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Champion 715

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Clawed Backster

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Joined
Sep 18, 2009
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416
Location
Sunny Valley, OR
I am in the market for a cheap (possibly fixer upper) grader just for my personal use to maintain my driveway.
Anyhow, in my travels last weekend I spotted a Champion 715 which looked like it hasn't moved in a long time. I didn't have time to stop to check it out at the time, but I am going to go back and see what I can find out about it, and possibly who owns it. When I do an internet search for it I find some info on other models of Champion graders, but not much about the 715. Anyone on here familiar with this model? I would like to know things like production years, engines used, and how does it differ from the other models.
Thanks
 
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cuttin edge

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Nov 9, 2014
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NB Canada
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Finish grader operator
Clawed Backster said:
At least with a Detroit it would sound cool. Lol
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I ran a 715. It had a detroit, might be ok for what you want. I think some of the 710s had a 13 foot moldboard. Champion and later Volvo had 2 pistons that rotated 2 cranks. They had to be timed to work properly. On the draw bar between the 2 cranks, there is a valve that controls the pistons. Under that valve is a shaft that has a gear that sits between 2 gears at the bottom of the 2 cranks. If anything happens, the rotation of the blade will jam. Keep that stuff in good working order for trouble free rotation.
 
C

Clawed Backster

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 18, 2009
Messages
416
Location
Sunny Valley, OR
cuttin edge said:
I ran a 715. It had a detroit, might be ok for what you want. I think some of the 710s had a 13 foot moldboard. Champion and later Volvo had 2 pistons that rotated 2 cranks. They had to be timed to work properly. On the draw bar between the 2 cranks, there is a valve that controls the pistons. Under that valve is a shaft that has a gear that sits between 2 gears at the bottom of the 2 cranks. If anything happens, the rotation of the blade will jam. Keep that stuff in good working order for trouble free rotation.
Click to expand...

Just out of curiosity, was the one you ran articulating?
 
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cuttin edge

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No it was a rigid frame. It was only used tor plowing snow. Transmission slipped a bit. Every other Champion and Volvo I have ran since then was articulating
 
C

Clawed Backster

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 18, 2009
Messages
416
Location
Sunny Valley, OR
cuttin edge said:
No it was a rigid frame. It was only used tor plowing snow. Transmission slipped a bit. Every other Champion and Volvo I have ran since then was articulating
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Yeah, the old Galion that I had was a ridged frame machine, and it was very difficult to pull the ditch around the tight corners on my driveway. I have never run an articulating grader, but it seems it would really help in this regard.
 
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cuttin edge

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Finish grader operator
What you can do, is make an extension for your blade side shift. You lose side shift to the left, but gain to the right for working close to, or ditching. I think the extension on my 730 was about 2 feet. I had a long pin holding the chrome part of the piston to the moldboard. I could side shift the MB all the way to the right, pull the pin, pull the piston back in. The extension slipped over the end of the piston, another pin held it in place, then the other end took the place of the factory piston. You gain 2 feet on the right. I used to take it off when I didn't need it, or you can leave it on.
 
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cuttin edge

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2,719
Location
NB Canada
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Finish grader operator
cuttin edge said:
What you can do, is make an extension for your blade side shift. You lose side shift to the left, but gain to the right for working close to, or ditching. I think the extension on my 730 was about 2 feet. I had a long pin holding the chrome part of the piston to the moldboard. I could side shift the MB all the way to the right, pull the pin, pull the piston back in. The extension slipped over the end of the piston, another pin held it in place, then the other end took the place of the factory piston. You gain 2 feet on the right. I used to take it off when I didn't need it, or you can leave it on.
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And I don't mean a blade extension, they are available, but that's a lot more for your machine to push. My 730 had a 14 foot MB, I think it's better for plowing with a wing, so you get the coverage. It was great for fine grading, but it was a lot to push for a 730 when cutting, or full of material.
 
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Silveroddo

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Joined
Jun 23, 2010
Messages
293
Location
Northern MN
It could have just about anything in it for a motor depending on the vintage. I've got a 715a from the mid 80's with an Allis 670T. I'm thinking it was more of a horsepower option offering between a 710 and a 720. Frame size and corresponding parts seem to be the same as 720 from the vintage. I'm thinking they are an 80's machine and they quit making them by the 1990's and stuck to the 710/720/730 standard sizes. If you pick up a champion service or parts book from the vintage it would cover several models and the 715 machines are covered in them. I'll get on my soap box about champions. There are 2 ways to do parts, break down the component, be it a detroit/cummins, or whatever and source it that way, or Jade Equipment in Canada is damn near as good as Cat at keeping these machines going, Volvo's support for them, especially that vintage has been lack luster (to be polite)
 
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Clawed Backster

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Joined
Sep 18, 2009
Messages
416
Location
Sunny Valley, OR
Silveroddo said:
It could have just about anything in it for a motor depending on the vintage. I've got a 715a from the mid 80's with an Allis 670T. I'm thinking it was more of a horsepower option offering between a 710 and a 720. Frame size and corresponding parts seem to be the same as 720 from the vintage. I'm thinking they are an 80's machine and they quit making them by the 1990's and stuck to the 710/720/730 standard sizes. If you pick up a champion service or parts book from the vintage it would cover several models and the 715 machines are covered in them. I'll get on my soap box about champions. There are 2 ways to do parts, break down the component, be it a detroit/cummins, or whatever and source it that way, or Jade Equipment in Canada is damn near as good as Cat at keeping these machines going, Volvo's support for them, especially that vintage has been lack luster (to be polite)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info.
I still haven't gotten back to check out that 715 that I spotted. It is about 65 miles away from where I live. Today might be a good day for a motorcycle ride over to investigate a little further.
By the brush and weeds growing up around it I would say it has probably been many years since it moved, so it likely has "issues". I don't mind having to do some repairs if the price is right, but trying to get a disabled machine moved opens up a whole new can of worms.
 
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