Hey fellow equipment lovers, I am going to look at a 1986 D3B on Friday $18,500 ask price) and would appreciate any advice on specific things to look out for / inspect thoroughly. The plan is to use this on my farm to work on my dirt bike track and do maintenance. I am looking for something in fairly decent shape and for context I own / am familiar with equipment just don't have much dozer experience. The grousers look pretty warn but nice tracks seem to cost the big bucks these days. Thanks in advance!
Without having the pin to pin spec of track pin wear, a quick way to tell if your tracks are buggered is If there is a gap in between the shoes. And by the photo there is a big gap. Tracks are heavily worn. Sprocket is starting to under cut the teeth. I would price aftermarket (itc) undercarriage and use that in your price negotiation.
Thanks for the advice, I did some googling and can’t figure out what you mean by (itc). Can you expand?
Haha i mean ITR. Its an aftermarket manufacturer thats probably the best ive found other then genuine.
lol glad i was just stupid. I’ll get a quote from them on one, thanks again
I’d hire someone to perform an inspection on it. But, you do you, bou. Everyone with a check book is an expert. That UC is about 60% of the value of that machine. Cat offers a U/C calculator you can google. You can measure it all yourself and come to a quantitative evaluation, with a minimum amount of study. Or, just eyeball it and let your emotions make the purchasing decision for you. We spent days studying and stressing this stuff to become competent with U/C inspection. Years practicing it. I’m certain a few posts on the HEF will be just as good.
Im curious @Coaldust what is your opinion on the undercarriage?
I'd say there aren't enough photos to form much of an opinion. For example nothing showing the links, pin bushes, track rollers, carrier rollers, idlers, etc, on both sides. From that one photo in the OP I would class the undercarriage as "tired" if the rest of the components look like what's visible in that photo. I suppose the first question that needs answering is how many hours/yr the prospective purchaser plans to put on the tractor and how long he figures on keeping it.
The poster of the dozer didn’t have many photos but is really close to me so I am going to still look at it. Realistically, I’ll probably put 80-120 hours a year on the machine. Max would be 200 the first year and then less after. If I do use it that much, I’ll probably own it for 10-15 years minimum
Based on those numbers IMHO you should budget for undercarriage at some point. Whether that factors into the purchase price is down to how hard you want to haggle.
It is a good idea to quickly judge the state of wear by the gap between the track shoes. My way is judge by the lug of the track shoes compared to the height of the bolts. When the shoes lug is almost parallel to the bolts, the track must be replaced (referring to the most serious wear)
This...... If you don't consider yourself sufficiently competent to determine the condition of the machine before shelling out YOUR cash to buy it then pay someone else to do the inspection for you. It doesn't have to be a dealer but it should be someone who comes recommended.
I appreciate the advice here, it was helpful. I went and inspected this machine and it definitely needs a full undercarriage. The bottom rollers moved vertically a scary amount, chains had some serious wear, and the sprockets were cupped. The guy said he had an offer for $17k so I told him to take that as I am nowhere near that price.
I have pm you,, you check the conversation
Not uncommon for a seller to say they have a higher offer to try and get a better price. Good response is why didn't you take it? It's not really relevent anymore. Not much different than a guy coming into the welding supply saying he can get a genuine Bernard stinger for $20 at another store. Really, we better go buy a case because that's less than our cost. The machine in question looks to have had sprocket rims welded on in the past but they are pretty pointed to the point they could break the tips off.
And don't be surprised if he comes back to you at some point saying the "sale fell through" and are you still interested.?
If you get a chance take a look behind the sprockets, if there's any oil back there it might be coming from the duo cone seal, this badboy is a PITA to replace, and if it's leaking, there could be a bunch of other stuff messed up. I found this out the hard way