I've been looking for a grader to fix up and maintain a small runway, so been in the market for a motor grader. I've now looked at a total of 7, and I guess it's my price range because everything I see needs $$$$$ of service and mx just to make it work.
Sunday was the last straw. I've been back and forth with the seller for a month about this grader. We've had a standing appointment to view it for weeks. I combined a car delivery with the trip to see this grader and hopefully, put it on my trailer and take it away.
I meet the seller in a small town, and we go back into the hollows a few miles on [u:49930932ea]ungraded[/u:49930932ea]roads. That should be my first clue. Finally we get to the unit, and it's a complete mess. Trash in the cab, trash under it, flat front tire, almost no gas, no battery, and it's kinda stuck in a soft corner of his lot. I - am - disgusted.
But, here I am, hundreds of miles from home, with an appt to see this thing, and by gosh I'm going to drive it. He goes and gets a batt, we decide not to add any gas, but there's not much so I can't go do any grading. He doesn't offer to fill the tire, I'll just drive it flat I guess. Finally, it starts. plenty of dark smoke, but it's hitting on all jugs. Let it warm up a bit, and try to raise the blade. Ruh-roh, no movement on either piston left or right. "Just needs to warm up some." He says. So, I can't roll it until the blade comes up, and it's kinda stuck so I can't raise the blade. Hmmm. I sit there, and sit there, and sit there with the lever pulled, and finally, the hyd piston moves a fraction. Then the other side moves a fraction. Now, the wheels are tilted way over, and nope, they don't move at all.
Obviously, it needs a pump rebuild as it won't hold pressure in the lines. He dismisses that clear indication. Seller doesn't offer to move it out of the ditch, so I'm up there finding gears, and moving it off myself. It moved, but steering is near impossible. I try to put one side of the blade down, and it bogs bad. I back it up near where it was before and decided I can't bother with this mess.
What a waste of time. The last 4 I looked at were almost as bad. Leaky cylinders, cracked and broken hyd lines, no clutch left, missing exhaust, not ONE gauge worked on any of the units I checked. What a C/F.
Today I decided I have a good 3 point blade, all I need is a frame and I can pull grade, so I'll be out there welding drill pipe next week, and setting an axle under the back then making a 3 point mount in mid-belly. I'll make it attach to my current 3 point on the tractor so I can lift it, and use the tilt adjustment on the lift bars for angle setting. Not ideal, but after what I went through with the motor graders, I'm way ahead. I stopped in and looked at an Allis model D a while back, and when the guy tried to drive it, every 2 feet it would make a huge "CLUNK" from the diff area. I told him there's a gear tooth chipped off in there somewhere, and he actually said 'nah, that's just some mud in the brake hub'. Like I was born yesterday?!
Sunday was the last straw. I've been back and forth with the seller for a month about this grader. We've had a standing appointment to view it for weeks. I combined a car delivery with the trip to see this grader and hopefully, put it on my trailer and take it away.
I meet the seller in a small town, and we go back into the hollows a few miles on [u:49930932ea]ungraded[/u:49930932ea]roads. That should be my first clue. Finally we get to the unit, and it's a complete mess. Trash in the cab, trash under it, flat front tire, almost no gas, no battery, and it's kinda stuck in a soft corner of his lot. I - am - disgusted.
But, here I am, hundreds of miles from home, with an appt to see this thing, and by gosh I'm going to drive it. He goes and gets a batt, we decide not to add any gas, but there's not much so I can't go do any grading. He doesn't offer to fill the tire, I'll just drive it flat I guess. Finally, it starts. plenty of dark smoke, but it's hitting on all jugs. Let it warm up a bit, and try to raise the blade. Ruh-roh, no movement on either piston left or right. "Just needs to warm up some." He says. So, I can't roll it until the blade comes up, and it's kinda stuck so I can't raise the blade. Hmmm. I sit there, and sit there, and sit there with the lever pulled, and finally, the hyd piston moves a fraction. Then the other side moves a fraction. Now, the wheels are tilted way over, and nope, they don't move at all.
Obviously, it needs a pump rebuild as it won't hold pressure in the lines. He dismisses that clear indication. Seller doesn't offer to move it out of the ditch, so I'm up there finding gears, and moving it off myself. It moved, but steering is near impossible. I try to put one side of the blade down, and it bogs bad. I back it up near where it was before and decided I can't bother with this mess.
What a waste of time. The last 4 I looked at were almost as bad. Leaky cylinders, cracked and broken hyd lines, no clutch left, missing exhaust, not ONE gauge worked on any of the units I checked. What a C/F.
Today I decided I have a good 3 point blade, all I need is a frame and I can pull grade, so I'll be out there welding drill pipe next week, and setting an axle under the back then making a 3 point mount in mid-belly. I'll make it attach to my current 3 point on the tractor so I can lift it, and use the tilt adjustment on the lift bars for angle setting. Not ideal, but after what I went through with the motor graders, I'm way ahead. I stopped in and looked at an Allis model D a while back, and when the guy tried to drive it, every 2 feet it would make a huge "CLUNK" from the diff area. I told him there's a gear tooth chipped off in there somewhere, and he actually said 'nah, that's just some mud in the brake hub'. Like I was born yesterday?!
