Converted Motor Grader...Towgrader

[UNI11]

Any thoughts on this converted Motor Grader?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1V2fbpBKRQ&feature=plcp

More videos on the Youtube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/Holmeswelding

 

[Scrub Puller]

Yair . . . UNI11. Tow graders are pretty common over here in Queensland for contour bank construction and maintainance. Some are quite large twenty odd foot mouldboard.

I have never seen a motor grader converted though . . . it seems a bit extreme.

Cheers.

 

[digger242j]

UNI11, it's considered poor "netiquette" to cross-post essentially the same thing in four different threads. Since this one had a reply, I left it in place, and removed the other three. Thanks in advance for your cooperation in not doing it again. And welcome to HEF.

On edit: I should've included a bit more explanation of why it's considered poor netiquette, cause not everybody knows. It stems from the confusion that results when people start to make replies to the same post in multiple places. They go back to read the following posts, and wonder what happened to theirs, not realizing it was in a different thread.

 

[powerjoke]

Looks like a pain in the ass to me, buy a grader they are cheap enough anymore

Pj

 

[coalroller]

im with powerjoke a motor grader is more versitile and wont give you a stiff neck while running it

 

[tireman]

More tire/wheel assemblies than needed equals more unnecessary headaches,not to mention wasted expense. Or does somebody actually believe that the four 14:00-24's are required to carry "all that weight"?

 

[biggrader]

More tire/wheel assemblies than needed equals more unnecessary headaches,not to mention wasted expense. Or does somebody actually believe that the four 14:00-24's are required to carry "all that weight"?

No, I dont believe that 14:00r 24's are required to carry the weight. But the larger tires, as lets say compared to truck tires, provides the flotation and reduced rolling resistance to carry the grader through less than perfect ground conditions. Also the oscillating tandems provides the 'averaging' required to maintain/create a smooth and consistent grade. As one can tell, this machine is basically a standard John Deere 770(A) motorgrader that has the cab and drivetrain removed with a weight box added in place and with a reconfiquired front end and hitch assembly. The 17.5-25 or 14:00-24 are the standard tire size for that size of machine so I think it is a matter of 'run what u brung' engineering.

 

[powerjoke]

Obviously the donor grader was a worn out pos and not worth repairing when converted so what makes you think it would be worth using? I would guess the cost of the make shift apparatus would be pretty substantial as well and it still requires a power plant ? The whole thing just doesn't make since to me

 

[wrangler]

There is a guy converting graders near Humboldt Sask.CWK Enterprises.I see him at farm shows and think farmers are buying them for landscaping projects.Some are used in oilfield site reclaiming.Its like pulling a dirt pan with an ag tractor.You can go in soft ground where a regular grader gets stuck.When you put a 400 to 600 HP tractor in front it can move a lot of dirt,and the owner has one less power unit to look after.I have converted an old Champion B562 myself by redoing the cylinders to take high pressure.I agree it is not easy to run behind but is a way to reuse old graders with bad power trains.I think these graders are used a little different than a regular machine.As far as the walking axle set is good and helps with the large side draft force when the blade is at an angle.Probably need more ballast than the weight of engine or what was removed,the front pull seems to lever the back end more when cutting at angle.

 

[Scrub Puller]

Yair . . . There are much bigger versions of this around http://www.montefiori.net/en/agricoltura/livellatrici_roma700.php I just can't find pictures at the moment.

I watched one behind a hightrack eight with the blade angled and rolling a six foot windrow just last year . . . lots of smaller ones around for track and road maintainance. As some one else has mentioned powerjoke it's just another implement not a whole other machine to maintain and keep batteries up to and whatall.

Cheers

 

[Dozerboy]

There are a lot of towgraders used in the AG industry around here. Hell of a lot cheaper then buying a Blade. I don't see the point in the convesion unless the blade isn't worth much more then scrap. Even at that the scrap price might buy you a towgrader and then some anyways.

 

[tireman]

Didn't consider the leveling aspect of the dual axle set up.

 

[TCM]

It has it's place. I like it.

 

[OzDozer]

You'd need 40 acres to turn that rig around. Sure wouldn't be much good in tight places. I trust they installed a concrete counterweight in place of the engine/cab/tranny, or it wouldn't have much "bite".
It's pleasing to see they converted a JD. I'd hate to see a good old Cat relegated to that downgrade.