any here ever been clearing, and got grounded on a rock, right on the belly pan area.? made me feel like such an idiot....i got unstuck, but can anyone list any thing i might look at for damage. rock was just large enough to be between tracks and small enough not to clear, etc.:Banghead thanks.
First of all, check the condition of the belly pans. They are pretty tough but can be bent and damaged. If the belly pan is damaged/dented, I would drop the pan and check the components. You don't want a bent pan rubbing against any of the guts of the dozer on the bottom side. If you look under and see any fluids leaking out......... Was there any damage to the final drives and/or undercarriage? And yes, I have had it happen to me before.:cool2
Keeping in mind that if it's bent, you might have a helluva time getting it back on...:cool2
Oh yeah, when clearing you hang up on rocks and stumps. I remember one time a kid working for us, ran a D8 on to a loose stump in the yard near the chipper, he kept going around in circles. He came and got me to help him out. I was off the stump in about 30 seconds or less, ya just gota know all the tricks and it took years to get to know them. The hard one is a planted stump in a swamp. Yeah fun stuff, I miss it.
Like 1995 said. Be sure to check components that are close to the belly pan for damage including cracked housings. The pan may also be, as digger mentions, bent enough to be difficult to reinstall. Can't imagine where you found a rock in WV. Good Luck!
Not with a dozer, but yea I have found myself high center a time or two or three. Thats why they make belly pans. First thing I always find myself doing is looking around to make sure no one saw
I did the same as the only way i could go was left and right, until i realized i couldn't move forward due to nothing in front of me or behind me....little green I guess. After going left and right i had moved the dirt from around rock and realized i had something similar to a castle mote dug. I had enough ground under blade that i lifted the front and fount some locust post and larger rock and kinda used it as a ramp after lowering the blade back down as for taking pan off, I'm almost afraid to, due to the difficulty of getting it back on....I don't see no fluids yet. i've run it about an hour after with no major things noted. what is located under the pan of a D5G, final drive, etc.? what kind of things would i notice other than fluids? Thanks for all the great info, i feel much better knowing there are many more here that have done something similar.
Quick question how close really is stuff to the belly pan on a dzer? I mean there really should be some leway there I would think.
There is usually a good bit of clearance betrixt belly pan and transmission or torque convertor, however, in some cases the space gets filled up with dirt, mud and other debris. Then your clearance is gone and a bump in the belly can cause some harm. Good first clue to damage likely to be fluid running out, however, I've seen cases where fluid leakage was delayed because of dirt and mud buildup. Damage may also take a while to manifest itself. Good idea to check more closely in any case. That will ease any doubt in your mind.
You would think I would think of mud and dirt. Heck I have pulled enough of it out of forestry equipment. I blame it on.... Oh heck I have nothing to blame it on. ointhead
haha dont feel like an idiot, my new guy got grounded on a soft dirt windrow.....
I've been working on the steering clutches and bevel gear bearings on my D6c....when I cleaned out the bottom of the clutch case I found that someone before me must have been high centered on rocks more than a few times. The bottom of the case has been heated on both sides and had dents pounded back out. It must have been dented up enough to interfere with the steering clutch brake band or brake drum.
The D-5G is going to be pretty forgiving on something like that. Because it is hydrostatic, there is more clearance than some machines from the belly pans to any components. Also, the light weight makes it harder to hurt than saya D-8. On the bigger tractors, I have seen broken torque housings to be the most common result of high centering.