Sad story to tell about a Komatsu key. This happened to me today. I agreed to haul, with my nice haul truck, a Komatsu track loader that a nearby small quarry had bought from a used truck and equipment dealer in the next state over, about 30 miles over the line. About 250 mile haul one-way. But I had told them all that I could only do it on a Saturday, i.e., today. Okay, they said, it's all worked out. And the paperwork sent to me in advance said it weighs 38000 lbs., so I should be about 74500 lbs total.
So I arrived today to pick it up, and of course the Saturday guys at the dealer had no clue what was going on but did agree to load it after I talked them in to it. So they drove it on the RGN trailer and me having never even seen, hauled, or used one of these weird rear engined machines before, I had the guy place it a little over halfway back in the well. It looked like it would weigh more on the butt end so I guessed that would put the weight just about right on the drive axles. The guy loading said it won't matter, this thing only weighs about 35000 lbs. Yeah, right.
There were no scales anywhere in the area of this place, and the nearest Cat scales were across the state line but past the state weigh station. So I called the officer at the weigh station and told him my situation and asked him if he would let me axle it out when I got there, and that I should be 5000 or so under gross. He was nice and said that even though that's not really how it is supposed to work, he would try to help me. Okay, I said, I'll see you in an hour.
Upon arrival at the weigh station, yup, you guessed it, I'm over on the axles, but on the TRAILER, not the truck. And also I weigh 80200 lbs, not 75000. The officer said don't worry about the 200 lbs, just get out there in the parking area and move the machine on the trailer and get it close to right. So I unchain it, climb in the seat and---- NO KEY! I called back to the dealer and the guy said I could just short across the starter and it would start. So I did, and yes it started, but it wouldn't move. So I called the dealer back and the guy said " well, sorry, I guess it won't release the brakes without the key on. And I only have one Komatsu key here and I'm not bringing it to you and I'm closing at noon in ten minutes and going home."
No other dealers in the area were open on Saturday for me to buy a key. I didn't know a single contractor in the area to go borrow one. I called a guy about 50 miles away that I knew and he said he had a key but he was out of town so that idea struck out. The guy at the quarry who bought the machine was totally miffed by this time and said he didn't have a key either and said that even if I were legal on my weights we would have had no way to get it off the trailer when I got there. So bottom line is we are both miffed at the guy at the dealer for sending a machine out without a key; the quarry guy has no leverage on the dealer because he's already paid for it, and I'm mad at myself for not checking it before I left since I knew it was a possibility I would have to move it to axle out.
Bottom line, I bobtailed halfway home and met my wife in her car to bring me home. Monday morning I'll have to get her to take me halfway back, find a key on the way, then bobtail back to my stranded trailer and see if I can get it all situated correctly. I just hope that having a key to turn the power on will release the brakes. Oh, yeah, I got a warning ticket from the weight cop and they're not gonna let me go until I get it axled out.
