The Rattletrap... My new-to-me 955K arrived! (for a little background on how I got to this point, check HeavyEquipmentForums ) I've had the worst case of buyer's doubts I've ever had with this machine! I lay awake nights worrying about what I might have missed, how many horrible things might need fixing....and reading horror stories on HEF makes me quiver. But it's mine, now, and my leaks and .... So it came home on a removable neck trailer, which I was very glad to see! The last two trailers I unloaded and loaded were flatbed deck-overs. I didn't find it much fun loading a JD 555 with a backhoe attachment AND a Cat 112 motor grader on the same trailer! I wish I had a photo of that..... Anyhow, it was a cold (cool to some of you) 40 F out (with a meddlesome, biting wind), but the 955 started right up after about 90 seconds of preheat. Off the trailer and down the hard-packed gravel road to the driveway. And that's where I became very glad it had triple grousers instead of a single grouser bar! That cage and ROPS and every access panel and my teeth and brain jelly rattled with more clangs and clanks than anything I've ever driven! Or heard, for that matter! And with the ROPS cage looking an awful lot like a trap--I couldn't help but think of the ol' yeller caterpillar as a rattletrap. I didn't want to start-stop-start-stop the engine, so I left it idle while paying the man and helping him back out of the road, then it was time to drive the 1/3 mile drive to the shed. Now the previous owner had reported the 955 overheating, so I watched the gauges carefully being already more than half-paranoid and fearful of throwing a rod before getting her settled for the night. Ah, that gauge on the lower right, it's creeping up, higher and higher! Oh, my! What have I done! After a half-hour of idling and running 3/4 throttle the water pressure gauge has creeped into the yellow! Wracking my brain (or what's left of it) about what could be causing a high water pressure, I jump to the conclusion that the head is cracked and all hope is lost. Later that night, a web search reinforces my conclusion. A fretful night follows......
Oh what a relief.... Next day. Can't get over to make a proper bed for ol' Rattletrap till late in the afternoon, all the while anxious to check for blow-by and bubbles in the radiator. The feeling of doom lingers. Especially after I realize the manuals sent with the machine aren't the proper manuals! They are for a 955, not a 955K, S/N 85J1360! Sigh. Check the fuel level, pleasantly surprised to find it's at 60%! Check the coolant--normal, no signs of oil. Check everything else, normal (except for the hydro fluid--5 of the 6 cylinders leak, so it's low for the moment). Leave off the radiator cap so I can watch the bubbles blow. Starts up just fine. And what is this? The coolant is circulating and no bubbles to be seen? That can't be right! hmmmm. Time to remove the oil-filler cap and watch the fumes roll out of the crankcase. But no! Not a fume or a fumarole or even a hint at a vapor! Yay! Time to take Rattletrap out to play in the field. Consolidated an old burn-pile, mostly trunks and stumps. I put the 4-in-1 into "dozer mode" and am pleasantly surprised that I can't feel when it starts peeling away dirt. No difference in pushing sticks or taking off 8" of the old field! That sound you heard earlier was my sigh of relief! So far, the only bad things are leaking cylinders, a leak on the left final drive, and marginally low fuel pressure. Now for the questions. I expect this adventure is going to require numerous questions on my part. 1: the 955K spent the last couple of decades mostly resting in a shed. The previous owners kept the batteries charged and took her out at least once a year to exercise the hydraulics, but for the most part she sat. Hence the hydro cylinder leaks. It seems to me that the cylinders are leaking a little less now that they've been worked some. Do I go ahead and replace them now or use it for a few more hours to see if any of them will reseal? I doubt they will, but it would certainly save some effort! 2: the p.o. was using 303 universal tractor fluid in the hydraulics, is that right? What I've seen from Cat says 10W and my understanding is that 303 is 30 wt. Do I need to immediately drain and flush the system or is it OK to keep on with the 303? I understand that they changed all fluids this past summer. 3: Do I worry about the water pressure or just ignore it? From what I've read, Cat did away with the water pressure gauge because it really didn't mean much. Everything seems to be flowing fine and the water temp has hardly budged off the low end. My thoughts now are just wait-and-see. I'm not going to be working Rattletrap that hard or long at a time. 4: I've noticed an occasional puff of whitish smoke. It's not much and not too often (maybe once in 30 seconds). As a reference--she's running at an idle in the photos in post 1. There's the expected puff of a little smoke when the load is suddenly increased, but other than that it's all clear. Anything to be concerned about? 5: The final drive leak. This could be the biggest headache. I looked at it very carefully before buying and determined the leak is coming from the oil-pan gasket. My assumption at the time is that it might be leaking from the pinion or axle seals. But, looking at it more carefully the filler plug is above the leak, so it might just be the gasket that's leaking (that would be an easy fix!). I am thinking of just getting the gasket and seeing if that fixes the leak. Any other ideas? 6: The service manual they sent along was for a 955 with older S/N prefixes. However, there's a portion of a section in front that appears to be an addendum for a 955K. Is the 955K manual just an update of the one I have? I'll spend the $100 to get the 955K manual unless someone thinks otherwise.... 7: Is there anything I really need to double check before the next 8 hours of use? The previous owners were sticklers for maintenance. They even sent a small filter and gasket (CAT part 5S7645) via UPS and I don't know what they go to yet! I'll post more photos when I get the chance to take them. --Cavin
Cavin, looks like you got a nice one from the pics, as with anything used there will be a few items to fix. Give it a complete service and close looking over and hopefully your fears will be at rest. Good luck.
1. I'd expect to replace the seals but a few hours won't hurt anything to see what they do. What do the wipers look like? the outer part you see is there to wipe the dirt off the rod coming back in, not to seal the oil. If that's damaged, the seals won't last long, even a perfect wiper lets more dirt in when the rod is covered in oil. 2. Run the original fluid until you've figured out what you're doing with the cylinders, and after you've replaced the first round of hoses. 3. I've never seen a water pressure gauge, watch the temp gauge closer than the pressure gauge, make sure it's not losing coolant. Maybe hook a known good gauge up to the pressure port and see what temp it builds??? AFAIK, the pressure is determined by the radiator cap, the ratio of air left in the top of the radiator and the temperature change. Do you have an inch of air in the top of the radiator, or filled to the bottom of the neck? FInd the petcok on the radiator and after you work it a couple hours, drain a quart of coolant into a clean jar to see what it looks like and what settles out to see if you want to flush it. If the temperature gauge climbs anything above the thermostat opening temp in cool weather, then blow the dirt out of the radiator, you might end up removing it, or any oil cooler in the way to get at the radiator to clean it right. Drain some fuel out of the tank before you use it every time to start. Hopefully you have a handy drain valve? I'd use up all the fuel in that tank and maybe even run a tank of bio blend through it, IF you're going to use up the second tank within a month. Maybe somebody who knows that fuel system will kill the bio idea?
Cavin, post a photo of the gauges and describe what function you think each one performs. Seeing a photo of the gauges someone here will be able to tell you what they all mean. There is no such thing as a water pressure gauge AFAIK.
nice purchase, now run it to get the cobwebs out of her, then see what is leaking and if there are any bigger problems lurking, then you can make her pretty looking...
Delmer, I'll take a closer look at the wipers when I'm over there today. I'll be able to take some more photos as well. The p.o. cleaned and flushed the radiator and oil cooler in June and the coolant looks brand new and is right at an inch below the filler neck, as it should be. They also drained the fuel and blew out the lines. Not sure I'll have time to push her hard enough today to budge the temp, but I definitely keep an eye on it! Nige, I'll provide photos, and I was scratching my head when I saw "water pressure"!
I've seen those water pressure gauges on track loaders from the 70's era machines. I don't think I've ever seen one that is still functioning and I never knew the reasoning behind them. http://www.ebay.com/itm/CATERPILLAR...947755?hash=item28239966eb:g:ipgAAOSwB09YGhJc
My o2 , if the fluids are full , and its not making any noises that it shouldn't , run it and enjoy it. Sure you might have a few bugs show up but its not a spring chicken anymore. Its a nice looking loader , I like the sweeps / roll over protection. Looks sturdy. The puff of white smoke could be a sticky injector. Run time seems to either help this or bring out what needs attention. On these older diesel engines , I like to add a little 2 stroke oil every so often to help lubricate the system. Some agree , some don't but I think it helps with todays diesel fuel being so dry.
Well I do recall a couple dozers from years back that had those "water pressure gauges". As I understood it they were to let you know if the cooling system was sealed up and pressure cap functioning correctly. Actually the pressure regulating valve was a separate item from the actual radiator cap on most of the older Cat equipment! Those gauges were probably designed by some engineer who was trying to convince a boss he was doing something important!
Every D8H either 22a or 68a I ever ran had a water pressure guage. Also I am pretty sure that I have run D6C, 7G and 9G's that had that gauge too. I seem to remember being told that if the needle in the water pressure guage was in the same colour range as the needle in the water temperature guage, things were ok even if it was running a bit hot. If this is nonsense, appologies, my memory is not what it was. I only operated them, I didn't fix them! Didn't the 8K and 9H have the pressure guage too?
Loosen the tracks some. They look real tight.
First thing I would do when warms some is pressure wash the ENTIRE machine. Looks to have been pushing in some sloppy stuff at some point, and yes get the rails released a little, some slop is better than too tight. As to getting high on pressure also check the radiator, the belly pans and anything that can trap dirt/mud/debris around the engine or trans/converter, will cause it to hold heat better and longer if not to excess. When wash it, and it will look nasty wash the radiator from the front into the engine compartment, these have 'Pusher' fans where any oil dust dirt or critters get packed into the backside of the radiators, be rather gentle on the core just moving dirt and crap not trying to peel paint. PS, invest in some good grade earplugs/ear muff/noise cancelling headset, the cage also acts like a drum container where small noises are amplified, no need to add going deaf to old age issues!!
Here's a discussion on the water pressure gauge thing. HeavyEquipmentForums
Cmark, Thank you for that, feeling a lot better about my memory now All the best for 2017, Russ
Here's the relevant directions from Cmark in the other thread: (Since the links in that thread don't work anymore and this is more clear than Post #11 LDK) "When the water pressure is in the green, you read from the green scale on the temperature gauge. When the water pressure is blue, you read from the blue scale on the temperature gauge. When the water pressure is yellow, you read from the yellow scale on the temperature gauge." . Old **'s had a temp gauge with different scales for different pressure caps. A temperature that is overheating with no pressure is fine with 15 PSI's. The temperature of the coolant doesn't cause problems so much as the boiling of the coolant causing steam pockets and localized overheating/cracking. The cast iron doesn't care if the coolant is 200 or 260 as long as it stays liquid. The temp gauges are telling you when the coolant is in danger of boiling, which is more important than the actual temperature.
I would say that those intermittent puffs of white smoke is from a pinhole in one of your pre-combustion chambers. That is usually caused by the owner not keeping the coolant serviced with anti cavitation additive. The chambers just screw out of the head with a special tool available on Ebay or at your dealer, 5F8353. The chambers have a couple of o-rings on them as well and are torqued down I think to 150 lbs/ft.
There is a "special" procedure for installing the chambers to be sure the glow plugs don't interfere with the manifold. If you are going to do this let us know and myself or someone else can forward the info to you. I requires using an assortment of different shim washers, nothing complicated but needs to be done.
A lot of that rattling noise may be caused by worn out rubber bushings where the ROPS is it is attached to the tractor. They can be deafening even with hearing protection.
Bingo! Someone had actually welded the ROPS down to try and quiet it. The welds are all broken, thankfully! I finally got over to clear out a bay in the machine shed for the 955. Will post some photos and more info later tonight. I'll just say that machine is fun to run! If it works this well as old as it is, I wonder what it was like new? I didn't notice much in the way of the smoke puffs today.
It took me a while to figure out where all of that loud rattling sound was coming from. When I really get fed up with the noise I am going to drill and put a tight clearance bolt through all four post. just after I got my loader I found one of those rubber bushings on the ground. I had no idea where it came from or what it was.
The Gauges Good thing I'm a night-owl. Or an insomniac, one of the two. Nige: first of all, I was thrilled to see you had posted to this thread! I read your posts with great interest as your knowledge of heavy equipment is encyclopedic. You had me questioning what I had seen and I didn't want to address the gauges until I could double check things and take some photos. So, here they are: Clockwise, from upper right, the gauges are ammeter, fuel pressure, engine oil pressure, water temperature, water pressure, and converter temp (F). The two knobs: left is the preheat/start and right is the lights (most of which work, amazingly!). The left cluster in more detail: The upper left gauge is the torque converter temperature. Why it is labeled as "TEMP F" is beyond me as it is a qualitative gauge (it has no numbers), so why specify Fahrenheit? It could be in Kelvins or yo-yo degrees.... Anyhow, this gauge doesn't seem to work as it hasn't moved a bit. But it could also be that I haven't worked it enough to make it move! Below the converter temp is the more interesting water pressure gauge. The colors are faded, but the bottom segment is green, the middle is blue, and the top right is yellow. To the right of that gauge is the water temperature gauge. Again, it is faded--the bottom portion is green/red, the middle blue/red, and the top yellow/red. The quotes by Delmer (post #16 herein) are right on. Specifically, the row in the water temperature gauge corresponds to what color the water pressure gauge is pointing to. The higher the pressure, the higher the temp can be without boiling. Personally, I think that is a great combination to have! It tells you a lot about what is going on in the cooling system. Today (er, yesterday), I ran the rattletrap for about a half-hour (all I had time for) a good portion of which was at or near full-throttle. I did some pushing, dropped a couple of trees, and otherwise just played around getting used to the machine. The water pressure gauge never moved out of the green zone and the water temperature gauge barely budged. After I parked it (running it at an idle for about 5 minutes in the process) and with it running I opened the engine hatch to see if it felt hot to double check if the temp gauge was accurate. It didn't seem to be hot at all. I checked the radiator hatch. The radiator was cool enough that I could lay my hand on the tank! If anything, it is running too cold. I'm wondering if the previous owner removed the thermostats (can't find that info in the manuals I have--might have to dig some more). Anyhow, until an issue presents itself, I'm not concerned about the cooling system. Regarding the other gauges: the engine oil pressure jumps immediately into the green and stays there. The ammeter gauge works as it should and the batteries are doing their job (thankfully!). But the fuel pressure gauge is in the yellow unless it is at full-throttle at which point it is at the very bottom of the green. As there doesn't seem to be a loss of power (at least not that I can tell!), I'm not going to sweat that, either.
I was wondering if there was a way of getting an occasional drip of coolant into the combustion chamber--this might be the solution. Is there a way of testing that? And is the anti-cavitation additive available separately or do I need to drain and refill the coolant entirely? I will check with the p.o. what he was using. But, on the other hand, I will wait awhile and see if the puffs were my overactive imagination. I made note of them while driving over our nearly half-mile long driveway which can be quite boring. I was paying far more attention to details that would otherwise go unnoticed. Today I was actually using the machine, paying more attention to my surroundings and where the bucket was relative to the ground than I was to anything coming out of the stack. I found that I could hold the powershift lever and throttle at the same time and that seemed really handy! Except for when I tried to shift the throttle into reverse... that doesn't seem to work too well. On another note, all of my other machines (two tractors and a JD 350 crawler-loader) have joystick-style loader controls (up-down is the boom, left-right is the bucket). No matter how hard I try, I can't get the boom lever on the 955 to go left-right to dump the bucket!
Nitelite: I read your thread a couple of weeks ago with great interest and have been keeping up with your truck/trailer adventure. I am quite happy to have you post here. Thank you! As DMiller suggested--I have really good hearing protection so I don't much notice the rattle, clank, bank, clunk, cling, bonk, unless I'm on a harder surface. I like my hearing so I've always used ear plugs or muffs (or both) when using any engine-powered equipment including the lawn mower, string trimmer, chainsaw, and all the tractors and the like. The 955 is not the loudest or most aggravating machine I own! I think the loudest goes to the two-cylinder Yanmar.... though the three-banger JD 5075 tractor is right up there! And I am planning to have those rubber bushings on hand if I ever need to pull the ROPS. I don't think it's worth a special effort.... though I may change my mind. My rattles also come from the hatches--like the battery access hatch that doesn't quite close right. I think there's some others that add to the din, too. Good luck on fetching that trailer!
Ah, I just thought of a few other things mentioned above: Pressure washing: yes, she needs a bath and will get one just as soon as the weather cooperates (i.e. it won't be below freezing for a couple of weeks). Rail tension: yes, the rails are a bit too tight, but they aren't as tight as what looks like in the photos. There's a good inch of droop between the idler and the carrier--but that's still too tight. I'll address that next time I wake her up. She's taking a nap for the next couple of weeks. Aggravations: this is a general gripe, not particular to this machine. With a 4-in-1 bucket (or even a g.p. bucket on many t-loaders), you can't see the bottom of the bucket when it is on the ground. On my 955, you can't even see the lower half of the bucket! It's going to take a bit longer than usual to get the feel for where it's digging or riding on the surface. Any suggestions on that front? The hydraulic response is great--I can easily tweak the bucket position by less than an inch. But precision without accuracy is rather meaningless! Guess it's down to practice.....
I am beginning to wonder if the water pressure gauge is for running straight water which boils quicker than coolant. Complete speculation on my part. As far as digging technique , the older front engine loaders , Keep the back of the bucket flat and tilt forward until the engine loads a bit. The engine load tells how deep the cut. To shave a few inches , take the teeth and rake it forward then set the bucket flat and clean the loose material out. Track loaders are the harder machine to learn to run but when learned they are the most efficient.
For final trimming roll the bucket back or forward rather than using the main lift arms, it works a treat.
Cavin: If you replace those bushings now you will be amazed at the difference in the noise level you will be hearing . FWIW (probably nothing)! I remember seeing water pressure gauges on Caterpillar machines when I ran a service truck, but I don't recall what particular machines they were on. I found this info on a quick Google search. Parts scheme 9S2326 WATER PRESSURE GAUGE GROUP - 9s2326 - Caterpillar part Models comprising the spare part 9S2326 WATER PRESSURE GAUGE GROUP ENGINE - MACHINE 3306; PIPELAYER 561B; 561C; 571G; 572G; 583K; 594; 594H; TRACK-TYPE LOADER 955; 977A;
We had to replace the rubber bushings at the base of the ROPS on my 955L & it was much quieter after. They were quiet expensive though......checked for Cat Classic & were told they were not available. I think it may be better to replace the bushings rather than put a "tight bolt" in........ easier on things & absorbs the vibration better.
If you want to try to get that transmission temp gauge working, take out the sensing bulb and put it in some smoking hot oil, then tap that gauge until it move to hot. If it does, remove the sensor from the oil and let it cool, tap and repeat. If it doesn't move when hot and tapping, then the freon is gone from the sensor and it won't work, like the guy found out after he broke the glass trying. I'm assuming the temp gauges use capillary tubes, if they have a wire then never mind.
Cav - nice photos. Kudos for that. I must have just missed the water pressure gauges. The oldest 955 I ever recall working with was an L series around the 1977 time frame, but hey ho. The only thing I can suggest is to get into the back of the dash panel and try pressurizing the gauge manually, maybe by using an adapted bicycle tire pump or similar. That will tell you if the guage is working or not. If it is then you'll be off on a detective mission to trace the pipework all the way to the cooling system to see if you can find a leak in it (or has it even been disconnected at some point between the guage and the cooling system..?) The converter temp gauge looks like it's goofed. Could be the capillary bust, could be the gauge. Again it'll be a detective mission to find out where the failure lies. Removing the bulb from the converter housing and subjecting it to some heat like dumping it in boiling water would be a good test. That ought to generate some reaction from the needle.
Delmer and Nige, Thanks for the advice regarding the converter temp gauge. I'm going to have to give that a try. One other question regarding the dash area--in my photos of the whole dash you can see a gap of about one inch in the housing above and behind the dash area--is this a purposeful gap? That is, is it supposed to be there or is there a strip of sheet metal missing? I haven't been able to find that detail in any of the books I have, but as they are for a 955 and not a 955K, they might differ on that detail. It just seems out-of-place.... Some photos of the rails: Right side: Left side: It's hard to see in the photos, but if you feel the bushings it is very difficult to feel any wear--it seems like they are almost perfect cylinders still. That, along with them being SALT (they have the rubber plugs in the ends of the bushings), is what sold me on the machine. I looked at the sellers (brother's whose dad bought the 955K in the mid-90s, built a pond, then parked it) and said "you guys didn't put many hours on this, did you? Not much more than a few hundred?" They looked at each other and said, "That's about right." Someone put a lot of money into the undercarriage just before their dad bought it! Other than loosening the track tension a bit, I doubt I'll have to fret about the undercarriage! A belated very happy and merry New Year to all! I even had some hog jowl and black-eyed peas with the in-laws on 1 Jan to ensure a lucky year. Unfortunately, my vacation is over, now, and it's back to the work-a-day world tomorrow. --Cavin
Am I missing something? As in, do I need my head examined? It seems to me like adding hydraulic fluid should be a no-brainer. The fluid was a little low (had just disappeared from the sight glass), so I decided to add a bit. Still need to fix the cylinder leaks, so it's not unexpected to have to top off the fluid now and then. Still haven't put more than an hour on the machine. So.... I go to add fluid a few weeks ago and being a bit overzealous (and it being on the chilly side), I poured a bit too quickly and the strainer inside the tank didn't keep up and it backed up and overflowed. Sigh. I clean up the mess as best I can, look in the sight glass and no fluid there. I let it set for awhile and it went down a bit, so I decided to start it and let it run for just a few seconds to get the fluid to circulate. Did that--and the level went down and I called it a day. Last week, when it was nice and warm, I went back to run the machine a bit and decided to top off the fluid as I never did that successfully. I went to open the hydraulic tank cap and it started gurgling and spitting. Pulled the cap off and at least a quart of fluid gushed out of the tank and made another royal mess! Sigh. But--I can't for the life of me understand how there was fluid in a position to blow out the cap but not show in the sight glass!?! Am I missing something? I've poured over the parts illustrations, and it looks to me that the fluid should dump right into the tank from the filler cap (after it seeps through the strainer). The pressure is understandable--it was at least 20 F warmer than last time I had the cap off. It's probably nothing, but I really don't like not understanding something. I finally got the right parts and service manuals. The parts manual looks nearly unused! There's a sticker on the cover, top right, that says "Master Copy". Definitely no greasy finger prints anywhere on it! Certainly not like the (incorrect) parts book that came with the rattletrap--more grease than ink, falling apart, and notes scribbled all over. In other words, perfectly normal. The one I just bought has to be an aberration! If anyone has any ideas how the tank can overflow after sitting for a few weeks and nothing showing in the sight glass-please enlighten me! (If I didn't know better, I'd say the sight glass ports are plugged--but I know it works as it should.)
I have had similar things happen with the oil being somewhat low & then when trying to add oil it gurgles up & the boiling out problem when you take the cap off too. Seems they are designed to have a few lbs. of pressure inside when operating & I always wondered if that may be the cause if some of those antics?
The tank cap is designed to seal tight so that when the hydraulic oil is at operating temperature the pressure created inside the tank aids the flow of oil into the suction side of the implement pump. The cap is only supposed to be opened when the oil in the tank is at ambient temperature, if you try it with oil hotter than that the result will be what happened to you yesterday.
What kind of pressure are the older Cat's designed to carry in the hyd tanks? Is there a relief valve to keep them from "over pressurizing"?
I'm familiar with the tank pressurization as my Deere crawlers work basically the same way. It was at ambient when I opened it, but ambient was about 20 F warmer than the last time it was opened. As usual, I loosened the cap and let the air spit out to relieve any pressure, thought it was finished but that's when a good quart (or more) of fluid burped out in one big glug. I'm just wondering how that much fluid would be in a position to burp out when the tank level is quite a bit below the cap. Oh, I think I know the answer. The strainer is in a tube and the bottom of the tube must be in the fluid. That begs another question: in a similar situation, how can you open the cap without the same thing happening? We've been on a temperature rollercoaster lately. Today is supposed to be 25 degrees F warmer than yesterday.
Probably a couple of psi, no more. As to whether there is a relief valve on a particular model, take a look on top of the hydraulic tank and compare it to the Parts Manual. So have, some don't.
I was afraid this might happen.... I'm finally getting to spend a bit more time here and there with the 955 and have found a bit of a problem.... I knew there was something amiss as the batteries just wouldn't hold a charge and never seemed to recharge. After trying to charge them off of 400 ft of extension cord, I found the problem--one of the batteries was toast. New batteries (and a lighter wallet) later, the rattletrap started with gusto--what a difference better batteries make! But a voltage check confirmed my fears--it wasn't charging. When I took a closer look at the voltage regulator I did a double-take: the "bat" lead was connected to the "gen" terminal, along with the "gen" lead! I know you jump them together to polarize the generator, when necessary, but to leave them connected?!? Hopefully it didn't fry the generator.... but I think the regulator is toast. The voltage and current regulator is a Delco-Remy 1119653. The D-R service bulletin is 1R-119A--but I cannot find it anywhere. It also turns out this belongs to a unique series of regulators all under that bulletin--they have a double contact voltage regulator with upper and lower contacts. Worse yet, the upper contact was welded together and appears to have almost completely melted and the field resistor is bad (obviously broken wire). Still need to check the generator output, but I'm hoping it's just the regulator. So... if weather cooperates I'll check the gen output and call the Cat house Monday to see about the availability of a replacement regulator. From what I can see on SIS, there might be a replacement regulator for about $100. But I'm open to some suggestions! I'm presuming it would be best just to upgrade to an alternator if possible, but I presume that will require a bit of rewire. I did finally get the air pocket out of the hydraulic tank. I waited for a good cold day and opened the lid so it sucked in air instead of blowing it out. Was able to top it off with a couple of gallons.
My old machine is generator equipped, I searched far and wide to find a 24v regulator for a no switch ignition system, then found the generator itself bad and no one in the area willing to rebuild it. Had plans to send it off then found could buy a single wire alternator to replace my generator. Required a mount conversion but simplifies the wiring, eliminates the external regulator only difference I have to change the machine from + to - ground. Got it on Sleaze-bay for less than I could get the generator rebuilt.
Tippiness? It's been awhile since I was able to spend much time with the ol' Rattletrap.... scratched my cornea, deeply, right in the center which meant I spent most of the summer seeing double! That's fixed, so back to some time with the old girl.... Turns out the generator had been upgraded to an alternator sometime in the past and it's not working. Time to pull it off and check the diodes.... I did loosen the tracks so they have the appropriate sag and aren't banjo tight! Checked all the fluids (good to go), topped off the hydraulic tank (regular task owing to the leaking gland seals (to be fixed) and managed to get about an hour of seat time in cleaning up an old clearing project--which leads to a question. How tippy (side-to-side) is a 955? I always have this fear of running a track off into an unseen root hole. And sometimes I have to deal with relatively steep hills. This being my third track loader, I know they aren't nearly as stable as a dozer, but my JD 350 is a billy goat and will let you know when you're pushing it. But I can work the 955 so much faster--and things can happen in an instant. Any suggestions from more experienced operators? If you're clearing brush in an unfamiliar area, how do you deal with unknown and unseen washouts? Just how stable, or unstable, is a 955 anyway? Assume multipurpose bucket down close to the ground. And it has all the counterweights in the back, around the hitch, too. Had the camera with me today, but forgot to take photos! Next time.....
Well first off, it's a lot more stable than you think, but at least you're erring on the side of caution. The quick answer, walk the area before you start clearing, and when you start pushing, low speed and bucket down going forward, so you fill washouts as you go. Try to work uphill or diagonals rather than along the slope if you aren't comfortable.
Won't be any worse then my Allis which will hang on a 3.5/1 slope pretty well easily but the fear factor is the telling part, if it feels tippy it is probably there. 4/1 and counterweight do help a lot but also adds side pressure to lower rollers and rails, if the rails are at near life end they may decide that is the best place to roll off. Been there side loaded rolled the uphill rail off, managed to get it back on with minimal effort but still took some work and time sitting on a slope.
Hey guys, thanks for the responses! They were much along the line of what I anticipated. I have to thank my dad for me erring on the side of caution, especially regarding tractors and slopes! He was always warning us about hillsides and the tractors... Funny thing, though, Dad was cautious about most things but was always the one who ended up bleeding! He retired in '68 from the St. Louis Fire Department when he was the Captain of Engine Co. #2 and the assistant battalion chief. He would literally run into burning buildings wearing just a rubber coat over his uniform! And an aluminum fireman's hat (which I still have). Maybe that's why he was more cautious later in life.... I find the "pucker" factor to vary considerably from machine to machine. My JD 5075E tractor really does not like slopes--it gets to feeling really light on the uphill side on what seems like it should be nothing! The Cat 12 grader I had felt very solid on the same slopes--and even steeper ones. I picture slopes in terms of roof pitches--so a 3.5/1 is about half way between a 3:12 and 4:12 roof. Sounds about right. Regarding the rails--they're in very good shape, not too many worries there.
My 180 Allis does not care for slopes, tall tractor but does have 50 gal.+ ballast in the rears even at that even a wide front can nose tip. The 7G does well on 3.5 to 4/1 slopes just gets a bit unnerving. Used a wide track D7 with almost slick shoes just over 35 years ago side slip dressing slopes on a large levee project, when it would get to break point and slide on the hillside was almost more than I could take at times. They slip pretty fast when sitting in the seat.