Hello Everyone

[ToolcatWonka5610]

Hello everyone, I'm sure you all remember me. Yes, I'm still around lol. I've just been busy with life. I'm about 3/4 of the way through my Junior year in High School and am 16 now (man where did time go?). I actually have checked on this place every now and then since I kinda "left".

Lets see.....things that have changed:

I no longer work for my father; as of late 2009 to 2010 he sold off his business. Not because of the economy but because of my fathers declining health (chrons disease and some depression covered up by alcoholism). He just isn't his old, strong self anymore. I haven't even since him since March of 2010 or heard from him in a few months. I don't really want to get into that, though.

BUT! My uncle whom I'm really close to is looking for a machine to maintain is 10 acres of land. He knows all about the PT (gee, I wonder how he learned about that machine? ) and has an interest in possibly getting one. He doesn't really have the money for a brand new but he might look into a used one if the price and everything else is right. If he got one, it would be a Diesel machine at least :thumbsup:

And we STILL haven't seen a PT around here, but then again we really haven't been looking much either.

But I'll still be stopping in from time to time, though

 

[ToolcatWonka5610]

I almost forgot, something else cool thats going on. As of September 2010, the start of my Junior year, as part of my school I'm taking something called skill center. Skill Center is a building they take you too that offers more, cooler classes and it takes the place of 2 of your regular school classes, so instead of 5 classes at school for me, I have 3. The way it works for me I have 3rd Session which is where I have 3 classes at my school, I leave from my 3rd hour early to have lunch, then we're taken by bus to the skill center, I'm there for about 2 hours then we're taken back to the school where we have about 15 minutes left before we get to go home. The class I'm taking at skill center is a Heavy Equipment Operations class. Let me tell ya, I LOVE it! We get to a bunch of different equipment, and here what we have:

2000 JCB 214E Series IV 4x4 Backhoe (I don't care for it, cheap made and underpowered)
1994 Komatsu PC90 Excavator (Good machine, has a lot of digging power)
2008 Komatsu D31PX Dozer (Nice machine, really smooth and sounds good too )
2008 JCB 406 Loader (My favorite machine. Very power, and smooth)
1998 Bobcat 751 Skid Steer Loader (Ok machine. Has the foot controls which I don't like and is pretty bouncy)
199? New Holland LS170 Skid Steer (Like it better than the Bobcat, even though it has foot controls also)
? Takeuchi TB007 Mini Excavator (Super Tiny but I kinda like. Its better than a shovel :laughing: )

The area we work on is a big dirt hill out back of the Skill Center itself. Its just a giant hill of clay dirt, about 10 feet tall by about 60-70 feet wide by about 100-130 feet long. Its very big, and perfect for what we're doing now which is our final project. We have to dig a 20 by 20 feet basement 8 feet deep with straight walls and bottom, next to it a garage foundation about the same size but 4-6 inches deep, and leading up to the garage foundation a sloped and level driveway. Also including trenching for utilities.

Hey heres something that might be of interest to you PT'ers. The JCB 406 Loader we have actually has an Air/Oil Cooled Deutz Diesel engine in it, 58hp. Before I was kinda leery of the Deutz since it was an Air cooled Diesel and after hearing all the over heating issues on here about them. But after using this machine a bit, I'm really liking the engine. Its a really good, smooth and powerful engine, and always starts right (even though thats after putting the glow plugs on for the right amount of time. Still..). So I'm pretty happy with the engine and the machine. It hasn't been very dusty thoguh because of all the rain lately here but once it dries up we'll see better how that engine does in dusty conditions.

 

[MossRoad]

Good for you. There area about ZERO vocational training classes around here any more.

 

[ToolcatWonka5610]

Good for you. There area about ZERO vocational training classes around here any more.

Yeah, I don't know of any training places around here. Whats best about this program is its part of my school so its free and counts as 3 easy credits. Basically all you have to do is show up and at least look like your doing something

The bad part is with 18 students in the class, theres not really something for everyone to do at a time. Kinda have to take turns on the machine which is no big deal.

 

[Gravy]

So when you can't be running equipment, watch your teachers and other students. Take note of what works and doesn't work between them. Adjusting to people will always be harder than adjusting to machines.

I'm still much better with machines. Maybe that's why I'm not rich.

 

[ToolcatWonka5610]

So when you can't be running equipment, watch your teachers and other students. Take note of what works and doesn't work between them. Adjusting to people will always be harder than adjusting to machines.

I'm still much better with machines. Maybe that's why I'm not rich.

My class is fairly cooperative. There are though a couple ignorant people in my group (the class is divided up into two halves for our final project) that are quick to throw mean words if you make a mistake or doing something wrong even though one never really does much work. But other than that, things are working out really good :thumbsup:

Thats the nice thing about machines, they don't talk back or be uncooperative :laughing:

 

[MossRoad]

Yeah, I don't know of any training places around here. Whats best about this program is its part of my school so its free and counts as 3 easy credits. Basically all you have to do is show up and at least look like your doing something

The bad part is with 18 students in the class, theres not really something for everyone to do at a time. Kinda have to take turns on the machine which is no big deal.

Ah, weedhopper. It is not free. It is tax payer supported. So use our(your) tax money wisely and give us a return on our investment by doing well in class. :thumbsup:

 

[ToolcatWonka5610]

I've been brain storming lately on what would be a good alternative engine for a Diesel PT would be, like for a repower. Would a liquid-cooled engine be able to fit in a previously Deutz powered PT? I'd like to find one with a bad engine and repower it with something. I personally would love to drop a 4 cylinder 65hp Cummins into a 1460 or 1850 sized machine. Or even a similar sized CAT/Perkins. Thats just me, though

I just think putting a Liquid Cooled engine in like a Sloper Mower machine would really bring it to life, and eliminate overheating issues. I think its kinda dumb they put an Air Cooled engine in a machine that works in a potentially dusty environment and after many over heating issues they do nothing about it. Just my :2cents:

 

[Gravy]

I've been brain storming lately on what would be a good alternative engine for a Diesel PT would be, like for a repower. Would a liquid-cooled engine be able to fit in a previously Deutz powered PT? I'd like to find one with a bad engine and repower it with something. I personally would love to drop a 4 cylinder 65hp Cummins into a 1460 or 1850 sized machine. Or even a similar sized CAT/Perkins. Thats just me, though

I just think putting a Liquid Cooled engine in like a Sloper Mower machine would really bring it to life, and eliminate overheating issues. I think its kinda dumb they put an Air Cooled engine in a machine that works in a potentially dusty environment and after many over heating issues they do nothing about it. Just my :2cents:

Willie,

I don't know for sure, but I think the water pump and radiator would take up a lot more space, and would mean a major redesign.

I believe that PTs are built with the same components that work well in the LoTrac mining equipment that is the mainstay of the company.

 

[MossRoad]

I've been brain storming lately on what would be a good alternative engine for a Diesel PT would be, like for a repower. Would a liquid-cooled engine be able to fit in a previously Deutz powered PT? I'd like to find one with a bad engine and repower it with something. I personally would love to drop a 4 cylinder 65hp Cummins into a 1460 or 1850 sized machine. Or even a similar sized CAT/Perkins. Thats just me, though

I just think putting a Liquid Cooled engine in like a Sloper Mower machine would really bring it to life, and eliminate overheating issues. I think its kinda dumb they put an Air Cooled engine in a machine that works in a potentially dusty environment and after many over heating issues they do nothing about it. Just my :2cents:

Until your radiator gets plugged with chaf, then you have an overheated machine, just like the oil cooled engine.

Our late 70s IH2500b had a radiator and hydraulic cooler in the traditional place up front of the engine cowling. The hydraulic cooler was on a hinge so it could be swung away to clean both it and the radiator. When brush hogging our property I would have to stop every 1/2 hour and clear them both of chaf.

Weather your machine is air, oil or water cooled, in heavy chaf conditions you are just going to have to clean the cooling fins or radiators often. No way around it.

What you could do is work towards a modification that lets you clean them easier (hinges and wing nuts) or work towards sealing the engine compartment with cleanable filters that don't suffocate the engine and allow heat dissipation.