m grader

[Squizzy246B]

https://www.heavyequipmentforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?p=24691

 

[OCR]

m grader:

https://www.heavyequipmentforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?p=24691

:falldownlaugh
OMG... I didn't join in time, missed most of that thread... what a lost opportunity... :Banghead

Although, maybe it's best I did miss most of it... :ban

I understand now though, Grader4me... ... ... LOL

Yeah, OCR has OCD... :tong... lol

That was a great thread though... some of the posts were amazing, in fact, absolutely brilliant... :thumbsup

Thanks Squizzy.


OCR...

 

[Squizzy246B]

Glad you enjoyed it...

Don't you have a bed to go to?:cool2

 

[OCR]

m grader:

Don't you have a bed to go to?

Why of course I do, and I'm going right now... :tong


OCR...

 

[bm432]

Awesome!!!

I am a retired Finish Blade hand and I saw one of these on the corner by my house . I love the visibility of the machine. The slope on the engine compartment allows better visibility to see ground men and others. I would love to run one of these Blades. Having run everything from a 12 E to the H-Series my hands and fingers would get a workout on the days when I worked overtime hours . The repetitive movements can take its toll on your joints after a number of years in the form of Carpal tunnel . I like the idea of simplifying the steering without a steering wheel. I always felt that the steering wheel got in the way . The only thing I can think of to caution about the front wheel drive configuration is not to have a heavy foot while articulating because I have seen more than one blade hand turn their rig over by doing just that . Easy does it ! Control is more important than speed.

 

[smoothoperator]

My 140M AWD received its updates this week. Slowing down the steering cylinder response in relation to the joystick movement above 23-24 mph makes for a much more relaxed trip to the jobsite. Having three speed/sensitivity options in controlling the blade should make a variety of jobs easier. Coarse for knocking down truck piles and other rough work, medium for maintenance blading, and fine for asphalt patching or matching curbs. I have been ripping and blading a wet clay roadbed, trying to dry it out and firm it up, and have had a minor(?) problem with my trans temp hitting 216 degrees. Oil coolers look clean, but may still have a very light coat of oil from o-ring blowout last month that may be hurting airflow. It does seem like the extra weight of the M series could use a few more horses under the hood, as long as the supporting systems could handle it. Give me a C-9 in my 140M, keep it cool, and watch the dirt fly.

 

[Grader4me]

Gave her a try!!

I took this picture of a 140M that a paving contractor working for us is using. The operator wasn't around and the machine was locked up. I was really hoping to give it a try or if nothing else play around with the controls. I did get to rub up against it a bit though


View attachment 46508

Had a chance to try this machine out today. WOWWW!!!! What a rig! It was always in the back of my mind if an old time grader guy could catch on to the joysticks etc. Well I'm here to tell you in one word...Yes! I was in it for 15 minutes and believe me its simple. I absolutely loved it. So easy, as every control function is where you would expect it to be, if that explains it.

I'd almost give up what I'm doing now if one was offered to me..almost..

Now I can say this..hats off to Cat for a great design..I came close to peeing in my pants...

 

[snapfruzen]

I agree with Curb Slayer. Australian 16m's have managed to drive the price of H's up by $100,000.The mine where I work has two with about 4000 hrs on them. They have both had transmission and diff problems plus innumerable electrical problems. One is in the shop right now for leaking tandem box's. I run a 140h for a private contractor but did an hours training on one when they were new. The Cat trainer guy warned everyone not to lift the circle up to the stops and then turn it. Seems the draw bar will warp and you'll get a nice buttercurl of steel off the top of the circle. How good is that?l

 

[smoothoperator]

My hourmeter is now over 700 on my 140M AWD. C7 engine was replaced (as an update, nothing wrong with the C7) by a C9 at about 625 hours. Plowing snow in 7th is a blast! You have enough torque to accellerate through snow that would have had my 143H grabbing for a lower gear. The visibility to the moldboard and behind the wing/post area is much better than the G or H. Steering with the stick is no problem. I am glad that I had almost 500 hours to get to know my machine before the snow season. We were running at -25F, and my hydraulics and steering were all behaving properly. The 0-20 synthetic hydraulic oil is the real deal, no need to thin it with kerosene or anything else. There is a warning light that tells you that the steering oil is cold, and that you should shift to a lower gear, but I don't think they really mean it. The machine does develop a little hop at the top of 7th, around 19 or 20mph, but it goes away quickly if you back down to 15 for a few seconds. HVAC system works very well, once you get all of your vents pointed where they need to be. Washer/wipers work well, but I don't use them any more than needed. It is a very nice machine, and the hours fly by without taking too much out of you as an operator.

With all of that, there are also a few things that are not perfect. The inching pedal works fine when the trans is cold, but after it gets up to temp, it acts as an on/off switch, which makes it tough to clean up around railroad crossings, and other solid, blade grabbing objects. The glass panel in the left door caught a small stone from a passing truck, and within two or three door closings, the cracks formed a giant "T" across the entire glass. It was replaced while in the shop for the engine swap, but now the new window has similar cracks, this time without being started by any rock chips. The hydraulic connections on the steering cylinders are now on the back side, vulnerable to snags by trees that your dozer attachment didn't quite shear off. I also worry about the fuel tank, just behind the cab. This area can sometimes build up with snow, and depending on snow temperature cycles- cold in the morning, warm in the afternoon, and then freezing solid again after sunset, you may just articulate a huge chunk of icey snow right through your tank and fittings. Regular articulation will probably minimize the chance of this, but it still makes me wonder.

Lots of winter left, and I'm glad I have a good machine to spend my time with.

smoothoperator...flying with one wing.

 

[bladerunner123]

I have a 140M w/ 16ft. moldboard and rear ripper. Our county got 3 of these (only mine has the ripper). They range from approx.600-1000 hrs. I've been operating motor graders for 25yrs. The other operators (of the M's) have less time (one has 17yrs not sure about the other). We are all experiencing various problems with our machines, but one of the common problems is handling. We normally plow snow at 20+ mph.(usually 24 in the H) with the wing which would put us in 7th gear. The steering is just too squirrely in 7th, so we're down in 6th (14mph at full throttle). That's quite a drop in production in a 9-10hr day!! Four guys came out from our dealer group...the sales rep, the service manager, a demo operator, and a fellow from corporate office (not sure if he was an engineer or what, but seemed to specialize in the M's). The last two "drove" the machines and made sure they had all the updates and declared them to be "just fine" and working the way they should be. Neither of them had implements on the ground to add any side draft, etc. Their advice was to be "more relaxed" on the stick and it will improve. Anyone else with these issues??? I can't believe all three of us are having trouble "getting used to" the stick!!

 

[Alberta]

Same here. Five 14M and a 14H. The H leave the others in the dust,or should I say powder. The operators have the same complaints about not being able to maintain adequate control when winging. They have tried different combos (articulation, tilt, etc). They all have about 4,000 hrs on these machines and these guys are not rookies (4 of them over 20 years).

 

[smoothoperator]

My 140M AWD C9 also carries a rear ripper, front dozer attachment w/carbide bits, 14' + 2' LH ext. The extension stays on until the cuts get bad, and I need to use my v-plow. Most of my plowing and winging is done in 7th gear. The problem that we run in to when running any faster than 20-21mph (the top of 7th) is excessive bounce when hitting those annoying hard little drifts, and problems with snow plugging air filters, which can lead to pre-cleaner plastic tube meltdown, and, if carried a little further, turbocharger oil seal failure, and runaway engine caused by engine oil sucked into the intake system.

I have a few high banks that I have winged in 7th and 8th, low and high side of banked curves, and haven't had any more trouble controlling my M than I ever did with my 143H. I think I do have a tendency to over-correct while trying to pull out, away from a heavy wing cut, but I am learning not to get carried away with the M's fast steering. The extra weight and power makes me a little greedy sometimes, laying the wing in deeper than I probably should. Almost 600 hours in the seat of this machine, and I can now comfortably meet traffic on a 26' bridge while traveling in 8th, wing up and 16' of blade in normal carry position. I can still jump back into a G or H and do the job, but I would miss the visibility to the blade and wing, power, comfort, and extra features of the M-series.

smoothoperator...my thoughts, right or wrong

 

[cummins05]

Spent 25 minutes on a 140m and i want more time on one

 

[ovrszd]

We normally plow snow at 20+ mph.(usually 24 in the H) with the wing which would put us in 7th gear. The steering is just too squirrely in 7th, so we're down in 6th (14mph at full throttle). That's quite a drop in production in a 9-10hr day!!

Yes, that's significant over a couple days!!! Our roads are crooked and hilly. I run 1400rpm in 7th or wide open throttle in sixth which is 14mph with our 770D. My friend runs his 140M at 10mph. After a few days the difference in productivity is huge.

 

[ovrszd]

Most of my plowing and winging is done in 7th gear. and problems with snow plugging air filters

As I mentioned earlier I run at 14mph and my friend runs at 10mph. I build up a lot of snow dust and ice on and under the rear of the machine. His 140M builds up very little. Took me a while to understand he's going so much slower he doesn't create much dust.

 

[grader09]

This is my third year plowing with the 14m. I do most of the plowing between 16 and 20 mph 7th gear as I did with the 14 h. I don,t have a problem steering the machine. If I had to chose between a new 14h and 14m it would be the 14m.yust my opinion.

 

[bladerunner123]

This is my third year plowing with the 14m. I do most of the plowing between 16 and 20 mph 7th gear as I did with the 14 h. I don,t have a problem steering the machine. If I had to chose between a new 14h and 14m it would be the 14m.yust my opinion.

Don't get me wrong, the 140M has a lot of nice features, but I would still choose a brand new 140H. What I gained in visibility in front, I lost out the back!! There's no substitute for being able to look back at your work once in a while (the mirrors are good but not that good)!! Wing visibility is not good in either machine, but maybe would be better in the M if we could keep the windows clear and we have tried everything. The dealer guys said they have had lots of complaints on this and they are working on an outgoing vent system because the cabs are too tight. I can't lift and lower my wing while turning or extending the blade (separate controls at my right hand). I could do this in the H to work around a mailbox without hardly slowing down or having to go back and clean up. There's more but I'll stop there. I hope I get comfortable with it before my third year. Ten hour day today felt like fifteen.

 

[Alberta]

Thanks for the information because i too had the same doubt and it is useful to me...
...........

Ya....like you would know about plowing snow.....

Funny the things you find by g00gling an alias or email adress.... blacklisted, spammer...... Oh well.

 

[smoothoperator]

Long days, short nights, broken parts, warning lights.

My 140M suffered severe ice buildup in the area of the two articulation angle sending units (or whatever you want to call them), located within the lower rear frame. The first thing I noticed was failure of the return to straight frame feature. Inconvenient, especially after you have been using it for every corner you take. Next, I lose the ability to shift above 6th gear. Not good, but you can live with it when the snow is heavy and you spend most of the day plowing really heavy stuff. I finished up with my plowing, and had a chance to get into the shop, and wash out all of the ice. I found the two little rods that hook from the front frame to the sensors, broken and bent. Non-stock items at our dealer, so my quick fix for a few hours of snow plowing was to take a couple of pieces of welding rod with 90 degree bends and install them in place of the broken parts. I have been starting my plowing day at 6 or 7a.m. and running until 9:30 or 10:30p.m. Parking in the warm shop has been enough to turn the snow into ice, but not enough to turn the ice into water. I had been aiming a big box fan at the machine overnight, but the fan croaked, and I didn't realize how important the air circulation was to the thawing of the ice in the nooks and crannies of the machine. Live and learn, I guess. Fuel consumption has been running just under 7.5GPH, even when using AWD. I am very comfortable and relaxed while operating the M, the only problem being my 50 year old knees feeling like hamburger after 14 hours of bouncing around on the throne. It is a good thing to love your job.

smoothoperator

 

[Alberta]

Yup !!! Same thing here...I suggest keeping a couple of spare rods. Sucks when you have to wait 5 days for the dealer to get them in. I got caught that way too...