Water: Logged Ply the River Company Secret - Finning Canada

OPERATORSNotes Fromthe Driver’sSeatFive ways to wear out yourdozer before its timeBY GEOFF MORGAN ILLUSTRATION BY RAYMOND REIDDozers are a signature Cat product.They are engineered for tough work and are a greatchoice for applications including surface mining,cleanup, stock piles, road maintenance, reclamation andmore. A bulldozer is not a disposable tool.Dozers are for long-term use, but the way some tors treat their machines, it’s amazing they last as long asthey do. Finning's heavy construction/mining applicationopera-specialist, Brad Nunn, knows how to get the most outof his machines. There are a few simple rules that dozeroperators should follow, Nunn says, to keep the machineworking over the long term.DOWN THERE: “First and foremost,” Nunnsays, “The undercarriage is the most expensiveconsumable item on a dozer.” Keeping adozer’s undercarriage in good shape meansthat an operator should not put the machine in reverseat high speeds.BACK & FORTH: Nunn recommends thatoperators ensure their reverse distancedoesn’t exceed their forward distance,where possible. So, if you’re at a jobsite,and you’re approaching a load, say, five metres out, don’treverse seven metres.GEAR GUIDE: “Pick the right gear forthe application,” Nunn says. An operatorusing high gear for a low-gear applicationwill quickly wear out a machine. There’s atemptation for operators to load a blade in second gearbecause the machine is driving faster. The problem isthat in second gear, the machine is using less horsepower.“This will give you longer life and less heat in yourtorque converter and drive-train components.” Use first gear to load your blade andcarry each load in second gear.BLADE RUINER: “Back blading is your worst enemy,” Nunn says. He’sreferring to the practice of dropping a dozer’s blade right onto the groundand putting the tractor in reverse. When an operator back blades, he ispulling a load rather than pushing it. “When you’re in reverse, if you havea load on the blade, you’re now putting unnecessary stress on your undercarriage,”he says. Dozers are built to push a load, not pull it. “If the dozer was meant to pushbackward, they’d have put a blade on the back.”MR CLEAN: Running a clean machine is not about keeping a dozer lookingpristine. Maintaining the machine in this manner will actually allow it tocool itself properly. “You need to keep everything clean; meaning that youhave proper airflow through the radiators themselves,” Nunn says. Airborneparticulates restrict airflow to a dozer’s radiator, making it run hotter. “So if you run yourmachine, let’s say, 20 degrees hotter than it should be, then you’ve reduced its longevity.”www.finning.ca tracks & treads Spring 2011 13