Who's Run the Largest Equipment?

[Steve Frazier]

We've got over 150 members now, I thought it might be interesting to learn what the largest piece of equipment everyone has run.

Mine would be either an articulated 3 axle off road dump, or a John Deere 844 wheel loader, followed by an olde style Cat D-7.

The big iron is sure impressive with the amount of material it can move. I'd like to experience driving one of those super sized quarry trucks shown on The History Channel one time.

 

[PAYTON]

job site im on now has a cat shovel 54xx sumthing.

a
d8
d10
3 triple 7s
and a 14g grader

ive got a lil time in the seat of the shovel trully massive compared to a track ho

the d10 is huge great push cat i can walk a pile dropped by a triple 7 with one pass

as far as largest ive ran
a 657 once that sob was huge
637s are pretty common around here


ive ran a 18 grader that thing makes quick work outta haul roads! let me tell ya.

ex 700 track hos are pretty common for loading articualted haul trucks

ran a bell truck from brandies with 6 drag pans
ran a case track tractor with 6 pans
both^ are sluggish as hell. and super weak!

im sure ive over looked something but not sure what

payton

 

[donlang]

As far as big goes, I've had some seat time on a Komatsu PC-1000 excavator. The first one, and only for an hour or so, had a custom made 10 cy bucket. Quick to load haul trucks with! The second one, which afforded me quite a bit more seat time, was an older one with a standard bucket of unknown size. Dig like crazy, but slow in the boom functions. We were installing 48" dia. RCP about 24' deep. Although big and lunky, it was still much quicker than the newer and faster PC-400s.

I've had some time in a 50 ton Payhauler. Simple to drive, all wheel drive in low gear

Also had some time on a D-9, but not the newer high drive models.........thats just wishfull thinking for now.

The rest of my experience is on various mid size machines.......963, 953, 977, 955, 941, D-8 thru D-3...various backhoes and excavators, graders....compactors, and last year I got a good bit of seat time on a Cat 650 paver (interesting change of pace for a dirt guy!)

:usa

 

[digger242j]

The biggest I've been on are a 200 excavator and a 65 dozer, both Komatsu.

I've also spent a little time on a Grove 65RT crane--25 ton capacity and about 80 feet of boom, I think.

None of those is going to win the prize for biggest, obviously.

How about smallest? We rented an excavator once (and I sure wish I could remember the model), that we hauled to the job in the bed of my pickup. It had about an 8" bucket and would've dug about 4' deep, (but I think it might've fallen over into the ditch if you'd tried). It was so small, that rather than sitting *on* it, you flipped the seat around and sort of sat behind it. It did actually crawl around on it's own. I was disappointed that the house didn't actually swing--only the boom. I got a little off balance once and tipped it, so we grabbed it and set it back upright. I shut it off once, and the guy I was working for asked why the machine had stopped. I told him I'd run out of quarters....

 

[2004F550]

Well I'm still young but the biggest things i've run are a run a Cat 350BL shovel, a 110 Kawi loader, Cat 980G loader (slick machine), and a Cat D9N. Cat D350E haul trucks too, but there not the biggest around. I would like to operate a CAT 5XXX someday, we'll see. I also ran a Cat 641 scraper once, and for this area its bout the biggest to be found. Its weird but since I usually operate the big stuff I have an urge to try like a Cat 303.5 or something, they look like fun, I guess you always want what you don't have lol...
John

 

[glsahl]

We've got two Vermeer T955 trenchers,a Linkbelt 4300Q excavator,and a Kawasaki 90Z 4,as the biggest of our owned equipment.Rented a Liehber 942 excavator,unsure of model #,and a Kawasaki 115 loader,one time things.We rent a Linkbelt 800 LX on a fairly regular basis,short term for deep storm drain work.
The Vermeers have 12' booms,and 27" cuts.We own a 5000 lb hydraulic hammer for the 4300,but,the largest bucket we own is a 5' that fits our Cat 235.

 

[John DiMartino]

Ss far as big a Cat D8H. ,thats about it my loader is a toy.

 

[BRL]

I got to run a D-8 once to raze a house. that was fun! Also got to run a decent sized old Terex loader, but have no idea what model it was. It had a 6-8 yard bucket, basing it against loaders I know of now that have 5 yarders. That's the biggest I got to play with, but I can always dream & hope for bigger days of fun...

 

[PAYTON]

few pics of equipment on site now..

these pics were stolen - borrowed from cats web site. i can get actuall pics if need be but there the same thats on site let me know if u want actual pics

shovel

grader

haul trucks

 

[triaxle]

does this count?

freight train

 

[digger242j]

does this count? freight train

If it were put to a vote I'd bet that one would be disqualified--unless you dug a hole with it.

As long as the subject of freight trains is on the table, I'll go way off topic.

One of our snowplowing accounts is a steel processing plant, and it has a rail siding that crosses the lot and enters the building. This past winter I arrived to plow one night, and there was a locomotive sitting in the middle of the lot. I worked around it, and after a while a second locomotive arrived. The engineers from both locomotives opened some of the panels on the first one, and did some sort of fooling around in there. Then the one engineer went into the cab and started it up, after which they both left. It was a unique experience, in that I've had, or seen, breakdowns in almost all types of construction equipment, but that's the only time I've ever seen a *train* that wouldn't run. I wish I'd had more time, and could've gotten a closer look. It would've been fun to see what makes one of them tick...

 

[PSDF350]

not for digging but pulling trees Cat 518c bable skidder.

 

[CT18fireman]

That's a little odd actually. IF the diesel wasn't running the one locomotive could have provided electrical power to the wheel motors for the one not running. It would not generate the same power but would be movable. If nothing else they could have towed it dead. To be working on it in the snow like that sounds like it was something they knew was fixable.

I have learned to be careful plowing around those tracks. Nothing "grabs" a plow edge like a piece of steel track.

 

[Electra_Glide]

It was a unique experience, in that I've had, or seen, breakdowns in almost all types of construction equipment, but that's the only time I've ever seen a *train* that wouldn't run. I wish I'd had more time, and could've gotten a closer look. It would've been fun to see what makes one of them tick...

Always loved trains ever since I was a kid... Inside of a locomoitive is basically a big generating station on wheels. Big diesel engine (12-20 cylindars) that turns either a generator or alternator. Current is then passed to traction motors located on each axle. Same setup is used in lots of the big haul trucks.

A pretty good description of the guts of a locomotive can be found here:
http://www.trainboard.com/ultimatebb.php/ubb/get_topic/f/108/t/000014.html

As far as the largest piece of equipment I've ever operated, it was a Volvo articulated haul truck. Can't remember if it was an A30, A35, or A40. Didn't have to haul very far, and almost got it stuck in the mud, but it sure was fun...

Joe

 

[littledenny]

freight train

As a former Commander of the Army's only Diesel-Electric Locomotive Repair Company and a former XO of the Army's only Rail Battalion, I'd vote to let this count.

Sure, not a digger, but it sure qualifies as large.

I too have had a bit of stick time in a loco, and on a locomotive simulator. That was a blast - was designed on the same 6 degrees of freedom base as a helicopter simulator, and sure felt real. I took 100 cars of coal down a 3% grade on my qualification test, not as easy as you might think.

 

[9420pullpan]

i have ran a cat 375, 9520 JD tractor, D8R, Cat 16H grader... check out some of my pics at http://community.webshots.com/user/xbl003x

 

[CascadeScaper]

Biggest thing I've ever run was a Cat 988B loader. Pretty nice machine, they use it at the local pit and when we need gravel on the weekends we load ourselves since there's nobody around. Sitting in that loader makes loading into our dump trailer look like a little toy truck and trailer :laugh

 

[Stroker]

Excavator- Komatsu PC400, Biggest excavator the company I worked for owned. First time assigned a job with this machine I spent 2 weeks in a row loading trucks. Didn't mind because it was July and it had AC.

Dozer- Cat D9, used this old relic to push some 641-651? Pans. Its size had me excited for about 5 minutes. Then it was just loud, hot, and really gave the arms and legs a work out just to stear it. Didn't mind one bit when it came time to get off and do the clean up work with the D4....

Loader- Cat 988 rubber tire and Cat 973 track loader

Motor Grader- 14H or G? Cant remember the letter.... Just used this grader to smooth out a haul road. So never had a chance to drop the blade down and really take up some soil

Scraper (Pan)... Cat 641 I beleive was the model. No paddles, just get the bowl started and a Cat D9 dozer would push you.

 

[Grinderminder71]

My favorite tractor isnt the biggest but, I loved the CAT 983 track loader, ( about 83,000 lbs ) with a demo bucket and a single 3 ft ripper.Its a pretty good size for a track loader. I would love to operate a LaTournou wheel loader.

 

[pwbsmokey]

largest equipment I've run

Cat D8L with landfill blade, Cat 826 compactor, Cat 14G grader, Cat 988 Loader, Cat 235 hoe, Cat 983 track loader & DJB D350 articulated dump truck.