The Cat 324D excavator windshield is a pain. Whoever designed this cluster love fest needs to be punished. Just glancing at the 330D, it looks as though it is still the same as the 330C.

seems to be a growing trend in the industry. ha ha

give me the old flat stuff. ha ha

Wow. They even managed to screw up heavy equipment huh. Most of the heavy equipment I've worked on are just flat gasket set windows. Does anyone have a good supplier for these windows or do you just custom cut them?

I keep patterns. Cut it before I leave the shop. Most of the newer equipment glass is urethane set. I would rather do heavy equipment than automotive. Don't have to put up with all the bs. Some of the bigger machines can be a challenge when you work by yourself.

LW i use to work on heavy equipment for North Carolina dump, and we use to work on them HUGE things with the spikes... all i got to say uis that i am glad i never fell on them!!!! I would like to do heavy equipment work again, but i do not have anyone good enuff with flat glass to seek out an account..

Most of the big compactors are still gasket set. It's safer when your by yourself to use suction cups and set the windshield in the bottom gasket from inside the cab and then go outside and finish. It's hard to find people that like working on equipment. Not many auto glass techs have spent much time on a cutting table.

another challenge is the aluminum body cabs with the urethane set windows... corrosion is a big problem on these- cement mixers with a daily acid wash on top of it...
John Deere has an end loader w/s with some clear plastic strips between the w/s and the side windows-- they can't even sell ya new ones so ya better be creative!
good stuff, I tell ya!

I tell you what the hardest thing for me is silicone, when having to "bump" 2 windows together. When i got done it looked like a small child had attempted it. I suppose some people are just better at it.

Larry

Larry,

I know you said you don't to flat anymore, but if you tape the interior of the joint, with something like electrical tape that you KNOW will peel off the cured silcone later, then gun, tool, and razor the outside smooth, tell the customer NOT to peel the tape for at least 48 hrs, time for full cure through, it will look just like the original. Takes five minutes per joint.

HTH

Oh, and BTW, LW, what were the problems with the new 324D anyway?

I haven't seen one yet. Lousy online pics, no closeups.

We did one few months back and it wasn't much of a problem. Of course, we use 2 man sets on every job. Maybe that is what made it easier?

We used the "tape" trick Mark1 mentioned to apply the silicone from the outside, ALWAYS put the tape on the smaller or more pinched gap and shoot silicone into the larger gap(usually the outside). This way the tape forces the silicone back out at you filling the larger gap. Use a razorblade to get your smooth surface on the outside, or a plastic razorblade or flat paddle edge like we prefer.

Learned this from a residential guy. I don't use tape and it comes out as close to factory as you can. Run silicone down the middle of the joint. Spray with water bottle. Smooth the silicone from the outside and razor blade any excess. Repeat on the inside. The silicone doesn't stick to the wet surface.

Mark, On the 324D they changed the frame and use shocks instead of the cables like on the 330C models. The windshield has 4 plastic moldings on the outside which are held in with philips screws. Those are not a problem but they suck the windshield down so close to the frame that you can't hardly get your express blade between the glass and metal in places. It's hell to cut out. Then you have to remove the shocks and one of the rails to lay the frame back so you can install the glass. I tried to avoid having to lay the glass back but couldn't make it work. Cutting the glass out and reinstalling the shocks are a royal pain. There is also a weatherstrip across the top of the windshield you will need to R&I. It's held on with double sided tape.

Thanks for the info LW.

Had a Cat 330C last week that had the same windshield as the 324 D. Serial # started with a C. I didn't have to replace the windshield on this one. The urethane on the polycarbon left quarter glass failed. After closer review every polycarbon window on that machine and every other machine I checked out at the dealership with the same design has been manufactured with the rough groove that assists the urethanes adhesion on the outside of the glass. Every polycarbon window on these machines are gonna continue to fall out.