Cat D6N?

[Gordon 2]

The D6N is a D5. First High drive i believe was a D8L.
We then had the D6H D4H and D5H ... 9 10 and the 11 in some order or another. oh and a D7H duhr.. For some reason unknown to me, in 1998ish Caterpillar then rebadged the D4 as the D5M the D5H then became the D6M the D6H became the D6R and now the T series. Then in aproximately 2004 the M series became the N series. Like i said the D6N is D5 wieght and power but unfortunately power is what it lacks. We run a D5HLGP series 2 and a D6M XL They would not be the best of pushers. The 6 M&N tractors were 70 and 60 HP different from the the 6H and then R......totaly different tracors. We still have a D5B long carriage and a D4E LGP the E pushes well as does our D4H LGP. The D5B still trying to get the skin off the pudding. On the Komatsu front we Have two D58P tractors,,,,, they push like f-=k considering they have no turbo's we also run a D65PX -12 and a -15 PX which unfortunately has had a serious engine problem at 3000 hrs not our fault and so we are having long running battle with Marubeni NOT GOOD. Justin i have been offered a late 61PX (Komatsu D5 size tractor they have cummins engines Now ??) wat do you rekon on them ? Must admit im getting tired of all these floppy bades (PAT) give me a proper straight blade or semi U and tilt any day....Regards Gordon.

[go back]

i have a su on my 6r i dont like pat blades but i would definitely have a 61 over any make of that size but i think the 65 is a crock of c**p copared to the 6r

[Gordon 2]

I still have mixed feelings as we run both. Have you driven a Dash 15 65PX ? One of my 360 operators got into an argument with one of pryors dozer operators a while ago, all be it a friendly one, they had a push off !! My lad had a D58P and Pryors had a D6R std track. The general concensus on the day was that the 58 had the edge after both drivers tried each others machine. I wonder Lol. Trouble is the 58P s are getting a little dated.
Regards Gordon.

[go back]

yes i have had 6 weeks on a 65-15 after 6 weeks they brought my 6r on site and mine made the 65 look sick even swapping drivers after that i have driven other 65s they were the same .on one site working with a hawks driver he was a komatsu 65 man untill he drove the 6r then i had a job to keep him out of it

[Gordon 2]

So seriously what characteristics do you rate better ? has the 65 got some features better than the 6 ? I wanted to buy a brand new 6R in 2004 but they were in short supply and Kommy atsu gave us 10 k more for our MT 27 s

[Deas Plant]

Hi, Gordon 2.
If you were referring to the first high-drive crawlers that Cat made when you said you thought the D8L was it, it was actually the first version of the D10. I can't remember if it was 76 something but it was a single exhaust stack machine. It gave some problems with heat dissipation and turbochargers, etc., so they brought out the 84W series of D10's with 2 exhausts, etc., which were the ones that really put the D10's on the map. Then they brought out the D8 and D9 L series, before changing all 3 of them to N series when they brought out the first D11's, also N series. There was a LOT of discontent with Cat at that time 'cos they down-sized the 10, 9 and 8, supposedly to better fit the gaps between models 'cos the D11N was only 70 hp more and about 6 tons heavier.

I have run D6H's and D6R's, both with semi-U blades, and both were good pushers and good for trimming. I haven't yet been on a D6N to know how they handle.

The 'Kummagutsa' 58P may have out-pushed the D6 but may I suggest that the real test is how long each machine lasts at full production capabilities with minimal breakdowns and minimal wear. Around here, the 'Kummagutsas' have a bad rap for wearing and becoming slack in the blade pins and pivots way before the Cats get that way - like maybe 1/3 of the time. I don't see myself rushing off to Sherwood Road (the local Kummagutsa distributor's yard) to buy anything wearing the 2 balls with the vertical bar between in the near future.

Just my 0.02.

[nick lamb]

You're right Deas,it's ALL about PROFIT and how much money you have made when the time comes to replace it.I will stick to Cat on that score.

[Gordon 2]

Hi Deas hope yr well. I thought maybe the D10 could have been the first elevated sprocket tractor, however it never came to this little island before the 8L to the best of my knowledge anyways. Quite agree with you regarding costs and of course the all inportant residual value....Thats why we run Volvo trucks. Not all the Komatsu tractors have been good for many reasons. We have kept the 58's because of their performance and low cost in running. Both ours have notched up 13 and 14 k with no major repairs save for some final drive problems, they do have alot of track on the ground and we dont worry too much where we use them. Fuel consumption is only approx 18 litres per hour for an 11 litre engine given the performance in pushing im afraid the D5 is not so good. I own Cats and prefere them to be honest. We have reskinned the blades and have repaired a lot of thr trunnions to a better quality than oridginal.....they'll outlast us before we part with them. A lot of the big players in the earthmoving world over here have Komatsu. C A Blackwell one of the largest have, id say, 20 or so from D31 to 275. Agree with you on all points but its horses for courses they both have their good and bad bits. Gordon.