Our homemade landfill compactor

[Taylortractornu]

The Cat scraper to sheeps foot conversion made me want to post a picture of our 518 Cat feller buncher we bought to make into a landfill compactor. Cat used to make a 518 Conversion that they sold with either landfill wheels or sheeps feet. We needed a compactor for our landfill as they new material we dump is more bulky. We looked all over worn out 816 cats were abundant but in bad shape. Found all larger ones cheap up north but were too big and pretty much ragged. I told dad about the 518 skidders I remebered i nthe backs of the Cat books we had when I was a kid. The neighbor had an old mid 80's 518 turn around feller buncher shear. Its basically a reversed skidder with a boom to lift the cutter. We purchased it for 14000 and a blade off a 290M Clark scraper and 4 wheels off a 2 Hyster rollers. My friend William Davis did the conversion with me finding the parts and researching. Ill try to post a few resized pics. In all the conversion and machine cost totaled 10000 less than a used set of Caron wheels.

 

[Taylortractornu]

ok heres the pics

 

[Taylortractornu]

The finished product with blade down.

 

[Taylortractornu]

One more with the blade up. When we made the wheels out of old roller wheels William put the blade on and did alot of pushing around his shop. he also repacked his driveways. If yall would like I can get a few action shots and a few of the other parts of the conversion. I also have a pretty good shear for sale off it. the only problem you cant see the blade just a little under the boom arm. It can push a good bit of dirt if its loose, But if it spins it can dig a hole or pull up rubbish. It blades pretty good if you tilt the blade forward and go but the articulation joint also has an oscillation joint to keep the wheels on the ground It would make a good wheel dozer if it had the oscillation on the rear axle. instead the blade self angles sometimes with the contours. But on the bright side we do now get a 10 to 1 compaction rate.

 

[Jeff D.]

Pretty neat looking!:thumbsup You guys did a nice job.

If yall would like I can get a few action shots..........

Do we have too even say it...................Yeah!!:yup

 

[Countryboy]

Excellent job.:thumbsup Thats a good looking machine and just think, your the only person with one. I can understand how the oscillating axle would be a pain in the front of the tractor.

Action pictures.....of course. :yup

I want a picture of it spinning rooster tails of trash in the air.......or is that too much to ask?

 

[CascadeScaper]

That is absolutely sweet! Nice work.

 

[SunServicesLLC]

How i wish i could say those words... "our landfill" Good luck with it

 

[xkvator]

How i wish i could say those words... "our landfill"

Yeah...and you get first dibs on all the good stuff...:bouncegri

 

[Taylortractornu]

Thanks for the comments Its not really my landfill I work there for another company. Dad started it for a mobile home company 12 years ago. They went out a about 3 years ago and we were bought by a motor home plant. They make Allegro Buses. We are number one in MS but its a lot of work. We get alot of visitors from people the state brings out to show them how one is run and looked after. I say this to alot of folks that look down on the landfill business Its Christmas every day. No household rubbish is allowed or chemicals. One coke can could cost us 25000. We have 3 rolloffs and about 35 40 yard cans. and a few 30's and 3 20's. Equipment wise a D5B and a 762 JD scraper and the Compactor. Then theres the little d Gas AC grader and a 4000 Ford tractor.
Sorry no rooster tails on the compactor yet. I did run over a 30 pound fire extinguisher today some dilweed trashed. Looked cool when I realized what was going on. Ill post a few action shots tonight when I resize.

 

[alan627b]

Does it still have that evil, extremely quick half a steering wheel system? Ran one of these as a skidder recently, and got a few knots on my skull from the cage....didn't help it had some slack in the center joint, which made the machine send feedback to the steering selector, so it steered you!
Sort of a tail wagging the dog effect...
Good looking conversion, probably works pretty well. Makes me wonder, why the skidders blade is so narrow, and drops so low you almost can't see where it is...that steering column hurts your ribs, when you accidentally stick the blade in the ground, traveling in second gear!
The bruises didn't last too long!
alan627b

 

[equipment fan]

very nice job!!pretty good idea!

 

[cat 325ccr]

great job on that!

 

[RODNEY DAIGLE]

Hello there, do yall still have this machine ?

 

[Monte1255]

yup! agreed, good conversion. I'm wondering though as I know very little about landfill operations, are you plannning to use that rig to push dirt onto the fill as well when you cover it over?