DriftlessinWIHey Everyone, I solved the issue of controlling my multi-function skid steer attachments from the cab of my excavator. It involved an Arduino, 4 way relay, an HC-5 Bluetooth module and a simple android app. Give me your thoughts in the comments below. This has opened up a lot of possibilities for my CAT 306 and now I can use a lot of my attachments that I had for my Gehl RT210.
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driftlessinwi
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I wanted to consolidate some of my equipment because I felt a little overwhelmed with all the machine maintenance I have. So I decided to look for an all in one machine that could do what my skid steer and wheeled excavator could do.
I looked at a lot of options, including the Mecalac but decided to go with the CAT 306 with XTC for many reasons:
-It was half the price of the Mecalac
-It can handle all of my skid steer attachments that I already own
-It is an excavator so I wouldn’t need my Komatsu PW30 anymore
-I have a good CAT dealership close by
-It is basically a Skidsteer and Excavator combined
In this video I walk through everything in detail and try to focus on the CAT 306 XTC’s ability to replace my skidsteer, especially how it can handle all of the attachments I have. This review was made after about 60 hours of using the machine and shows some footage removing invasive species in my woods. Also there is some bonus footage of the “Castle Camp” overlook. Consider subscribing to see more videos on the machine and how it functions with various attachments. It has quickly become my favorite machine and is affectionately referred to as “The Swiss Army Knife”!
Thanks for watching!
driftlessinwi
I finally received my erosion permit and finished my driveway to the new homesite. After making over 4000ft of driveway, I learned how to drive a dozer, a CAT D6, and got a lot of use out of my CAT 323. I have come to appreciate how hard being a dozer operator actually is (especially if you don’t have Slope and Grade assist tools) and can’t believe how much effort goes into to putting up silt fence 🙂 I need to keep the driveway under 13% to be in compliance with our town ordinances and had to make a switchback in an area that was over 20%.
This took me over a month, 100 truckloads of breaker rock, 4000 ft of geomat, 1500 ft of silt fence, about 30 silt socks, 6 culverts, 200lbs of grass seed, 60 hay bails, and 20 rolls of erosion mat. I hope it was worth it, so far so good with holding up to rain storms, but this winter may bring a few headaches with snow and ice. You can find the generator and jackhammer here:
Generator: https://amzn.to/3BiEZY0
Jackhammer: https://amzn.to/3BiEZY0
Enjoy!
driftlessinwi
I needed to clear a lot of trees for a new home we are building. I was primarily pushing the trees over with my CAT 323. I found pushing to be difficult in a thick forest and it also resulted in broken trees. My experienced excavator operator friend showed me a new way of taking trees out by pulling them with the excavator instead of pushing them. It works brilliantly and is much safer.
By lining up the tree so that the arm is between the operator and the tree, it makes it highly unlikely that the tree will fall on the cab. Another benefit is the tree drops right next to the excavator so it is easy to process without having to move the machine any.
Enjoy!
driftlessinwi