Buying a d9h that's been sitting for years

[Nige]

Scrub, I can't remember the exact numbers off the top of my head but IIRC an 11R costs about US$200 per hour to run just in fuel and undercarriage without counting anything else. Now in 2nd speed she'll do about 7km/h, so that equates to almost $30/km just in fuel & running gear even when it's not pushing dirt. Move a dozer 10km a few times which would be easy on a big mine site and if you have a fleet of say 20 dozers all of a sardine you're talking real money just to walk them around. More than enough to justify a lowboy and crew.

 

[mht1156]

Yeah reminds me when one of my brothers worked for a large mining company here in Australia doing copper from large open cuts.

At the time rubber for trucks and associated machines was at a premium due to a world wide shortage of large tyres and a mining boom was ramping up here.

Just by running operators through some schools dedicated to tyre wear and maintenance they achieved significant savings and sort of put paid to the widely held belief that large mining = waste, not always so.

Mike.

 

[Neily]

 

[Neily]

 

[Nige]

The Rock in Those photos looks eminently rippable IMHO. Just how much it would crush by running a heavy dozer over it is a different matter. It's also not what I would have immediately thought of when you originally mentioned the word gravel.

 

[Scrub Puller]

Yair . . .

Gotcha Nige. With running costs of two hundred dollars an hour Neily would need to be getting good money for gravel and selling plenty of it to justify such a large machine.

I believe that rock/gravel would be rippable with a smaller machine . . . for sure the bigger the machine the bigger the pieces.

A lot will come down to operator technique. With the existing fractures and horizontal planes a good ripper hand will figure out the grain and work the seams to best advantage.

Others are far more qualified than I to talk about excavators but a few years back I watched what I imagine was thirty ton Kobelco with a ripper tine making short work of similar rock in a road cutting, doing pretty much as well as a hi-track D7 I thought.

That may be another option.

Cheers.

 

[Neily]

Hi nige and scrub. I would have to agree about the running costs, I suppose I figgure if I can find a machine for the right money I should be able to do a lot of work without spending to much on undercarriage etc. Ie if I end up buying something hopefully it will see me out apart from General maintenance. I might take my loader up there on the weekend if it's dry enough and see how it goes, hopefully I can get down a bit with it before it gets to hard going. The pictures of the green clearing are where I'll be working, the rock face in those photos is about 5 m high if that puts any perspective to the size of the rock. Unless it breaks up there will be some big chunks come out with a big dozer. What kind of rock would you guys call this stuff?
Hey scrub my mate told me a similar story, he generally drives a 30t case digger and said if he can't get through rock an 8 won't either. I priced blasting today and it came in at $4.50m roughly, local earthmoving guys I know are about $3 with a dozer.

 

[Neily]

Ps what size dozer would a 980 (A) roughly compare to when it comes to ripping?

 

[Queenslander]

Looks a little like the sandstone they use a little west of here.
Comes up in lumps the size of a large suitcase but works down to an excellent road base under a heavy grid roller.
I guess it will come down to the amount you hope to shift.

 

[Queenslander]

Here's one for you Neily.
Would have to be a misprint, but you never know, could be worth a phone call.

 

[kshansen]

Here's one for you Neily.
Would have to be a misprint, but you never know, could be worth a phone call.View attachment 157468

Dang, I think the place I worked bought just a used engine for a D9H shortly after I retired and paid that much!

 

[Pathull]

Hi Neily just wondering if your brought the old D9 I have done a lot of work on these old tractors and I think I might know the tractor in your photos is it near Parkes/Forbes in NSW cheers Pat

 

[Neily]

Hey pat, yep that's the tractor your thinking of. No mate I passed on it, the number$ didn't work for me. ive put the tractor idea on the shelf for the mean time, got a local coming to push up 5000m for me. I'll see how he goes before I look into buying one, get a feel for demand aswell once people see a pile pushed up.

Queenslander, haven't been back here for a while. I'd assume that guy had 300 calls about the 9 for 22k lol, surely a misprint.

 

[Queenslander]

Yeah, It was advertised elsewhere as 22k for a stickrake and offers invited for the tractor.
Plenty of big, more modern, gear on the market in that area with the downturn in mining fortunes.

 

[Pathull]

Hey neily
Is there any chance you can put me in touch with the owner of it hasn't been sold yet?

Thanks mate

 

[Neily]

Pat, I sent you a pm or tried to anyway.

 

[Neily]

Queenslander. yeah Certainly some cheap gear out there atm, been some big gear bringing no money at auctions that I've seen. Still dosent seem to have effected the prices on private stuff though.