Appreciate all of the help I've had from the members on here so far. Got a few more pics and a video of the undercarriage of a D6C 10K I'm considering buying. My uncle and his friend (55 yo dozer operator) are going to look it over for me tomorrow. If everything seems to check out, I'll probably pay a cat tech to do a deeper dive. Was wondering if I could get some feedback on this video and the few pics I have of the undercarriage. I realize this can be the most costly thing to repair/replace and then probably the final drive. Main purpose of dozer will be to clear trees on farm (till I secure an excavator/then support it) dig pond/ponds, and final grade/root rake (once I fab one up) cleared areas for pasture. Might even build a motocross track or two for some buddies of mine. Any feedback on the included pics and video link would be greatly appreciated. Justin
That undercarriage is on its last legs, the roller flanges are hitting the pin bosses. If you buy that tractor, you'd better factor in a full undercarriage overhaul in the very near future.
The pads are worn down quite a bit too.
It looks like the chains have had a pin and bush turn or new ones put in . It appears still to be within pitch . There will be a measurement to check that taken between either 3 or five pins . If you have the time the rails can be built up with weld if money is tight .
It is ready for the Pakastani undercarriage rebuilders inc.
I don't think it would be very economical to build the rails up with weld. Back in the 60's and into the 70's they made machines for automatic build up of rails. It can be done manually but you need to use build up rod or wire. You can't use standard filler metal like 7018 because it will mushroom in short order and wear very quickly. I think it would be cost prohibitive once you had to buy the build up rod. You'd also need to make some copper "molds" to fit around the rails prior to welding. The machines for doing it also had the rails lying in a tray of water to prevent over heating them. They would also work on 4 rails at a time to limit heat input. With Korean and other overseas undercarriage it's no longer economical to even build up idlers unless they are D8 and up and that's not common anymore either. It used to be very common.
I already planned on wilding in new grouser bars. That shouldn't be a big deal.
Those guys are awesome. Lol!!!!!
Would you happen to know what the wire/rod spec would be? Flame spray would be another thing to think about with the right alloy and a positioner to control the rotational speed.
I think the amount of build up and the square inches of weld would not be cost effective to flame spray. The rod is actually called build up. Stoody has it (Build up LH) but so does Lincoln (Wearshield NH) and there are several other brands as well. The 2nd link has a good comparison chart. What's interesting is the front page of the Lincoln comparison chart shows a bucket without any hardfacing at all. Seems backwards to me. ESAB 11412900 Stoody Build-Up LH-Coated | thr11412900 ESAB 11412900 Stoody Build-Up LH-Coated Build-up of carbon steel - A solid core electrode with a special low hydrogen coating to provide a high strength fusion bond on carbon and low alloy steels., As a base alloy for hardsurfacing overlays or for restoring parts to original dimensions, : Shop... ohcanadasupply.ca https://greenwoodvalve.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Lincoln-Hardfacing-Comparison-Chart.pdf
The base of the shoes in your photos/video are worn so thin that attempting to re-grouser them would be throwing good money after bad. New shoes required. Sorry if that does not fit with your plan but it's a cost you need to budget for. What that tractor needs is the Full Monty. New track assemblies, sprocket segments, track rollers, carrier rollers and idlers. Might as well pull the tensioners apart and rebuild them while you're at it. Also most likely it will need new wear strips on the front end of the track frame where the idler supports move back & forth with the recoil mechanism.
This is all good info. I plan on measuring everything and comparing to the spec when I go check it out in person. Was hoping to get a cat tech out there, but he hasn't gotten back with my uncle.
Someone explain to me how welding grouser bars to old pads is cost effective versus an aftermarket pad replacement. I just don't see it being worth the time involved.
I'm going to take all of this info and reach out to CAT and the aftermarket undercarriage outfit here in Ruchmond and see what they quote me. Really appreciate the info. BTW, found this for $1900 real close to the house. Wondering if they might be worth considering especially if I can make them a cheaper offer.
I plan on getting quotes from both the local Cat dealer and the aftermarket undercarriage dealer that was recommended to me. Will post up what they come back with.
I've seen it work on some particular applications where grouser wear was SEVERE. On one job we could take new Super Extreme Service shoes down to the wear limit in 6-800 operating hours. In that case re-grousering was a feasible option. We used Dura Tuff grouser bar which is the only brand I would even consider based on experience. For us it was all industrialized with spare complete sets of tracks (unwrap one set, wrap a replacement set) and the grousers were welded with an automatic wire feed welder with the shoes mounted 5 at a time on a jig. The whole thing was contracted out to a local welding company.
Hard to tell from the photos but they don't look all that much different condition-wise to the ones that are on the tractor right now.
Hope you realize you're looking at $10K+ for new undercarriage.
Per side
This makes more sense. I'm talking about someone like me with a stick welder. The bars have to be fitted which requires cutting and grinding, the cost of the bar.....then the time to run 7018 or so down the length of each side. At my rate considering an hour a pad including supplies I'd be looking at $200.00 + per pad if I do it right. I can cut off the pad bolts in 1 minute and throw an aftermarket pad on there with new bolts, torque them down and be done. Could do 10+ in that same hour and an after market pad is $100 or so in addition. I just can't see the math adding up here unless it was an automated set-up as you speak of..........yet I see grouser bars for sale everywhere. Just makes NO sense to me.
Asked my son in law about regrousering track pads and he too says it's not cost effective any longer. Same thing with welding up chains unless replacements are unavailable. They never work with old machines that much however where much of this would be a player.
If you have a big ol' Lincoln bullet welder and an LN wire feeder, and you don't value your time too highly, it can be an alternative to buying new shoes. I've done it in the past, you need to be organised with a couple of big "V" shaped, profile-cut sections of plate, that you slip over the grouser bar and the worn grouser (inverted) to hold the bar in place precisely. This saves a lot of jiggling and wriggling trying to get the bar aligned vertically in line with the worn section of grouser. A couple of tacks each end with 7018, then a couple of runs with the Lincoln Innershield NR-232, and you're done! It also helps to have a chair, and a low rotating bench to mount several shoes on, so you can do several in a sitting.
I have regrousered several tractors in my days. I am sure it didn't take an hour per pad. I jacked up the side I was working on. I think I welded 3 on the back 3 on the front so I could weld in flat position. Rotate with a bar. I had no fancy positioning fixture, all by eye and freehand. Trimmed ends at slight angle with a torch. I started the job with an old Hobart with a 6 cyl Chrisler engine, after the first side the armature smoked running 5/32 7018. My old 180 buzzbox would not run 7018 so I did the other side with 5/32 6013. This was over 20 years ago. I have had no problems with the job. I used good beveled steel, I think it may have been Chinese. I let Pete Smith sell me extra tall ones, it sure tears up the ground.
Then visit the Chiropractor.
For an owner/operator whose time is his own then it could possibly work. FYI Dura Tuff also sell curved grouser bar that will fit straight on to worn-down shoes without needing to spend time "fitting".
The cost of rebuilding the plates won't be much more expensive than the time and the cost of removing and replacing the bolts , far cheaper than replacing the plates . As for the rails a general purpose rod will be enough for this machine . Far cheaper than the purchase of new track gear . And if the bottom rollers flanges are too high due to wear of the running surface , well fix that with a grinder .
Anyone have a link to the undercarriage dimension specs? Hoping to go up there next week and measure everything. Hopefully that will be a good bargaining tool when I go to negotiate price.
I'll send you something. Keep an eye on your messages.
Thank you sir! Will do.
Definitely intrigued buy the idea of building up the rails. Do you or anyone else have pictures/videos of this being done? Would definitely be a way to get a lot of hood time running a lot of stringers. Lol!
You have to take the blinders off, there are other machines out there. That undercarriage is beyond repair. Building up the rails with the proper rod wouldn't be cost effective or worthwhile. Price some of the build up rod to get an idea and figure you'd need several boxes. You could try googling rail build up or undercarriage build up.
I don't have blinders on, just using this basket case as a way to learn what to look for. I've already learned loads just from creating this thread. I've been looking using both google image/video search, but no pics/videos yet. Plenty of threads though. Maybe your Google Foo is way stronger than mine. I was half joking about doing the build up, but definitely intrigued as I like learning more about welding. I'm located in central VA. If you happen to have the 411 on something decent, don't hesitate to send it my way. Justin
Rail rebuilding was common here in the old days when undercarriage was very expensive, and track shops used automated continuous weld machines. But in the intervening decades, labour costs went ballistic, undercarriage prices came down due to aftermarket competition - and track shops closed down left, right and centre. The other big factor is that no welded-up undercarriage component provides the same lifespan as new components - because no matter how good your welding wire or electrode is, no weld material can match new factory components, for hardness and toughness and lifespan.
You will spend more money on undercarriage than the machine is worth. Look for a machine in your price point with decent undercarriage. The cost of major repairs on old machines is usually far more than they are worth.
I found a reference to an old Cat manual for undercarriage rebuilding that someone posted on the Redpower site.
That's po'-boy repairs, right there. Makes the Pakistani repairers look like Kings.
Used to do quite a bit of that type work before going into the navy back in 1984. Not so much for dozers but crawler cranes my uncle was always working with/on. Insley, Link-Belt, Manitowoc, etc. I never seen the machines but would weld up the u/c parts and he'd jig up to remachine everything in the evening hours. His day job was less challenging. He ran a jig boring machine at Caterpillar in Decatur, IL boring and tapping holes in flywheel housings for a lot of years. If you've ever ran a bolt through a hole threading into a 3406 engine flywheel housing, there is a good chance he machined that hole.
Good stuff. Sounds like an excellent use for my K&T 3K horizontal mill and Lodge and Shipley Powerturn.
Lodge & Shipley, originators of the terms "Loose & Sloppy" in the machine shop world. Fine machines but many I've seen would not hold tolerance up by the chuck being from production shops and farmed down to job shops in later life. Kearny and Trekker manufactured some of the finest milling machines there were. You have a #40, or #50 spindle taper? #3's were available either way. Overarm, arbors, dividing head? If so almost anything can be manufactured that needs slabbed off, machined to size, etc. Heavy built machines for sure. I helped the local sawmill manufacturing place install digital readouts onto their #3 at the time and it revealed just how worn that machine was. Replaced not too long afterward. Originally a Caterpillar machine from E. Peoria production back in the day.
Good stuff! My L&S is a 1610 short bed. Was off of a navy ship. I've been plenty happy with the tolerances it can keep up by the head. It was refirbed in 89, I think? My 3K has vertical head, both arbor supports and dividing head. 50 taper tooling on both the main spindle and vertical head spindle. It's pretty worn out as it was a WW2 machine and then at a Ford plant. Still great for hogging though.
1693TA, here is my Powerturn when I first got her to my lab. I've since moved her to the home shop. Will try and get some pictures of the 3K. It think she weighs around 8500 with the vertical head.
That's a good heavy machine. I had a Springfield 18X60 with 3, and 4 jaw "Cushman" chucks and L1 spindle nose. Only used the bar type taper attachment once but it worked well. #6MT in the spindle nose and #5MT in the tail stock. Good heavy machine w/10hp main drive motor. I built a rotophaser to run it as don't have three phase juice available and didn't have a genset then. That machine came out of the tool room at a locomotive repair facility local here. Only drawback was the 1.50" spindle hole wasn't big enough. Damned heavy and dead accurate. Only milling machine I've owned with a vertical Index and after I reground the ways was also very accurate. You should consider doing that to the K&T if you can remove the slide bed and jig up to regrind, then hand scrape the ways. Indicating at each end for proper elevation and using a small tool post grinder operating down a set of linear rails is what I did. Problem is around here is, (or was) so many retired former Caterpillar machinists who retired as quickly as possible after the 1981 strike. Thi drove the prices down too far so I didn't keep the small shop I'd set up as not enough money in it. Don't know if I've ever seen a vertical head on a K&T. I have on the Cincinnati machines and they are large requiring a hoist to mount.
Awesome! My L&S technically is a 18" swing machine too. I wish I had a taper attachment and both steady and follow rest for mine. The through hole on this lathe is a touch over 2" and it has a 20 hp motor. 2000 rpm spindle speed too. I've only had the balls to run it around 1200 with the 12" 4 jaw though. Lol I'll try and dig up some videos of me turning with it. I would love to restore the K&T as they were amazing machines and definitely helped build our great country and were also found on naval ships just like the L&S Powerturns and earlier model X. My dream is to retire when I'm 50 and focus on restoring old farm related equipment and just help my buddies with their car projects. I'll try and dig up some pics of the vertical head mounted too.
1693TA, 930 rpm at 5.9 tpr and .100 doc This is 316ss and was just messing around here. No coolant or cutting fluid. Was just getting to the point were the feed rate was spot on to get discrete chips.
K&T used to have largest factory in the world just for manufacturing milling machines. They made a special mill that I think was the largest ever made for Avro Canada. It was built to Avro specs. and used to machine the inner wings of the Avro Arrow in 1 piece. Avro got some kind of special deal on it as well that was a fraction of what it was actually worth. I'll see if I can find some specs. but it was huge! I don't know if it was ordered destroyed with the cancelation of the arrow or it survived. All the tooling, jigs, blueprints and anything else related to the Arrow was supposed to be destroyed. Thankfully some of the employee's snuck a lot of blueprints and technical papers out of the plant. I found some declassified info that provides all the details of the 200 ton milling machine and there is a kind of poor black and white pic. of it. 2nd link has a short video showing it in use and also of the 15,000 ton rubber pad forming press. The German company that built the press is the same company (Siempelkamp) that made all the parts for $100,000,000 rebuild of the Mesta 50,000 ton press at Alcoa. I saw some old advertising from them that highlighted the press built for Avro Canada. The last link has a pic. of the press on pg.42/43 https://nrc-digital-repository.canada.ca/fra/voir/td/?id=b6e040e1-e5c9-4864-a147-c79fb2d27f72 Canada’s Jet-Age Dream: The Avro Arrow - Google Arts & Culture Google Arts & Culture features content from over 2000 leading museums and archives who have partnered with the Google Cultural Institute to bring the world's treasures online. artsandculture.google.com https://www.siempelkamp.com/fileadmin/user_upload/Bulletin_ENG/Bulletin_2009_01.pdf
Everything (I think) minus shoes. Forgot to mention that. Probably figure $100 a shoe, but I would probably just run these till they are completely done. Someone definitely called it though. Around 10k per side definitely with shoes.
I would bet you can find cheaper than Berco.
ITR seems to beat Berco, at least the parts I've purchased for my smaller JD450's
Owner measured both the left and right side chain height today. Looks to be approx 4.25" both sides. New chains should be 4.50" height. Allowable wear is .300" so these come out to be around 83% worn. Not sure what the remaining. 050" equates to in hours for average use. Hoping thr CAT guy calls me tomorrow.
The pins and especially the bushing wear is more to be concerned about than the rail height. The rails may technically have a little life left but it means nothing if the bushings are 100%+ worn out. It wouldn't be worth replacing the pins and bushings.
Aside from the undercarriage, it looks pretty clean. The swing frames don't appear to have been broken and welded.
Based on the video he took, the bushings seamed to look decent. I'm far from an expert though.
I assume if the pitch is pretty close to spec, then the pins/bushings (internally) are good to go. Did these old dozers come with SALT chains or were they dry? I'm going to assume they were dry.
It might depend on if they've been replaced before. I believe salt chain has dimples/plugs on all the pins where grease was injected. Dry chain will be flat except for the master pin.
Original D6C undercarriage was dry chains, but I don't think too many of the D6C's left running would now have original undercarriage. SALT track chains became available about 1973, but many owners didn't fit them until many years later.
If the pins and bushings and everything else seem to check out and have some decent amount of life left in them, what would you guys be willing to pay for something like this?
All this and now you're asking what it's worth? How about what is the seller asking? It's much easier to say yeh or nay if we knew the asking price.
The average dry track chain life on a D6C is around 2,500 to 3000 hrs. I used to turn pins and bushings on my D6C's at around 2500 hrs, run some (automated) weld buildup on the rails, then they would go to about 4,500 to 5000 hrs before they were scrap. If the rails only have 17% life left in them, then there's probably only 400-500 hrs left in the undercarriage before it needs full replacement. As undercarriage condition is the primary factor in tractor value, then the value of this tractor is on the lower rungs of D6C sales values. I had a quick search and I find asking prices for used D6Cs ranging from $25K to $40K. To find the selling prices of many D6C's that sold at auction generally requires registering and logging in to sites, which I'm not prepared to do. But I found a few auction sale prices that ranged from $15K upwards. I'd estimate this tractor is probably worth around $15K because the undercarriage is very well worn, paint is poor, and it probably needs a few dollars spent on items that we can't see, because the information provided is limited. Overall though, it's not a bad tractor, it basically appears in average condition for its age, and the D6C is a very popular tractor, a good size for many owners, and they're one of the best balanced and most reliable Cats ever produced.
Here's the deal, he was asking 25k and after educating him on the undercarriage some he offered to move it to my place for 22k (that includes his 2k cost for transport). It's currently located 6.5 hours away in WV and I'm in in Central VA. Quote I got for transport from my wifes guy was 4k. I feel like I can probably get it for 20 to my front door without too much effort. Anything close to me that I've seen doesn't have a cab or winch which is nice especially the winch. I plan on harvesting a fair amount of bigger hard wood timber. If anyone has 411 on anything close enough to me that is a better deal, I would really appreciate it. Also, the guy has been really accommodating with all of my requests. Really a true pleasure to work with. Justin
Here's one for comparison. Undercarriage looks nice to me, but unfortunately it's an lgp and that will hurt pushing performance especially on my hard ground. Says he can ship for $2 a mile which would put it around $2k to ship to my place. Pardon Our Interruption
That's a fairly good comparison and I imagine the seller would come down a couple thousand to get a sale but LGP is only desirable if working in soft or muddy ground. If you have hard ground and will rarely work in soft material, standard undercarriage is much better and it lasts a lot longer. The wider the pads the faster the wear.
Did you actually call and talk to him or just going off the add? Reason I ask is because I have tried to call him a few times and the phone number was no good. That was prob a year ago so it may be different now.
Here's where that add lead me....
I haven't. Am at work and was just browsing while waiting for.my rig to warm up. Tha ks for the heads up though.
Interesting. I made sure I copied the link and pasted it back into my browser to make sure it worked. Try this one. Pardon Our Interruption
Both dozers are very expensive , if the prices were quoted in NZ dollars @ 60 cents US they would be about what they would bring here . They are no spring chickens
I made to there, I meant the link to his website in the listing.
I guess it all boils down to how much they are asking for it. The engine sounds good. That engine, the 3306 was one of the best CAT ever made.Someone put a cylinder head on it,thats good.That picture of the left sproket and master-link,looks a little sketchy. It looks like the sproket segments were working loose. Sometimes the holes in the sproket hub can get wallowed out,not good.The master link is also loose,it may have bolts broken off,which will have to be repaired.I didnt see what brand winch it has, but it has one , thats a plus. Before you buy it, do this test: remove the radiator cap,make sure you can see coolant, run the engine untill it is warmed up,clear everybody away for safety,put the transmission in 3rd forward stand on the brakes,and pull the throttle wide open,look in the top of the radiator,you should NOT see bubbles. If you do it may need a head gsk. . If you can afford to do the undercarriage,it looks like a nice machine.
Appreciate the feedback. I'll have to go back and look at the master link again. I really like the idea of having a cab and the winch. Have some bigger oak I would love to harvest and this would come in handy. I love old iron, specifically tractors and really don't mind putting some money into this and using it for other land development projects I will potentially have in the future. I'm gonna try and get another quote on undercarriage parts from the place my buddy is using. Will report back in the thread what I find out.
Try Trek for undercarriage.
Will do! Thank you sir.
Winch....Carco 250ps?
Got another full undercarriage quote from J&D in Georgia. $16,300 freight included. 4k hour/three year warranty. SALT chains. Freight is free as long as I purchase $5k, so I can start buying stuff now and have everything ready when it's needed hopefully.
If you would be doing all the work you have to consider it's a big job and you're going to run into problems like broken bolts. The track frames need to come off and be flipped upside down. Trying to change rollers with the track frames on the machine would be an exercise in frustration. $36K+ is getting pretty high for a D6C. What brand is the latest quote?
Caterpillar Bulldozer D6C Aftermarket Parts Online - Caterpillar D6 Dozer Parts for Sale - Tracks N Teeth Choose from the largest range of undercarriage parts available on the market today, including parts for Caterpillar Bulldozers. www.tracksnteeth.com
Not sure of the brand. Will try and find out and get back to you. Still having trouble getting a hold of the Cat undercarriage guy, but hope to nail that down on Monday. If I end up eventually putting that kind of money into the UC, then I'll probably keep it for a long time. We plan on selling this place once the girls have moved out and on their own and buying a place in the western part of the state. Would definitely come in handy developing whatever it is that we end up buying.
One observation my uncles friend made was that he couldn't get it to go into 3rd. The seller told me it was used in a logging operation and probably had 3rd locked out. Was this a common practice maybe to keep the transmission from overheating?
Third gear was sometimes locked out to prevent undercarriage wear. Running a dozer at high speeds wears out undercarriage quickly.
That definitely makes sense too. I know I definitely wouldn't need here at my place.
It's not a bad thing if 3rd gear is locked out. You'd want to make sure it that's the reason it doesn't work though and it's not damaged.
What do you guys think about Truck or Track fro undercarriage parts?
What brand do they carry and what is their price? Can you post a link to their website
Truck or Track sell ITR undercarriage and their prices seem very reasonable. TruckOrTrack.com truckortrack.com
That's what I noticed. I'm gonna see how they compare on full UC.
ITR
They look like a pretty reputable company and list the prices online so there's no surprises. Would still be good to get a price on Trek undercarriage to compare. I think Trek might be a little cheaper but might not be quite as good. Cost per hour may be almost the same so you'd have to decide if paying a little less and it not lasting quite as long is a better option or if paying a little more and getting a little longer life is better. It's also possible if you're on a really tight budget to do a little mix and match. Maybe one brand will have rollers or pads for 20% less or even the hardware like track bolts. If you're getting new pads it's well worth it to pay to have them installed on a track press. Bolts torqued the proper way is extremely important and time consuming to do yourself.
Double flange or single flange rollers? What are th3 advantages/disadvantages. Seems like a single flange near the idler would allow a little more movement for misalignment due to wear in the idler rail.
You need to see how the rollers came from the factory and replace them the same way. It will be a mix of single and double flange.
Nearly all Cat tracked machines use a lower track roller layout that goes S-D-S-D-S-D, with a single flange roller starting from the rear, in alternating positions. The rearmost track roller always a single flange roller - because if a double flange roller is fitted in this position, the inner flanges of the double flange roller will be hit by the sprocket teeth.
And that's why I ask these questions. Man have I gone up one hell of a learning curve. Thank you sir.
Picked these up so I can do my own measurements on equipment.
Now you need an inside micrometer set to space the divider points to the dimension you wish to measure.
I have a fair amount of measurement tools. Been doing machining stuff for some years now.
A lot of guys guess where someone with machining experience likes to be a bit more precise; even if general in nature. I kind of fit the latter description.
Cat will come out and measure if they think you're buying new undercarriage from them. There was a website that had great detail on how to measure undercarriage. It was for IH undercarriage but it would apply to any brand.
I've been trying to get in touch with the Cat guy. Everytime I call, he's not there. Hopefully I'll get lucky tomorrow.
If you know anyone that deals much with CAT equipment in your area, contact them and ask for the undercarriage reps cell# If you call that # the area rep WILL call you back if they don't answer when you make the call, just leave a call back message.
I would do that if the dozer was close to me, but it's 6.5 hours away and will need to use the dealer where it's located, I guess.
I see, I didn't realize that. If you could get the rep/salesman in your area he could/would most likely get you in touch with the Rep/salesman in the area you are expecting to work with.
Where is it located?
Parkersburg, WV
How close to Parkersburg actually? Did some aviation navigation work in that area and will see if anyone is still around I know. If so they would look that machine over.
Maybe 15 to 20 miles southeast of Parkersburg. On 47. That would be awesome and much appreciated.
I did some flush mount lighting installs at the little airfield shown in the link. Grass strip actually. Don't think anyone there would remember me but did some marker work right on the Ohio River in the area but that has been many years past. https://www.google.com/maps/place/H...1158554!4d-81.393867!16s/g/1thf97jb?entry=ttu
I guess I'm not up to speed here? Are looking to buy undercarriage parts for this dozer because you now own it? Or are you looking for someone to evaluate a possible purchase? and want to know to what extent it needs undercarriage parts? If you are looking for an appraisal to buy that would be a harder sell for a CAT rep, you may need to find an actual heavy equipment appraiser. If you now own the machine CAT reps should be tripping over each other to sell you an undercarriage.
Looking to buy. Was willing to pay the CAT rep to do the evaluation if it isn't too expensive, but I have yet to get the guy on the phone. Maybe today.
Nice! Both of my uncles have their licenses and used to own a plane together years ago. I'm sure they are very familiar with that air strip. I'm originally from Vienna and may have been there when i was younger. Both of my uncles retired from Dupont.
Nobody around that area I know any longer; even the two younger guys departed. Sorry.
No worries! I appreciate you making the effort. Planning on going up next Thursday to check everything out in person and try and get some measurements on everything and then either make an offer or pass.
Interesting. Need to reach out and see if they would be compatible.
They don't look "new" to me. Photo isn't real good, but they appear to have done several hundred hours at least. My first question would be - "Why were they taken off?" Leaking? - or bushings collapsing? - and not performing as expected?
Maybe the machine was beyond repair so they took the rollers off but in addition to seeing if they will fit your machine, they need to be measured. Also there isn't a full set for both sides so how do you use them? The used rollers on 1 side and then new on the other??
Probably. I would definitely need to see how close they are to new spec though before I laid down coin on them.
Went and looked at dozer. Was a little difficult to operate with a decel peddle that was not functioning. So glad I made the trip as I realized I really don't like opertaing qith an enclosed cab. It really hurt visability of the blade positioning when looking forward due to a large blind spot on both sides. Also, it was like sitting in an aluminum can with all of the drone. I can imagine it would get pretty hot in there during our hot summer days in VA. I found the open cab D6 I operated a couple of months ago to be much more enjoyable and significantly better visability. Not to mention, I will be operating this in the woods some and I would much rather having some sort of removable cab protection grills. Add to the fact that the undercarriage was on it's last leg, I've decided to keep looking. Happens to find a D7F military machine with what looks to be 80% undercarriage and a swapped in 3306DI. Just need to verify if it's got the upgraded D6C transmission. Anyway, I will start a new thread with pictures/info of the D7F. Thanks to everyone that helped me along the way.
If it’s ex-military it will be a 61G tractor, the equivalent of an early 94N tractor with Serial Number below 5191. Highly unlikely that it will have the later style transmission. Don’t let that put you off for the use to which you want to put the tractor.
Thanks for the update. Always worth the trip for an eyes on evaluation prior to laying down the funds.
I was hoping they maybe they swapped in the later transmission when they swapped in the DI 3306. What's the easiest way to verify the transmission?
Absolutely! So glad i did. Got to spend some quality time with my uncle and cousin as an added bonus, but unfortunately had to cut the trip short due to the storm that was rolling in Saturday morning.
Not possible because the later “D6C style” transmission won’t fit in the early D7F chassis. The transmission mounts/installation points in the chassis are completely different from machine 94N5192 when the newer transmission was introduced.
I appreciate the info! I guess I'll keep looking then.
Don’t let the fact that a particular D7F doesn’t have the latest bells & whistles put you off. Even the early ones weren’t bad tractors, just that the later ones were a bit better - but remember that was in a contractor production environment working Lord knows how many hours/day 6 or 7 days a week. You’re not exactly planning to do that I would imagine….
I think you need to evaluate the overall machine and then look at individual components. On the D7 for example, does the engine swap look professional or a cobbled together mess? How does it run, how does it drive, how does the trans. work, how does it steer and how does it brake etc. Also realize you need to put a chunk of money aside for repairs now and in the future. Any machine costs more to run than just putting fuel in and doing basic maintenance. There will always be unexpected things come up that need to be repaired. Sometimes they can be pretty expensive.
I personally think a D7F or G is a far more useful machine then a D6C or D. They are also much easier to work on. You look at all the spare room around a D7f/G over a D6C/D. Of course if you get it stuck somewhere, they are just that bit harder to recover though. I am just amazed at all the D7F threads on this forum when they built them for a brief period of time, compared to the D7G, but there is nary a D7G thread on here.
Good stuff eflveryone. When I checked out the D6C last Friday, I measured all the undercarriage components I could get to (had rock guards over bottom rollers), checked final drives fluid level and put a magnet down in them and also pulled a sample from both side for analysis after pushing some dirt for an hour. I'll most likely do the same thing with this 7F if I make the trip up there to look at it and the owner is as accommodating. The D7F is a former military machine and I wonder if it went through the complete rebuild process in 96 like so many others did? Looks like if so, it may have also gotten the upgraded transmission based on some older threads I have read. He does have a winch for a d7 that he can sell me too. I'll try and start a separate thread with all of the info/pictures I have of it so far. In the mean time, here is a tag off of the machine. It's a poor image and hope to get a higher quality one maybe today.