is mid Jan will turn more to being snowy, with the odd warm up with some freezing rain, sleet and rain than flash freeze, I will be ice blading soon enough

 

[JaredV]

It's mid January, anybody getting any snow yet? We got a cold snap and got 12-18 inches in the woods. I got to plow powder which was fun and had to chain up for some steep narrow roads which wasn't so much. I like to make my first pass throwing the snow to the downhill side and then widen the ditch side which puts less for the ditch to handle when it melts. I had eight miles of road to plow where a previous operator left a big berm of hard rocky snow on the ditch side not quite to the shoulder, so I had to deal with opening the road wider bumping the berm over where I could without blasting all the rock in the berm into the ditch. Not sure why it was done that way. Snow never stays around long and there were no trucks running so no reason to dig into the rock and also why I prefer not to work behind other operators. But I still had fun.

I opened up a lowboy turnaround and hopped out for a quick picture with Mt. St Helens

 

[Welder Dave]

That grader should go through just about anything with chains on all 6 drive wheels. Is a standard practice to lower all the attachments when you get out of the grader? I just put a ripper on my grader and I'd worry if I lowered it the solenoid to lift it would fail or a hose would blow. Kind of a murphy's law type thing. Supposed to warm quite a bit to single digit -C lows. I'll go out and clear the driveway and see if I can scrap a bunch of saplings off that grew like crazy after the fire in 2010. They're a pain to get through if I have to pump water from a pond in the middle of them. I'll try with the grader and if it doesn't work I'll try the track loader or backhoe. I still have the mower on the tractor but it's a finish mower and I don't want to damage it cutting the saplings. I'd guess they're 1/4" to 3/8" diameter. Hopefully the -40C deep freeze we just had froze them really good so they shear off.

 

[JaredV]

It goes pretty good. Last year I plowed several miles of former railroad grade, (easy turns and gentle grades) that was 2-3 feet deep. I was able to make it a long ways before needing any chains at all due to the tires having lots of small rock cuts in them kind of like siping but now I have new tires. Lowering hydraulic attachments is required by the timber company.

 

[20/80]

We had 3 inches of snow then change over to rain and washed most of it away last evening, temp went from -9c to plus 9c and going to drop quickly to -6 this afternoon, I would say there is ice on the back roads, going to be iceblading for a few day's I would say, staying cold for the next few day's, have been out a few times keeping the ice at bay on the back roads

 

[Steve Frazier]

I've been watching a lot of YouTube videos of graders plowing snow, some are set up with front blades and a wing but many are using the center mounted blade only for plowing snow. I've seen them used on both gravel and paved roads. I've plowed snow for 40+ years but with trucks and loaders only. I'm familiar with the hidden hazards one can encounter while plowing and have wondered how they are handled with a grader.

Is there a float position for the center blade? The videos I've seen have the machine moving along at a pretty good clip and I wonder how forgiving the blade can be if something like a catch basin or water valve is encountered? How do they plow gravel roads without peeling them up? Seems like it could require a lot of talent!

 

[Welder Dave]

Some have float but some operators don't like float. I went out to my property today. Some grass in the ditch closest to the road was exposed but there was snow on the road. I think they raise the blade just off the road surface and if the road is established there's not much to hit. Anytime I see graders in the city they aren't going very fast. On paved hwy's. there's not usually much that the moldboard could come in contact with. I also think if an operator does the same roads all the time they know where look for obstacles. Last year there were lots of complaints about catch basins/sewers being covered with snow and freezing with caused huge problems when it got warm and started melting. The water had no where to go so sidewalks were skating rinks. The city has maps showing where all the drains are and sent crews out to open them up.

 

[cuttin edge]

I've been watching a lot of YouTube videos of graders plowing snow, some are set up with front blades and a wing but many are using the center mounted blade only for plowing snow. I've seen them used on both gravel and paved roads. I've plowed snow for 40+ years but with trucks and loaders only. I'm familiar with the hidden hazards one can encounter while plowing and have wondered how they are handled with a grader.

Is there a float position for the center blade? The videos I've seen have the machine moving along at a pretty good clip and I wonder how forgiving the blade can be if something like a catch basin or water valve is encountered? How do they plow gravel roads without peeling them up? Seems like it could require a lot of talent!

Some guys use float, and that's fine. Wings and front plows are float, but they are designed for it. The thing I find with using float, unless it's really high, the MB tends to grab it, and because it's on float, the front wheels will jump up, and the MB is still hooked, so you are coming to a quick stop. Under pressure, it will jump the MB and machine together, and you are still in motion. Unless you are going really slow, then you are stopping either way. I have caught soft gravel on float, and had one corner dig in and the other side com up as far as the piston would allow, and then slam back down on the road, not fun. I always sell control, be in control of your machine. Not saying the other way is wrong, but that's my preference.

 

[Cat 140M AWD]

I pretty much set my plow an inch off the gravel surface do same with my moldboard when I use it I prefer to use front plow and wing when possible I don’t use float unless I’m cleaning up intersections otherwise prefer to run everything manually.

 

[Cat 140M AWD]

Took delivery of my new Cat 150 today has a 12ft falls XPR directional plow also has 14ft balderson cat wing got the good Michelin snow plus tires and the good LED lights machine has 13 hours on it look forward to getting to put hours on it

 

[Welder Dave]

That's got to be a $600,000 or so chunk of iron. Nice! Can't tell if it's front wheel drive or not.

 

[Steve Frazier]

Looks like a planetary hub on the front axle.

 

[Welder Dave]

That's kind of what I thought and see some hoses at the front but wasn't sure if they were for wheel motors.

 

[skyking1]

Great goolgy moogly that is a fancy piece of kit!
I've never plowed a lick of snow and only maintained haul roads at Jobsites. Does all that stuff weigh you down?

 

[Cat 140M AWD]

That's kind of what I thought and see some hoses at the front but wasn't sure if they were for wheel motors.

It’s an all wheel drive machine and if I remember right new private party price for this machine is 800,000 bucks I believe our government price was around 400,000 bucks will be putting the first coat of wax on it today got to keep this machine in the best shape possible.

 

[Cat 140M AWD]

Great goolgy moogly that is a fancy piece of kit!
I've never plowed a lick of snow and only maintained haul roads at Jobsites. Does all that stuff weigh you down?

The extra snow equipment does give you extra weight but this machine has enough power to push through the snow we get.

 

[cuttin edge]

The extra snow equipment does give you extra weight but this machine has enough power to push through the snow we get.

I notice a lot of wings now are part of the ripper. But I don't think I've ever seen one that lifts like that off the front mast. Mine is mastless in the front. Only enough to pick the front of the wing a couple feet off the ground. Rear is also mastless, but it lifts from the rear. Doesn't seem so many years ago that they were still cable lift. Always the thrill of some car parked on the street, and lifting the wing and hoping the cable doesn't break.

 

[Cat 140M AWD]

I notice a lot of wings now are part of the ripper. But I don't think I've ever seen one that lifts like that off the front mast. Mine is mastless in the front. Only enough to pick the front of the wing a couple feet off the ground. Rear is also mastless, but it lifts from the rear. Doesn't seem so many years ago that they were still cable lift. Always the thrill of some car parked on the street, and lifting the wing and hoping the cable doesn't break.

The good old days of cable wings man I’m suer happy I got hydraulic wing now as of my wing type I having the tall mast I can bench snow as high as my cab I’d love a massless wing like you have but when the blade is all I have for snow removal I have to be able to bench 9 to 10ft high so that’s the reason I have wing like this.

 

[Welder Dave]

Hopefully you don't have a lot of issues that another poster mentioned they had on a new Cat 140 (I think).