Randy that is a fantastic model!

I´ve just looked at the Cat homepage but I haven´t find anything above the Cat 385 B. so I like to ask if some one knows when they have removed all excavators above the 385 B or is there any other place where they are displayed which I dosen´t know?

Rowan, a few corrections to your statements mate, from what i know the 5230 enjoyed a better reputation than the 5130. Cats biggest problem with this line was there reluctance to add models and by the time the entries they gave us got in the dirt the competitors they were against up tonnages etc while Cat were still refining the machines, the B models were very much improved but the reputation had been gained by then.

As to the O & K deal originally Cat brokered it so Terex got the 5000 series designs, this was purely to satisfy laws against monopolizing ownerships (read market and industry) Terex would most likely have used it for packing paper but Terex realised that there product must be pretty good and worth more than perhaps Cat are offering and the deal fell over when an aggreement could not be reached. Another deal since has seen Cat dealers as the sales and service reps in areas where Terex have no distributor and from all accounts this is going well and has helped bolster O & K sales and a lot of Cat product is now going into the shovels, engines being the most obvious.

D10N is 100% correct in what he says, read the comment and open your mind, even with my yellow blood it is something you will learn if you are around the gear for a while.

5230 was available in mass excavator configuration, the 5110 was never available as a shovel and i have only operated the 5130 and 5230 but both were easy to operate and quiet with a very roomy cab, which for the custom 5230 model builders is the same cab as the 5130, so the NZG 1/50 model would be a good donor.

When you look at the synergies of having Cat diggers in a fleet of all other Cat gear like a mining operation you can be very advantaged by having so many common parts and mechanics familiar with Cat language and things as simple as understanding a service manual layout etc o-rings, hoses, filters, it just goes on and on. If Cat had persevered with these machines the demand for loading tools in the last couple of years would have seen them sell more and more of them and we would see a good proven product today, especially considering mines are opening in more remote locations with a dwindling supply of mechanics they could have helped a lot of there customers out. Look at the popularity of the 5110, from all accounts it was a good thing.

All of the photos of the actual machine that Rowan posted were ones that I've taken. While working at the mine, I had the opportunity to operate the 5230 a few times. It seemed like a nice machine and was easy to operate and comfortable. The Cat shovels have shorter sticks than some of their competitors, specifically Hitachi. Cat's digging strength is in their bucket curl, whereas Hitachi shovels seem to dig better using the crowd.

Here's a video from inside a 5230 I took: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6h4pf5pTVAM

- Alex

noob question-
whats crowd digging?

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That's exactly what I meant John, you beat me to it

Hello,

very good model!

Can i have a photos of idraulic line support?

awesome model,amazing!! thanks!

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MACHINE PLAY TIME !! CLICKY BELOW \/ \/ \/
http://www.youtube.com/user/allistairc123?gl=GB&hl=en-GB

Just to confirm guys,
There was a back-hoe version made.North Cambria Fuels of Indiana county operated one in Pennsilvannia.It was loading 5 Cat 785b trucks on their occs.

Don,

That's a fantastic model (yet another!). What does your workshop consist of machinery wise. By that I mean what do you consider the essential pieces of kit / tools to be able to produce such models (i.e. lathe etc.)?.

What type of metal do you normally work in (I know that may sound like a stupid question but i'm thinking mild steel, stainless etc.) and what guage?. Do you use brass at all for any of the construction?.

Have you ever considered fitting a complete scale hydraulic system to one of these machines before. I can imagine that would take it to the next level!.

Regards

Richard