Is anyone having any problems with the new Cat 285/275 CTLs?

[ozarkag]

It would be perfect to get the arm replaced but it certainly can be repaired properly. I did them regularly from small to large.

Curious how/what you would do for a proper repair?

 

[Simon C]

An update to what is turning out to be somewhat of a saga...
First, a correction to post#3. The right side was/is the high side, not the left as I mentioned.

I dropped our 285 off at the Cat dealer on the evening of September 19. It was returned to us yesterday, October 6.
I noticed when I left the machine at the dealer that there was a new set of loader arms sitting on a pallet. No idea if they were intended for our machine or not but it came back to us with the same set of arms.
I also took the opportunity to test drive 4 new 275s that were on the lot. All four had the same problem as our 285 and another new 285 I had tested earlier.

This time they redid the line boring on the pins at the loader arm to quick coupler joints. The bucket cylinder binding is still very noticable. Rolling the bucket all the way back still causes the loader arms to twist due to the geometry change from line boring. These issues came from the line boring and were not a factory issue. On the positive side they repainted everything nicely this time and changed a decal that was scratched.

I sold a 40 year old skidder a few years back that got only the rims painted beautiful and shiny.
I told my wife it was like lipstick on a pig.
It sold it for me, maybe the dealership thinks they will make it look good even though not perfect.
Normally new is perfect or that is what I would expect.
Simon C

 

[RayF]

Curious how/what you would do for a proper repair?

Press it straight then line bore it so that all the bores are level and parallel with each other. Its the same process whether its a small skid steer or a 994.

 

[Tags]

I don’t get this. They sold you a machine, an expensive machine, that has loader arms that aren’t “level”. Clearly CAT has an issue. Line boring and splashing some paint and a new decal on a hundred thousand dollar skid steer that torques the loader arms when the bucket is curled seems like absolute nonsense to me. If it’s the same on all the CAT skid steers either the loader arm points are of or the loader arms are off direct from the factory. The fact that CAT won’t acknowledge the problem or fix it correctly would have me demanding a correct fix or money back. You bought it to make money not have it sit at the dealer.

 

[MG84]

You have a lot more patience then I do, I personally would have never let it get this far. Aggressive legal action and/or social media $hitstorm, or a full refund, those would have been their only options....

 

[Simon C]

I once bought a machine from Cat brand new and when it came it was with the wrong frame for the machine. I would not accept it as I told them it did not come as written in contract. They sent me my $10000.00 deposit back 30 days later. That was only after they received a letter stating legal action would begin after the 30 days.
Have to fight for your rights or they walk over you.
Simon C

 

[KSSS]

CAT will try and get away with as little expenditure as possible to get this resolved. I think it has next to nothing to do with the dealer. If CAT sent them new loader arms, I am sure they would be happy to install them under warranty. Line boring everything to make it work is a BS solution on a new machine that was incorrectly manufactured. If your CAT loyal to the extent you will let the step on you and will allow them to get away with line boring your new machine to make it level, I guess that is on you.
As I said earlier, a You Tube video or the threat of one, would end this really quick. Your story would get in the way of a lot of potential sales, CAT would not allow that to happen. Its unfortunate that would be necessary but I doubt they will be moved by anything else short of legal action.

If there were 4 machines with incorrect loader arms at one dealer, I am guessing they kicked out a lot of machines before this was known to them, and they don't want to replace all of them with new loader arms. What they do for one they likely would be pushed (due to social media) to do for all of them. So they will avoid that if at all possible.

 

[KSSS]

As a company that has never owned a CAT machine, had the poster said he had a machine that was new and jacked up, CAT stood behind it and correctly fixed it without hassle, that is powerful and influential on my next purchase decision (I doubt I am alone in that thought). It says your name really does mean something. However, when this situation occurs, it says just the opposite. It's not the cheap solution up front but further down the spread sheet it really is, especially with the power of social media. A mess up like this can actually create more goodwill toward your brand. Word gets out and it can cut both ways.

 

[AMBMike]

I appreciate all the input.
Obviously we're not happy about it.

Our dealer is telling us that Cat says the machine is within spec and won't do anything about it. They say the line boring work has been done out of their own pocket as a goodwill gesture.

I'll try again to post some photos.

 

[AMBMike]

These photos are taken with the machine on a level concrete pad.

Left corner of the bucket.


Right corner of the bucket.

Left side of the quick coupler, bucket disconnected.

Right side of the quick coupler, bucket disconnected.

 

[AMBMike]

Arm stops on the machine frame.
The machine is in the same postion as the photos in the last post.

Left side.

Right side.

 

[AMBMike]

The "fix".

Right side arm stop.

And a new set of loader arms at the dealer.

 

[Tones]

If it was me I'd be put a tape measure over everything including track frame alignment and checking for a manufactured twist in the chassis tub. Both these things I've experienced but non Cat. Early 299s had misaligned track frames, Cat issued a service bulletin for the fix after a while.
Many 299 forest machines burnt to the ground which Cat refused to acknowledge blaming everyone else, turned out the wiring harness for the seat warmer was the problem. Many lost the shirt off their back

 

[AMBMike]

Here are photos of serial number plates of four new Cat 275 CTLs that have the same problem as ours. These four were the only ones on the lot in Chanute when I was there.
None of them are as bad as ours is but they all would be unable to cut level with the arms at any position above the stops.

I'm posting these because the dealer is saying that Cat will do nothing unless there are a lot of complaints...

 

[bam1968]

Are those pics before the line boring or after? I can't believe that was within specs!! That is insane!!

 

[AMBMike]

Are those pics before the line boring or after? I can't believe that was within specs!! That is insane!!

The ones before post #32 are prior to the line boreing.
Post #32 shows a 1/4" shim the dealer installed at the time they did the line boreing.

I'm really surprised Cat says that is within spec.

We currently have 7 other CTLs in the fleet including 1 Cat 299D3. None of them have any noticeable difference in arm or chassis from side to side.

 

[Tones]

Are all your other CTLs Cat?

 

[AMBMike]

Are all your other CTLs Cat?

Most are orange, one white, one Cat.

 

[AMBMike]

We currently have 7 other CTLs in the fleet including 1 Cat 299D3. None of them have any noticeable difference in arm or chassis from side to side.

Correction. We have 6 other CTLs, not 7 as I mentioned previously.

 

[MG84]

The ones before post #32 are prior to the line boreing.
Post #32 shows a 1/4" shim the dealer installed at the time they did the line boreing.

I'm really surprised Cat says that is within spec.

We currently have 7 other CTLs in the fleet including 1 Cat 299D3. None of them have any noticeable difference in arm or chassis from side to side.

Cat is just blowing smoke up you @$$. Every skid steer or CTL I have been on the arms sit down dead level on the stops (unless they'd been terribly abused.) A 1/4" off is unusable for any sort of hard surface clean up work, fine grading, etc.