Can anyone advise which parts are interchangeable on a 1967 61H and a 1969 85J? I read that in 1969 the final drive gears changed to course pitched. I am assuming a lot of the other parts would be interchangeable? They both have D330 engines. Is the undercarriage the same?
You will need a SIS parts layout guide for both machines, there is no one going to be able or willing to piece by piece determine what will and will not interchange as both machines can have a wide range of options or build changes. Those the Cat guys will know how to connect to then it is all up to you to do the math.
Just a quick look at 61H, there are two different breakdowns for the final drives depending on S/N range and on the 85J it looks like there could be as many as six versions for that tractor. Going by just a prefix it would be a fools errand to try to say if parts from a generic 61H would fit a 85J or the other way around. Now if the question was will a gear and pinion set out of a 61H1432 fit a 85J6012 tractor that might be an easy one. You might try going to a Chevy dealer and ask what parts off a 1967 C30 truck will fit on a 1969 C30 truck and tell them they both have a 350 V-8. There might not be as many optional parts on a 955 Cat as a Chevy pic-up but that might surprise you too! And I know many people get hung up on saying this Cat machine is a 1987 or a 1989 or what ever, but Cat and most all equipment manufactures don't hold fast to model year descriptions. As an example here are a couple lines out of the 955K parts breakdown: FINAL DRIVE--Upper Half--Part 1 of 2 Serial No. 85J1 to 1008, 1012 to 1057, 1059, 1060, 1062 to 1074 & 85J1076 to 85J1081 inclusive ------------------------------------------------------------- FINAL DRIVE--Upper Half--Part 1 of 2 Serial No. 85J1009 to 1011, 1058, 1061, 1075 and 85J1082 to 85J1108 inclusive Looks like the parts used just in this two jumped back an forth in the same week or two of production!
955Ks...also part from Japan differs from US part, like loader frame
I have a 1969 955K serial number 85J2362 and I'm looking at a 1967 61H546 can't read the plate to see if there is an additional number. It's been painted. My 955 has a good undercarriage but has a blown final seal. It als has a tired engine along with worn out bucket/linkage pins and bushings. I wanted to see if it was worth buying a near same era 955 to use mine for parts. The following pics are of the undercarriage on the 61H. The sprockets look pretty worn. How much would it cost to put on new sprocket segments?
Last fall I purchased a 955K 85j1360. I was thrilled to find it came with three manuals: operators, parts, and service! But the parts book was for 60A and 42D... the operators manual was for 60A, 72A, 77A, and 92A! The service manual is something of a mish-mash and covers, mostly, 61H, 53H, 48H, and 31J!! When I compared the manuals to my machine, there was enough difference that I ordered the proper manuals--and there's two different sets of manuals for the 85J series--can't recall where the cutoff is, but it's a bit above 1360. So--in my opinion, which might not be worth much, you might as well get a JD 555--it might have about as many interchangeable parts as the two cats! Ok, yeah, that's an exaggeration, but like kshansen pointed out--without knowing exactly which parts you want to use, it'll be a shot in the dark. What do you use the 955 for? If it's not seeing heavy use, "worn out and tired" might last years! I'd run through the numbers--depending on usage, it might be more economical to sell yours while it's still working and find something a bit newer that's still usable. Them'r my two pennies.
I have a large chunk of land with a summer home. I use the 955 about 10 hours a week clearing land/trees. I am in the middle of a project right now where my current 955 has developed a bad seal leak. Oil pours out of the bottom of the seal at the sprocket. My independent mechanic said best case scenario is $4500 to fix it the way it sits not knowing if anything has been damaged due to low oil. He suggested getting another same era machine and keep mine for parts or to try and sell it in the condition that it's in. Here are the known problems of my current 955. Tired engine that smokes, bucket with rust holes in both corners, the pins and bushings are very sloppy on the bucket and linkage, has a cracked exhaust manifold, leaking final drive on one side, the other side is over filling. The only really decent part are the tracks. The pads look great, pins aren't worn. I'm trying to work on a budget at the moment.
So buying a second 'Tired' old 955K is going to be better? I have two Allis machines I use one for parts as it was shot to hell and to keep the other one running, in all I have probably spent enough on those two to buy a decent OLD 953 as I should have done in the first place. You need to purchase the parts guides then prioritize to see how much you want to do this work and for how long. Me I retired so am stuck with what I own unless win the Lotto and will be spending good after bad money until sell the old beast off.
At this point, yes. The ones that I am looking to buy are in better shape than the one I currently have. So on an budget, this seems to be the best way. Can any Cat guy give me an idea what it would cost to replace the sprocket segments and what is involved? Also can you give me an idea on what percentage is left on the current sprockets shown in the pics of this thread?
Replacing Segments is remove & replace...labor involved with a helper 3.5hrs or less; helper sits in seat with machine running and moves machine for access to next segment(s) Typical labor rate $85-100per hr plus call out charge, mileage $2per ml or hourly rate port hole to port hole with heavy traffic congestion. Segment-Bolt Nut costs, inquire with Cat dealer or aftermarket source(s). Undercarriage %, requires hands on measurements to determine internal track bushing wear, rail height etc. Using your' photos would be guessing.
Thanks! Is that 3.5 hours per side? Another question is how much time/labor involved to swap tracks from one machine to another?
Yep, 3.5hrs for both sides. If you're going to swap tracks, plan to do that at the same time. A experienced mechanic will check final drive bearing adjustment, idler wear guide's while the tracks are separated-off the machine. Do the tracks have bolt together master links? Or pressured pin master links? Bolt together requires removing 4ea bolts per side...pressed pin requires removal with portable track pin press or heating link with rosebud oxy-ac torch and beating the pin out with 16-20lb double jack (sledge hammer)...2.5-3hrs both sides ea machine. You can save time-labor charges by cleaning off the accumulated dirt-grease with a pressure washer. Remove sheet metal guards and use a small shovel, flattened end pry bar and dig off the packed on dirt...then use a garden hose-pressure washer. Total time depends on; sheet metal guard(s)' bolts broken, striped, guards bent etc...that takes longer to perform the job. I would estimate 10-12hrs total, e.g. longer day with bolt together master links.