Bought a 2004 CAT 287B

1,600 hrs, $20,000. The price was low because the loader arms are tweaked. I have several questions for 'yall.
Question 1:
What do you think about re-tweaking the loader arms? They are shifted about 13/16" to the left. The have rubbed down negligible parts that they have been touching but they don't otherwise affect the performance of the machine. Still, I'd like to move it back to stock location. I have a backhoe and a dozer and some big chains, etc. Thinking of giving it a gentle try. Here's some photos:




Question 2:
Not sure how the parking brake works. Does it set automatically when you shut down the engine or do I need to press the switch before shut down?


Thanks. And if anyone knows where I can find an operators manual online please let me know. I didn't have any luck searching - only found service manuals.

Sorry, the photos are not showing. Why not?
I found a tutorial here about how to upload photos but I'm told the files are too large even though they are not. The tutorial says no larger than 640 x 480. Mine are around 320 x 240. ?

Question 3:
How do you raise the cab for service? Does the little red rod at the back left of the cab have something to do with it?


Question 4:
What are the various electrical switches for up near the key and the fuel gauge?
Left side:

Right side:

Parking Brake - this is what the Operator manual says.............

Parking Brake Control - Press on the right side of the switch in order to engage or disengage the parking brake.

Note: The parking brake will engage automatically if the engine is stopped. The parking brake will also engage when the armrest is moved to the RAISED position. The parking brake will also engage if the operator leaves the seat for an extended period of time.

Regarding the loader arms I'd like to see some better pictures of where it's been twisted before expressing an opinion.

The parking brake sets automatically when you lift the lap bar. To tip the cab you need to undo two bolts that are in the front corners of the cab, once they're removed you can lift the cab up. That red lever at the back is a safety that keeps the cab up. As far as the buttons go on the left-hand side,the button with the red switch is a hydraulic relief for any Hydraulic attachments you may have, you need to turn the key off then slide the red button down and hit the toggle down itself
This will relieve any residual pressure, as gas as the other switches, one is for glow plugs and one is a self-leveling switch and I can't remember what the other one does. Not knowing how the arms got bent on it ,it would be hard to tell you how to bend them back ,but it sounds like brute force is going to be the only way ,hopefully you don't break anything...

Does this help with question 4?

http://www.justanswer.com/heavy-equipment/6lmxc-rented-277b-cat-skid-steer-need-know-indicator.html


I know it is a 277B and yours is a 287B, but it might help.

My suggestion on the loader arms is to leave them be unless you want to end up spending a good sum on a welder to put it back together. In my experience, the arms will take the initial bend, but more often than not will break when trying to bend them back.

Keep searching ebay for an operations and maintenance manual for the machine, and do all the reccomended service before operating it for long.

I have a 287 with about 3800 hrs on it, and it has been used very hard. It has been in positions machines that size should never be in, and is regularly overloaded, sometimes to double the rated capacity. I have found it to be a very robust machine, and I have never bent the arms out of alignment. Knowing that, I wonder what yours went through to become bent like they are.

Good luck with your new toy.

I have bent them back by using a block of wood at the stop and just powering down on the cylinders

Thanks for the replies.
More questions:
(5.) I want to disable the backup alarm but I gathered that the oil temp, hydraulic temp, maybe more, could use the backup alarm to signal when something is wrong. Do they all use the same alarm? Can I defeat the backup alarm while keeping the other alarms functioning? On the alarms, I sure wish this thing had a temp gauge as well as an alarm - I do not trust alarms only. Also am surprised at no tachometer or hydraulic temp gauge.

On bending the arms, I can't see where something is bent. Until I know exactly what the issue is I will not be bending anything. Is there any other reason why the arms could be offset by about 13/16th of an inch to the left? Any way to adjust it - shims?

(6.) The left joystick, the one that controls the tracks. When reversing, the pattern does not make sense to me. To go forward, stick straight ahead is machine straight ahead, ahead and to the right is machine forward to the right, and ahead to the left is machine forward to the left. And straight back is machine straight back. OK, so far so good. BUT, back and to the left is machine back and turn right and back and to the right is machine back and to the left. So turn directions are the opposite that they are in forward drive. Is this normal? To me, the reverse turn directions are assbackwards - move lever back and to the right should move machine back and to the right, not the left, and vice-versa. Make sense? Is it possible to alter the pattern on this machine?

Your LH joystick sounds to me like it's connected wrong somehow. Moving the stick to the left whether going forward or backward should stop the left track and the same should happen (again whether you're going forwards or backwards) if you move the joystick to the right.

I PM'd you about an e-mail address for your schematics. You can have the hydraulic one at the same time if you want it.

First, don't disable any safety device. If you do and hit some one or thing you are instantly at fault. I know for a fact that rear visibility is not great so why would you not want to warn someone you are backing up?
Yes it sound like you have a couple of lines crossed on your pilot controls. I'll check the pattern today to see.

caterpillarmech said:

First, don't disable any safety device. If you do and hit some one or thing you are instantly at fault. I know for a fact that rear visibility is not great so why would you not want to warn someone you are backing up?
Yes it sound like you have a couple of lines crossed on your pilot controls. I'll check the pattern today to see.

Click to expand...

I'm the only person at a remote ranch. I'm more concerned with noise pollution than I am safety, in this situation. How do I disconnect the backup alarm?

The pilot controls are electronic, no? So what I'm looking at is just re-wiring the reverse positions?

This is a B series and is till hydraulic pilot controls. You can open the cab and pull the grey cover under the control to get to them. Soory I was busy yesterday, Ill try to get to the shop and look at the pattern today.

The backup alarm is located on the inside of the back door with wires running to it, if one of them were to fall off the alarm "may" stop working. What also works is a strategically placed piece of duct tape over the speaker of the alarm itself, this way it quiets it but doesn't disable it.

Awesome. I love learning and I love people who teach AND know what they are talking about.

I'm surprised the Pilots are not electronic because the touch is super light. Is the actuation of the valves hydraulically assisted or what?

Re: the back up alarm. I disconnect mine at home so I don't disturb the neighbors, then hook it back up to go to a jobsite. It is very easy to unscrew a nut on one wire to remove a wire to disable it. Be sure to put the nut back, so when you need to hook it up it is available.

I would need to check, but it comes to mind that the lever direction corresponds to the direction the bucket will move, which is opposite of the direction of a turn in reverse. When you think of the work done with a skid steer, it makes sense to have the bucket direction match the lever direction. It is very useful and handy, especially doing detail work, or when using forks. When backing long distances, it may be confusing at first, but you adapt quickly, and the hassle is less that the hassle of the attachment moving the wrong way while lining up something.

^ That's what I did for the backup alarm - removed the nut and wire.
The joystick works as you say. You have to think about the bucket direction. If I back up and think about machine direction I turn the wrong way. It doesn't seem right to me but I can see why CAT did it this way - not sure I like it yet though.

Runaway machine:
The other day I parked the machine on a slope, rear facing down hill. I was throwing roots into the bucket, standing in front of the machine - on the up-hill side. Suddenly the machine started rolling backwards, downhill. It wasn't moving slowly either. I made a split second decision to jump in and try to stop it even though there was a steep 20' drop-off about a hundred feet away. So I jump in, forget to put down the safety bar, try to start the machine. Nothing. So I remember the bar and drop it, reach for the key and just then the machine stops abruptly as I ran into some brush sixty feet from the starting point and sixty feet from the drop-off. Frankly, I don't think the brush was strong enough to stop the machine. Maybe I turned the key or the brake decided to grab for some unknown reason. I don't know exactly what happened, it happened so fast. But at least the machine isn't sitting at the bottom of the gully on it's roof with no way to get any other equipment down there to retrieve it. Disaster averted and I'm still alive. Now I know the parking brake cannot be trusted. Not that I really did anyway - these auto-set hydraulic brakes have always been suspect to me. I'll never trust them again. And I consider myself lucky to be alive. WOW. Heroically unwise save.

That is incredibly lucky! I think you should look up and give Him a fist bump for that one. Certainly you would have been better to let it roll and let the insurance check buy you something else, but I understand the decisions made at the heat of the moment.