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Mid-Sized graders...any thoughts?
- Thread starter ASPHALT04
- Start date
Hi ASPHALT04
What type of work are you looking at doing?
Just as a side note, I know of one operator that bought a 120G with over 20,000 hrs on it and he has had good success with the grader, working for shires, doing road maintenance, road shoulders and top dressing with top soil on sports ovals.
Regards
WILDCAT
Keep it under the red and the tolerances tight!
What type of work are you looking at doing?
Just as a side note, I know of one operator that bought a 120G with over 20,000 hrs on it and he has had good success with the grader, working for shires, doing road maintenance, road shoulders and top dressing with top soil on sports ovals.
Regards
WILDCAT
Keep it under the red and the tolerances tight!
Northart
Senior Member
Mid size grader
A lot depends on the scope of work your going to do. Match the grader size to the work.
Small jobs,= small Cat 12 graders and skip loaders with Gannon boxes. Residential and small commercial.
Medium size jobs, = Cat 140G and TLB. Subdivisions and commercial.
Bigger jobs,= Cat 14G,or 14H and paddle wheel scraper. Street jobs and large commercial.
BIG jobs, then 16H. Road work. Large dirt jobs.
The Cat 140G has been a real popular machine in commercial work here.
A lot depends on the scope of work your going to do. Match the grader size to the work.
Small jobs,= small Cat 12 graders and skip loaders with Gannon boxes. Residential and small commercial.
Medium size jobs, = Cat 140G and TLB. Subdivisions and commercial.
Bigger jobs,= Cat 14G,or 14H and paddle wheel scraper. Street jobs and large commercial.
BIG jobs, then 16H. Road work. Large dirt jobs.
The Cat 140G has been a real popular machine in commercial work here.
ASPHALT04
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2008
- Messages
- 137
- Location
- Wisconsin
- Occupation
- Owner / Doing whatever it takes to pay the bills!
For the most part my work is all on the small end of the scale. I found a nicht in my area by doing all the small work that none of the companies in my area will touch.
I would like to have a 12 but realistically I'm probably looking at more like a fiat FG65 or something of that nature, But while starting to look at the $, I'm seeing there is not a huge price difference in going to a larger machine.
However the prices on a G are bit out of my budget and any 12 is more than
my truck right now can tote.
ASPHALT04
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2008
- Messages
- 137
- Location
- Wisconsin
- Occupation
- Owner / Doing whatever it takes to pay the bills!
Hi Wildcat,
I'm basically looking for something that for small parking lots and driveways. The biggest part of my work is small enough that I do not require one, however in the recent months the work I've been bidding on and getting It sure would make life easier. My business at this point doesn't need to have a state of art production machine (as well as my budget won't allow either), I am looking for something that not absolute trash either.
Turbo21835
Senior Member
The 12 wouldnt need a truck as you can road it, if need be. But that being said, it sounds like your doing a lot of small work. The fiat seems to be a good size grader. I know of a paving company here that has two. They spend most of the time working mid size parking lots. They do a lot of patch work also.
I also see a few Puckett Bros graders here. Ive run one. Not a bad little machine. Its smaller than the fiat. The one I ran had a loader on the front, blade, and a plate compactor on the back. I found the compactor wasnt really worth anything besides the counterweight for the loader end. I graded about a mile worth of street with it. Not the fastes. But for driveways, small parking lots, and patches it would be worth it. Close to the one i ran, but doesnt have the compactor on it http://www.machinerytrader.com/list...6305567&GUID=FADE5E0717CD4D928233CB8E133D63A0
This is the other style/brand i see around here
http://www.machinerytrader.com/list...6282398&GUID=FADE5E0717CD4D928233CB8E133D63A0
I see a few guys with grader set ups for skid steers running around here. They do mostly driveway and gas station parking lot sized areas. They seem to work for them, I think they would be a little combersome. These guys belive in skid steer attachments for everything they do though. The have landplanes, and 3pt style boxes, as well as backhoe attachments and cold planners. Seems to work for them. If they could pave a parking lot with a skid steer they would.
There are a few other brands out there. I know Leeboy makes a small grader. I think size wise its on par with the fiat.
http://www.machinerytrader.com/list...=LEEBOY&GUID=FADE5E0717CD4D928233CB8E133D63A0
The other to consider would be a Huber Maintainer. One company I worked for had one. It spent most of the time in the yard. That was due to the fact that they had gotten out of the paving business. We used it once and a while for small jobs. It worked pretty good. It was a good old reliable bird. It would sit for months in the yard. Go out, hit the key, it would fire right up.
http://www.machinerytrader.com/list...6246355&GUID=FADE5E0717CD4D928233CB8E133D63A0
I also see a few Puckett Bros graders here. Ive run one. Not a bad little machine. Its smaller than the fiat. The one I ran had a loader on the front, blade, and a plate compactor on the back. I found the compactor wasnt really worth anything besides the counterweight for the loader end. I graded about a mile worth of street with it. Not the fastes. But for driveways, small parking lots, and patches it would be worth it. Close to the one i ran, but doesnt have the compactor on it http://www.machinerytrader.com/list...6305567&GUID=FADE5E0717CD4D928233CB8E133D63A0
This is the other style/brand i see around here
http://www.machinerytrader.com/list...6282398&GUID=FADE5E0717CD4D928233CB8E133D63A0
I see a few guys with grader set ups for skid steers running around here. They do mostly driveway and gas station parking lot sized areas. They seem to work for them, I think they would be a little combersome. These guys belive in skid steer attachments for everything they do though. The have landplanes, and 3pt style boxes, as well as backhoe attachments and cold planners. Seems to work for them. If they could pave a parking lot with a skid steer they would.
There are a few other brands out there. I know Leeboy makes a small grader. I think size wise its on par with the fiat.
http://www.machinerytrader.com/list...=LEEBOY&GUID=FADE5E0717CD4D928233CB8E133D63A0
The other to consider would be a Huber Maintainer. One company I worked for had one. It spent most of the time in the yard. That was due to the fact that they had gotten out of the paving business. We used it once and a while for small jobs. It worked pretty good. It was a good old reliable bird. It would sit for months in the yard. Go out, hit the key, it would fire right up.
http://www.machinerytrader.com/list...6246355&GUID=FADE5E0717CD4D928233CB8E133D63A0
Motor Grader
Well-Known Member
Used Grader
I have a rental dealer in Vancouver, Washington that has a Champion Model C80 with an open ROPS canopy. It's only a couple of years old and less than a thousand hours on it. He wants to upgrade to a full cab and all wheel drive. His name is Mike and his company is Dirt Equipment. 360-546-3478. This is all the grader you’re ever going to need doing small jobs. You are right in that the compact grader prices are getting close to the larger machines. Unfortunately with material cost and overhead on the rise, it cost us about the same to build a small one as it does for a high volume company to build a larger one. Transportation, Maneuverability on the jobsite, and operating cost should play heavily in your decision. Although compact graders are getting more expensive, the savings in the long run are better. Although the Fiat 65 is my competition, you really can't go wrong if you come across one of these units used. They are great machines if taken care of properly. Make sure you get one that is articulated as it will more than pay for itself in maneuvering your small jobsites. The Champion compact graders are harder to come by used. Don't limit your search to just Champion....we have also been branded Volvo from 2000 to 2004. I don't really like to talk bad about any other competitor but I would be very cautions if I were looking at a used LeeBoy or PSI grader. They are ok machines but time doesn't treat them very well. Hope this helps.
I have a rental dealer in Vancouver, Washington that has a Champion Model C80 with an open ROPS canopy. It's only a couple of years old and less than a thousand hours on it. He wants to upgrade to a full cab and all wheel drive. His name is Mike and his company is Dirt Equipment. 360-546-3478. This is all the grader you’re ever going to need doing small jobs. You are right in that the compact grader prices are getting close to the larger machines. Unfortunately with material cost and overhead on the rise, it cost us about the same to build a small one as it does for a high volume company to build a larger one. Transportation, Maneuverability on the jobsite, and operating cost should play heavily in your decision. Although compact graders are getting more expensive, the savings in the long run are better. Although the Fiat 65 is my competition, you really can't go wrong if you come across one of these units used. They are great machines if taken care of properly. Make sure you get one that is articulated as it will more than pay for itself in maneuvering your small jobsites. The Champion compact graders are harder to come by used. Don't limit your search to just Champion....we have also been branded Volvo from 2000 to 2004. I don't really like to talk bad about any other competitor but I would be very cautions if I were looking at a used LeeBoy or PSI grader. They are ok machines but time doesn't treat them very well. Hope this helps.
Turbo21835
Senior Member
Im with you on the leeboys and psi graders, as well as the pucket bros. That being said, i found they could be maintained cheaply, and when taken care of, provides a long life. The thing I liked about the pucket was the fact that if something broke, we could run down the road to the local napa and have the parts in our hands on the way out of their door. This says a lot for a small guy, you dont have to run to brand xyz store, and have them tell you parts will be in tomorrow. Thats a big thing when you are doing 2+ jobs a day and have trucks loading hot rock when your grader is down.
ASPHALT04
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2008
- Messages
- 137
- Location
- Wisconsin
- Occupation
- Owner / Doing whatever it takes to pay the bills!
I also know of another to stay away from is a Blastcrete. Company I used to work for had one and I believe it had about 1500hrs on it. You could grab the blade when it was in the air an move it up and down about 6-8", and at the articulation point when you took off the grader would flex up into the air about 2". Shot after 1500hrs didn't impress me much, not to mention it was hydrostatic with a mind of its own. I was grading at a new police station when it took off........I went right through the garage door with front end, only way I got it stop before turning the cop-shop into a drive-thru was to bury the blade and it caught on the concrete apron to stop it while I was trying to shut it down. Fabulous Machine, engineering marvel
!
I think I'm going to keep my eyes open for and older FG65 becuase they seem to be a little more in the price range as to what I can afford. I'd like to try out a Champion or Volvo but they seem to be out of range for me at this point.
!I think I'm going to keep my eyes open for and older FG65 becuase they seem to be a little more in the price range as to what I can afford. I'd like to try out a Champion or Volvo but they seem to be out of range for me at this point.
What specifically are the issues with the PSI grader? I have RTO being faxed to me a used one with 150 hours on it. I thought I would run it for a couple months and see how well it worked. It is laser ready. Purchase price they threw out on it was 60K. It was from Wheeler CAT.
I looked at the PSI, Noram (Fiat/Allis lineage), Champion and Leeboy at Conexpo. I talked with all of them. The Leeboy at the show had joy stick controls which was interesting in such a small blade. The Noram blade a I was impressed with along with the Champion. The price of these machines with cab is unreal.
I looked at the PSI, Noram (Fiat/Allis lineage), Champion and Leeboy at Conexpo. I talked with all of them. The Leeboy at the show had joy stick controls which was interesting in such a small blade. The Noram blade a I was impressed with along with the Champion. The price of these machines with cab is unreal.