931 operation

Your not at all out of place here as it,s an all Cat site so jump in anytime. I don,t have any info. that you need or where to get it but someone on here I,m sure can direct you where to get info. or give you their own warnings and advice.

54D2,

I need a little more specific question so I can answer some for you. A lot of people always dump the bucket the wrong way on crawler loaders. On a rubber tired loader you dump the bucket by pushing the lever forward. On a crawler, you pull the lever back to dump. On a crawler loader, to cut down the grade, I pull back on the raise, and tilt bucket forward levers at the same time. This changes the cutting angle of the bucket while leaving the tracks in contact with the ground as much as posible. To cut less, simply push forward on the same two levers. That's why Cat made crawler lever backwards(to some people)so both levers are in sequence.

To properly operate a 4:1 to clam a pile of dirt up with out leaving crumps, do the following. Open bucket jaws and roll bucket all the way forward. crawl forward until front edge of bucket is passed the pile or object. Put front cutting edge on ground with bucket tipped all the way forward still. Now most important part, put the bucket lever in float position. Now roll the bucket back and close the clam at the same time. It works great.-glen

Patience and practice is about the only way to learn how to handle the machine,as soon as you get the feel of it you will surprise yourself with the work you will be able to do,experiment and use whatever method suits you best,good luck with your investment.
Andy

54D2 - Your question is most definitely NOT out of place, and it is good to see that you are asking for operating advice, prior to just rushing out and killing yourself, as it is so easy to do if you have little to no operator training or experience.

There is one cardinal rule to operation of machines. Never attempt to adjust, repair, or otherwise work on a machine that is in motion. Fully 50% of injuries can be traced back to ignoring this basic rule.

The second cardinal rule is to be aware. Be aware of people moving into your work zone. Be aware of children, and ensure they are restrained and not able to enter your work zone. Be aware of the end result of any moves you make.
A classic error with loaders is lifting bulky objects such as tree trunks in the bucket, high above the machine and operator .. and then having the object fall over the back of the bucket, slide down the loader arms, and crush the operator. A simple result of the effect of gravity, plus a lack of awareness .. and it often results in injury or death.

Be aware of any obstructions or holes, or other dangers in your work area. Stumps, rocks, holes, hidden cavities, will often result in tractor instability or rollover, with resultant injury/damage. ALWAYS check for the location of buried services, prior to digging into the ground. Hitting high pressure gas lines that the operator is unaware of, will nearly always result in serious injury or death.

Walk around checks, prior to starting, and whilst operating, are an important part of operating. Walk around checks involve careful searching for leaks, damage, loose fasteners, cracks, unusual wear patterns, and anything out of place.
Practise being a safe operator, it is in your interest. Always lower raised equipment, and set the brake, prior to leaving the seat .. even for a short time.

I would recommend the following CD as a useful item to improve your skills and make you a more aware operator. It is a military operator training CD, and it is very comprehensive, and only costs $9.95. The military are excellent at providing comprehensive training, and I don't think you'll find this CD is wasted money. Good luck and take care.

Heavy Equipment training CD .. http://a2zcds.com/Educational-CDs/Heavy-Equipment-Operator-And-Safety-Training-CD/

Try this Cat site, lots of very good info

http://safety.cat.com/cda/layout?m=154441&x=7

All of the above advice is excellent. When you're starting to learn, go SLOW!! Many times you'll feel like a one armed paper hanger in a windstorm. .only two arms and feet for all the pedals and levers. With practice and patience all this will turn into reflex and that's the time for some REAL caution! You'll try to go faster and faster. .and that's when the accidents happen.

An old boy told me "think the job through and decide how you want to end it before you even begin. Then work to that end. Anyone can jump in and start but it takes a good operator to finish the job".

Thanks for the feedback and comments. I'll check out the suggested web sites, and I'll definately start out slowly.

54D2

I purchased a 931b and wanted to know something really basic... do you leave the throttle set in position (fairly high) when making gear changes? Or throttle back to make a gear change like a truck? Don't want to ruin the torque converter or is it designed to take instant gear changes with relative high power settings? I don't want to shorten the life of anything. I did buy all the work shop manuals and didn't see this basic hint on operation.

Patagoniakid,
It's my understanding that the transmission on the 931 can be shifted to any gear; forward or back, regardless of throttle without damaging the transmission. From an operator's point of view it is much more comfortable to throttle down before changing directions.
I think you'll get the hang of operating the machine fairly quickly.
54D2