310E controls

Anonymous Poster · Dec 21, 2002

I saw on my way to school a JD 310E with the "case" type controls. It's a little funny to see that, just as it is to see a case with the JD type controls. I think case's controls is easier!

Anyway....just thought I'd mention it even though it's not important....I'm bored right now. LOL.

Blake
WA

ScottAR · Dec 21, 2002

Wanna see somthing freaky, go look at a Cat 420/430. They have excavator joysticks... Think JD has them as an option now too.

Anonymous Poster · Dec 22, 2002

LOL. That is so weird. Are you talking about the backhoe? It has trackhoe like controls. WOW!

Blake
WA

Anonymous Poster · Dec 22, 2002

just about every machine in Mass/Ct has gone from SAE controls, same, same case-caterpillar, and most now run deere paterns. When I jump in a Cat excavator, it takes a few minutes to re-adjsut to the pattern

ScottAR · Dec 22, 2002

Yea, the backhoes... They are sweet! You can adjust them towards the seat so you can rest your arms on the armrests. My dream machine...

rdbrumfield · Dec 23, 2002

In the northwest we run with cat controls for the most part. Some of the excavators have a lever that can change them to jd for those that have weened themselves on jd backhoes. I like to see Case backhoes on the job because it is easier to convert to three levers with foot swing than to change mentally to right hand boom and left hand crowd.

Anonymous Poster · Dec 24, 2002

So JD is like kubota backhoes? Left lever controls swing and boom up and down and the rest is on the right? Cat is different? What about the excavators. How does Hitatchi and others work? Sorry to be off topic.

Blake
WA

P.S. What does SAE stand for? Thanks

ScottAR · Dec 25, 2002

SAE is society of automotive engineers.

The other standard is the ISO standard.
International standards assocation.

Cat's boom/swing is on the right if I remember.
Hitachi=deere both in controls and the whole machine.
Hitachi has built JD excavators since the C series, except for the 80s model minis and they were yanmar... I think Hitachi has taken those too now. Even the part#s are the same on the JD/Hitachis now with the new series machines.

It should be noted that on nearly all newer machines, one can switch between the patterns either with an in cab switch or by changing a couple bolts on the valvebody.

Anonymous Poster · Dec 25, 2002

That's some really interesting information. So if Hitatchi builds JD excavators, why not a company name switch or whatever. Like Fiat-Allis or whatnot? Thanks for the info. Great to know.

Blake
WA

ScottAR · Dec 25, 2002

I would guess JD doesn't want to mess with their image as an american company... JD also subs out their off road dump trucks and wheel loaders to Bell of south africa. The new 950?? and 1050 dozers are made by Liebherr. Subbing out products seems to be the current trend.

I don't know of any excavators that are produced in the U.S.A. anymore.

Anonymous Poster · Dec 25, 2002

I guess that's true. Isn't JD the only company that still has its founder's name as the product? So, case and linkbelt don't manufacture their excavators in the U.S.? Interesting.

Blake
WA

ScottAR · Dec 25, 2002

Case and linkbelt are part of the same Fiat empire...
Both brands have been made by summitomo of Japan since the 88 series. Before that, Cases were either Drott or Poclain depending on model.

Cat excavators are built by Mitsubishi at their joint venture plant. Cat started a joint venture company to get around the japanese import tariffs back in 1962. The first Cat machine rolled off the line in '65 though not for the U.S. market. Exports to the U.S. didn't start till the late '70s with certain models. Japanese excavator export started with the E series.

Kobelcos are Yutani. Mitsu fits in their past somewhere but it's blurry.

New Holland machines (the entire line) are marketed abroad as Fiat Hitachi. Recently, Fiat bought Kobelco so that could change.

Anonymous Poster · Dec 26, 2002

Where do you get all this information? I had no clue about all that stuff until you told me. Why is it that excavators aren't made in the U.S.? Are backhoes made here, why is it like that?

Blake
WA

ScottAR · Dec 26, 2002

Books, online construction news pages, web boards like this, TV every now and then... Information is all around if your looking for it.

Machinery has been my hobby for as long as I can remember. My family farmed till the early 70s, so Dad had lots of "seat time" and told me a lot of stories of tractors and so on... We had a 580 CK gasser till I was 4 or 5 and it was sold. I've been wanting another backhoe ever since and I'm 24 now. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

ScottAR · Dec 27, 2002

To answer your other questions, (sorry I went off recounting my youth) I believe that the hydraulic excavator blind sided the U.S. manufactuers. By the time they caught on as to how important and useful they were, the Japanese machines were in their 3rd or 4th generation and vastly superior. So, instead of starting from scratch or redesigning their offerings and play catch up, they simply imported some.

Backhoes for the most part are made here for this market at least.

To my knowledge, Cases are produced here.
Cat has factories in Virgina (I think) and Great Britian for backhoes. Could get one from either place I understand.
JD is here.
Terex machines are made by Fermac of Great Britian.
Dunno where New Holland (fiat hitachi elsewhere) makes anything.
JCBs are produced in Great Britian and I think they have a factory here too.

The why is sorta complex, Economics in college will teach you some of the whys. (if you get a teacher worth a $%@#)
Backhoes are somewhat an american machine. In japan, for example, excavators or minis do pretty well all the digging from what I've seen. Backhoes are also seen in Europe, but not to the same extent. Wheeled excavators are popular in Europe as they can be roaded, saving truck expenses. Travel distances are typically not as far in say, England as here.

Anonymous Poster · Dec 27, 2002

WOW! Thanks so much for explaining all this. It's really interesting.

Blake
WA

ScottAR · Dec 27, 2002

No problem... Makes my hobby feel somewhat useful... /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif

If your interested I'll start up another thread in a forum more related to the topic and post a few urls and some more rambling. Maybe some pics even...