Parts availability from CAT

[check]

There is a tremendous amount of changes that have been forced on mfg's by all this emissions BS. Part of that is making sure it can't be disabled or disconnected. That means that you're forced to have connectivity for all components and make them all dependent on each other. Plus we've made stops at Tier 2,3,4i, & 4 final...each having their own issues, requiring their own parts, and changes.

It's a cluster F that has also driven up costs on everything and made getting enough testing done almost impossible.

On the dealer side it's made parts stocking insanely costly. And worse it's so competitive that the margins in equipment are half of what they were even 10 years ago...under 8% on new...often less. Used isn't much better.

I'm out of that world personally...but I can assure you it's not any fun right now.

But the dealers benefit from these laws because they sell more throw-away machines. The bankers benefit because they collect more interest on money issued out of thin air. I have found that in many industries, The largest corporations get the regulations written to put the smaller manufacturers out of business.

 

[DMiller]

The politicians started this decades ago with parts inventory taxes. Tax it long enough the part is not worth storing and much of NOS went to the shredders in the 90's as I remember. The advantage was inventory roll over, parts that moved were maintained then depleted to a annual inventory date and restocked after that inventory for taxing. Now they don't bother the restock just maintain minimal to negligible inventories as WAY too many varieties to keep in stock due to massive configurations departures.

Makes one wonder why with a electronic joystick control does one HAVE TO fit ONLY Excavators and another Strictly Loaders with another for wheeled units etc.

 

[DMiller]

Allis had this issue as they died off, the inability to take a cylinder off a wheeled loader to place on a track or controls specific for single machines where COULD HAVE been re-purposed for many. Still happening as noted joysticks, or engine configurations(none actually 'fitting' the arrangements) seems the inability of one engineer to talk to another or build in interchangeability is destroying the machine lines, as well appears as intended obsolescence. Such a waste of time and effort.

 

[John C.]

You can see the engineer issue when you look at the different types of machines offered by Cat. Excavators have all the diagnostics in the computer and accessible from the monitor panel. Graders, wheel loaders, and dozers all have different ways of accessing diagnostics and working with the mounted monitor panels. Each type of machine is a reinvention of the wheel. All this changes every three to five years. The C model excavators had an easy access system. The D models made an incremental change and the E models are almost completely different.

Komatsu made major changes as well and I've not been able to keep up with the rest of the industry at all. Hitachi/Deere, Kobelco, Link Belt/Case/Sumitomo and on and on change so fast it is nearly impossible to keep up. You get good at the usual issues of any one type of machine and they change it hoping the old machines just fade away. I can't tell you the last time I worked on a Dash 3 or 5 Komatsu, A or B Series Cat, Dash 1 or 3 Hitachi and so one. Seems like the manufacturer's system is working?

 

[DMiller]

I do not see this correcting anytime soon, much of Cat and Deere with the other machine makes come from Asian factories now. They are more prone to full units than parts supplies as well.

 

[check]

You can see the engineer issue when you look at the different types of machines offered by Cat. Excavators have all the diagnostics in the computer and accessible from the monitor panel. Graders, wheel loaders, and dozers all have different ways of accessing diagnostics and working with the mounted monitor panels. Each type of machine is a reinvention of the wheel. All this changes every three to five years. The C model excavators had an easy access system. The D models made an incremental change and the E models are almost completely different.

Komatsu made major changes as well and I've not been able to keep up with the rest of the industry at all. Hitachi/Deere, Kobelco, Link Belt/Case/Sumitomo and on and on change so fast it is nearly impossible to keep up. You get good at the usual issues of any one type of machine and they change it hoping the old machines just fade away. I can't tell you the last time I worked on a Dash 3 or 5 Komatsu, A or B Series Cat, Dash 1 or 3 Hitachi and so one. Seems like the manufacturer's system is working?

To sum up the situation, I call it "muddying the waters". As long as they keep adding complexity, constant change, parts overlap and confusion, they guarantee themselves a job no matter how poorly they last.

 

[xr4ticlone]

I don't give any manufacturer a pass on having to put all that stuff in them. They worked right along with the university wonks and government administrators who dreamed all this stuff up. Cat, Cummins and Detroit engineering staff were there all along when the rules were drafted and said they could meet the specs.

It's worse than that.

I truely believe they went along thinking it would be a huge boon for them as our used equipment wouldn't handle low quality fuels from places like Mexico, S America, and the ME. They'd be able to force those markets to buy new 'old' equipment as well.

I think that was incredibly short sighted as it's leaving a glut of used equipment here and killing resale values. It's driven up new prices and repairs have gotten incredibly expensive as well. I don't know how the industry is going to make this work.

 

[John C.]

Manufacturers don't care about any used equipment market or resale. Cat is now making equipment a generation behind current US production and sending out to the rest of the world. The export market for used dried up a few years ago anyway. I haven't seen an overseas picker in years.

 

[DMiller]

Manufacturers don't care about any used equipment market or resale. Cat is now making equipment a generation behind current US production and sending out to the rest of the world. The export market for used dried up a few years ago anyway. I haven't seen an overseas picker in years.

Same holds true for the over complicated overhead line truck equipment as to NOT going overseas, is a glut of used aerial machines sitting in used lots and NOT moving. The people in offshore markets want simple, easy to diagnose mechanical machines not the state of the art always down, always some glitch and very tender electrically driven machines. Brazil is a haven for OLD IH and FA or even Allis equipment as they are easy to Make parts for or to make adaptations to keep working. Not so much late model anything found overseas where the marketers here are strangling trying to force feed it. Cat/FA/Deere/Dresser Clones of Chinese, SK and other Asian makers, what we consider Grey Market are flooding those markets as they are simple and as they wear out or break they become parts stores for the next group. I suspect Cat will end up drying up overseas, may not survive as Cat if another company buys them out. Already out of truck engine markets, already struggling to maintain parts inventories here, I can see the late 70's Allis Chalmers take over written in Bold CAT colors and lettering these days.

 

[check]

The people in offshore markets want simple, easy to diagnose mechanical machines not the state of the art always down, always some glitch and very tender electrically driven machines.

They want the same things we do. Unfortunately we don't have free markets nor representative government.

 

[Wes J]

I actually think the parts availability for heavy equipment is amazingly good. I work on a lot of old machine tools. I replaced the spindle bearings in a large Springfield grinder. 200mm bore tapered roller bearings, 6 month lead time from Timken. Cost about $4500.

Needed a set of gears for a medium size Leblond lathe. They could have them made for $2400 and 10 weeks.

I rebuilt a gear box in the smallest model Blanchard grinder. 4 speed gear box the size of a shoe box. I put $10,000 in parts in that thing. Replaced everything but the first shaft because they needed 4 weeks to make one. Sure enough, about a month later that shaft broke and they now wanted 6 weeks to make one. But it only cost $1000.

 

[John C.]

I know some manufactures reps that would love to use you against the end users of their products.

Really though you are comparing machines that were made in the tens or hundreds against heavy equipment that was made in the tens of thousands plus the fact that the manufacturers bragged about how well they could keep you in production.

 

[Wes J]

Correct. I'm just saying that it can be worse.

Go buy a $.5 million Makino CNC machining center and ask them for a spindle rebuild manual. They'll laugh in your face.

 

[AzIron]

Correct. I'm just saying that it can be worse.

Go buy a $.5 million Makino CNC machining center and ask them for a spindle rebuild manual. They'll laugh in your face.

I think the gripe here is that we are going through routine parts that are not available at the counter when you walk in the door stuff that is on thousands of machines
More so is they might be available but the quality of the part is sub standard and is defective upon installation even with premium prices the parts turn out to be junk and no one at the store honestly cares

Then you also have the problem of the parts person that can't find anything or doesn't know and is to lazy or clueless to get the right part the first time or they make you wait for a part to come in that is the wrong part when they have the right part the whole time

That's my gripe I understand a front Axel for my backhoe is not even in the state but when warranty has replaced 6 exhaust manifolds in the last month on other machines your down for 2 days because they don't stock it

 

[kjkoch]

We waited 6 months on an engine enclosure door for a 09 D8T while they found a new vendor, but lately I have also made several cylinder rods and barrels for some Komatsu machines that were 45-60 days out, so sometimes it is a blessing for some of us.

 

[RjMaan]

Yeah, sometimes late shipping becomes really annoying especially when we need the shipment product badly.

 

[Vetech63]

Well, I just received parts I ordered from CAT 10 days ago. Drum and vibrator bearings for a CB34B roller that's only 3 years old.

 

[Nige]

We were recently quoted 120 days availability for a new steering pump for a current-production L4E-prefix 740B ADT ........
A Reman pump was somewhat less, 30 days ........

 

[d9gdon]

Our Cat dealer started charging $50 for same day delivery of parts that are in the Caterpillar Warehouse which just happens to be 3 miles away. They get deliveries from them twice a day regardless.

 

[xr4ticlone]

We were recently quoted 120 days availability for a new steering pump for a current-production L4E-prefix 740B ADT ........
A Reman pump was somewhat less, 30 days ........

A. Steering is over rated.

B. If God & Cat wanted you to be able to steer that truck...they'd have stocked parts for it.

Who are your to question God & Peoria's will? : )

Maybe if Cat would have a brain and move out of IL they could use some of the savings for parts inventory?