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Ethridge, TN | With the new positon I've taken, I ended up inheirating a 1254 Rogator. I will say right up front that I'm preferential to the Patriots. The 1254 had all new wheel motors put on it before the farm bought it. It has been used 1 season, covering about 15,000 acres, and both front motors seep. They aren't bad leaks, but enough that they make a mess out of the inside of the front wheels. As has been said, the wheel motors on these are very pricey, as the hub and motor are one. With a Patriot, you have the planetary drive hub, with the wheel motor splined into the back of it, which makes it less expensive and easier to work on.
Booms, the Rogator boom will look heavier, but the reason is it "has" to take more abuse. The air bag suspension on the newer Rogators helps(don't even look at the old straight springs, umless you like to weld), but still does not equal the ride of the trailing link suspension on the Patriot. The Rogator still has a solid axle between those bags, it's independant 4 wheel, so you are still going to get rock&roll, which translate into boom slap. Rogator is still also using the old style back racks, and those tend to have problems of their own. Especially if they haven't been kept greased.
Next is the front kingpins on the Rogator. You'll really cuss that job when those need replaced.
Will the Rogator get the job done?? Yes, and with an operator that pays attention to the service details, it'll have some life to it. But saying that, when we get ready to replace the current unit here, it'll be a Patriot, and I'm hoping to only have to run this machine this year.
Down sides of a Patriot, as has been mentioned, don't go back any further then the new cab(rounded, styled corners), and stay away from the 150's with the Duetz's. Most of the early machines of this style had 75' booms on them. It wasn't till the end of that run, before Case bought Tyler, that they started to make the 90's. If you are in need of an 80', the outer boom tip can be switched out without a lot of cost, if it is a 90 currently. The current large machine is now available with a 120' aluminum boom.
The other thing with a Patriot, is to make sure you have it throttled up whenever you move it. They depend on the charge pressure for the hydros to release the brakes, and if you idle aroun while moving, it's goign to drag them, they are going to get hot, and the o-ring will fail. Then the pressure will deform the hub seal and fill the hub full of hydraulic fluid. That's not necessarily a death sentence for the hub, as long as it's caught fairly quick. Easily prevented tho, as one just has to think, throttle to full, then move the hydrostat. The other thing is to make sure you keep the hydraulic oil clean and changed according to the book. This is a very close tolerance drive set-up, and they don't tolerate dirt real well.
To me, if I had equal machines, condition and size, I'd be willing to pay more $$$ for the Patriot. In the long run, that money will come back in the reliability of the unit. | |
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Patriot sprayers?
