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WI | Anyone have experience with the 3308 CAT engine in a 72' CAT 988A? Is it fairly reliable and easy to get parts for compared to a 855 Cummins in a little newer Dresser 550 Loader?
I plan to use either loader for general dairy farm use on a daily basis. Mostly to dig out and load silage from a bunker silo on a mostly dry sand/rock surface. It seems like there should be more parts available for a newer 550 Dresser Loader compared to the older 988A Cat.
Edited by CIH7777 7/28/2015 00:53
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Somerville, Indiana | probably less parts needed for the Cat if well serviced in a timely manner...Saying that, and going further, we have had good service getting parts for ancient Cat machines...Very good part service, next morning usually if not in local branch, at the furthest mid day in from Morton or Indy.
I am old, and forgot very many things...I hope I haven't forgotten that Cat makes a 3308, just doesn't sound proper...3208, 3306 which I hold in great esteam, and a 3406 and 3408...3308 I really have a hard time remembering anything about that number. |
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Somerville, Indiana | Google says I am wrong...Sure do hate to admit it though...The Cummins is probably cheaper, but it is also out of production as the Detroits of not many years past...Still, engines run a bookoo of hours if serviced regularly and proper, no matter what their usage. |
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WI | Thanks for the reply...I can not find too much information also on the 3308 CAT motor. There was probably not many of them built maybe is one reason. If I get time to look at and run the 988A, I'm sure it will operate a lot slower than the Dresser 550 Loader. But the Dresser does weigh about 20,000lbs less. |
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central mich |
The 3408 engine was weak compared to the later 3408B with the longer block and larger bearings. Kind of interesting
the 3406 rated 300kw while the 3408 was generally rated about 315kw. Cat really did not have a good engine in the 400kw rating. They would even bring the 3412 down in the 400kw rating. Real hard to find a Cat 3408 block.
At least Cummins had the KTA1150 that would produce 400kw without having a rod come out the side like the 3408.
Even in the later 3408B Cat seemed reluctant to bring up the power rating. I might favor the in line six engine as I think the Cummins QSK23 inline six is a better engine than a V cylindered engine. The Cat 3500 series might be ok but when they are brought up to 1800 rpm then more holes in the blocks. Yet the Cat D379 and D398 (which are a heavier built engine than the 3508 and 3512) will run about forever at 1200rpm.
Cummins 855 are like the Cat 3406 good motors and you can still buy a runner for $2000. |
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NE SD | Wow some BIG, OLD, behemoth's for dairy loader work. loading trucks at a gravel pit OK, silage umm not so much These things are HUGE and will do some damage in wet conditions I'd pass just on cumbersome size and age. |
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Sandy Hook, MB | pete37921x - 7/27/2015 23:46 Wow some BIG, OLD, behemoth's for dairy loader work. loading trucks at a gravel pit OK, silage umm not so much These things are HUGE and will do some damage in wet conditions I'd pass just on cumbersome size and age.
Hello Pete37921
X100!!! At an operating weight of just under 100,000 lbs., he better be running that thing on some solid ground & not wander too far off the beaten path. |
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WI | Thank you all for the replies...I have been using a couple old IH/Dresser 515B's right now to load silage but they need a lot of major work and $ while still only having 1.5 yard buckets. It's way too slow to load a TMR mixer with only 1.5 yards at a time and time is very hard to come by on a dairy. My silage piles are located on high and dry sand ground with a lot of rocks in it also. It's basically worthless ground for growing any decent crop on so it is best suited for silage piles right now. The only time it gets muddy is during heavy rains or during the summer thaw for a couple weeks. Even then, this ground dries up very fast in a few days. This ground is better suited for rock farming..LOL. From reading online the 550 Dresser is about 60K lbs and the 988A Cat is 80K lbs. Just looking for options here to move more material faster to fill a TMR mixer and not get over spendy on a newer loader. My mechanics are not up to snuff with all the electronic systems in a newer loader also.
Edited by CIH7777 7/28/2015 03:05
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NE SD | Good grief, from Tonka toys to massive BEASTS. Buy a MODERN loader with a 3 yd bucket and get some WORK DONE. The 3yd machine would replace current machines and be MUCH quicker than those big dinosaurs |
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Alentejo, Portugal | CIH7777 - 7/28/2015 06:43
Thank you all for the replies...I have been using a couple old IH/Dresser 515B's right now to load silage but they need a lot of major work and $ while still only having 1.5 yard buckets. It's way too slow to load a TMR mixer with only 1.5 yards at a time and time is very hard to come by on a dairy. My silage piles are located on high and dry sand ground with a lot of rocks in it also. It's basically worthless ground for growing any decent crop on so it is best suited for silage piles right now. The only time it gets muddy is during heavy rains or during the summer thaw for a couple weeks. Even then, this ground dries up very fast in a few days. This ground is better suited for rock farming..LOL. From reading online the 550 Dresser is about 60K lbs and the 988A Cat is 80K lbs. Just looking for options here to move more material faster to fill a TMR mixer and not get over spendy on a newer loader. My mechanics are not up to snuff with all the electronic systems in I a newer loader also.
Have you ever seen or been around a 988???
Those things are MASSIVE! !! No way would I want one of those on my dairy farm. We run Cat 924G and 924K. Might go a model or 2 bigger but never to the other side of the model range... Way to heavy and clumsy. |
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WI | Never ran a 988 Cat but did run a neighbors L330C Volvo and 980 Cat for a while doing county road work removing brush/trees and some ditching work. The Volvo sure was a massive loader and also more expensive to repair when it broke he said. Simpler things like hyd hoses or seals could be had for a lot less at hydraulic shops instead of Volvo dealers. It did not rack up many hours though with a 6 and 8 yard bucket. I tried it out for a couple days earlier this year and it worked really awesome to dig into the silage piles and load the TMR mixer in very little time at all. Sure was a lot faster than the old 1.5 yard loaders.
Edited by CIH7777 7/28/2015 03:11
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Alentejo, Portugal | After seeing pics on Google of a 988 A I guess it is not as big as I thought it was. I must have been confused with the 988B. That is a
BIG loader...
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| x2 938 would be the biggest loader I would want on a dairy. Put a 4 to5 yard bucket on it and it would run circles around a 988.
How big of loads do you mix, we mix 30000 to 40000lb loads and most ingredents take one bucket full or less. 5 yards of silage is 5000 to 6000lb and a easy load for a 930g, 936e 936f 938f 938g.
A 988 is meant to lift 50000lbs an would cost more to fix.
Find a mid sized loader with a big bucket to try out I think you would be happier. |
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WI | I agree on the lower repair costs for a mid-sized loader. Currently mixing close to that 30K to 40K lb range also with a Knight 1120. I have been searching for the last year and can not locate a good used loader around that 30K lb size with a larger 5 yard bucket. It seems almost all of the 30K lb loaders come standard with a 2.5 to 3.5 yard GP bucket. Buying a 4-5 yard or larger bucket after the fact runs big $. Had my nearby Komatsu and Volvo dealers looking also for a while with no luck. Maybe one will show up that was used for snow removal from an airport or something like that since they purchase those mid-sized loaders with larger light-material buckets initially.
Edited by CIH7777 7/28/2015 05:12
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| Run away from the 3308 they POS's you will be way better off with the 855. Really they are pieces of junk.
And like everyone else is saying go a LOT smaller. We run a 444k w/ a 4.5 yard bucket the fuel savings alone will pay for the pricier loader plus its a lot nicer to operate. Those old loaders are twin sticks where as more of the newer stuff went to joysticks. If you go with the 980 plan on having a spare motor on hand and to go broke buying parts.
Edited by fourcubs 7/28/2015 07:03
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Sac & Story county IA | Like an old guy told my friend when he showed up to load cattle with his new 1974 CO4070A with the 8V-71T, V8s are for racing, 6 cylinder is for working. |
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3308 CAT Engine vs 855 Cummins in Wheel Loader?
