New John Deere Grader coming.

[Grader4me]

I did live close to Moncton but now living in Cambridge Nova Scotia. I worked on the trans labrador highway last summer

 

[cuttin edge]

My wife is a Cape Bretoner, and I'm a Miramichier.

 

[BladeManBob]

Did CAT ever change or modify the startup procedure on the M Series?

I ran a couple of 140 M's when they first came out. If one stalled, you had to wait something like twenty seconds and flip this and flip that switch to start the machine again. Not good in traffic, and an unnecessary waste of time elsewhere.

 

[Grader4me]

My wife is a Cape Bretoner, and I'm a Miramichier.

Holy smokes...bad combination ..lol

 

[bigrus]

Deere has used this cab since the D models. Great visibility everywhere except out the lower front corners of the cab. Cat definitely has that in their favor.

The thumb switches do appear to be quite a reach.

I think it takes several hours in any machine to be accustomed to the controls. Being familiar with the CAT controls I'm sure Deere's setup is aggravating.

I was shifted from an M series grader I've been running for this company last week to operate their new aquisition, 770G ex shire council 10,000hrs.
I avoided jumping on an M for many years but now I'm really enjoying the visibility & how efficient I have become on the M.

Climbing in to the 770, felt very congested & confining. I can compare it to my grand children's high chair! John Deeres' obsession with it's tractor style "control arm" isn't a winner with me or a few other larger frame operators. Dismounting the operators area is a pain in A$$.
The lever steering was obviously an after thought! one the first things I switched off. An old style cab with poor vision
The noise from the A/c fans are bad in the M but this is horrendous, earplugs & earmuffs !
the rear camera is a great idea but all you see is the spare wheel with rippers up. The only thing which it has, hands down over the Cat M is the self cleaning radiator with time adjustable reversible fan
As far as I'm concerned JD's attempt of an upgrade falls well short of what it could have been If this is all they could come up with they should stick to building farm tractors

 

[ovrszd]

I was shifted from an M series grader I've been running for this company last week to operate their new aquisition, 770G ex shire council 10,000hrs.
I avoided jumping on an M for many years but now I'm really enjoying the visibility & how efficient I have become on the M.

Climbing in to the 770, felt very congested & confining. I can compare it to my grand children's high chair! John Deeres' obsession with it's tractor style "control arm" isn't a winner with me or a few other larger frame operators. Dismounting the operators area is a pain in A$$.
The lever steering was obviously an after thought! one the first things I switched off. An old style cab with poor vision
The noise from the A/c fans are bad in the M but this is horrendous, earplugs & earmuffs !
the rear camera is a great idea but all you see is the spare wheel with rippers up. The only thing which it has, hands down over the Cat M is the self cleaning radiator with time adjustable reversible fan
As far as I'm concerned JD's attempt of an upgrade falls well short of what it could have been If this is all they could come up with they should stick to building farm tractors

I could have wrote this about the M cab. Verbatim. If tractor style "control arm" is so bad I wonder why CAT now offers the M with those controls as well as the old style square cab. The M only has a visibility advantage when looking at the trailing end of the blade. Horrible storage space in the cab.

As to HVAC noise, I can't hear the fan on low, and low is all that's ever needed. Much more shade protection from the sun. I've never had to run the AC on full cold/high fan.

I guess this is why both machines sell.

 

[bigrus]

Jumping on an old 140 H after an M vision wise, is a backward step Are the design people at C@t on drugs.

In Australia, nearly every A/c, on machinery is running on 80%. Cooling is one of the biggest disappointments on equipment sent down here. We have Arizona desert weather most of the year. Tinted windows & those black mesh shades attached with suction caps (automotive style for your car/ute) are a necessary evil here.

When another operator has driven my M, they usually whinge the A/c wasn't working properly. A visual check of the thermostat turned to coldest setting & the fan on position on 1 (low) causes the unit to freeze up . A good A/c mechanic told me years ago, set the thermostat a bit over half way in the "blue" then regulate cooling by air flow (turn the fan up high) to stop the unit freezing. not rocket science

 

[Birken Vogt]

The AC is not supposed to freeze up even if you run the fan on low. If it does then the freeze sensor/switch is not properly set. But this can be more trouble than it is worth to try and fix. I drove a KW that froze up several times a day in winter on defrost mode, very frustrating because windows fogged and could not see. KW dealer did not care to fix it and I tried too, could not figure out how to get to the right place in it so I gave up.

 

[Welder Dave]

I guess everybody has their own opinion. Head trainer at the operating engineers training center has run graders close to 40 years. They have a JD 770G, 140M and a new straight 140 with conventional controls. He likes the 140 but also said the JD's have come a long way and he likes it.

 

[bigrus]

I guess everybody has their own opinion. Head trainer at the operating engineers training center has run graders close to 40 years. They have a JD 770G, 140M and a new straight 140 with conventional controls. He likes the 140 but also said the JD's have come a long way and he likes it.

Yes they've come along way since the likes of Britstands, Aveling Barfords, 94c C@ts etc.
Autonimous machinery is on the way for controlled conditions, so human operator comfort isn't a real priority of design anymore I'll just stay out west in the pioneering, agricultural & erosion rehabilitation style operations till I can't climb on & off machinery