41 years of heavy equipment operation from cable lift shovels, pony motor start graders that were all PTO driven, cable lift dozers and now the Cat140M3. I have over 10,000 documented hours on the 140M, 140M2 and now the M3 I am operating has just over 1700 hours on it. Once the county judge was considering purchasing a lesser brand. He ask me to evaluate it. I told him I didn't have to evaluate it and ask him to walk with me over to the 140m that was parked near the other brand. I said see the grade marks on those bolts? He said yes, why? I showed him that Cat has grade 8 everything while the competition has grade 5 or less and told him that was all I needed to know. We stayed with Caterpillar. Over the years I suppose I have been on every brand of something ever made. Many of our operators had their mind made up that the new joysticks on the Cat wasn't going to work, no steering wheel took me a while to wrap my mind around as well. But it is all mind over matter, it is a machine, you are the brain behind it. If you want to learn something new then learn it. Now those joysticks are an extension of my hands, most days I don't even think about what I am doing and I can guarantee you that the Cat 140M3 is hands down the best machine I have ever been on. One more lease after this one will take me through to retirement. If it isn't a Cat I may just go out early, that is just how I feel about it. Cat doesn't have to compare itself to other brands of equipment, it is the standard by which everything else is trying to catch up to. Most of the other brands aren't even on the same page.
Both are great machines, the JD has better traction, After running a 140m and now a 140m2 awd you do get used to the controls. The only true complaint I have with the 140ms is that the controls do not ride with the seat, they are stationary, which will take a toll on your rotator cuff ( shoulder joint) after a while. Trust me on that, after 6 yrs of running the Ms Im getting cortazone shots in my shoulder. Really hoped Cat would have change that on the M2s.
very good comparison, I look like the 2 graders are very good, the few times I've operated John Deere I have been satisfied with its accuracy and comfort, Caterpillar also is very good, and now in its new version, the series "M" is very easy to operate, and in all kinds of machines over time is essential to familiarize yourself, would operate a "G" series john deere, but almost no one in my town has this type of equipment, john deere congratulations for this demonstration.
I've ran both machines and wish I could run this comparison myself haha! I'm a pretty big guy and had trouble seeing over the JD controls and yes you do have to move way over to see the blade on the cat. The grade control sucks on both and love to tell them how to fix it. Neither of them have hit perfection yet but your getting close. And please for the love of God make a better spot for my lunchbox hint hint lol!
I have ran the cat alot and have done more complicated jobs and I still love it and I didn't look like I had tourettes while doing it so I feel like this is dramatized to make John deere look better and using your finger tips to run controls will give u carpal tunnel alot sooner
Simply dripping with bias to the JD. I run Cat 24m in the mining industry and only the inexperienced move their controls as is being demonstrated here.
After running a brand new Deere, I'll take a 10 year old M-series cat all day. Visibility and comfort is way better in the cat. Fast hydros are important when doing switchbacks on steep logging roads. This video is BS and not a fan of the brick seat either
I admit I’m a diehard Cat fan but I found the M Series rather unpleasant to operate. I immediately noticed as in the demonstration that I could not maintain a clear view of my heel when working tight areas with a sharply angled blade. Also the new Cat Ms are low on torque, cab is too small for my lunchbox and too short for my height, bumped my head a lot. The steering was also downright scary trying road it down the highway. If I had my choice I’d choose the JD, for one thing it’s very similar to the H series Cat but not as beefy in hard blading. For me circle visibility isn’t my focal point, it’s the tie and heel that I’m watching.
I have about 3000-3500 hours (which isnt much, i know) in alot of different brands of graders but i'll tell you, "cul-du-sac" isnt about the brand of the machine, its about the skill of the operator. This video is just advertisement...
I'm operator in Brazil, working with a series-k grader. Both the John Deere G-Series as the M-Series Caterpillar, are new here, have not had the opportunity to work with them, but the John Deere G-Series seems to be so precise with the commands of the original way, and Caterpillar M -series does not seem to be as safe with many commands together in a joystick. Will the future is the joystick for motor graders?
I operate a Cat 140M 2019 model and never have issues with the steering at all. The biggest issue you are having is you're not using the fine setting in the hydraulics and the auto slope setup you have are separate buttons where as mine has 2 buttons and a scroll wheel on both joysticks. Everything is right in your hands. Also you're not using the auto articulation to assist in steering in tight situations
I have a 140m2 nice quiet cab, but poor visibility to the heal of my blade and is light in the front end . The John Deere out pushes the cat and the front end does not get dragged sideways when you load it up. The John Deere cab is not as quiet as the cat and has a lot of rattles from the door latches and steering Column. Both machines have there pros and cons
I have run both these graders 7000 hours in the M and currently 10000 in the Dear and they both have some better features than the other, John Deere service and parts are crap here in Aus I am currently running a 770GP and if I was buying new again it would have the Cat logo on it
I have never operated the new JD, so I won't comment on it. Secondly, if your first blade was an M and you maintain haul roads of any kind, to include logging roads, you are not a finish blade hand. When it comes to cutting fine grade for paving the G, then the H are the standard to which all other blades are compared. They have room for improvement but the M is not it. Everything said about the M is true: 1. The metering is not that great, some would call it down right poor. 2. Visability is great! Exactly where you don't need it. The heel and the toe are blocked by the controls a good portion of the time. 3. It is far more difficult to maintain grade in tight spaces where you must, turn and articulate. I feel they made the M for all the wrong reasons, and fell short of improving the functionality of the H. It seems John Deere's new blade is attempting to compete with the M. They should compete with the H first.
i run a 140M AWD gradin for asphalt and the person running the deere says he is gradin close look how far he is away from the curb not GOOD is he 3 inch or 3 and 1/4 for ashalt he don't know i have run the 140H for ashalt the same way and have no problem running both Deere is jealous of Cats visibility
I have never been to a training center, but I would guess, they probably don't want you to truly run the curb. A curb face is touched by a blade a couple times every 20+ years, typically by a finish blade hand. Turn a hundred guys loose on that curb and you might as well track it in with a D11 as well
Great machine especially their latest with joysticks ,smartgrade circle ect ,but give us a option of no steering wheel at all and change that old style cab ,one of m series (and komatsu)nicest features not looking past corners of cab and door pillars all day .
Jeff Gruebele I had the same issue with the seat in my M both shoulders give me crap now ,might have to screw some grease nipples into them I did explain to my Doctor how the seat worked and he did say that it was not good at all to be sitting in these seats for 10 hours per day,
i like how the camera on the jd is right forward so you can see the moldboard on the left but the cats is right back so you can't see it. anyone whos sat in both knows the cats got heaps better vision all round. also the cat operator hasn't spent much time on an m you can tell by the way he holds the joysticks better of still using your fingers to control it
El operador de la cat no es bueno .la serie m de Caterpillar no tiene nada q envidiarle a la motoniveladora JD solo es diferensia de la calidad de los operadores
There are so many flaws in this video its hilarious! Any trained eye could see all the hiles in JD's story! Cant believe they would put their name on this
I run a Cat at work and was running a Cat 140H, I was able to just jump into the 140M3 4th generation with very little training, and I prefer them much more than JD!
Hard hat in a machine! nope do not want a piece of plastic giving 0.5 of a second to say shit! if anything comes thru that ROP. Ball cap and sunglasses to keep the sun off your eyes. I run both cat and deere . I will take a deere over cat any day of the week. And doing snow removal with a cat and those windows just catch everything. Just about everyone has broken glass. 18 hr shifts in a cat are hell! Never get out of that steer position. Deere with the wheel gives you a chance to change up while wheeling to a new area to clear, Way more relaxing.