NEW Cat 150 AWD

[ovrszd]

I've never chained the front. I don't have any traction loss and/or steering loss when running in AWD. Actually the steering is more responsive. With small snows, 4-6", and no drifts, I don't chain up at all.

I use heavy duty 2 link crossbar chains on the rear. I like Peerless brand the best. Easy to use latch system. Seem to last longer than other brands. Can't prove that.

 

[20/80]

I've never chained the front. I don't have any traction loss and/or steering loss when running in AWD. Actually the steering is more responsive. With small snows, 4-6", and no drifts, I don't chain up at all.

I use heavy duty 2 link crossbar chains on the rear. I like Peerless brand the best. Easy to use latch system. Seem to last longer than other brands. Can't prove that.

Thanks, where I have no experience with the AWD on ice and snow yet I was just going by what the Cat Rep pointed out, when your in AWD your front tires wants to slide left or to the right when on ice more than a none AWD unit, we do a lot of ice blading on shiny ice caused by the crazy temp swings here, 40F and raining then falling to 15F in 6 hours, that's why I was thinking carbide studs for the front tires, and chains for the rears, we make all our own ladder type chains.

 

[ovrszd]

Thanks, where I have no experience with the AWD on ice and snow yet I was just going by what the Cat Rep pointed out, when your in AWD your front tires wants to slide left or to the right when on ice more than a none AWD unit, we do a lot of ice blading on shiny ice caused by the crazy temp swings here, 40F and raining then falling to 15F in 6 hours, that's why I was thinking carbide studs for the front tires, and chains for the rears, we make all our own ladder type chains.

I'm not familiar with CAT AWD. On a JD machine there is an on/off switch for AWD. Then there's a dial switch that allows the speed of the front tires to be advanced or retarded compared to the speed of the rears.

When pushing snow I run at 0% which means all tires are running the same speed. If I need to gain a bit more traction for direction control I might bump the fronts up 5% or so +.

When doing ditch work or steep bank work I run the fronts at 10% or so +.

When working in mud I run the fronts at 20% or so +.

I've never experienced a situation where I use AWD in negative settings.

 

[20/80]

I'm not familiar with CAT AWD. On a JD machine there is an on/off switch for AWD. Then there's a dial switch that allows the speed of the front tires to be advanced or retarded compared to the speed of the rears.

When pushing snow I run at 0% which means all tires are running the same speed. If I need to gain a bit more traction for direction control I might bump the fronts up 5% or so +.

When doing ditch work or steep bank work I run the fronts at 10% or so +.

When working in mud I run the fronts at 20% or so +.

I've never experienced a situation where I use AWD in negative settings.

Cat AWD controls are much the same as the JD controls.

 

[20/80]

A bit of a update on my 150 AWD, Mother Cat is remotely monitoring my machine from a far, Cat is monitoring the erratic tranny shifting i'm experiencing when operating the machine from time to time, I was spreading gravel a week or two ago and my 150 took a funny spell and started shifting erratic on me two or three times while in manual mode, wasn't very long and a Cat tech made a surprise visit a day or two later and took the machine for a ride, I was off that day so I didn't get to talk to the Cat tech.

 

[ovrszd]

A bit of a update on my 150 AWD, Mother Cat is remotely monitoring my machine from a far, Cat is monitoring the erratic tranny shifting i'm experiencing when operating the machine from time to time, I was spreading gravel a week or two ago and my 150 took a funny spell and started shifting erratic on me two or three times while in manual mode, wasn't very long and a Cat tech made a surprise visit a day or two later and took the machine for a ride, I was off that day so I didn't get to talk to the Cat tech.

Good response on their part. CAT, DEERE and I assume every other manufacturer has the ability to monitor all their machines. JD calls it "JD Link". Two of the coding problems were corrected thru JD Link. Although they told me I didn't have a problem. Suddenly it just stopped throwing those two codes. Funny how that works.

Bummer part is trying to get it to act up while the tech is operating it. If it didn't, they will record the visit as "no problem".

Thanks for the update!!!! This particular problem would be very frustrating!!!

 

[John C.]

Everyone who buys either brand gives the manufacturer the right to monitor your machine and use any information derived for their benefit without paying you a dime for that data. It's in the sales contract. They also charge you a subscription fee to be able to have the same access to that data in real time.

 

[ovrszd]

Everyone who buys either brand gives the manufacturer the right to monitor your machine and use any information derived for their benefit without paying you a dime for that data. It's in the sales contract. They also charge you a subscription fee to be able to have the same access to that data in real time.

I never thought of it as over reach on the manufacturer's part. I also never thought I should get paid for the data. We don't pay any fee.

 

[John C.]

Can you look up the operation on your cell phone?

 

[ovrszd]

Can you look up the operation on your cell phone?

Never tried. Why would I need to?

 

[John C.]

Then you probably don't have the subscription.

 

[ovrszd]

Then you probably don't have the subscription.

And why would I need it?

 

[John C.]

You probably wouldn't but if you were in a county with six or more running ten hours a day in an area of about 300 square miles, it's a good idea. It still has a monthly subscription, even though you apparently didn't know about it.

 

[20/80]

Well guy's this is something I do not agree with, when it comes time to change Your oil, in my 140h always at 250 hrs faithfully, 14000 hrs on the engine and never been touched, but Cat now wants you to change the oil on these new machines at 500 hrs, has the cartridge type filters also we are running 10w30 in these new engines, we always ran 15w40 in my 140H, with alot of these c7 and c9 engines in our department that are blowing to pieces, you would think 250hr oil change intervals for these new engines would be cheap insurance, I honestly think Cat is using the 500hr oil changes as a way to sell the machines to buyers using the reduce maintenance cost as a selling point, in the end and not written in any Cat brochure the buyer will pay big time with no reduced cost like advertised.

 

[Tones]

In the 60s when I started operating machines oil changes were at 100 hour intervals on all engines including Cat. Years later changes were shifted 250 hrs with the same scepticism as you young fellas have.

 

[big ben]

Scary part is 500 hrs is getting to be outdated. Some new machines are 1000 hrs.

The OMM says oil sample at 250 hrs and oil change and oil sample at 500hrs. If the oil is not holding up then back down to 250 hrs. I trust an oil lab for oil condition over what feels rights or was done in years past. As machines advance so does oil and filters. Again you still oil sample every 250hrs so you know exactly what is happening with the oil. Takes the guess work out of the equation. If doing a $100 oil change not including labor every 250 hrs gives you peace of mind then continue with it.

 

[JPV]

We still do it at 250, I feel it is cheap insurance. What I have found is after 350 or so the sample will show the oil breaking down. When I tried for 500 they showed a lot of iron in them, at 250 it was clean. Those were excavators. I was told by Cat when the samples came back dirty that the 500 hour interval only really works in like a mill environment when the machine runs closer to 24 hours a day. With the monitor set at 250 by the time the operator sees it, remembers to tell someone and actually get me or the other guy out to do it it is probably closer to 300 hours or so.

 

[Nige]

I'd put more faith in changing oil based on oil analysis results than on a blanket "X" hours between changes. Or at least use oil analysis to determine what "X" should be and then monitor it going forward. I assume that oil samples are taken every oil change and that someone monitors the results.?

Agree with Ben that if 500 hours between changes (although a quick look at a 150 O&M Manual for an EB4-prefix machine indicated 1000 hours) is what the book says then a sample at 250 is absolutely essential.

Also there may be distinct differences in what is contained in the machine sales literature compared to the recommendations in the O&M Manual.

 

[20/80]

Yep, they took a oil and antifreeze sample at 250 hrs on my 150, I am not so sure on how accurate the boys are at the SOS lab with samples, twice on my 140H on the results from the oil sample were told major engine failure, shut down, resampled the oil, green light everything is good, one of our sister shops did the 500hr oil change and sample on there 1 year old 140m got results back green light everything is great, day later the motor locked up, you think they would have picked something up in the sample when a rod was ready to go in the engine, that's why we test the samples for early detection that something is ready to go in your engine, 500 hrs is to much of a stretch not changing the oil, 1000hrs is just plain foolish, I don't care how advanced these new filter systems are, at 500hrs these filters are just filtering broken down oil regardless of what the manual say's.

 

[20/80]

Well they took my 150 AWD today to get the new plow and wing gear put on at Craig, got the fall grade all finished up on all my roads, so time to start preparing for the winter season, I will start on my chains tomorrow, my tires on the 150 are much wider than the 140H tires so some changes will be made, Winter is coming Guy's.