Review: NorAm 65E grader

By: The Ed

Date: 01.09.2014

A size comparison. NorAm 65E grader

The NorAm 65E is powered by a 82kW Cummins engine. NorAm 65E grader

The pedals would be more user-friendly with a slight design change. NorAm 65E grader

Four-wheel wet disc system provides the braking. NorAm 65E grader

Sam Rihari. NorAm 65E grader

Over 17,000 of these graders have been sold. NorAm 65E grader

A size comparison.

The NorAm 65E is powered by a 82kW Cummins engine.

The pedals would be more user-friendly with a slight design change.

Four-wheel wet disc system provides the braking.

Sam Rihari.

Over 17,000 of these graders have been sold.

It's unusual to find something actually built in the USA these days, but equipment dealer Global Tractors has found NorAm graders. The Ed had to take a look.

NorAm can trace its family lineage back to the Fiat-Allis grader range. My understanding is that the business was set up in the early 1990s by two former senior managers of Fiat-Allis, North America, to market the Fiat-Allis 65B compact motor grader throughout the USA, under the rebranded name of NorAm (North America).

In 2004, the manufacturing rights were purchased by NorAm's manufacturing partner and the NorAm 65E grader morphed into existence. The new model featured increased horsepower and ZF transmission with electronic shift control, along with other improvements, all aimed at enhancing production and maximising resale value.

It appears NorAm found a nice little niche in the market and has now surpassed 17,000 graders sold to date.

The machine

In the case of compact motor graders, the challenge for the manufacturer is finding the right balance between features customers expect on large graders while maintaining a compact, cost-effective design.

From what I see, therein lies the NorAm 65E's strength and the foundation for its success as a compact grader of choice in the North American market over many years.

Tipping the scales at 8250kg, the NorAm 65E can probably be best described as a multi-purpose grader, primarily suited to small to medium jobs. But that's not to say the machine can't tackle something bigger if the situation arises.

With an overall length of 6569mm, the grader's compact size and weight should allow it to be moved on most company-owned transporters, negating the need for a specialist transportation company. This should enable greater job flexibility.

Actually, a walk-around of the NorAm 65E reveals the results of the robust original design that must get continually tweaked to keep it up to date with the changing face of construction equipment technology.

Nor Am _65E_1

Wear and tear has been heavily factored in with components, such as control linkages being manufactured with replaceable bushes, and shim plates fitted to the mouldboard (blade). Expensive repairs can be minimised with regular maintenance of these cheap replacement parts.

Our test machine was powered by a turbocharged Cummins QSB4.5 Tier 3, four-cylinder diesel engine that outputs 82kW(110hp)@2200rpm. I believe the Caterpillar C4.4 Tier 3 engine can also be specified as an alternative powerplant.

The powershift transmission features electronic shift control and its six-speed gearing allows a top travel speed of 38.4kph. An LCD 'message centre' lets the operator know what gear has been selected, and a gauge keeps tabs on the transmission temperature.

Stopping power is provided by the four-wheel wet disc system and these self-adjust. The park brake is mechanical.

The 1339mm-diameter, gear-driven circle is supported by an 'A' frame that allows 360-degree rotation. This section of the NorAm 65E is where it steps beyond some of its other competitors, by enabling placement of the mouldboard in multiple positions, including giving it the ability to cut a batter alongside the machine and something that, up until now, has been reserved for the more expensive grader brands.

With a width of 3050mm, the cutting edges of the mouldboard are replaceable, the end bits are interchangeable, and it has adjustable mouldboard wear strips.

In operation

Luckily for me, our test area was tucked out of harm's way in one of the many new subdivisions under construction in Christchurch.

Now, I am far from a competent grader operator, so I kept to a few basic movements to get a feel for placement of the controls and to see if the blade could be clearly seen from inside the cab.

The decent-sized workpad allowed some good passes to be made and gave the opportunity to windrow material, while also trying out the articulation of the NorAm 65E. Using this feature when executing turns cuts the turning circle of the machine down to what seemed only a few feet.

Nor Am _65E_4

When working in grading mode, and by using combinations of the machine's different features, it became obvious that versatility is what this machine brings to a job site. The optional dozer blade fitted to the test machine makes it ideal for car park construction work and gives the machine the ability to grade close alongside manholes and into other tight spots.

I did find it difficult to see the cutting edge at times, but I put this mainly down to limited operating skills and my inability to 'feel' what the mouldboard was doing as it cut a path through the gravel.

Deciding to get the opinion of a more experienced operator, I located Sam Rihari. Having spent some time behind the wheel of the NorAm 65E, like me, Rihari found the machine operated well and had an excellent amount of power available.

There was, however, one redesign that Rihari would require to be done if he was to operate the grader on a full-time basis: the brake pedals. In their current configuration the operator needs to hold their foot off the pedal, often for extended periods of time. If these were changed so the operator's heel could rest on the floor, then this would reduce fatigue and provide better balance for a standing operator.

The verdict

The NorAm 65E is a quality machine. It performs very well, and it seems the grading tasks it can carry out are only limited by the ability of the operator. With the machine's configuration and its ability to work fairly comfortably in tight situations, I would say the NorAm 65E would be suited for both urban and rural job sites.

The operator is not forgotten either. A large sound suppressed ROPS-certified cabin with air conditioning, air suspension seat, full lighting package, and roading mirrors is standard for the New Zealand market.