dozers finishing for christmas

[nick lamb]

just a few pics of the quarry where the tractors work for the last two and a half years.I took these during various parts of december up until this thursday where the temp at the bottom is -16 degrees!
The top pic is a new top roller on the D8,the other collapsed.Finning at Winsford had one on the shelf which isn't bad considering the age of the machine.
Next one is of the D5 with its receant new undercarridge.
Last one is of the top haulroad where I am following the D8 down into the pit.They don't work at the same time that often as they are used for different jobs depending on what's required.

[nick lamb]

some more if you're not bored yet
One of the tasks on this site is to push down the sand face to the shovels below.The head of the face is about 150 feet to the bottom but the working height is generally about 40 foot for health and safety reasons.Before the D8 arrived this was benched down with an excavator which was very costly.The D8 has the sheer weight and brute ingnorance to make this job easy and it's allways a short push so production is huge and costs are down alot compared to the previous method.The D5 often helps out on this job too to peel the tight corners and back down but that machine is generally used as a batter trimmer.The batters on this site are big and are almost in constant formation depending on the weather.They are usually done in two 100 foot benches.

[nick lamb]

Took one of my sons down on thursday to find the D8 allready brought up to the top for Christmas.It had worked up untill wednesday night so all in all it's had a deacent year.It won't get used again untill next year.The D5 was still parked down the fill area when I visited but they were using it on the Friday to clean up the roads.Some of the other gear were just killing time really at the quarry floor as the belts were frozen up.
Allthough conditions are good for moving muck at the moment,it's just too cold for the batching plant so as we are ahead on sand production the excavator and dumptrucks will stand idle.

[bigkit]

Nice pics Nicky . It must be a good feeling to have the 8 working consistently and a nice sort of a job . I bet its a releif to let it go out to work and not worry about when its coming back in!

How's the sand, abrasive?

[nick lamb]

Hi Clive,both these tractors are in steady work but it's not everyday they get used.The D5 works for a few hours most days where as the D8 will often stand idle for days at a time.for instance the D8 has only clocked up 493 hours this year but this suits me as I havn't got the time to mess about with it if it was running 2000 hrs a year.The D5 does more hours than the D8 but it's less trouble to run.The D8 never really stands that long for it to rust over and they don't owe me anything so all in all they both make a deacent few quid for me every year.
As for track wear,the material they work in is predominately silica sand for the D8 and sandy clay for the D5 and topsoil for the ongoing stripping and reinstating.The D8 tends to work in bottom gear slot dozing all day with almost no spragging about so wear is only really on the segments and bushes.the rollers,idlers,pins and grousers are having an easy life.
The D5 does alot of slope and batter work not to mention final trimming up so second gear is often used.Track life on this machine is higher but the hire rate reflects that.
I'd rather work in a sand quarry than a gravel pit and I don't do any hard rock work anymore as you just can't get the rate for your undercarrige and all the unseen impact on finaldrive and transmission bearings.

[Holger]

Great pics Nicky!

[bigkit]

Thanks for the reply and the insight . My view to, the big tractors don't command the money you need to run them. Hire work on those big jobs day in day out with anything bigger than a D5 is for love in my opinion .

I have a D4HLGP and the D7G and the 4 is a good earner with the low running costs and the jobs are easier on the tractor. As for the 7, I keep it for price work only and thats basically scraping.

My view is that the bigger firms buy new, run it for a year or two for cheap money then sell it before it starts costing and because the resale values have been so strong its enabled them to keep the rate down !

Trouble is none of the hirers want to pay any more and now the work has become leaner there's not enough in it to run the stuff for a profit!

Happy dozing!

[nick lamb]

You're spot on Clive.When I was running them for a living The D5 and D6 tractors made more actuall PROFIT than the D8's ever would.However where price work was concerned the D8's were the only machines for the job.I still do little price jobs with the D8 if they take my fancy as you can shift alot of muck with them in a short period of time.In fact I was quietly sniffing about for another D8 this year as I am starting to miss out on some of the lucritve little horse areanes and fishing ponds etc that I use it for as I don't want to take it away from the quarry.
I thought I might find a D8 in a yard some where going cheap(Some resession strapped owner!) but I was so wrong....
I thought around the £10k to £15k mark for a 68A but no chance.Try £21k to £35k....
I actually went to auction in summer to see a D8H 68A 1000 series with the hyd tank at front and soft cab in rough order.I had a figure og £10k in my head but when I got there it was much better than I hoped.It was shabby to look at but it was a bloody peach..It had the later D8H/K seven roller trackframes with the 1" bolt holes with nearly new Cat running gear,A D8K spacerplate engine(which was in strong shape).Frankley this was enough to make me register to bid right away...........The following saturday afternoon I went to £17k and watched the bidding tear away to £21k plus 1.5% buyers premium and a lowloader bill for someone.
When you add the facts up it was worth it.....The tracks at 90% were worth about £15k,the D8K spacer engine was worth about £8k to £20k depending on the condition plus the rest of the componants and the scrap value.
I have owned seven D8H/K's over the years and in my opinion they have never had such a good resale value as they have now at the end of our third year of resession.
Do you have any pics of your kit Clive please?

[bigkit]

I concur with everything you say . Might know of two 8's for sale in really good order if your still looking, plus a 463. Send me a PM and I'll give you the details. One k 2000 series, one 22A manual on the button. Here are a few pics of some of my kit;

[bigkit]

Here are those 8's for sale Nicky..............oh, there are quite a few spares, counter bored block, cranks etc etc....