(01-10-2019, 04:24 PM)PhilNH5 Wrote: Roughly 30 gallons an hour? Wow. I put 5 gallons of diesel in my 33 hp Kupota and it lasts most of the winter.
Sorry, I left out critical info... it was a 12 hour shift so more like 20 gallons/hour. I'm still glad I wasn't paying the bill
. We refueled all of the heavy equip' after every shift. Maybe there was a way to minimize fuel useage, but if so I was never taught it or learned it. W were pushing massive loads of wood chips with each push, think 5-10 cords, and that simply takes energy to do it. The blade was massive and not meant for the D9, but we were pushing loose chips and not earth and rocks. It took me a few days to learn to load the blade fully.
The thing was a beast. It was also enjoyable. Heated cab, filtered air, radio for tunes, radio for talking to others, no supervisors; they knew from the levels in the massive hoppers if you were or weren't doing the work. Push chips like a madman for awhile then take an in the cab break. The control room operator would let you know chip levels. I loved playing with my new massive toy and the other operator had to like having me drive opposite him on the same shift because for me it was play time and I didn't take many "listen to the tunes" breaks but there were times that I had to. That meant he could take a break and let the levels go down a bit. I have no idea how many gallons he pumped per shift and didn't care.
One night I thought I knew where I was on the massive chip pile. They could cover acres and be at least 100' high or more. But clearly I didn't know where I was. A little voice told me to stop the backward progress of the D9 and i looked down and saw space beneath me. I was on a concrete wall at least 30' in the air. I gingerly raised the oversize blade (thank GOD for that heavy blade!) and barely let off on the throttle (giving more fuel- the throttle was reversed) and crawled fully back up onto the chip pile. I came very close to soiling my pants on that one. Otherwise it was enjoyable. Luckily no one else saw it; I figured the portal crane operator might have but I heard nothing over the radio.
Another time I was knocking down a pile of chips that had been collecting for quite some time. The chips were blown onto the pile. This pile was higher than the cab and on one of the passes the pile decided now was the time to collapse and it blew in one of the windows as it covered the 'dozer. I was OK, and they had spares on hand. It wasn't unusual but it sure did surprise me. It was still an enjoyable 2 months and just part of the learning curve.
I'd like to have the use of that machine for a few days with a properly sized earth moving blade.
Brian. Lover of SE razors.