Last fall my wife and I closed on 15+ acres of heavily wooded land. We plan to build a house on this land. Instead of paying someone to remove the underbrush, stumps, rocks and basic site work we purchased a backhoe. Actually I ended up owning the backhoe a month before we closed on the land. Anyway this backhoe was built 12/02/1987. I found this one about 2 hours from me. The guy was moving and had several pieces of equipment he needed gone. It is 4WD which I wanted. I was willing to spend money on parts and my labor to fix one up a bit. This one fit the bill. Less than half the price of similar machines I saw advertised. It ran, drove around and everything functioned. The boom did not stay up and fell down pretty quick and the brakes are more or less non-functional. There is some rust which seems to be par for the course on these CATs. I had her moved to my brothers auto repair shop. I have been going once or twice a week and working on her. During the snowy and single digit temps I did not work on her. So far I have done. -Rebuilt one of the boom cylinders that was dented causing the boom to fall. -Replaced the rod on on stabilizer cylinder because it was really chewed up. -Repacked all the other cylinders. -Replace nearly all the hydraulic hoses. I have 2 more to get made and installed. -Replaced all the zerk fittings that I have found so far. -Replaced negative cable. Old one had a 4 volt drop and she barely cranked. I am in the process now of replacing a hard metal fuel line from the tank to the water separator. Old on had a pinhole. Next up will be to replace the floor, fix the cover and make a new step for the battery box. The current box is sound except for the floor which is really rusty. The step is missing and a new one from CAT is $400. I can weld one from some scrap steel I have hanging around. So some time, a few pieces of steel and some paint and the box will be good for another 30 years.
Today I tackled the uel feed issue. When I bought it the guy selling the machine had a hose stuck in the filler neck acting as the fuel pickup. Machine ran fine this way. So today I decided to find out what he lean't by "a bad fuel line". I removed the tank to diagnose what was wrong. The issue seems to be that the pickup tube in the tank was clogged. I am sure it was clogged with rust or debris. I poked it out with a wire and blew it clear. The fuel I siphoned out of the tank was clear but if you look in with a flashlight there is rust in the tank. I am going to bring my borescope next time I go to work on her and look in the tank and see what the pick up looks like. I will try to flush out whatever I can by draining the tank and filling it a few times. I know it has a fuel filter but I am thinking maybe a screen to catch and rust particles. Do you guys think it would be wise to add a fuel filter screen inline to catch any possible debris?
Well I did not get much work done during the summer. It was just too damn hot for me to work in the sun. I am under no pressure to get this finished and up to my land. I am hoping to have her ready to go by spring after the mud starts to dry. I did remove the battery box and I brought it home to work on it. It was a bit worse than I thought. The bottom was smashed and of course rusty as are most battery boxes. The lower step was really bent where it mounts, the cover and top step were missing. New from Caterpillar this would have cost me $1200-1300. Not worth it when I could fabricate something. I cut the bottom half off and made a new bottom half. I straightened the lower step and I made a new top step and cover. It cme out great and I fitted it back on today. She came to life again and I was happy. Next project is to remove the seat and seat mechanism. I will clean them up and get everything working nice and smooth. My wife will make a new cover. Seats are darn expensive. I have to fix the seat mounting. It is all wobbly and the previous owner rigged it up. I know the floor is rusty and I probably need to replace some of it. I assume the cross member where the seat frame bolts is also rotted. Soon I will know.
Looks good @edgephoto I would have loved to save a bunch of money on mine and found one older but I don't have the time or knowledge to do what you are doing. Well done! I also wish I had 15 acres of land!
Nice job so far. You should have a pretty robust machine by the time you're done. Keep it up.
@Nige Thanks!! My plan is to try and have a machine that can serve me well without breaking down every time I use it. Wish I could find a couple of doors for it. If not, I might bring them home and see if I can patch them. Doesn't have to win a show just be functional.
Nice work on the battery box. You are a skilled fabricator.
@Sportsman762 Thank you. I try. Just wish I had more time and a place to do it. The reason we bought this machine is we plan to build a house and I have clearance for a shop from the war department. I am excited about that.
Finally started get back to work on my machine. I basically did not work on her from Thanksgiving until a couple weeks ago. Vacation weather below 35 degrees and then surgery on both hands kept my sidelined. I am now working on rust repairs. Removed the old floor panels and stripped the interior enough to be able to wire brush, grind and weld. I plan to start the repair process tomorrow. I hope to get the welding done so I can treat and paint the rust in the next week or two. Wish me luck.
Ah the ol' air welding! I'm kidding but it looks like you have to weld stuff to weld stuff to weld stuff! I haven't pulled up my floor board because I'm scared to see this...
I will know more today but my initial inspection/diagnosis is that all the floor metal is scrap. Will cut out new pieces of 1/8" sheet for this purpose. The large crossmember is solid and should be ok with some descaling and rust treatment. The small front crossmember is in need of a new top piece at least. The mounting points for the floor to screw down need to be figured out and welded. The fixed portions of the floor and the bottom 1-2" of the fenders need to be replaced with new metal. Again not too hard to fabricate. I bought this machine knowing I would find this. It is not a surprise. It is one of the reasons I got it for one third of market rate. I don't mind work. Prefer to have a machine I know and has all the maintenance, preventive maintenance and repairs done. I am one of those people that likes everything to work and be in decent shape. I figure when all is said and done I will have about 2/3 of the market rate into this one and it will have all new hoses, repacked/repaired cylinders and everything will work. It will serve me for many years.
Glad you're back at and good to see her getting some TLC. Should be pretty straight forward, just work as you say...nothing wrong with that. I totally expected to see that under mine as it was an outdoor machine with 10lbs of mud underneath the mat. Given another 10 years it probably would have. I took all the pans out and repainted the floor. You'll have a good machine. Your shifter boot is in the same shape as mine. I need to replace that as well.
I'm envious of you guys that can do that. I'm lazyish, a procrastinator, and fairly ignorant in the world of mechanicing and fab work, which often means I'll go look at something that needs work, get intimidated and go back and sit on the couch or work on something else. I know if I do things I learn and get better but it's still a very real struggle for me.
aighead. nothing to it but to get to it! Half the battle for me is motivation and time. It helps to have a project in mind where you need the machine. Having a thread about it helps some too.
Boone is right. This forum is a good motivator. I need my machine to start getting my land ready to build a house. My biggest issue is my machine is about 45-50 minutes away at my brother's auto shop. I don't have room at this house to put it. Did 4 or 5 hours of work today. Took measurements so I can fab some stuff at home. Got a bunch of rust scale removed and found out what needs to be cut out and replaced. I hope to get some time next week to work on it.
That’s awesome, bringing that beast back to life. Thanks for the updates.
I have been working on my machine. I removed most of the rusted floor and chipped away the heavy scale. I was able to get the rusted seat base bolts removed. I was shocked when I was able to spin them out with nothing more than pounding on a socket. I have rebuilt the original suspension seat. I found new seat tracks that I was able to make work. My wife sewed new seat covers and I added a little padding to the original cushions. All in all I have under $400 into the seat. I cut off the rotted part of the seat base and fabricated new pieces. The loader bracket mounting plate was rotted pretty bad. A new brakes from Cat is $300. An hour or so and about $3 in steel I fixed it and it will do the job. Next I need to cut the steel plates to size and drill the holes for the floor panels. I am hoping to go next week and cut all the rotted stuff out and start welding in the replacement sections. I will post some pictures shortly.
Been working on and off all summer on my 426. It has been so hot and humid that I did not get much done but I am making progress. Back in the spring I took the seat apart. My wife recovered it and sewed new covers from some heavy cloth she had in her stockpile. I cleaned everything and installed new tracks. The old ones were shot. I rebuilt the seat pedestal. The bottom half was rotted away.
I have gutted the cabin and removed all the rotted floor panels, cut out a rotted crossmember, cut back the rotted inner fenders and some sections of the cab frame. Today I started welding in new metal in the frame. I hope to over the next couple weeks get the welding done, rust cleaned up and painted. I will inject cavity wax into the frame sections to slow/stop rust. Then I can repair the floor and inner fenders. I had a buddy help me today and he asked why I was "restoring" it and not making it "good enough". He is one of those guys that rigs things together and makes stuff good enough. I am one who like stuff to work, and be in proper order. I told him I am not restoring it, I am repairing it. I want to stop the rust or at least slow it down so I can get years of service out of her. Here are some pictures once I stripped the interior and cut out the rot.
just looked through all your posts & pics , that mach has definitely spent some time in a severe salt enviro. but looks as if its getting the best of treatment now
The machine's frame is fine with virtually no rust. The rust is confined to the ROPS cabin. it was an old town machine so I am sure it was used to load the sanding trucks for snow storms. CT used to use a 10% salt mixture back when this machine was new. So I bet the salt dragged in the cab did not help matters. Also searching for parts I noticed almost all of the machines I found had similar rust. Mine is much worse. I hope to have this machine for many years. I will get this one looking good and the rust more or less stopped.
Reading your story I find funny because it’s very similar to mine. My wife and I bought 19 acres of complete woods. I bought a hoe September 2019 and have been doing the exact same thing you plan to do other than restore it. Mine didn’t need near the TLC yours does. I’ve cleared out probably 200+ trees, stumps, and am now trying to get our small pond finished up. Only another 300+ trees to go for the house site, septic, etc. Good luck!
Thanks! Our acreage is so thick with trees and underbrush it is hard to walk it. I am hoping to stack the trees in log length. I will probably get a portable bandsaw and cut them into lumber to build a shed or perhaps a barn. The trees are mostly maple and hickory with a few oak mixed in. Lots of rocks and 2 veins of ledge rock. Not the best piece for an easy build but it was a good price and in the right spot.
Spent most of yesterday and today working on fabricating and welding in patches and the crossmember. I found the throttle linkage was frozen or binding and all the adjustments were not easily adjusted. Since I had to machine new brackets to weld on the new crossmember I took the time today to clean everything up and chase all the threads. Got the throttle working like a champ. Once I put in the floors I can install the rear throttle.
I might be stating the obvious, but I do not know how the floors are installed in this machine..... But, if I were you, I WOULD NOT, weld any part of that floor in whatsoever! If you were ever to need to fix something under the floor area, it would be much easier to work on if you had a removable floor. Just my 2 cents.
Floors were four removable panels. The panels sit on the edge panels. The edges were originally welded to the inner fenders. I will make things how they were originally.
Been working as much as time allows. Trying to get things done before it is too cold to paint. Got the Cab frame repaired. I treated the metal yesterday and today I put two coats of MasterCoat on it. Wednesday I plan to paint the yellow top coat then Saturday I hope to put the clear protective finish on it. Once that is done I can cut out new metal for the floor panels and get them installed. This is what I started with: After repairs and primer today:
You are doing a good job on this. I would not have the patience to do all that. I agree with cosmarr1 and bolt those floor back. That way you can easily work on item under there from the top. I am glad you posted these pics because now i can see what mine looks like under the floor boards. I have to remove the part where the boom controls are so i can replace the resolvers.
Originally I was going to make it "good enough". I am not that kind of person. I know it will bug me until the end of time if I didn't fix it right. I am trying to stop the rust or at least slow it to a crawl. I have some cavity spray by Waxoyl to shoot inside the frame sections. I will be doing that after the silver areas are painted Cat yellow. Yes I know it is under the floor but I am one of those people that does things like that. I hope to get the floors done in the next couple of weeks. I want to put the interior back together so I can get my garage back. My winter project will be to repair the doors. I need my garage to be able to work in the heat. The left one is not too bad a couple spots to fix but the right one needs the bottom fabricated and replaced. That one will take some time.
Got the color painted today. Next will be the epoxy clear coat. After that I will spray inside all the cavities with Waxoyl cavity wax. The paint plus the Waxoyl should stop the rot or at least slow it to a crawl. Next week I will start fabricating the floor panels.
Well I spent the last few weekends fabricating pieces to repair the floor and inner fenders. Got most of the welding done. One more day to attach mounting brackets, mounts to hold boots and one small patch panel. Then I can smooth the visible welds to try and blend them so you would not realize I welded in new sections unless you look real close. Unfortunately I think I lost the weather and will not be able to get things painted until spring now. Oh well, not like I have a deadline. The primer I am using is good to 45 deg. so I can at least get the primer on. If we get an Indian summer day or two after that maybe I can get a color coat painted. This is from last weekend. View attachment 247908 View attachment 247909
Some shots from today.
Ah yes, dealing with Salt Cancer and Dirt induced water supporting corrosion, fond memories!! Looking well done, should be good and dry tight and maybe even warm inside when complete.
Looks great edgephoto! It doesn't look like it's a fun place to weld though!
Good progress! When i run flux-core wire i leave the gas nozzle on the gun though to help with shielding the puddle outdoors but even using spatter-release, it still has to be cleaned every few minutes on horizontal, vertical or especially overhead. Just my 2 cents but overall, good job
I appreciate the tips. I am far from a good welder. It is obvious. I don’t do it enough. I am getting better. I will try using gas nozzle. Great info, thanks.
I have the exact problem on my 426 and was wondering if maybe you can provide a little more detail on how you fixed yours? As you know i have done a complete overhaul on mine including all new fuel lines (up to the tank) , new fuel lift pump, newly rebuilt injector pump etc. Problem is and at random times the engine just quits running. Each time i have to bleed the air from the system and injectors and it will run fine until that awful moment when it just stops running. Sometimes it runs for 5 to 10 minutes and quits. Sometimes it will run all day without stopping. So my question is: if you went into the tank, what did you find? Is there a filter or screen on the pickup tube? What was wrong with the tube, did it have holes in it? Also, how hard was it to get the tank off and how did you get all the rust out? Thanks for help on this.
Mine was the return line was plugged solid. I use mechanics wire and compressed air to clear it out. I would jam the mechanics wire in the tube and would chip at the restriction then pull out the wire and hit it with compressed air. Then repeated many times. Eventually it was clear. Yes I know I blew the debris into the tank. Really had no choice. Then I drained the little bit of fuel that was in the tank and put it in the waste oil tank. I filled it with fresh diesel and reconnected the return line and she ran.
Well I worked on my floor/cabin project again this weekend. Fabricating and welding is complete. Welds are ground down and blended. Have to wipe everything down and sand the old paint where I will paint over with primer. We have a couple days that look warm enough. I really hope I can get the painting completed. If not, I hope to get the primer on at least. The primer needs two coats to be effective. The yellow paint is just cosmetic. @56wrench Thanks for the tip to use the gas nozzle for flux core. I had better looking welds. That plus I am getting used to my welder and learning how to adjust. I never did much welding so I am learning.
Last weekend I finished the welding and fabricating on the cab. Today I was able to get two coats of Mastercoat primer put on. If all goes well, tomorrow will be 67 deg. and I can get the color paint done. This way over the winter I can reassemble the cabin and get moving on other stuff I want to do.
a few more pics
That looks great!
Got great weather and was able get the paint on.
Nice work! WOW. YOU are a talented man. You will never be without a job. Unless you choose to be. I am watching closely. @Nige pointed me to your thread because I just purchased a 1991 - 426. Thanks for sharing your project! HeavyEquipmentForums
Thank you. Haven't touched it since I got the paint on. Thanksgiving, vacation for a couple weeks, then rain/snow on weekends. I have this week off and was planning on cleaning my garage to make room to bring home the doors and fix and paint them so I can get glass fitted. But it rained near everyday and my son came home on leave so been spending time with him. I have some painting and fabricating of other stuff I want to do so I can get the cab back together, glass fitted and water tight.
Well it has been a while since I did anything worth posting about. The weather is finally better and I am making time to get back on this project. Over the last few weeks I repaired some small pieces. The lower parts were rotted so I cut off the rot and welded new metal on them. Those pieces are painted and ready to be bolted back in. Last week I brought the right door home. It is the worst of the two doors. I took the glass out, which is cracked, to use as a template for when I reassemble and the other hardware was removed too. I decided to start with the window frame. The outer skin was pretty rotted at the bottom so I cut a section off and made a new piece to weld in place. I ran out of time today to weld. I did get a coat of weld-thru primer on things. Next weekend I will get this piece welded in place and the frame primed. Then onto the big door piece. A few pics of the door:
Some pics of the window frame:
Yesterday I finished welding on the window frame. Today I was able to get the second coat of MasterCoat primer on it. Later in the week I will paint it Cat Yellow and fill the hollow areas with Waxoyl to stop any unseen rust. The brush marks flatten out as it dries. If not 100%, I could scuff it lightly but I kind of don't care. I am not showing this. I am fixing it to get years out of it and make it presentable. Next up....the door.
Finally had some time to get back on my project. The right hand door was very rotted at the bottom. I cut off the outside "skin" just below the door handle and made a new panel. The reinforcements were pretty bad too but I was able to leave a small amount. My son was home on leave due to my father passing so he pitched in and it was nice having a helper for a change. This is what it looked like when I started:
Today we were able to finish the fabricating and welding. Tomorrow we will do a little grinding, then prep it for primer and hopefully we will get it primed.
Nice work men!
Looks great! Sorry to hear about you dad!
Thanks guys. Hope to start the left door in a week or so.
Time gets away from us all. Over the last week we snuck some time in working. Finally got the door finished today. Now I need to drop it at the glass shop for new glass. I will hopefully start on the left door next weekend. To try and prevent rust from coming back we drilled and injected Waxoyl cavity wax into the hollow spaces
Dropped the right hand door off to the glass shop a couple weeks ago. Need to go this week and pick it up and drop off the left one. Here are pictures of the finished door and window frame.
Been working on the left door. This one did not need much work. Mostly grinding the rusty spots and treating. Here is what I started with: This door was less rusty but has had a rough life and poor repairs.
I have put the paint on one side and need to finish getting it ready to go to the glass shop.
Appeared someone left their pet Parrot in the weld shop for whomever did previous repairs. Bird **** everywhere Very nice repairs
You aren't kidding. The welds were awful and just piled up. I spend a fair amount if time grinding them and fixing the mess. I am no professional welder but my welds are better than that.
I got both doors back from the glass shop. My left door not only was a mess with piles of welds it was twisted. I did not realize the twin was not supposed to be there until after I painted it. I was able to twist it back into shape and get the glass put in. Monday the glass shop came out to pattern the glass and next week they should be going to install it. That will get me an enclosed cabin finally. Then I can reinstall the interior and get her back to operating condition. Getting excited to have her back in one piece.
Cool! Nice job!
We have a 1988 Cat 426 out here in NV. It only had the right side door and both windows when we got it. We took all the glass out and I don't really have any use for the door or window frames. If you're interested. let me know.
@jetranger Hmmm.....I may be interested. Not sure how much shipping would be. I wish you told me before I did all the work. Ha! I am in CT so shipping them cross country might be cost prohibitive.
Spent the day painting parts of the cab. I had primed the rusty areas last week and wanted to get color on the so it doesn't look like a spotted animal. I wanted to get more done but it was crazy hot and humid . I got what I needed done for when the glass goes in, hopefully this week. Next weekend I will finish the painting.
Been working on and off as I get time. Starting to get the interior back together. Had all the glass made and installed.
Once the glass was in I started to put the interior back together. While doing this I am fixing a bunch of little things and adjusting all the linkages, etc.
Just for reference. Here is what I started with:
Awesome repairs!!
Yup, looks great edge!
Thanks guys!. If I can spare some time this coming weekend I hope to get the front dash reassembled and the 2 floor plates templated. Then I won't be able to work on it again until mid-December. Headed to my place in Florida soon
Finally getting back to my project and picking up where I left off. Life got in the way and now I am motivated to get this project completed. I want to use my machine to get ready to build a house.
So today I picked up where I left off last fall. Felt good to work on her. I made the floor templates today and will cut them out and drill holes tomorrow and get them primed and painted this weekend. I also made a list of some things I need to do next week when I go back to work on her.
Almost time to put to work!!
Got the two floor plates cut out, holes drilled and they are primed on one side.
This is where I get impatient!
Impatient? Why? Waiting for paint to dry so you can flip over and do the other side, then do the same for the color? Yea, me too. This is a good weekend to do this because I won't have time to do much more on the 'hoe besides paint these.
So the floor plates are ready for installation. I am now cleaning the dirt and crud out of headliner and spraying it with color coat. Mainly to seal the remaining dust in, so I don't have dust raining on my head.
Nice work!
Edgephoto: Great work so far, what I am wondering about is why is the floorplate so oxidized, heck the floorplate is inside the cab where it would not be exposed to the condensing elements. Did Cat really use recycled metal for their floorplates when these units were new. Keep up the great work - this is an interesting thread. ~ Orangeman
@orangeman I think there are several reasons for the rot. 1. Seems all 426s of this vintage had rot here. I looked at buying a whole cab from AZ or somewhere dry and they had rot too. 2. The machine was a town owned machine so I am guessing the operator had salty boots. They probably used this machine to load the snowplow sanders with the sand/salt mix used in the winter. 3. When I got it someone had replaced the windshield with a poor fitting piece of plexiglass glass. I leaked like a sieve anytime it rained. There was like a 1/2" gap at the top where it stuck out and water just poured in. The doors did not seal when closed, adjustments were way out and weatherstrip was damaged. It now does not leak when it rains. The rot was only on the cab. The machine's frame is excellent. I originally was just going to just deal with the floor. Once I got started I decided to just cut out all the rotted stuff and replaced it with new metal. I treated all the cavities with Waxoyl and painted everything with a rust encapsulating primer.
Yep, sodium and calcium chloride, damn stuff. Wish they would ban it and require drivers to slow to f down. Say nothing about the legacy problems State DOT's have here in the Northeast with sodium and calcium chloride solutions that are now in some drinking water supplies. Wonder what the costs are totaled for the rotten frames and quarter panels that eat up our cars and trucks since the 60's. Here comes the salt man! Bang head....
Not sure where in NY you are. I grew up in Homer. The salt was so thick that blacktop roads were white and there were dust clouds of salt when driver on dry roads. Here in CT they used a sand/salt mixture. it had very little salt in it. Cars did not get very rusty but they did get super dirty from the reddish sand. Now the state switched to pretreatment and cars are rotting out fast. I believe there is some sort of lawsuit from trucking companies regarding the corrosivness of this stuff.
Finished College at SUNY Cortland - worked and live in the North Country. State is using liquid applications and sodium and calcium chloride solids on roads here. As mentioned above - yes roads are white in winter - dust clouds of salt burn the needles off of pines adjoining the roads. Dead trees in a few years.
Was able to squeeze in some more time working on my machine. Got the floor plates bolted down, the rear console installed. I topped off the batteries with a charge. When I started the repairs I disconnected the ground cable where it attaches to the frame. I put the washers and nut back on but it got rusty. I did not have what I needed to clean it and there is a huge voltage drop. Gauges were cutting in and out and when the key was turned on the alarm was beeping. Next weekend I plan to get the ground cleaned up and secured. Then I can test all the electrical items, lights, wipers, etc.
Was able to get some more days in working on the old girl. Wish I could devote more time and just get it done but I am making progress. Got the hood cleaned up, painted and the access doors working correctly. Two weekends ago I reconnected the batteries and when the key was turned to ON the low oil pressure alarm was sounding and the garages were acting odd. It cranked, albeit slow, but started and I let her run for 10 mins or so. I had a huge voltage drop on the battery to chassis ground. Not surprised as the stud was corroded from being disconnected for over a year. I manually sanded it the best I could but it wasn't enough. This past weekend I cleaned and secured the main ground. That voltage drop was eliminated but now when I turned the key nothing happened. The fuse box is 3 sections, 2 of the fuses had power, 2 had power when the lights switches were turned on but the row of 10 that powers everything else did not have power. I ran out of time to really dig into diagnosing the issue. I will look at the wiring diagram and make a list of stuff to check. Since all 10 fuses are powered from 1 wire I would assume a relay is what powers up the box. So most likely suspect is another ground which is under the floor. I bet that is my issue. Everything worked before I disassembled to do the repairs.
Looking Good Edgephoto: Am starting work on my AC 715 loader backhoe - its a nice machine but 2 wheel drive.
This past weekend I was able to get back to my machine. The goal was to remove all the broken lighting, parts from broken lights and to make sure all electrical equipment works. My no power issue was a 10 volt drop at the fuse that supplies power to the relay that powers up the bulk of the fuse box. Cleaning the contacts fixed that. Had a few more fuses with voltage drops that I fixed. Cleaned two more grounds and secured them. We removed all the old lights, tested the wiring and we did find one brake light switch broken and the switch that shuts off the rear wiper if the window is open was stuck in the closed position. Otherwise everything works. The new lights finally arrived on Monday. I need to wire brush the rust that was under the old lights and paint those areas. Then I can install the lighting. Once all the lights are mounted and verified working I can reinstall the headliner, trim and seat assembly. Getting a ton of parts off my bench and out of my garage. This makes me happy. My machine is getting closer to being ready for work
Are these interior or exterior lights? I've considered getting LED lightbars for my equipment but I don't know anything about hooking that stuff up.
@aighead These are external lights. I am not really adding anything new just replacing missing, broken of and old lights. I picked up some LED driving lights that will replace the front and rear work lights. The turn signal and taillights are Cat knock-offs. Cat does not make the old incandescent lighting and the price for the LED replacements is high. I found knock-offs the look and fit so I hope they last. I want to wire brush the rust that is on the cab where the old lighting mounted and paint it. I was hoping to do that today and tomorrow but looks like I will get rained out.
Today I worked in the hot sun and cooked myself but I got a good portion of the exterior lighting squared away. If Cat didn't lose one bracket I would be done with the turn signals and taillights. Here is what the lighting looked like before. I wire brushed and primed the rust before fitting new lighting.
New LED lights fitted. Tomorrow I need to weld up some brackets to hang the rear LED work lights. While the welder is out I can weld a new piece onto the dead pedal and get that painted. Installing the lighting took way longer than I anticipated but I was checking for voltage drops and correcting any that I found. The nice thing with LEDs is they light up the same brightness as long as you have enough voltage vs. incandescent bulbs which will vary in brightness.
Edgephoto: Very nice work - like the luster of the new paint. You are making great progress! Keep up the good work ~ Orangeman
Thanks @orangeman . I just wish I could get more time to work on it. Last weekend I got rained out on Saturday and Sunday I had too many chores to do. This weekend I planned to work on it but family stuff has eliminated that possibility. I am going to take a day off during the week. I am getting close to having the cab completed. Then I can do maintenance on the drivetrain. Last thing I need to do is the leaking axle seal.
My project has been a Allis 715 Loader Backhoe with full Cab. It is built like a Navy battleship and the Perkins 4-236 which Caterpillar used in its first production backhoe launch is very volumetrically efficient. After working through a few minor electrical issues am pleased to report that it runs well. Need to replace the exhaust manifold and have a new Perkins OEM manifold to replace it but would like to ceramic coat the new one myself (at home) before fitting it to the block. Replaced the old crack worn old seat with a Mack Truck Bull Dog Air Ride seat which fit perfect - even the bolt holes for the bottom base plate where in the right place. Yahoo! The Mack Seat is made by Bostrom and has a very heavy frame to it. Will also need to clean up the external paint mostly on the cab to get here looking good. Once the unit is finished, (needs a few of the cab glass replaced) it will be dedicated to snow moving in our 350' long drive and for topsoil work here on the property. Am also developing plans for a stainless steel muffler as the prior owner slipped in a round non OEM replacement. From my years of working on these old AC backhoes - there were a number of them bought by our School Districts and Conrail had some on the rail lines. A new AC 715 Loader Backhoe in the early 80s with full cab was pushing $43,000 new. That was more than some folks where paying for a house back then! Hope everyone is having a super great day! ~ Orangeman
Had been looking at the old AC 700 and 800 series TLBs, seems the line lived on under several make names just badge and small skins or power train changes. Hard to improve on what really worked well.
This past weekend I made some more progress. It feels good to get these parts off my workbench and out of my garage. I got the exterior lighting complete and working. I replaced a couple switches and then put the headliner and interior trim back in. Getting close to putting the seat back in.
I have to trace two wires in a loom that is not original and see what they are. Once I sort that out the seat will go in and the cab is more or less done. I do have one window to replace in the back but I have other things to do first. Then I need to perform all the maintenance, oil and filter change, fuel filter change, cooling system service and new thermostat and other fluid changes. I also need to do something about the grill. The original is no longer usable. A replacement from Caterpillar is close to $900. It is nothing more than a stiff rubber decoration. Not worth the cost. I decided to fabricate some out of steel. I templated it and stopped by the steel distributor and walked around for inspiration. Once I decided on my design I bought the steel. I spent $80 and have more than enough material. This weekend I will start working on my new grill.
Well I spent a day a few weeks back fabricating a new grill. Then I painted it matte black. I found a guy on eBay that was selling Caterpillar decals. He has black listed but he made me them in white and it fit the grill perfectly. On Monday I went and put the grill on. Fit perfectly. I am happy with it.
It was cranking slow so I sent some time diagnosing it. 2.5-2.7 volt drop inside the solenoid. So I bought a new starter but am hoping to return it. I will remove the starter and see if I can clean up the contacts inside the solenoid. If not, I have a new unit in hand. It was cranking fine last year but I have not run it in over a year because I was working on getting her back together and ironing out lights and other electrical gremlins. Now I need to run her and change oil, coolant, etc.
I've flipped the contact disc in the solenoid many times.
Good job. You’ve come a long way!
Certainly great work, and saving good ole American Iron which help build this wonderful country. Keep up the good work! ~ Orangeman
Read through your project thread, love your work. Your doors and grill look great. I have the same issues on my 426B with the rust on the doors and window frames and the broken grill. I'm hoping to at least find a decent set of used window frames some day, but I haven't really looked yet. Don't think I have the patience to go through and try to repair all the rust in the doors myself. Your grill is amazing. Keep up the great work.
Spent the afternoon yesterday working on the 'hoe. My son was home on leave/liberty for the weekend. We cleaned up a couple wires someone added that went nowhere. We removed the starter, cleaned the contacts and got it cranking at the correct speed with no voltage drops. Once running we let it run for 5 mins or so then we did an oil and filter change. I had to use a chisel to turn the filter, it was on so tight. Someone must have put the filter on dry. Since my son was home we deiced to install the seat. It is a heavy piece so having a second person made it easier. Even still it took a while to get it mounted. The base pedestal was rotted so I had to replace the bottom 1/3 and I was off a bit on my bolt holes. So a couple trips into the shop and a little work with the carbide burr and we go it in. Seat works well. I fixed it a while back. My wife made new covers for it. Down the road I will probably replace it with a new assembly but this will do for a while. View attachment 293876
You gonna put a new rubber mat on the floor?
@tompands I haven't decided. The original is all destroyed so I would have to either buy a replacement from Caterpillar or make one myself. I would expect it to be very costly from Cat. Any suggestions for material to make one out of?
Just a thought, but since a mat will just hold water and mud underneath to start rust on the newly painted floor panels, how about truck bedliner coating. That way the moisture and mud don't start the rusting process over again.
@TCat , I am worried about rust so I was thinking of not having a mat but I am afraid it may be really noisy. I did buy some 3M grip tape to put down but I like the Berliner idea. That might be a good solution.
You can call Shawn @ conequip in NY. Tell him Tom Miller told you to call. He will find you a good used mat for cheap.
Farm supply, horse mat. Joe H
I appreciate the suggestions. This is terrific.
I have not touched my machine in months. I hope to get to putting the finishing touches on her in the coming months. Life gets in the way of progress. I bought the machine in late 2019 to clear a building spot for a house and then for a barn on the land I bought earlier in 2019. Then COVID hit and plans to build were put on hold. Then my son got engaged and married to a girl in NC so we thought we might relocate there. Then my Dad died so I spent time helping Mom deal with that and putting things in her name. Then my Mom passed and now I am dealing with her estate and cleaning out her townhouse. I sold it so need to get this done by 3/31. Seems far away but it will go fast. We are back to building on our land so we are moving forward with that process. After spending time in NC last fall for my son's wedding and meeting her family we decided we hated them and the area. So I am hoping to make some time soon to go work on her. I find it relaxing to do the work and I need some stress relief.
Edgephoto - looks to be nice stainless steel fastners on the floorboard! Sorry to hear about the life details creeping in to slow down progress, but somehow life throws us curve balls from time to time. Glad to hear that progress is resuming on the old Cat hoe. Working on this old iron is both addicting and cathartic. Can't wait to see you working the land with it! Respectfully ~ Orangeman
Man that is some bad news. Stick with it as will all correct as can. I went thru this company for Bunk tool box floors matting in my KW sleeper, is actually Bulk Tractor floor covering. FLOOR MAT BULK ROLL MATERIAL (57") Black rubber floor mat for JD, CIH, IH tractor or combine cabs. Multi-layer, heavy duty, 3/8" thick. Pre-cut options available. www.fehrcab.com
Thanks for the update. Interesting how life goes bittersweet like that. Wedding, then funerals, on the tail of Covid. My wife was commenting the other day, just how crazy life was, just a couple years ago. It doesn’t seem real, looking back.
Thanks guys. I also had to put down my dog Nov of 2022. She was only 5. I am still heartbroken.
Yes those are stainless bolts and washers. I needed to replace the floor panels and all the hardware. Stainless was not much more money and I won't need to worry about them rusting. I appreciate the link to that matting. Looks like exactly what I need. If things go well I probably will retrofit a new seat setup but for now my rebuilt original will be good enough.
DMiller: Thanks for posting the supply source for the floor mat. I have been looking for at rubber truck bed liners as a cheap source for a inside floor liner. I see them alot on facebook from $50-75 just have to find a good tool to cut them down to fit. ~ Orangeman
Are welcome Ran across it by accident one day, worked great in side tool boxes of bunk and as a noise/heat insulator around bunk HVAC.
This is a cut off piece, been sitting on a pile in the shop but still very resilient,
As I recall, I used a pair of older Tinning Shears to cut this, better than scissors, smoother than razor blade or knives.
We own a 1995 416B . Just a heads up the tie rod end that hooks up to the steering cylinder can freeze up and snap the tie rod. It's non greaseable and when the rubber boot comes off it rusts and seizes. In hindsight we should have caught this and kept it lubed. It broke during a snowstorm of course.
very good job,you are excellent!! it had token you too much time to finish this big work
Thanks. It is taking so long because I have not been able to spend enough time on it.
Finally had time to work on my 'hoe. I am tackling a leaking wheel seal. Since the axle has to come apart for this and the bearing needs to be replaced I will do both sides and replace the brake discs while in there. This project is dragging on and I need this machine soon to start a house build.
Of course every day I took off work had to rain. I said "**** it and worked in the rain." Tomorrow I hope to get one section off and apart.
Looks like you have a nice clean slab to work on and plenty of space.
I'd put the chain further back on the fork when lifting that much weight. That fork looks like it's read to give up!
The fork extension does look bad. It really isn't. The extensions were given to my brother by a body shop up the street who used them to move cars around. He bent them. He has a much bigger forklift now. I would put the chain further back but there is a hole in the spot so it was more secure. Besides I was not lifting it and carrying it around. Just using it to stand the axle up, which takes way less power. Today I plan to take the top section of and start to teardown to get to the axle seal and bearing.
Last week I was working on one side of the axle and I realized the brakes were worse than I thought so I ordered some additional parts. The bearing and seal were not that difficult. Got one hand completed yesterday and flipped it over and took apart of the other side.
This was the brakes from the left side. Had to set the preload on the axle bearings. Simple enough.
While apart I took the time to clean the dirt out of the frame on the right side and the oily dirt and debris from the left side. The left side axle seal was leaking pretty bad. I used rust encapsulator on the rust and then painted it yellow so it looks better. I finished the right side bearing and seal replacement today. This weekend I hope to get the axle installed.
You’re doing a nice job on this old girl
Your work is top notch. I really enjoy seeing how you make the worn old hoe look like new. Thanks for bringing us along on your journey.
My old man had a saying he would roll out to anyone who complained about having to work on equipment outside in the rain. "Your f'kin skin's waterproof isn't it.?"
As long as the rain doesn’t get into anything important
The first day it rained I did somethings indoors. The next couple days it rained I just worked. As Nice said the rain won't kill you.
...I say Amen to that !!
Had 5 hours today to do more work. Got the axle put together and installed in the machine. Got the brakes adjusted, then adjusted all the linkage. The brake linkage was whacked out. Took an hour or so to get it all dialed in. Next weekend I should get the wheels on and driving around. The left wheel seal was leaking so the inside of the rim is loaded with oily dirt. I need to scrape and clean that. Anyone have tips on how to fill the axle? Suction gun is out of the question. 4.5 gallons would take forever. Thought of using a transmission funnel and pulling the floor plate and pouring it in. Oil is in a pail and I was thinking maybe some kind of drill or electric pump?
I still have three five gallon pail pumps, one for gear oil, one for Hydraulic and one for trans. Extend the hose, the J shape tube ends hold in where placed so fill is a matter of pumping gently.
Those bucket pumps are cheap but i always put a better hose on them. They usually come with a crappy stiff vinyl/plastic clear hose so i upgrade to an oil-resistant rubberized one
Edgephoto - Nice work as always, maybe try an electric transfer pump to fill the axle and differential. HTH's Respectfully ~ Orangeman
I just ordered this pump. I ordered a cheapie one by Lumax on Amazon. I sent it back, it looked like junk Hopefully the Zeeline pump is good. One of the things I like about it is that it will attach to the spout on the 5 gallon buckets without removing the top. Zeeline Hand Pump with Pail Spout Adapters, Hose and Nozzle ZE353 | Zoro Order Zeeline Hand Pump with Pail Spout Adapters, Hose and Nozzle, ZE353 at Zoro.com. Great prices & free shipping on orders over $50 when you sign in or sign up for an account. www.zoro.com
I bought a bucket pump. I spent the little extra to get OTC brand. Worked like a charm and did not spill one drop. Thanks guys for the suggestion. This weekend I got to work on her again. Installed the wheels, took it for a short test drive and the brakes work!!! Now that is stopped 6 or 8 times I need to adjust the brakes a little, the pedal is low after the initial stops. I changed the oil in the front axle, both final drives and the transmission. The last fluid to change is the coolant. In two weeks I should get to that. I will install a new thermostat at that time. The tach is the only gauge that does not work and I finally got time to diagnose that. No a/c pulse coming out the W terminal. $94 and I have a new alternator on the way. A couple minor electrical gremlins with lights to iron out but that is easy peasy stuff. Last thing I need/want, is to replace the tires and then she is ready to move to my land and start working her.
Excellent work!!
... then the 'fun' starts !!
Great work you’ve done, I’m sure she will serve you well. We bought our 94- 426B to clear trees and stumps, and build our house with as you said you’re going to do. We use it all the time for one project or another around our property, can’t imagine not having it around. Just curious how long did it take you to pull the rear axle out from under her? I‘m pretty sure ours needs new brake discs since the brakes groan loudly when you use them. When I finally get my shop built I’d like to give ours some love but until then I’ve just been fixing the things necessary to keep her going.
The time to get the axle out was about 2 hours. I did each side in about 5 hours per side. 2 hours or so to put it back in and another couple hours freeing up and adjusting the brake linkage. Everything was frozen and adjustments all jacked up.
Thanks for the info. That seems like a great way to work on it instead of doing it with the axle under the machine.
Trying to do it in the machine would be awful. 8 bolts hold it to the frame. There are 3 or 4 hoses mounted to a bracket on the differential section, 4 linkages and a driveshaft. I used my brother's forklift with fork extensions and a pallet to remove the axle. I had been thinking about how to remove it from the machine for a while. If the forklift would not work I was going to use a couple of 1000lb dollies to roll it out. My plan B was to lift it up put the jack stands under it in case hydraulics failed. Then I would get it ready to come out. That included loosening all 8 mounting bolts. Then I would lower it until it just touched the dolly. Then remove the 8 bolts, lift the machine back up put jack stands under and roll the axle out. Standing it in the tire made it easy to work on. I worked on the section bolted to the wheel and lifted off the other side with differential and set that aside. You could use and engine hoist or chain fall to lift it. Once disassembled I cleaned everything, pulled the housing of the axle and use a die grinder to cut the old bearing off and a press to press on the new bearing. If you have never done a bearing like that you cut the cage and get rid of the rollers, then cut the inner race as deep as possible without cutting the axle. Cut at like a 45 degree angle to get clearance with the cutoff wheel. Then take a chisel and hit it hard with a big hammer to crack it. Then it will slide right off. I use an air chisel and it breaks in 2 seconds. I use the cracked inner race to press the new bearing on. Make sure to put your seal on first and put it the right way.
There were some grooves in the metal parts of the brakes. I replaced the "disc assy" pieces, the frictions and the steel plates. I did not replace the housings on either side because of cost. Ideally they should have been replaced. I am only concerned if the brakes work not if they make noise. If you have access to a Bridgeport you could clean them up a little.
My repair manual may or may not tell me this, but I’ll ask you this since you just got done doing the job. Is there any way to tell from the outside whether the friction discs are worn out and need replaced? I often wonder if the chatter/ groaning noise/grabbing I get isn’t due to a lack of friction modifier being added to the axle oil. I think I read somewhere that it is required and since I have not changed the rear axle oil since I’ve owned it (bought it just never did the job yet) I wonder if that could be the cause. Thanks again for the info.
You could add the friction modifier and see if it eliminates the chatter. It should be in it anyway.
I guess if there is friction modifier in there already and I add more, it wouldn't hurt anything anyway. If it doesn't work the discs have to be the issue.
If yours is a Cat backhoe then 197-0017 or 622-3149 is the Part Number to look for.
Yes it's a Cat thanks Nige
WOW. NICE WORK!
Thanks. I finally got her home. My brother sold his business so I had no choice. Currently sits in my neighbor’s yard waiting to be moved up to my land. We are just starting the build process. I have a few small things to finish. One thing I need to do is check 4WD operation. I want to make a mat for inside the cab.
Simple 4 wheel drive test. Put it in 4 wheel drive and make a tight turn on dry pavement. You will feel it bind up and slow the machine of it's working.
Glad for you. Enjoy the work. I used my 426B to move a good amount of clay and topsoil. Dug out some stumps and moved some big rocks with it. Then sold it when I no longer needed such a big machine and got my money back. They are a good, strong workhorse. Getting the boom to lock into place was “interesting”, but once you get use to it, not too bad. I’m back to working with a small TLB now, that I can also use as a tractor. The backhoe comes off the Kubota L45 in about 10 minutes and the three point goes on in the same time. Sometimes I miss a full size, and miss having the cab sometimes. But, I rented a 10,500 lb enclosed cab Bobcat mini the last time I needed to clear an area and pull a bunch of bigger stumps and rocks. The speed of doing that type of work with the mini excavator with hydraulic thumb is remarkable. Keep us updated on your machine and your home project. I’m watching this thread, but would appreciate it if you let me know if you start a new one on your home/property project. Have a good one!
My backhoe is sitting in my neighbors yard. I still never did the last couple items but am going to do them soon as I will be moving the machine up to my new house build in a few weeks, once the pros are done with the site work. I am glad I hired people for everything. For one I had a heart attack Jan. of 2025. On top of that the rocks and ledge are no match for a 426. The excavating company brought in some huge excavators to hammer and move the rocks. Some were bigger than a Suburban. I will use the machine to clear trails around the property, make places for sheds and to move firewood around.
I'm working on an '86 416 now for (hopefully) similar reasons as you. Our cabs are about identical. I'll be trying to match your craftsmanship on that battery box soon! Appreciate your thread.