Hi guys. I’m working on a D8N 9TC02252. The end bores of the equalizer bar are worn. They’re egg shaped by about 0.350”. The centre bore is fine. I haven’t priced a new or used one yet as I just got it apart. I’m wondering if getting the bores built up and line bored is a good option for this? A few pics of the removal since I always like seeing how others handle things. Thanks
Centre pin was a bit tight and you had no hollow cylinder to pull on it I assume.? If you're looking for options ask if there is a Reman offering available for any of the three Part Numbers in the attachment. E-Bars have been improved since your tractor was built so there are other options out there. See the attachment.
Yikes. Shop too small to get it inside? It's been damn cold this last week.....
Thanks Nige. That attachment was very informative on the updates. The oil filled ends look like a much better setup than the grease. The centre pin was pretty tight. Those are two 30 ton hollow rams and they were nearly maxed out to get it moving. They only have a 1” hole so I put them on ready rod threaded into the pin retainer bolt holes to hold it up. The service book showed the same procedure except they used 2” stroke cylinders. These were a little on the long side and the H bar would contact the torque converter after about 3” of stroke.
Yesterday was about -18C or 0F here. Today it was above freezing here. Was nice except for the melting snow dripping on a guy. Not gonna complain though. I was talking to a friend from southern SK and it was way colder there. Strange. Would have been plenty of space inside but, there’s a sprayer waiting for an injection pump and water pump to come in, a tractor waiting for a water pump, and a trailer getting new wheel bearings and tires. Seems like some relatively common parts are still hard to come by. Plus after hearing about how often those centre pins need lanced out, I’d rather do that outside if the need arose. Got lucky there I guess.
Those bars have been a pain for Cat and the owners.They’ve been redesigned a few times over the years.My D8R was dry with me putting 3 shots of grease into the ends every 3 shifts.Same for the D9T.However my D8T is oil filled and has grease nipples in it.I remove the plugs at service every 250 hours to see the oil is still in there.They are allways wet,but requiring topping up.As they wear out,I assume the oil will dry up and I’ll revert to greasing them until I decide they need replacing.It’s easy for me to do as I’m on top of the maintenance,but many operators won’t bother
I have had a few like that repaired at a machine shop. If you get the right shop it is much cheaper than a reman.
If you go that route then an update of what you have now to the latest design of end pin lubrication would be advisable.
That job looks nice and cold and miserable. I sure don't miss those days. In picture number 2 isn't that the bushing? And worn a small amount into the bar? My old quick fix would be, remove the old bushing, if the bar is worn into a small amount as shown, then weld it some then, die grind it a bit and install the new bushing if its a bit loose tack it. That is how the cheap folks I worked for would want it done. Oh I can also remove D8 track chain pins with a small ball peen hammer.
Check Cat’s reman prices. The reman will come fully assembled with all bearings, seals and fittings installed ready to install on the machine. By the time you pay for all the parts and get it machined, the reman may likely be cheaper. I am a field welder machinist for a Cat dealership and know we can’t compete with reman prices on these if all three bores need machine. You will have to send yours back to get the core charge back.
Does the Reman E-Bar Assembly also come with the three pins.? They used to, at least for the larger tractors.
They come with the end pins, but not sure about the center pin.
Maybe the picture is misleading but the bore is egg shaped by about 0.350”. The snap ring grooves are basically gone for half the bore also. It really wasn’t that bad of a job. I put down plywood for running a creeper on and it was above freezing. Just needed a light pair of insulated coveralls. Otherwise I wouldn’t have had room in my shop till today.
That turned out nice. Looks like you built it up and machined new bores as opposed to putting a sleeve in? The center bore is good yet on this one. I’ll definitely price out a reman. Thanks for the info.
If you go the repair route don't even consider a sleeve, it will make the end eye of the E-Bar too weak and susceptible to fracture at some point down the road. Building up with welding and machining back to size is the way to go.
Well, I ended up going with a new e bar from my local jobber shop. Finning couldn’t give me an ETA so I went that route instead. The install went good. Threw a new set of shoes on while it was in the yard. She’s back out piling trees. Thanks everyone for all the info.