CAT 305 - but what year does this look like?

[subdural]

and skip my 'time frame' i have no idea, my early thoughts on the time range was trying to compare it to other units on richeibrothers and macheinery trader. I was happy you said YOM doesnt matter all that much, but it could be any year. perhaps the engine plate seems to help

 

[Nige]

That looks like the Kubota engine Serial Number. V2609 would be the model, 8DW2156 would be the Engine Serial Number.

AND WE HAVE A WINNER....................!!!!

Engine Serial Number 8DW2156 was installed ex-factory in a 306E Serial Number FHL00707, built on the 13th February 2014.



So for a Parts Manual you need SEBP6411. See attached. As I mentioned earlier I can point you to a couple of sources for genuine OEM documents if you are interested.

 

[CM1995]

I'm sorry but that's not correct. If this model was grey market aka ISJ (built in Japan and designed only for sale in the internal Japanese market) then there would be no technical/parts information existing in SIS. In this instance that's not the case, all the info is there.

I'm not saying that this particular machine wasn't imported second-hand (probably from Japan) to the US. It most likely was.

It may simply be that this particular model was never marketed by Cat in the US. EDIT: A clue might be that the only other languages (apart from English) in which the Parts Manuals for both options discussed below was ever produced were Chinese and Korean, so maybe this model was manufactured in Japan and intended for sale in the SE Asian market. Quite possible.

To throw another curve ball here, it's not a 305......... To be continued........

Well regardless of whatever the technical term "grey market" means in SIS world, the machine was not intended for the US market and appears it's not even a 305...

ASFIK Cat did not make a 306E for the US market and did not make a 306 for the US market in 2014 either.

As I said before - BUYER BEWARE

 

[subdural]

wow, you are master detective!

 

[Nige]

Well regardless of whatever the technical term "grey market" means in SIS world, the machine was not intended for the US market

There is a major difference between a model "never originally intended for sale in (insert your country here)" and one that was only ever intended for sale in a certain specific market like the ISJ machines.

In the case of the former you walk into your local friendly Cat dealer, quote the Serial Number, and they will sell you anything you ask for because all parts & service information regarding the machine is clearly visible on their system.

In the case of the latter (which are classed as true grey market) the look you will get when you quote the S/N to the guy on the parts counter is somewhat akin to what you'd get if you had grown a second head (© @willie59), because no English information ever existed for them. It is all only available in Japanese.

 

[CM1995]

There is a major difference between a model "never originally intended for sale in (insert your country here)" and one that was only ever intended for sale in a certain specific market like the ISJ machines.

In the case of the former you walk into your local friendly Cat dealer, quote the Serial Number, and they will sell you anything you ask for because all parts & service information regarding the machine is clearly visible on their system.

In the case of the latter (which are classed as true grey market) the look you will get when you quote the S/N to the guy on the parts counter is somewhat akin to what you'd get if you had grown a second head (© @willie59), because no English information ever existed for them. It is all only available in Japanese.

Regardless, I bet this machine was never sold new on a Cat dealers lot in the US.

 

[Nige]

I completely agree with you, but that does not mean that there will be no parts & service support for it, as the investigation into the origins of this machine has shown.

As an aside there is no reason to be frightened of a true grey market machine either, provided that the owner has all his own service documentation (which is available although only in Japanese), because the dealer will have nothing.

 

[CM1995]

As an aside there is no reason to be frightened of a true grey market machine either, provided that the owner has all his own service documentation (which is available although only in Japanese), because the dealer will have nothing.

I disagree from a contractors perspective.

If an employee or bystander happens to be injured or worse where this machine is involved it could be a serious problem. All a personal injury attorney has to do show the contractor had a piece of equipment in service that doesn't have "XYZ" US safety feature on it to sue the contractor. Contractors insurance rolls over and pays claim out of court since it's cheaper than going to court when the plaintiff has a case.

The real problem for the contractor is when he goes to renew his GL and WC the next year. The premiums will be through the roof, if even available. Extreme example but it's just not worth it from a business perspective.

Unfortunately that's how the lawyer/insurance mafia works in US of A.

 

[Nige]

Again we are on the same page because most machines of this type that crop up on the forum are in the hands of private individuals. However the ISO/JASO/SAE standards to which they are built are all interchangeable and reflect one another. Usually the certification plate(s) include all three.

 

[Mechanic_Caterpillar]

View attachment 322739

View attachment 322740View attachment 322742View attachment 322743

To find out the exact serial number of the machine, find the opportunity to connect CAT ET. ECM Machine Control has information about the serial number.

 

[Nige]

To find out the exact serial number of the machine, find the opportunity to connect CAT ET. ECM Machine Control has information about the serial number.

I'm sorry to disappoint you but this is a 100% mechanical machine, including the engine, that has no ECMs and therefore nowhere to connect ET.

 

[Joe H]

There's no $8,000 transmission controller to die and render the machine useless?

Who would build such a thing?

Joe H

 

[Mechanic_Caterpillar]

Мне жаль вас разочаровывать, но это на 100% механическая машина, включая двигатель, в которой нет блоков управления двигателем и, следовательно, некуда подключать ET.

Если посмотреть на все эти префиксы 305.5E2, то у всех машин есть эти электронные блоки. Или эта машина не 305.5E2???

 

[Nige]

You haven’t been paying full attention to the thread have you.? It’s actually a 306E despite what the decals on it might indicate.

The reminds me of the saying - “just because our buses have ads on the side for detergent, that doesn’t mean to say they take in laundry.”

 

[Mechanic_Caterpillar]

You haven’t been paying full attention to the thread have you.? It’s actually a 306E despite what the decals on it might indicate.

The reminds me of the saying - “just because our buses have ads on the side for detergent, that doesn’t mean to say they take in laundry.”

Yes, I read the whole thread later. It's strange that Caterpillar assembles cars that you can't figure out later.

 

[Nige]

Yes, I read the whole thread later. It's strange that Caterpillar assembles cars that you can't figure out later.

The model decals had obviously been installed at a later date from when the machine was built, because they are the latest Cat corporate logo that was introduced less than 5 years ago. That was the first clue. The missing machine Serial Number plate did not help matters. Once the engine Serial Number was located it was a simple matter of tracing it back to find out in which machine Serial Number it was originally installed.
See Post #22 above.

 

[subdural]

The model decals had obviously been installed at a later date from when the machine was built, because they are the latest Cat corporate logo that was introduced less than 5 years ago. That was the first clue. The missing machine Serial Number plate did not help matters. Once the engine Serial Number was located it was a simple matter of tracing it back to find out in which machine Serial Number it was originally installed.
See Post #22 above.

also spoke with cat and they gonna print a new serial ID plate for the unit. thanks again for all the help. Machine working great. Just had a weird past i think.

 

[Nige]

In days gone by Serial Number/PIN plates were riveted to the machine frame and literally had to be chiseled off. The current crop of self-adhesive plates can be (apparently) susceptible to removal by a badly-directed pressure washer wand.

 

[Auctioneerhere]

From my small amount of research, the place they were built is stamped in the sn. as a code.

Certain letters mean it was manufactured in certain places.

 

[Nige]

From my small amount of research, the place they were built is stamped in the sn. as a code.

Certain letters mean it was manufactured in certain places.

Sorry but that is not correct. If you look in the bottom RH corner of a Caterpillar PIN plate the manufacturing location is written there in plain English, just like in the example below.

https://www.heavyequipmentforums.com/attachments/img_2188-jpeg.350449/