bobcat ron
Banned
I love the sight of shiny new Cat paint.
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385C's
- Thread starter 9420pullpan
- Start date
385Diggin' Doug
Well-Known Member
There are more boom/stick options available for the ALL MIGHTY CAT :usa :notworthy :usa than the Komatsu.Having put my 385 up against the PC 800 in deep pipe work,there is no comparison on any front or at any level.I have been doing this for over 30 yrs and have never found Komatsu to be of any value or asset on the job.They are hot to run,primarily due to the hydraulic tank being behind the cab.There has never been enough leg room in a Komatsu for me to get comfortable.You have to remember that the PC in Komatsu's prefix stands for PC of **** !
I will stick with the CAT unless something better comes along.
385Diggin' Doug
Well-Known Member
I don't know if we are talking about the same company or not.The R&R that I had referred to is based out of Burlington County NJ and is a Union Shop.If it is the same company I don't recall anybody with your name {sorry}.Right now I am working on a storm sewer project in Jackson NJ.
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385Diggin' Doug
Well-Known Member
We have had some 330's & 350's some Belgium.The only problem that
I remember hearing about is the stick hop that the 350's had.I would guess that every make has its' share of problems.
TRACKHOE71
Well-Known Member
hey doug
na i didnt realize there were two R and R's out of jersey were a non union company out of chester with yellow and green trucks were a pretty big companmy with close too 150 or so employes primalry work in northern and central new jersey and also do work in pa.
jordan
na i didnt realize there were two R and R's out of jersey were a non union company out of chester with yellow and green trucks were a pretty big companmy with close too 150 or so employes primalry work in northern and central new jersey and also do work in pa.
jordan
385Diggin' Doug
Well-Known Member
I didn't know that there was another R&R.What kind of equipment do they have? Do they do any specialized pipe work?Do they have any jobs in PA that they are working on now?
TRACKHOE71
Well-Known Member
doug,
we run mainly cats, some deere and some volvo. i dont beleive we ahve any jobs right now in pa, ive only been there for about 3 months, so im still trying to lear the ins and outs of the company. so far ive found it to be a very good company to work for. we do a lot of residential developments and some comercial work , we have a decent size job in flordham park right now and a couple in the flanders area . i hope we get some road work or specialized pipe work , but im finding its pretty tough in jersey to get work like that becaue of the union being so strong, i enjoy doing pipe , i ve never really did hevey highway, hopefully someday ill get the chance to , residential developments gets old after a while, very repatious work build your roads and ponds, do your pipe work , build your pads,....... and so on. it would be cool to do some big road jobs and some big size diameter pipe jobs.
we run mainly cats, some deere and some volvo. i dont beleive we ahve any jobs right now in pa, ive only been there for about 3 months, so im still trying to lear the ins and outs of the company. so far ive found it to be a very good company to work for. we do a lot of residential developments and some comercial work , we have a decent size job in flordham park right now and a couple in the flanders area . i hope we get some road work or specialized pipe work , but im finding its pretty tough in jersey to get work like that becaue of the union being so strong, i enjoy doing pipe , i ve never really did hevey highway, hopefully someday ill get the chance to , residential developments gets old after a while, very repatious work build your roads and ponds, do your pipe work , build your pads,....... and so on. it would be cool to do some big road jobs and some big size diameter pipe jobs.
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385Diggin' Doug
Well-Known Member
How long have you been doing pipe work? How long have you been in this business?What other companies have you worked for?You are right about NJ being tough to break into the commercial work.A company of the size you mentioned,did they think about going union?
Doing tract work does become boring after awhile.Have you tried to join a union in NJ or PA?Doing Heavy Highway work gives me the chance to break things up a bit.I will normally do the production dirt work,pipe and then hop on the Graders to get ready for hot rock.Doing specialty pipe is where it is at though.Always a challenge and no two days are the same.The deeper the better.
TRACKHOE71
Well-Known Member
i did pipe work for 2 years steady, kinda through me into the ropes very young, my fisrt pipe job was in double stacked boxes putting sanitary in going down a one way street with all types of water lines and overhead wires all over, running a 330 at 21 years old ive been kinda in out of pipe work for the last 2 years or so , im now 24. its been a while since ive really been doing pipe steady but ifeel confident that i can do it and comfortable enough to get production done. i tired getting into local 542 in pa , i went for the test, i passed the hoe test and didnt perform very well on the loader and dozer portions of the test, (lack of seat time) i then though about going into the aprrecticship program but would been taking a pretty big pay cut at the time, but i know 20 years down the road id prolly be better off. im keeping my options open id consider going union in jersey but i hear its very hard to get into, and the one down fall is that i kinda lack seat time on a dozer or loader escpially doing slope and final grade work, bulk pushing or loading trucks with a loader track/ wheel i have no problem, the technical stuff i lack. like i said before id love to heavy highay and some deep runs im with ya on that the deeper the better.
TRACKHOE71
Well-Known Member
i worked for some smaller companies in pa they have recently went out of bussiness but where i learned the most and did the pipe work was for a company in Reading called Schlouch Inc, they do some work in the lehigh valley we had close to 400 people and 15 pipe crews before, i left and went to a smaller oufit, which i wont metioned the name, i hope nobody evers goes to work there, horrible comepany to work for. i know the union has been on some of our jobs trying to get soem of our guys but i beleive our boss isnt pro union, i dont know the circumstances be hind it though.
I have been doing this for over 30 yrs and have never found Komatsu to be of any value or asset on the job... You have to remember that the PC in Komatsu's prefix stands for PC of **** !
PC of ****?
No value or asset on the job?... what do you mean Doug - more downtime, higher operating cost per hour, reduced productivity?
All Komatsu equipment or just excavators?
385Diggin' Doug
Well-Known Member
Mainly there hoes.I have run some of their dozers (85 & 155) and did not care for the feel or agility.We did have a WA500 loader that I liked.It had good power and was comfortable to run on our crushing operation.If an operator is not comfortable than your production is going down.The cost per hour was up on the hoes due to burning more fuel and getting less work done.Our foreman watch every operators cyclical time from loading trucks to feet per hour in pipe,and the Komatsu's come up short against the CAT's and even the Hitachi's.From a Company standpoint the Komatsu's don't have a resale value that is comparable to others such as Cat or Deere.I guess everyone has the preference on equipment and from getting the nod to demo most of our equipment,I try to be as objective as I can.
385Diggin' Doug
Well-Known Member
Sounds like you got some good years ahead of you.How was Schlouch to work for ? Looking at their web site,they do a ton of tract work.I don't know what county you live in,but if you go on-line to Local 66:usa out of Pittsburgh and check their zones and districts maybe you can try that.The one thing that I do notice is that the PA unions pay scale is that of a NJ non union company.Just try t get as much seat time as you can.Does the company you are with now switch it up or do you stay on one machine mostly?
TRACKHOE71
Well-Known Member
Schlouch was a great company to work for. no complaints from my end. tract work is there bread and butter, its kinda bitting them in the ass right now, cuz of the housing market being so low, but i hear thwy have alot of work lined up for next year, doing some small penn dot work and i would assume some more commercial/ indutrial projects ,we primalrey stay on one peice but i try to get seat time whenever theres no hoe work for me ill try to jump on anothor peice of equipment.
Rockbreaker
Senior Member
Really??
Well there has been som leaks on it i know...
The 365bl who had som hole in the engine shall we talk about that Frank?
Ps:You should name your self farmerboy i tink.
Well there has been som leaks on it i know...
The 365bl who had som hole in the engine shall we talk about that Frank?
Ps:You should name your self farmerboy i tink.
385c JR
Well-Known Member
Well, a seal on a hose you have to live with...
Thats CAT you know..:usa
Is it this you are talking about?
Ps: take a look at my signature...
Attachments
Burnout
Senior Member
Ok guys I'm new here but hey why not add some nice 385C L pictures to your little thread here. I work for Sureway in Edmonton and we have 11 385's kickin around. All are set up as reach machines with extended sticks and short booms.
On the float going from one jobsite to another... and yes their floating it in one piece.
Digging 36" Storm Sewer
Switching buckets
And lastly our 385CL, 375L and PC1250 all digging at once. 375 and 1250 are digging pre trench and the 385 is doing the last 5 metres of the cut.
If you guys want more pictures of 385's I have tons... Work around em everyday. Might be able to swing by our shop where most of em should be lined up right now for winter.
On the float going from one jobsite to another... and yes their floating it in one piece.
Digging 36" Storm Sewer
Switching buckets
And lastly our 385CL, 375L and PC1250 all digging at once. 375 and 1250 are digging pre trench and the 385 is doing the last 5 metres of the cut.
If you guys want more pictures of 385's I have tons... Work around em everyday. Might be able to swing by our shop where most of em should be lined up right now for winter.