heymccall, I completely understand your frustration. I demo'ed a 328DLCR last week and as you say, one can certainly hit the cab with the bucket. It had the pin grabber quick coupler, 1.77 cy 48" bucket, and extended thumb to work with the quick coupler. I was very impressed with the machine, but;
(1) When transporting one had to curl the bucket all the way under and rest the boom on it. Any other configuration could allow settling and loose chains. When I loaded it there was already scratches on the boom from prior transport, and the Cat yard man said that that was the way their transport drivers hauled it.
(2) The thumb could hit the boom when not all the way retracted.
I understand the need for a quick coupler for many contractors, but I will be ordering one without the quick coupler for the following reasons aside from what I have already mentioned:
(1) The added 1200 lb.s and placeing the bucket weight another 15" further from the stick wreaks havoc on machine balance and productivity (unless ofcourse your application requires rapid bucket/implement changes).
(2) We specialize in stream restoration, and often work in and under water in freezing conditions (14 degrees below zero this morning). The hydraulic hoses that connect to the quick coupler will get broken as ice builds between the stick and the linkage, preventing the hoses to flex.
(3) The additional thumb length to accomodate the quick coupler will cause additional stress on the thumb and will require repair sooner than a shorter thumb.
(4) We also work in very confined spaces, and the risk of hitting the cab while looking in mirrors to clear trees or other obstacles is less than desirable.
Again, I am very impressed with the machine, but think that Cat should at least spec buckets for it that cannot hit the cab.
