Hello from Eastern Washington. First time mini excavator owner. I just got delivery on a used CAT 305.5E2 (not the CR). 2018 model 1600 hours, steel tracks. I got all new filters, engine oil, final drive oil, bucket teeth, bucket side cutters, engine oil, and final drive oil, 4x oil analysis (engine, hydraulic, 2x Final drive), and a operator's manual (~$1300 at local CAT dealer).
It makes a thunking noise going forward. At first thought it was a rock or gravel stuck in the tracks, but then I realized that it is rhythmic. It does not make the same noise in reverse. I took a look at the tracks, and I think they are toast: My question is whether the sprockets need to be changed: So my questions are: 1) Do the sprockets need to be changed with new tracks? 2) I have a quote for new steel tracks from McLaren : $3529 shipped ~ 1 week. Has anyone used McLaren for replacement tracks? Thanks in advance for any advice, information or noob ridicule you can offer.
You're correct. The bushings have collapsed. It would be advisable to install new sprockets if new tracks were being installed. Before you go buying from McClaren or anywhere else please post a machine Serial Number. That way you can ask any supplier to furnish you with their equivalent to Cat Part Number "X" for the track Groups and Part Number "Y" for the sprockets. Your machine S/N probably starts with either WE2 or CR5 followed by 5 numbers.
Thanks for your reply. As soon as I get samples for the final drives I'm headed back into the Cat dealer to see what they've got. Here is my full identifier. CAT3055ETWE205356 So the serial number should be: WE205356
So the factory-fit tracks are Part Number 333-5631 - 400mm/16" steel triple grouser. See the attachment. Illustration of sprocket also attached. If the shoes are good you could always buy a replacement 333-5632 Link Group and swap your track shoes from the old to the new. That method may prove more economical although you will have to invest a fair amount of labour into it.
Thanks for your reply. To be clear, you don't think aftermarket tracks are a valid solution?
I did not say that. Aftermarket is always a potential solution. Whether it is the best or the most cost-effective solution only you can decide once you have all the relevant information. OEM prices should be only a phone call away. Go back and read the part of my post - "That way you can ask any supplier to furnish you with their equivalent to Cat Part Number 333-5631 for the Track Groups and Part Number 333-5622 for the sprockets." Now that you have the OEM Part Numbers you can request any aftermarket supplier to quote you for their equivalent to the aforementioned numbers and also get confirmation in writing of that (in case parts don't fit). So you can compare apples with apples and hopefully not receive parts that won't fit if you do decide go aftermarket. I would still advise that you investigate the cost/benefit of re-using your old track shoes, if they are in good condition, versus buying complete new tracks. You may have to factor in some new track shoe bolts & nuts because you'll probably end up damaging a few.
You'll notice the wear on those sprockets is uneven between the teeth, 1 side is worn but the other side is near new. A simple inexpensive fix is to swap the sprockets and chains from side to side and run them to 100% destruction .
Swapping sprockets side to side might work but I would say the chains are already too far gone.
The prior owner must have had the one side super tight. Wearing out steel tracks in 1800 hours had to have some poor maintenance involved. I have bought rubber tracks and solid SSL tires from McLaren. One of the tires was wearing prematurely. Like grossly not manufactured correctly. They eventually replaced it after some arm twisting on my part. That was years ago. The rubber tracks I bought last year for a CTL. No complaints, quality was good. If the price of McLaren is close to OEM, I would go OEM, but I think think overall their product compared to other nonOEM options is better than most.
Thanks for all the replies. Here is an update on the non-track stuff related to this excavator. I am afraid this was a very poor purchase on my part. I am really paying dues at the school of ignorance. The previous owner said they would do maintenance, but I took some money off instead. At least that way I would be sure of the work done and the parts used. Here is what I have found: * Engine oil was black. I have an old diesel tractor so I know it gets dark, but this was BLACK. Sample sent in for analysis. * Final Drive oil was midnight black and stinky as F. 2 of the 4 plugs were stuck, one had the hex stripped out. Samples sent in for analysis. I filled with diesel, swished it around a bit, drained, put in a quart of new oil, swished that around a bit. That is draining overnight and then I'll fill with new oil. No silver sparkle flakes, so there is that. * Fuel filter / water separator was really stuck in the housing. After giving up on getting the old filter out, I ordered a new housing for $200. Then--since I had nothing to lose--I took the old housing in to the vice, cut the filter out, and after much careful hammering, I finally got them separated: Cleaned out all the rust, decided all the critical seals were OK (they are part of the filter), put it back together, flushed it good and hooked it all up. So a lot of labor, but at least I can cancel that $200 housing. * Air cleaner had _no_ inner filter The outer filter was expectedly very dirty. Replaced both. * Looked at having the coolant analyzed, but it was the same cost to drain and refill so that is on the schedule. * I have new cabin filters, replacing them is on the list. * Have new teeth installed, new side cutters on the way. * Replaced the hydraulic filter cartridge. The horizontal glue stripes that go around the filter had all come off and were at the bottom of the housing ?!? On the plus side there were no particles in the filter and no sparklies in the oil or on the filter element. *The rig is cosmetically in pretty good shape and has a decent-ish paint job. The stickers that basically say "hydraulic oil here and "diesel here" were swapped: I tried to get new stickers and that is when the CAT parts guy informed me that it is a "grey iron", since the stickers are not in english. Sigh. All this deferred maintenance is disturbing, and I am now thinking that the last service that was done on this machine was done on the other side of an ocean. Well, I have all the maintenance under control and although not pleasantly surprised, I guess I kind of accept that this might happen purchasing from a private party. It makes an ex-rental that has been regularly serviced look quite attractive, in hind sight.
OK, back to the SPROCKET and TRACK issue. @Nige : Sorry for mis-reading your post. Thank you for helping find the part numbers. One option is to just leave it alone and put up with the noise and jerkiness knowing that the sprockets and tracks are chewing themselves into oblivion. I don't think I can stomach that. To do it right, it looks line the It looks like I need both sprockets and tracks, possibly reusing the treads. The CAT SIS2GO app shows I need 2x of 333-5622 sprocket (agrees with @Nige ) -- provided I re-use the bolts and washers (Is re-using the bolts allowed? I assume they are not TTY ). Getting the sprockets from CAT looks like ~$400 each. I have the quote from McLaren for $3529. So is ~$4500 reasonable for replacement tracks and sprockets? The CAT SIS2GO app, under the "333-5631" track group lists "LINK AS-TRACK" for $1900 - so I would be at $3800 right away and would still need to move over all 76 shoes and 304 bolts. Eeek. I am going to search some more for sprockets and see if I can find something likely. I also found out that there is a local business " Trackman " and I have contacted them to see what they can come up with. Any other suggestions on where to source tracks and especially sprockets? Another question: How does the final drive hub and sprocket assembly go together? From @Nige 's, PDF: It looks like I just take off the 12 pieces of bolts and washers and the sprocket is free? Looking at mine, I can believe that, but I want some reassurance that the final drive will not fall apart in my hands when I remove those 12 bolts ! Looking at the final drive drawing, it appears that the 12 bolts can be removed without opening up the final drive. I guess that makes sense -- the sprocket is a wear item and should be easy to remove. And, again, thanks for your advice and ideas. I really appreciate the support as this project drives me into the ground.
Some sprocket links that claim stock: https://tractorzone.com/333-5622-tz1-sprocket/ 2x $160.72 + $175 shipping, total is : $495.49 Good old fleBay : 2x $299 + $75 shipping -$30 discount _ tax = $727.94 So if I do McLaren for tracks at $3529 and TractorZone for sprockets that is $4025 all in for new tracks and sprockets. Is that a good price? I also have a quote in with Viqan . They are kind of local so I could possibly drive to pick them up.
Yep just remove those bolts. The sprocket will be an interference fit but a pry bar should loosen them. The planetary hub is held together internally. Before you fit the new sprockets remove the paint off the mated surfaces, stops them coming loose.
A couple of thoughts. 1. If you do not have an Operation & Maintenance Manual yet you sould get hold of one ASAP. The Cat Publication reference for it is SEBU9304. Easiest way is to download a pdf version from the Cat Pubs web site. I don't see anything on any of the usual internet marketplaces. 2. You would have been better advised to do all the oil flushes/changes in every compartment then take oil samples from all of them the next time the engine oil was changed. 3. On those final drives that contain such a small quantity of oil (1.3 litres each side) you should ideally change it every time you change the engine oil, not every 1000 hours as per the manual recommendations. The oil used should be a full synthetic GL-5 85W/90 - accept no substitutes. 4. See attached for some Part Numbers of films/decals for the tanks (and others) that may be useful to you. I reckon the 242-1510 would be perfect for the hydraulic tank. As an aside take a look at the machine data plate on the RH side close to the base of the boom. In the bottom RH corner will be the country of manufacture. Japan or China.?
Out of all of this, the part that would scare me the most would be no inner air filter (who does that?) and the primary being full of dirt. Combine that with what we could likely assume would be lack of proper oil change schedule. Pretty evident that in the machines 1800 hours of life, very little maintenance had been done. Hopefully the engine hasn't been dusted, but certainly it has been breathing dirt. Maybe its worth compression testing it, if its low on compression, fix the tracks as cheap as possible and get out of it now.
You’ll need to cross your fingers and hope that the media in the outer filter was intact and there were no splits in it. Try putting a light inside it and inspect from the outside for any defects. If there are none you might just have got away with it. I would also suggest that you resample the new engine oil at 50 hours for confirmation. The silicon content is the key. EDIT: Bear in mind that the only function of the secondary is as a “safety” element just in case the primary element fails and lets dust through, or in cases where the primary element has been removed for maintenance. In the course of normal operation it does nothing to prevent dust getting into the engine.
That hasn't been serviced right since it was new. YIKES!!!!!!!
As always, big thanks for your comments and insight. I'm learning . . . learning what a Bad Decision™ this was. On the bright side, the hydraulics seem solid OK, good to know. I can feel future Baxsie squirming about that "interference fit" already . . . . Paper one ordered from CAT. I can see that. I got this machine primarily for a single project, carefully picking through a farm dump that is on top of a spring. I need to sort concrete from wood from tires from steel from trash. I want to save the spring and possibly rejuvenate it if possible. My plan was to own this machine for 6 to 18 months, avoiding ~ 6x2500 = 15K rent to I doubt if I'll put more than 100 hours on it. I agree on the reduced interval. The CAT dealer gave me 75-140 full synthetic -- $15/quart was as cheap as NAPA so I went with the CAT brand. Awesome, Thanks. China: I know ! Right ? Still kicking myself.
Out of interest how much is it costing you.? That doesn't make it a grey import in my book because all the parts/service information for your Serial Number appears in the online system. Lots of Cat excavators these days are assembled in China and shipped worldwide for sale. The only thing that the decals/films suggest is that the US was not the original intended market for this particular machine. True grey market machines were built in Japan for the Japanese home market only and were never intended for export. They are "slightly different" from machines built during the same time frame for the "World" market. Over the years some of them did find their way elsewhere and when customers go to a Cat dealer the look they get from the Parts Counter when they give the machine Serial Number is similar to what they might get if they suddenly had grown a 2nd head...... TBH based on your comments regarding the colour of the engine oil when it was drained I would suggest that you run the new oil no more than 50 hours or 3 months, whichever comes first, and then change both oil and filter again. Sample the oil again at that time. The results should either give you peace of mind or a heart attack.
From memory it was $84. Apparently they are print-on-demand somewhere then shipped. I might scan it so I have a backup. Interesting. Well, it is what it is and I seem to be able to get parts. I'm with you there. I already purchased a second filter and oil so I could do another oil change very soon. I figured only a few hours (~5) so that first change of mine is basically a flush. In other news, I called TractorZone about the sprockets. It turns out they are from ITR (that's good, right?) and apparently are a pricing error on the web site. I put the order in quick so hopefully they will stand by that order I have the tracks on order from McLaren. So the damage so far: All the maintenance parts (including bucket teeth, side cutters, manual, 2x final drive change, 2x engine oil change, 5G of hyd oil, 4x original oil analysis, cabin filters, etc) is around $1800 to the CAT dealer. I had budgeted $1000 so not too far off. The sprockets $495.49 all in (might be a pricing error) The tracks $3529 all in So my total out-of-pocket is ~$5800. That's some pretty steep tuition for being enrolled in the school of hard knocks night classes. On the other hand, I'll have all maintenance up to date and new tracks. Fingers crossed that there is not deeper damage that shows up.
I hate renting, I will always try to own rather than rent. I say that, to say this, if your not in the dirt business (and even if you are), sometimes renting is the safer bet. You are about half way toward a 15K rental which would be a long rental on a machine that size to revitalize a spring. Many (and I would likely fall into this as a homeowner) feel they can buy a used machine, use and sell it for about what I paid for it. Sometimes that works out, and sometimes it doesn't and when it doesn't, it really can sting. You can be way upside down in a machine that will likely never pay itself back. Being in the dirt business if you keep it long enough you can usually get your money out of a bunch of repair money, a lot harder to do that as a homeowner. Hopefully the engine is sound.
I would run it longer than that simply to allow the detergent package in the new oil to get into all the nooks & crannies and actually dissolve some of the cr@p that will be lying there. Also when working it you really should run the engine hard once you have it warmed up. Don't baby it.
That's the price of owning Yellow Iron. You have to pay to play. Apart from the tracks/sprockets everything else on your list would be classed as maintenance/consumable items, all of which are part and parcel of the costs of ownership. If you didn't factor all that into the purchase price of the machine (IIRC you said you did, at least for some of it) then you really didn't do your sums right.
It's the narrative of capitalism. I guessed $1K for full maintenance. No too far off of that figure. I added in new teeth and side cutters which were around $500 (CAT parts). So $1800 on a shooting-from-the-hip guess of $1500 is not so bad. The tracks are unexpected. I did talk to the seller today and there is some chance he will meet me half way on the tracks. That would take some sting out of it. Not sure if that will actually happen, but it was not an immediate "No."
Today I replaced the belts. Not too bad of a job once the top cover was off and I figured out all the sizes of the bolts. It was about an 80% working blind job. It is so nice to not have the belts squeaking anytime the throttle is above idle. I'm actually quite happy with how quiet it is. A great improvement from my 1962 Massey Ferguson-65 -- hearing protection is mandatory with it. The big maintenance item left is changing the coolant. I was pleasantly surprised to see it was a crystal clear pink: I wanted to get it warm so the thermostat would open and I could drain all the coolant. I ran it for ~2 1/2 hours sorting out the junk pile. Mostly at full throttle - outside temp was maybe ~60°F when I started, cooling off to maybe ~50°F. I used the A/C at the start to see if it worked. Not an ice storm but it was definitely blowing colder than the outside air. If it is a problem, I'll save that job for Summertime Baxsie. Brought it back to the shop, got a bucket, and opened the petcock at the bottom of the radiator. Just a tiny trickle. Got a rag and carefully remove the radiator cap. No drama, no steam. Still a trickle. Take off the hose, blow the clog out, put it back -- now it is a healthy pee stream. This is where it gets weird. The fluid at the bottom of the radiator was cool to the touch! I quickly dipped my finger in the water above the fins and it was warm to hot -- but not scalding. I could leave my finger in without pain. I clicked the key on and the temp gauge was in the green -- maybe 1/4" to the left of straight up. Do these things run that cool? I would think after an hour it would be at full operation temp with the thermostat open. My first thought is that maybe the thermostat was stuck open -- but that would not agree with cool fluid at the bottom of the radiator. Quite odd. Any thoughts? Also: Is there a block drain on these? I looked but did not see any obvious drains. I left it draining into a 5 gallon bucket. I'll have to measure how much coolant I get out of just the radiator drain to make sure I get it all -- or at least most. Supposed to hold 2.6 gallons - I have 3 gallons of CAT 50/50 ready to refill. Thanks for all your help, insight, wisdom and advice.
Best way to flush is to drain as much as you can from the lowest point, fill with clean water, run up to temperature and drain again. Rinse & repeat until the drain runs clean, then refill with new coolant. However as the coolant you drained was obviously OEM Cat Red (aka ELC) then you probably have nothing to lose at this point by simply refilling it. NOTE: Capacities listed in the OEM Manual are only approximate and often contain errors. Don't take them as gospel.
Personally, if you are only going to be putting 100 hours on it, i maybe would have just changed the oil. Why are you restoring a machine that has no future with you. I am anal, have OCD and would be doing the same as you but for me, if it was a short term gig, I would be as cheap as possible. More than likely, for every grand you put in it, you will get 10 bucks back on resale. Unless, you got it at a smoking deal. Hopefully, you either keep it after this, or get top dollar. Good luck. It is a 35k machine.
I have to say... a lot of this sounds somewhat familiar to me. I bought a used 2001 Deere 50ZTS, and wow did I have a bunch to do to it. But what a machine it is! I just love that rig, but of course my engine and the pump were just fine, hydraulic system OK. I had fuel issues, pins, bushings, horsehead pins/bushings, tracks, sprockets, rollers, track drives, rotring, AND paint! but I'm keeping mine for the long haul and regret nothing. lol. I spent about 20k on it and potentially 3/4 of that again on parts and maintenance... but I've never seriously considered it a rig to sell. anyway, I wish you well on your journey, and from what I can tell - you didn't really make a bad decision, you just have a work in progress. you'll learn a bit from it, you'll be able to identify problems on similar rigs with a bit more wisdom under your belt. all equipment is in need of maintenance. When that maintenance is done is up to the human running it. People's view of maintenance does tend to vary... Good luck, have fun! Learn what you can, and enjoy the process. it's worth it in the end.
@laidback01 Thanks for the kind words. I've used the CAT 305.5E2 it for a couple hours now, and as long as the tracks are not involved, it seems to work 100% perfect -- well at least to my noob eyes ! Right now, from a financial point of view (as @KSSS and @HarleyHappy have observed), I'm pushing the tipping point where renting would have made more financial sense for most people. I still think I'm OK -- assuming rent would have been $15K and my time is free -- but the margin is getting thinner. Say I sell it for $5K less than I purchased and I spent $6K on these initial repairs and maintenance, that puts me out of pocket for 11K where rent might have been $15K, plus when renting there is always time pressure, whereas with owning I can work on the cleanup project at my own (retired) pace, when I feel like doing it: It does not look like that much, until you dig a bit and realize that only the top layer is visible, with several layers under it. Additionally, I get a certain satisfaction from doing the mechanicing on the machine. Brings me back to summer days in the shop when I was growing up on the farm. I also like the idea of leaving the world -- or maybe just a piece of machinery -- a little better than when I got it. Gotta push back against the second law of thermodynamics! I did not enjoy finding out that the tracks were shot on a 1600 hour machine. But I am kind of looking forward to seeing how it works out to remove the old tracks and sprockets and get the new ones on. I think there will be some heat involved. I will find out. On the subject of tracks, the YouTube algorithm served me up this video: Another factor is that after a lifetime of watching, I have always wanted to learn and use an excavator. The bit I have done so far has consisted of extracting some easy-to-reach concrete pieces, loading them up in my old truck and hauling them to the landfill. A pleasant afternoon's diversion by my measurement: As always, thanks for the insight, information, and advice from all of you. I really appreciate the guidance and lack of mockery.
I dont know what you purchased the machine for BUT I think you are being hard on yourself. Its a used machine and most of what you are doing is as expected for something thats used....besides not catching the tracks. That looks like a fun project.
Thanks for the encouraging words @Diggernh . Got a little work done today. Pressure washed the tracks and the undercarriage I could access in preparation for the new tracks arriving in a few days. It's starting to get dark and cold here, and I needed to blow out the pressure washer and bed its pump for winter. No covers or bolt holes are evident around the track tensioner access holes. I guess that is yet one more project. I hope they actually work I installed the RH side cutter, which completes a full set of new teef: No more applesauce-only diet for this big baby! It does look like it could use some welding to build up between the teeth. I assume that it should be straight between the teeth? The SIS2GO parts drawing appears to back that up: I wonder if there is hard-facing MIG wire?
That edge between the teeth has been hard faced. You'll have to keep an eye on that. Hard facing softens the base metal, it then disappears at 100mph on commercial use so it'll be little slower but not by hours, just time if that makes sense
Between the worn out tracks and scalloped out bucket base edge I really question the 2018 “1600” hrs….has this thing been walking and digging at the same time on a fine sand beach….
Definitely 2018 (March) manufacture, but as mentioned above the wear does not appear to tally with the alleged hours on the machine. Previously only the undercarriage wear was mentioned, now it appears as though the "wear disease" has spread. It might be interesting to ask your local Cat dealer if there is a record at all of any work being done on the machine by them. If there are any results the date and hourmeter reading will be noted.
I would like a whole bunch of pictures, not that it would change anything but this is an interesting thread. Looking at the hard facing and seeing the little bit of grouser showing, the machine looks to have been run in a coal mine. While it looks very clean, there just seems to be abnormal wear on the tracks and bucket for 1600 hours.
in this picture it looks to have been repainted which is common for a reseller to do but in this pic it looks like it's been a few hours since the repaint
Ya. Lots of questions. Definitely was not loved. Only the post delivery service, no other records All I can find of it is a March 2025 auction listing with it listed at 1581 hours. I'm 99% sure that is when my seller bought it - which means they only put ~40 hours on it over ~7 months. They did add the aftermarket thumb, which seems to work fine. Yes, it has been repainted. And there are places in the engine compartment where there is corrosion / rust under the (original, I assume) paint. Mainly on some sheet metal inside the engine compartment and in the battery area. From this, I think it has been operated in some kind of hard environment, possibly costal, which would include much of southern China.
That is a worthy project @Baxsie A younger "us" would have dove in there with gloves and boots and grit and determination. And then got a machine anyway Good on you for rehabbing and recovering a spring site like that.
Since I am waiting for the tracks and it was a nice afternoon, I took off two shoes on one track surrounding the master pin: Note that in this photo you can see some of the rust that makes me think this machine might have been in a coastal environment. Removing the shoes was beyond what my 25-year old "600 ft-lb" Craftsman 1/2" air impact could do reliably. It got 3 of the eight bolts, the other five I had to use a breaker bar with a cheater. The outside head of the master pin is keyed to prevent rotation: I tried sticking a big crescent wrench on it but was not able to rotate it. The inside end of the master pin had a retainer in the form of a rod with bent ends. It made me think of a thick copper ground wire -- except it was some kind of steel. The ends broke off when I tried to straighten them out. I flattened one side with the grinder and laid into it with a punch. I was able to push the end of the pin retainer in about 1/8 of an inch below the surface. However the other end did not come out at all, so I think I was just packing that pin into the hole like a rivet. At that point I drilled the retainer out: I probably should have used a larger drill. The exit hole shows that my drill was too small: I guess I can go in with a bigger drill tomorrow. I then tried driving the pin towards the outside with no luck. I also tried an air hammer with a blunt bit. Also no movement. So I can try heating the link with the cutting torch to free the pin . . . hey, wait a minute . . . if I have the cutting torch right there anyway . . . Is there a downside to using ye olde flameaxe on the old chain? It is just going to recycling as far as I know. A press seems overkill for a single job: hand power master pin chain track link press machines for 3-40 Ton Excavator | eBay Hand hydraulic machine. www.ebay.com Thoughts? Comments? Advice?
if it's garbage anyway... whatever. this is my favorite video for seeing how to remove pins from track:
I think you could save yourself a lot of aggravation with a cutting torch since the track is junk I Would just cut one of the links at the holes
Hold on there! if you really want to re-use the pads, pull the pads off the rails while they are still on the machine. Nothing is going to hold them better for you. Even if you plan on gas-axing the bolts too, do it on the machine. Beats wrestling that heavy assembly around and pinching fingers etc. Then cut a link as suggested by the man from PA. If you don't have a use for the rails I might like one to play with. They can be fun art projects.
Another thought since I'll have the tracks off: Are the rollers serviceable? They are definitely worn, but I'm not in a position to shell out for new ones. However, if they can be disassembled, repacked, and reinstalled I might be up for that. I didn't see any obvious grease fittings. The ones I have tried are stiff, but I can turn them by hand. Thanks again for your help.
@skyking1 I'm near Spokane - are you nearby? The new tracks have shoes, so I don't plan on removing any more shoes.
cool I had not seen that detail. That is what I did for the company 120, ITR assemblies, new sprockets, some rollers. Starting here on this thread I am between Tacoma and Sequim. Back and forth.
If you think you might get over here and want them, I can set them aside for a bit. Otherwise they are off to recycling. Shipping weight of the new tracks is 1360 lbs, so that makes each new track ~680 lbs. The new tracks have 41 links so each link with shoe weighs ~16½ lbs.
If they get in the way get rid of them. I made a mistake tossing the 120 tracks. It would be spring at the earliest. if the rollers turn and do not wobble when you pry on them, you are good to go.
Attached the parts listings for the track rollers (10) and carrier rollers (2). You might find that complete aftermarket rollers are cheaper to buy than new OEM roller shells. I'm not sure if aftermarket roller shells are available or not but at least you now have Part Numbers to go searching.
We had to install a couple of lower rollers last summer in our Deere 50d. They were surprisingly inexpensive from our local dealer (Brandt). They were plainly branded ITR! And were visibly different than the originals. Rollers for our Cat 304 (genuine Cat) were also quite reasonable (both aftermarket and dealer). That was several years ago.
A brand new roller is hard to turn by hand…as Skyking noted if not dry/squeaky/loose (bearings) then you could probably just run them. A very easy confirmation is to walk the machine a good distance and feel for heat. Will quickly point to a bad roller. This is easy for us as I often walk machines 10km or more good luck! It seems you paid a fair price for the machine…
The SIS2GO app is saying I would need 10 each of 422-0837 lower rollers @ $122 (!) each at my local dealer. That is cheaper than most I see on eBay: "422-0837" Cat Roller for sale | eBay Get the best deals for "422-0837" Cat Roller at eBay.com. We have a great online selection at the lowest prices with Fast & Free shipping on many items! www.ebay.com For some reason the upper roller 333-5602 is double that -- $252 at the local dealer, only one on eBay for $199: "333-5602" Cat Roller for sale | eBay Get the best deals for "333-5602" Cat Roller at eBay.com. We have a great online selection at the lowest prices with Fast & Free shipping on many items! www.ebay.com In any case the budget is not there for new rollers unless the old ones are absolutely unusable. Interesting, good to know. I'll check when the old track is off. Meanwhile, the new tracks showed up: Peeking under the plastic wrap, they seem to be about the right size:
Wow, that was fast.
If you look at the attachment the rollers break down into various piece parts. The big wear part is #4, the roller shell (P/N 422-0843) complete with bushings. Try pricing them although it is going to cost you some labour to re-shell the 10 track rollers.
Yes: 422-0843 prices out at $109 locally. The 422-0837 at $122 assembly would make more sense.
I haven't rebuilt a roller since I was in my 20's. Aftermarket is the way to go.
In an unlikely coincidence of logistics, the sprockets showed up the very same day: I have my work cut out.
I was worried about getting the sprocket off, so during the few sunny (and cold and windy) hours this afternoon I took on that task. Removing the bolts was uneventful with the air impact wrench: Maybe only 10 or so decent strikes with the sledge, the sprocket came off: Here is a comparison of the old and new sprockets: I cleaned the bolts, holes and mounting faces. I reinstalled the bolts with generous anti-seize. I have a question: Is there a torque specified for these bolts? They are M14x2 by 40mm grade 10.9. As a first guess, I put them at 100 ft-lbs. This table: https://www.fastenermart.com/files/metric_tighten_torques.pdf shows 136 ~ 146. I better stop at 125 ft-lb considering I have them lubed with anti-seize.
In the end, I did not use the cutting torch to remove the track. I used my little DeWalt angle grinder with a fresh cutoff wheel. Padlocks are truly obsolete. After cutting the track, I made a short video to show how loose the old track is: I used the Massey to tug the old track off: Do you "C" any problem?
With the sunlight holding on, I took a look at the idler. It pretty much fell out: And, frankly fell apart: Three of the 4 bolts wee missing, and the forth only finger tight. The holes were packed with rust and dirt. I made a thread chase out of the one existing bolt. wire brushed the head to find the grade. Not from this hemisphere:
(sorry for all the posts - this forum limits to 4 images per post) I had been starting to wonder if the tensioner on this idler was working OK. When I exposed the end of the cylinder, there was a blob of grease that had pushed out of the seal. Not to worry, it gets worse! The piston is corroded badly: Maybe this tractor was used to excavate some of the layers of Dante's Hell? It looks like grease has blown past the seal - I assume after the seal was damaged by the rust: That looks like grease, but it is the hard plastic or metal of the seal. The piston (353-5584) is available for $175. That and a couple seals (120-4664 $17, 095-1604 $4 and 095-1794 backer ring $14) should put it right. I wonder if I could source a chunk of polished rod instead of the CAT piston.
With the track out of the way, I got some photos of the rollers: The "flats" are pretty concave. I checked rotation for all the rollers. They turn and are not loose so I am not going to touch them.
Looking at the idler plate that was missing the bolts, here is what the CAT part looks like (thanks random internet photos): The plate in mine has a second part welded to the back: What looks like a depression is actually a hole, filled with dirt. I wonder what they were thinking?
The spec is 120 ± 22 lb ft but with Blue Loctite 242 applied to the bolt threads, not anti-seize.
The wear surfaces on those track rollers are farked. You do not want to be running new track links up against those rollers, at least not IMHO.
They are 10.9 M12 x 1.75 pitch x 50mm. Cat P/N 8T-4194 The washers are somewhat special if the P/N 219-3939 is anything to go by. They are 21.9 OD x 12.2 ID x 1.6mm thick.
That is correct. The Parts Manual illustration shows it. You should take note of the orientation of the stop on the plate and reinstall it the same way that it came out. I bet that "random block" was installed by someone because the track tensioner had run out of movement and the track were too loose. The other option apart from replacing the tracks would be to remove a link.
Those rollers show extreme wear… Hate to say it, but I would change them all while the tracks are off. I would be curious if those are original Cat parts or perhaps “cheap” aftermarket. Would take a lot of machine hours/walking to show that degree of wear—also (perhaps) very abrasive working environment? Good luck, you are making progress!
Unfortunately I also am in agreement. Replacing the tracks and pads and sprockets and not replacing those rollers, is not very helpful.
With that much wear on an excavator track it has to have major hours on the machine. Nige can the hours be changed? I'm sure someone has figured out how.
On something of this size class I have no idea TBH. On the larger machines it's theorectically not possible to "clock" hours but there are ways & ways around it. I think the record of operating hours on this machine must only be maintained by the hour meter (#2) located under the seat. I see no other electronic controls on the machine, at least as I understand them, with an onboard memory capable of recording such data. It could be nothing more sinister than the hourmeter gave up and someone fitted a new one, then conveniently omitted to keep a record of how many hours were on the previous meter when it was replaced.
I don't trust hour meters. I get the hours registered on the ecu
This machine don't got one.........
I trust my hour meters because they are so high, nobody wants them. lol They all do work properly though.
Same!
Oooppppps!
Thanks for all of your feedback. Concerning the hour meter, I can verify that right now it it is counting up. Argggh. I know you are right and I hate to spend the money. Maybe I should try Alibaba? What could go wrong? Well, I am off to the local CAT dealer to see what my options are. For the tensioner, the piston ( CAT 353-5584 ) appears to be nothing but a 40mm polished rod. I wonder if a hydraulic shop might be able to cut and chamfer me something for less money than the CAT part ($175) ?
Google the part numbers. There may be new aftermarket parts available
So do I need a top roller too? Seems like that would be less critical with only the weight of the track. Way more expensive at $252 each ( CAT 333-5602 ). The piston for the idler appears to be 40mm OD, 200mm ~ 200mm length. Purchasing through Magister Hydraulics is $54 shipped. Tempting.
You do..
How much for the 133-2694 roller shell complete with bearings.?
I don't see a 133-2694. I see a 136-2394 for $116:
On the hydraulic tensioner, a local hydraulic shop is going to cut me a 8.25" (~210mm) length of 40mm chrome polished for less than $50 (CAT part is $175). It'll be saw cut, so I'll have to bevel / polish the ends. I will get new seals coming from CAT.
You are correct. Dyslexia strikes again......
Well, the $120 bottom roller SIS2GO price turned out to good to be true: $3400 with tax. I'll need to hunt around for aftermarket solutions.
Believe it or not they're on amazon and Ebay
Roller replacement update. So I was able to remove the 5 bottom rollers on the left side: That was relatively drama-free, with the exception of snapping the pin in my beloved 30-year old USA Craftsman 1/2" breaker bar. I ordered some bottom rollers from eBay. $1282 for 10 rollers across 2 orders. The photos looked right and the ad claims to fit this machine. We shall see. The top roller removal is not going so well: I got the set screw out. Disassembled the roller, which was likely not needed, but then I was able to put the cap back on and use my slide hammer on that while the gear puller is pushing on the back. Nothing happening. I also tried the air hammer (OK, air chisel with blunt bit) on the backside while the gear puller was tensioned up. My next step would be heat - but I'm not excited about heating and possibly weakening the upright. Suggestions?
Update on the hydraulic tensioner. First off is to try to recover the 353-5579 plate ($190 according to SIS2GO). Some previous work had welded a second plate on it, including welding inside a hole. Why a hole right where the piston hits? Why weld inside it? I used my cheesey mag drill and a TCT hole saw to cut just outside the weld: Then used the portable grinder with a cutoff disk to cut the outside welds:
More grinding and some time on the belt sander: Eeek, I cut a bit deep. I cleaned up the other side for kicks: OK, time down the drain but $190 is $190. Also got some 10.9 bolts and a close match for the washers.
SIS2GO says the entire adjuster (353-5582) is $1191. For that money I can spend some time on it. DIY replacement piston. Sis2Go says the piston (353-5584) is $175. I had a local hydraulic shop cut a piece of 40mm chrome stock for me: $43.64 out the door. I guesstimated with a measuring tape that the piston was about 8.25" long (I had not yet disassembled the piston and cylinder). Came out pretty close: The new rod is in the barber-stripe protective cardboard. The old rod aspires to be a mushroom. Cleaning up the cylinder. The inside, past the O-ring looks beautiful: I'll have to use some sealer on the outside edge of the outer seal to make up for that rough rust. I have a set of seals from CAT. The grease valve seems to work, but one set of the threads seem a bit bunged up: And while the sealing cone seems to seat fine (the copper stripe?), there is some weird metal above it: SIS2GO thinks that valve ( 154-2237 ) is $36 so it might be worth getting a new one. Maybe I could replace it later -- it looks like it can come out if I remove the keeper.
Uggh, looking at the pictures of new ones, I would want to figure out the threads and run a tap down the hole to remove whatever bunged up those threads before I put a new on in there. None of the pics I can find online have the channel cut through the threads like mine has. Also, I wonder if there are supposed to be O-rings in the unthreaded portions.
The longitudinal channel in the body is to relieve the grease pressure when you want to de-tension the tracks. Regarding removing the carrier roller shaft. How wide is the split in the top side of the mounting bracket.? If it is wide enough slide a pice of thin steel plate into it then put the setscrew back in from the opposite site and tighten. That will slightly open the split in the bracket and should help you get the shaft out.
I'll have to look. I did not notice a split.
Its full of dirt I'm sure. I've had success in using a worn-out flat screwdriver to insert in the gap. A couple or 3 hammer strikes to open the gap a tad does the trick. Most of the time I can remove it by hand.
@Vetech63 , @Nige : it is cold, rainy, and windy today - so I'm all about inside jobs cuddled up in front of the big monitors right now. In a few days I'll attack that top roller removal. I'm waiting on bottom (and now top, see below) rollers before I can do anything else. I guess there is inside-the-shop work remaining on the hydraulic tensioner - I need to straighten out that triangle plate. There was a bunch of debris in the big tube which is what I assume bent the plate up - and might have scratched the chrome causing the start of the corrosion blisters. On that subject, does the spring assembly: just slide out of the tube like the hydraulic tensioner and idler? I'm worried that there are more rocks and crap in it. I'll try when I'm next out. Back to the rollers -- I decided to try propelparts.us for the top rollers: The price seems very aggressive - $197 shipped for 2 pieces. CAT was $545 locally. One part of me is "Don't buy the cheesey Chinese parts!!! Go with real CAT parts!". The other part of me is:
A cold chisel with a wide blade also works well. Agree it should just slide out.
It should do, but it depends how much dried mud and other cr@p is jammed around it. Clean everything really well before you attempt to remove the recoil spring assembly.
I could see the big nut of the spring assembly visible in the center chamber. I just assumed that that nut was tightened on one side of that chamber wall with the spring on the other side. Now I'm thinking that the entire spring assembly just slides in there loosely which kind of makes sense I guess -- it's always supposed to be in compression, right? I was pretty hesitant to remove the nut and I'm glad that I hesitated because that would have been a dumb (and possibly dangerous) thing. I'll take a shot sliding it out and make sure I've got all the crap out of that tube before I reassemble everything.
Don't do anything with the spring as its unnecessary for resealing the cylinder
Agreed. I do not want to disassemble the spring. But - - I think I can slide it out of the frame tube without disassembling it to make sure there are no rocks or mud in there. Right?
Yes
Well, that super good price from PropelParts.us on the CAT 305.5E2 top roller (333-5602) just got a little less good: So the new total is $287, still a lot less than $545. Interesting that someone is working on a Saturday.
I got the spring out. Muddy but nothing too exciting. Got the pressure washer out and sprayed off the spring and the tunnel channel or whatever: I also gave the spring a pressure wash: I intended to chase the threads on the grease valve and the hole. The threads are M15x1.5. Of course My set has M14 and M16. I have a tap and die ordered. I'm not so worried about the valve, but I do want to make sure the hole in the expensive cylinder is in good shape.
I got some 10.9 bolts, and found that a 7/16 SAE Thick Grade 8 washer was a fair match for the one example I have: Well, I pressure washed it and took a (horrible) video, but I sure do not see any gaps:
Time to break out the gas axe and get some serious heat on the mounting in that case.
Still waiting on the rollers (Friday) and then bearable weather. Meanwhile I got the Grease Valve ( CAT 154-2237 ) for the track tensioner. Here are photos showing the one I took out next to the real CAT part: Differences I see: 1) Single piece construction (no separate grease fitting). Since no tiny ball is visible, I assume there is a larger, better, more robust ball deeper in the valve. Based on my experience with grease fittings, this has to be an improved solution. 2) Smaller hex. 3) Flat zinc plating instead of the shiny chrome. 4) Wider grease release path through the lower threads. I have the M15x1.5 tap (now) to chase the threads in the cylinder.
if your using the OEM cat grease fitting get a zerk cap to put over the end.. I've had to replace a couple of them as dirt gets in the opening and it plugs..
Good thinking. I do have some caps. I also need to drill out the broken off bolts and fabricate new covers. I'm not sure if my list is getting shorter or longer
That’s the nature of owning equipment. The more familiar you become with the machine, the longer the list becomes. Imagine owning and operating a 40 year old machine. The list can be a bit overwhelming.
more complete.
As you wish: First, I used the torch to cut off the pin near the mount. Then I used the torch to burn right down the center of the stub of the pin that was stuck in the upright. This allowed me to put a lot of heat into the pin with only a small amount of heat on the upright. It did not even burn the paint off. Then I got the air chisel behind the pin and drove it out towards me. Here are the new top rollers I got from Propel Parts: These are ITR parts. Installation was uneventful -- clean out the hole, buff the paint off the shaft, install the set screw:
eBAy CAT305.5E2 Bottom Rollers. For something that is destined to roll over rocks for its life, the rollers came in packaging fit for a Fabergé egg. Bubble wrap, foam in place, steel reinforced wooden box, all inside a cardboard box: To the packaging's credit, the rollers look pristine. They rollers seem to be constructed OK, there is a weld right down the center: The number "0554-10032B-1060" shows up exactly no where on the interweb . Installation was uneventful, except that the holes are not as deep as the original rollers, so I had to trim ~1/2" off each bolt. Speaking of bolts, @Nige , how do you look up the torque for these? Is that a resource I can access or do you have some special access? In any case, can you let me know the correct torque for the roller bolts? Thanks.
This is one of the weirdest things I have come across. The threads on the old grease valve were obviously bunged up. Before I put the new valve into the likely bunged up hole in the cylinder, I got a 15mmx1.5mm tap to run down the hole. The tap practically fell into the hole for the first 1/4" to 1/2". Carefully got the threads engaged and ran the tap down the hole. It finally got tight near the bottom but never really cut. Here is where it gets odd. The new grease valve really did not want to start in the cylinder holes. So I thought I would run the die over the new grease valve. Could not get it started. It is like the hole in the cylinder is smaller than the threads on the new grease valve. Struggle. I got the valve started and it immediately got tight. I ended up driving the new valve down like it was a tap. Grease it well, advance a 1/4 or 1/2 turn cringing at the thought of breaking the valve off in the cylinder. Run it all the way our every couple of turns, clean it, more grease and then back in the hole. Very odd. Finally it bottomed out and I could see the witness mark on the seat, so I think it will work OK. The threads on the new valve look a bit worn but much better than the original valve's mess. It got late so I had to take a break. Tomorrow I'll try to reassemble the cylinder and piston with new seals. Can I test the hydraulic tensioner in my dumb HFT press? What kind of force should it be able to withstand? I think my press is supposed to be 20 ton. What if I took it to bypass: 40mm = 1.575" diameter Area = pi*(d/2)^2 = 1.948 sq-in 20 tons = 40,000 lbs 40,000 lbs / 1.948 sq-in gives a grease pressure of 20,536 PSI That seems like a lot. Google thinks the Dewalt grease gun can do 10,000 lbs and this would be 2x. So maybe I'll just give it a gentle press to make sure the new seals and grease valve do not leak. With any luck I can get the undercarriage reassembled and ready for tracks by tomorrow.
See attached. I think it has all the info you need.
Keep the old ones so you have spares when the new ITR parts fail in a few hundred hours...
And also keep in mind that the more you walk it the faster the undercarriage will wear. Try to plan your work so that it involves the least amount of travelling that is practicable.
Thanks. "Loctite all the things." -CAT Service Documentation (probably)
I get that using real CAT parts might be better, but keep in mind a) this is a used Chinese CAT and b) new, functioning Chinese parts are still better than worn out CAT parts (which very likely were made in China also): and c) money. It is always about the money with humans: CAT quote for the 2x + 10x "real" CAT rollers: $3445.52 My budget for tracks and rollers: $0.00 Here is a recap of what has turned into a DIY rebuild of my CAT305.5E2 undercarriage. 10x Lower rollers (eBay, Chinese): $1281.80 2x Upper rollers (Propel Parts, ITR): $286.12 Total for rollers as purchased: $1567.92 2x tracks, McLaren $3,529.00 2x sprockets, TractorZone ITR $495.49 Total for tracks and sprockets: $4,024.49 Total purchased so far for tracks, sprockets and rollers: $5,592.41 Other misc parts: locally sourced 40mm polished, chrome rod to replace piston: $43 real CAT seals for the cylinder: $33 real CAT grease valve: $36 bolts and washers for idler ~$15 buckets of my time: $0 Total for tensioner parts: ~ $127 (all prices quoted above include shipping, tax, etc) Thanks for all the support and information from HEF. You folks are great.
I'm sorry if that comment came across as critical. It's your machine, your money and your decisions. I have been following and am impressed with what you've done to this machine. You are doing a great job. My experience with ITR parts has not been good. They were the only parts available when I needed them (during COVID shortages) so that's what I bought. The track chains had noticeable slop in them after only 100 hours. Now with 1300 hours on them they are worse than the ones they replaced which had a minimum of 2500 hours, perhaps as much as 5000 (I'm not sure of the history of the machine before I bought it). The new carrier rollers had sticky seals or something from the day they were installed and have never turned properly. Now they are stuck as if they were trying to spin on a rubber bearing. The replacement bottom rolls have been ok, but the metal has worn much quicker than the originals. My 2¢
And travel with the idler to the front. Also if the chains become packed with dirt slacken the chains off a little. It not only saves them wearing but also the idler bushing and planetary hub bearings.
Oh! No worries. Happy to get another viewpoint. Also, it was a good excuse to summarize the costs Only the carrier roller and sprockets are verified ITR. The track rollers are "eBay", the tracks are "McLaren". I guess the tracks might turn out to be ITR once I get a closer look at them. It is still a bit of a mystery how both the undercarriage and the bucket could be so worn on this machine at only "1600 hours". It is what it is. My hope is that once I get the undercarriage sorted, I'll be done with major work. I do have some fiddly projects on my list (lights, 360 camera), but those are behind getting the machine functional. Peace.
I wish I was as fast as getting projects done as you are; good job!
Finished up a project at my "I'm retired, I don't work here anymore" job, plus a sunny if cold afternoon means I was able to get a few hours in on the digger. I had cleaned up the hydraulic tensioner cylinder as well as I could but the internal groove that holds the outer seal was still pitted by rust. I decided to smear a liberal amount of black gasket maker in that groove and on the outside of the seal to basically glue that outer seal in it so it won't allow water into the cylinder: I then carefully cleaned off all of the excess sealant, making sure that the groove behind the lip of the seal was clean: I let that cure for a few rainy days inside the warmth of the house, then today I greased up the inside of the cylinder and installed the actual seals. These consist of an O-ring and a white plastic backer ring: Installing the piston was uneventful: I then opened the grease valve and put the entire assembly in my press. I pushed the piston down until all of the grease, and hopefully all the air, was out of the system. As a test, I used the grease gun to pump it up about an inch, closed the grease valve, and then used the press to push down on it with a reasonable but not too heavy force. I did not see any leaking either around the piston or the grease valve so hopefully that's a win
With the hydraulic tensioner working, I was running out of excuses to avoid putting on the new track. I pressure washed and spray painted the spring assembly. Lipstick, I know: There was some rust on the top of the undercarriage. I cleaned that up with a scraper, brush and air gun. Then a pass with some solvent and then covered the top with a good quality undercoating (more lipstick): I got the idler installed: Blinked my eyes and then the track was on: Pretty darn good progress for a winter afternoon Tomorrow is tackling the disassembly of the right side. Peace.
I do love it when a plan comes together.
Can't really tell from the picture but, it looks like the wiper seal is backwards. The big sealing lip should face outwards. I'm sure it will be fine as it is.
Thanks for your replies. This forum has been very helpful to my rookie self. I really appreciate all the information and feedback. Interesting. I can see your reasoning. I put it in the way it was when I took the old one out -- but as I have learned that is no guarantee on this machine: Googling around, I found one video where the lip was out, and one where the lip was in. I guess I could do the next track the other way -- then I'm guaranteed one of them would be right @Nige @skyking1 or any one else have a definitive answer on the hydraulic tensioner grease seal cup facing in or out ?
Only if you can post a photo of (both sides of) the seal before it was installed.
Yeah don't look at me man. Go to the pros. There's a handful of them here
I'm not an expert but repeating what I've been told. The pressure in the cylinder presses the lip against the shaft and pretty much the same on all hydraulic cylinders. If there's a wiper seal that's fitted in the outer end then that lip goes to the outside. Hope that makes sense.
If you look at parts is said seal dust so normal dirt seal is lip out
OK. Thanks for the information. Unless I have a really good reason, I'll leave it as is . When I get a new seal for the left side, I'll post up some pics before I install it. On to the right side. The day started with the demise of a vintage craftsman socket. : Several hours saw all the shoes removed, and only the naked chain remaining: Maybe 1/2 the bolts would come out with the impact. The remaining had to be broken loose with the breaker bar and an impact socket. Why would I take off all the shoes? I want to enable @skyking1 's future art project . ( MsBaxsie is an artist , and I would never want to stand in the way of art!) The sprocket and rollers came off without drama. Track rollers are battered, as expected: The top roller actually cam out with some encouragement provided by the sledge hammer. I was trying to be too careful with the first one. Here is a shot of the track chain wear: That is a screen shot of a video I took of both tracks sitting next each other. Here is the entire video: I also came across some masking that had not been removed from the paint job. It included some Chinese language newspaper, which confirms this machine was painted in China before it was sent here. Not actionable intelligence but interesting trying to piece the history of the machine together.
The right-side hydraulic tensioner is a Chinese aftermarket part: It has a grease port on each side: I'll have to see if it looks like I can use the standard CAT seals and grease valve(s) on it. Otherwise I'll be looking for a new assembly.
wow, you are doing great at documenting your progress ! I did some of what you did, replaced all the rollers, new tracks, new propel motors, cleaned up, etc. I didn't take any photos, have have only a couple lines in my log book of the hour meter time and what I did that week. This is so much better history! regardless, I can say without a doubt I'm quite pleased with my eBay rollers as a non-professional user. I have no idea who made them, but I check them out every grease session, and they have not yet lost their tension on rotation 87 hours in, so far so good. If I put on 200 hours in a year, I'll be amazed, I may break 100 hours this year. at this rate, my rebuilt mini will last me the rest of my life!
about that "100 hours" thing. If you enjoy refurbing your machine then continue on, but there is no need to do more. You may have 100 to 200 hours of work there to do. Get with it
Thanks for the kind words, @laidback01 . Very short update today. First, a moment of silence to bereave the pump on our 13+ year old DeWalt Pressure washer: There was oil in it, as evidenced by the slick around the parts. Not necessarily fresh clean oil. We have used the heck out of that pressure washer. RIP. The Honda engine is still strong, so I decided to take a chance on a cheesey Vevor pump: VEVOR Pressure Washer Pump, 1" Shaft Horizontal Triplex Plunger, 4200 PSI, 4.2GPM, Replacement Power Washer Pumps Kit with 5 Nozzles, Compatible with Simpson MorFlex 40224, 40225, 40226, Santoprene | VEVOR US Shop VEVOR Pressure Washer Pump, 1" Shaft Horizontal Triplex Plunger, 4200 PSI, 4.2GPM, Replacement Power Washer Pumps Kit with 5 Nozzles, Compatible with Simpson MorFlex 40224, 40225, 40226, Santoprene at lowest price, 2-day delivery, 30-day returns. Shop now at VEVOR. www.vevor.com Back to the excavator. The Chinese Aftermarket "306" track tensioner has no seal visible form the outside: Where the CAT seal uses and o-ring with backer for the high pressure seal, and a molded cup seal for the dust seal, the aftermarket part uses an opposite strategy: Cup seal with backer for pressure and an o-ring for the outer dust seal: The same local hydraulic shop that cut a new piston for the left-side tensioner was able to cross the seals to some off-the-shelf parts that they had in stock. The right-side piston should be ready tomorrow. I'll assemble the tensioner, check it with the grease gun and the press. If it works, then I should be able to start the right side sprocket, rollers, and track reassembly.
yeah, I don't want to screw up Baxsie's thread. I'm all done working on mine, now I'm just using it to do work. By the look of it, Baxsie will have a fantastic rig once he's done! Cool to see the progress someone else is making and think "I did something similar on mine!"... less fun when I think "Should I have looked at that?" heh
Got the new piston for the Chinese "E306" track tensioner installed and tested: And this morning doing the two-tractors-one-man dance: Progress.
Looks like you have some demolition work ahead also.
That shed just needs a little TLC. I'll probably get to it next year. It happens to be the shed that the spring is plumbed to. There is a cistern in the floor -- maybe 18" diameter by 4' deep, so perhaps 50 gallons or so. There was electricity to that building, so I assume that there was a pump of some sort in there. Last time I looked, the cistern was dry and home to a black widow. Being a good parent, I covered it up with an old board and forbade the kids to enter. Seems to have worked Concerning the CAT 305.5E2, it now officially has new shoes: As well as track chains, drive sprockets, refreshed hydraulic track tensioners, and all new rollers. I have it up on wood to keep it out of the mud and the battery on a maintainer so is should be cozy while waiting for drier weather. I do have an immediate question though, it seems to have a more noticeable drift to the right. Is there an adjustment that can be tweaked to straighten out tracking? As always, thanks for the advice, support and guidance you have shared.
Most often any tracking issues if you're using foot pedals, are dirt stuck under one pedal or the other. It's a travel on the control thing.
Also: I have never received the manual or the results of the 4x oil analysis. I called today and both were delayed for different reasons. Soon, now, they promise!
If the area under the travel pedals is clean and they are both moving freely & fully then it’s break out your tools again time. It appears as though a reseal of the centre swivel may be in your future. At least that would be the first suggested step to sorting the problem.
Nope. Tracking straight as an arrow! (at least that's what I am gonna tell myself)
I was basing my reply on this which, to me at least, made it appear the machine was not tracking straight when required to do so. "Nope. Tracking straight as an arrow!" Now I is confused...........
I think he's joking since he doesn't want to do that repair
I ran a yuuge old excavator that cut pretty small circles, with a massive hoe pack on it. It still got it done and I could not do bucket assists with it for fear of tearing the rubbers clear out of it. I think it was an American with all these air buttons on the sticks, and big balls for the top of the sticks. I think it was Star Trek inspired. Same story with a Cat 245B. Wiggle the stick periodically to go down the road. Still worked. Quit looking for perfection man. It is the enemy.
Sorry. That was my attempt at some humor ! Yes, I'm kidding because I really do not want to tear into the spindle. I had already come across @farmcraft101's Yanmar videos: 3 years ago he rebuilds the swivel: But then he still has two more involved videos regarding tracking: I was just hoping that CAT would have a little tracking control that would make it an easy tweak Well, in any case it would not be project until the weather warms up. I have a heated shop but the Massey barely fits in (with the ROPS folded), the 305 would not fit in. There has to be a minimum of 12 connections to the spindle, right? So I would also need 12 caps for the hoses. I wonder how "serviceable" the CAT spindle is -- as in how difficult would it be to access all those fittings and get the actual spindle onto the bench. That will have to be a problem for future @Baxsie .
alternatively you could *just run it*.
Beware that guy. He farkin dangerous, at least IMHO.......
Yes. I need to keep in mind that this is a machine that I plan to own only temporarily, and that it doesn't need to be perfect to do the job that I need done. The AR part of me wants to fix everything -- and I do like wrenching. On the other hand, parts on the CAT can be very expensive. Just the hydraulic track tensioners would have been $1200 from CAT if I had needed to replace it. I can get how a shade-tree farm mechanic could drive a real equipment service tech crazy. And like many YouTube content creators, it can be more about the video than safety. I grew up in a small farm environment: no money, gotta get the equipment running now . Pretty soon any short cut seems like a good idea. Where I'm at now is quite a bit different: retired-ish, no real time pressure. Still I need to watch the expenses and not get too much further upside-down on this machine. Frankly, I think the only sane option is to "*just run it*". More sane might have been renting! OK, back to the tracking bit. My background is electrical engineering, and there are some parallels between power electronics and hydraulic systems. Since it turns to the right, could some kind of a metering valve be installed on the left propel motor? My idea would be to have that valve open far enough to allow "normal (turtle) speed" operations without affecting the flow very much, and yet closed enough to slightly slow the left track when using "fast (rabbit) speed". Would that work or is there something that I don't understand about how the system operates ? Thanks for your continued help and support with my learning about this machine.
@Baxsie , you're starting to overthink things now. A simple and easy fix is not to lean on the fast track lever so hard. Just sayin.
So in some good news, the seller did meet me half way on the tracks + sprockets. I was really quite surprised, since I had signed his "as is" acknowledgement. I think that the tracks being shot was a surprise to him. He had a trailer and only moved it a short way from the trailer to the job. So nice to come across a person like that. Peace.
FINALLY ! ! ! THE OIL ANALYSIS ! ! ! These are as-received -- before I did any maintenance. Engine, GREEN : Hydraulic, GREEN : Left Final Drive, RED : Right Final Drive, RED : I have changed the engine oil and filter, and I have a second set so I can change it again in ~25 hours. I have changed the hydraulic filter and topped off the fluid. On the final drives, I drained them, swished some diesel in there for a couple minutes, filled them with oil, ran that for a few minutes, drained that overnight, then filled them properly. I plan on doing a simple change on them again along with the ~25 hour oil change. I'll probably repeat the 4x analyses then. So, what are your thoughts ?
The engine looks fine. I wouldn’t change the oil/filter again 25 hours after the last time it was changed based on the analysis. Bearing in mind the iron level in the hydraulic oil I would suggest you consider changing it, but I wouldn’t bother with the filter since it was recently changed. If you want to do another sample in this system wait for the machine to clock up some hours AFTER the oil has been changed. Final drives. I would suggest to simply resample them at 25 hours and then act on the basis of the subsequent oil analysis reports. Worse case scenario they might need another diesel flush in addition to an oil change. Best case scenario the analysis could come back green.
It was a crazy nice day today, and I had a free minute so I decided to take the covers off the drive motors to inspect and clean. Here are the before pics: I pressure washed them and dried them: The rust on the fittings and lower bolts is epic. Interestingly the upper mounting bolts are still clean zinc coating. I think this thing sat in some kind of corrosive liquid. Maybe salt water? I sprayed some " Cavity Coater " wax on everything and buttoned it back up.
One of the first things I do when we get a 'new' machine. I have seen this area completely packed tight with silt. Yours actually looks pretty good in comparison! Then fittings rust out resulting in pinhole leaks. Good on you for doing some maintenance most just ignore. That is a nice sized machine, I imagine you will realize a good amount of work from it; you are making good progress on all the repairs!
Acids in the dirt plus moisture are the primary cause of rusting in there. If there's no dirt in there it hasn't been burning, not burning then it ain't been earning.
I would have probably done some light sand blasting with soda or equivalent and coated everything with some rust converter. Or at least used the rust converter.
The mystery of why there was too much wear on the machine for the hours shown on the meter is solved. I was at the CAT parts counter today and talking about the machine to the new (to me) parts guy. I mentioned that the machine has the remote monitoring, and he casually pulls up this screen, which shows 9250 SMU/hours on the machine. Only a slight difference from the 1635 shown on the hobbs meter. Sigh. Well, mystery solved why the bucket and tracks were was so worn. I've gone from "How can this machine be so worn with only 1600 hours?" to "Wow! This works great for a 9000 hour machine !" Oh the joys of knowing next to nothing and still buying the equipment.
Hour meters can, and often do, lie. It probably takes 5 minutes to replace a meter with one reading zero. A good way of thinking is to believe what you see in front of you when you look at the physical condition of the machine, not what's registering on the hourmeter.
Straitening the center plate and cleaning out the undercarriage (lower frame). So I was poking around in SIS2GO and "discovered" that there is a cleanout plate at the bottom center of the undercarriage: I thought I should take that plate off and take a look: Well, I didn't see no nuthing! The undercarriage is completely packed with wet mud. Uggh. I dug out what mud I could with a screwdriver:
The plate was also quite bent: Some Quality Time™ in the press and although It is still pretty ugly (a bit like me) it is at least somewhat flat: Next up is the wet, dirty job of getting in there with the pressure washer. I got what I could with the normal wand and got the drain holes kinda cleared. I need to cobble up something to get the nozzle down into the legs of the undercarriage.
Good to hear you're still fighting the fight, Baxie. My ex logging ram truck was like that there was 20 lb of dirt sitting on top of the fuel tank after I pulled the bed. Got to do careful digging there because of all the wires!
Get the tracks up on some blocks so that you have more space to work under there.? It must be pretty tight under the machine as it is right now.
Yes. I have some timbers I perch it on. Took me a while to figure out that trying to drive onto them is pretty useless. Easier to lift a track up and place the timbers under it. I cobbled up a handheld pressure washer wand so I could spray around inside the chamber. Somehow I was able to clean it without driving a jet of water into my hand or face (!) The rear "legs" have access holes for the traction motor lines, so I was able to clean those out fairly well. The front legs can only be accessed through the drain holes, so the best I could do is spray the pressure washer up into the drain holes until the stream was mostly clear.
Headliner Upgrade CAT 305.5E2 The headliner in this machine was quite grotty. Plus, having spent its formative years in china, it has had its fair share of smokers operating it. Getting the headliner down is a matter of removing 9 "christmas tree" fasteners with a forked trim tool. Then the middle is held up with 5 strong magnets. Two magnets stayed on the metal roof, so I had to glue them back to the headliner. I brushed off what dirt I could, then used the air gun to "clean" both sides of the headliner. I had some thin, aluminized foam insulation from another project, so I cut a panel of that to help reduce heat. The magnets poke through holes cut in the insulation. The insulation is glued down with a generous amount of 3M-90. I then taped over the holes with some aluminum tape I had handy. I was able to get some headliner "fabric" from a local automotive upholstery shop. This is a fabric backed with a thin (~1/8") layer of soft foam The fabric goes on with more 3M-90:
Then wrapped the edges and glued that down: Not going to win any prizes, but should be as good as or better than the original, less smelly, and it should help at least a tiny bit with keeping it cool in the summer sun:
Let there be light ! Adding more LED lights to CAT 305.5E2. When I got the digger, it had exactly one aftermarket LED on the boom's left side. It did work - so there is that. I got two packs of 4 LED lights, to have full coverage all around. The lights I chose were Nilight with 6 LEDs. (I paid $21.89/4 so $5.50 each light, currently $25 for 4 ) . Unlike a car or off-road vehicle, you do not need to see miles away. What is more important is to be able to see everything around you no matter where you are looking. The original system was 3x 55w halogen (165 watts total). In theory, these lights are 18W each, times 8 is 144 watts, so power consumption should be OK. From the left: Clockwise: Left boom light replacement, cab light replacement, new left side light, new left rear light, new right rear light. From the right: Clockwise: new right rear light, new right side light, cab light replacement, new right side boom light, replacement light in the tool box. I did the wiring in loom, dedicated 12v and ground to each light. The left rear light wiring is typical: The new left side light mounted on the cab taps into the original cab light run (see why I had the headliner down?). The two rear lights and the right side light tap into the wire that goes to the toolbox light: That should make things visible after dark. Hey - if its worth doing, it's worth overdoing!
That's all well and good. But how about the pile of metal? Is it gone yet? How about all the other garbage poke poke!!
Still quite muddy going up the hill. I got a couple of loads in the winter when it was frozen hard. I have a couple weeks of desk work I need to put in at my "I was supposed to be retired" job. I try to work outside when it is sunny, head down on the computer when it is rainy.
I agree with the need for more lights but I went "go big or go home" I found plowing snow on my driveway at night in the winter time I put a big LED light bar and a couple smaller ones angled out on the upper front corners of the cab... plus the big LED on the boom.. the boom light I left the original wiring as it drew less power than the original halogen but for the cab lights I ran a larger wire from the battery to the lights and then used a relay controlled by the factory switch to turn them off and on
Not convinced that the butt connectors you used are the optimum. Something with heat-shrink sleeving over the top would likely have been better. Take a look at them in a few months, they will probably be green inside.
I'll keep an eye on them. They are actually brass (maybe brass plated) bullet connectors that can be disassembled. In general, it's quite dry here and things usually don't corrode as long as they're not directly in the weather. The two places I had to tie into existing wires (internal to the machine) I used solder, then wrapped with good 3M tape so that I could keep the original wire uncut. Then a split braid over that. The only splice that's out in the weather is the one on the boom. For it I did multiple layers of the hot melt lined shrink tubing. First over the individual connections and then a couple of jackets over the whole thing for physical protection / bend relief.
You’ve not been around heavy equipment much have you.? Are you not planning on washing the machine from time to time.? The only connectors worth their salt in regard to preventing water ingress on equipment IMHO are Deutsch DT style. DEUTSCH DT Connectors The DEUTSCH DT connector design includes thermoplastic housings to withstand extreme temperatures and moisture, optional flange mounting, and multi-pin arrangements. www.te.com
Washing seems like 90% of what I've done on it ! There are foam sound absorbing matts under most of the covers, so I can't go crazy with the pressure washer any place above the undercarriage. I have a kit of the sealed connectors (Delphi Weatherpack). They just seemed bulky and overkill. I'll see how it does -- easy enough to replace them if needed ;-)
Spray the connectors all around with some Lloyds Moovit or Deep Creep penetrating oil and it will take way longer to corrode. Deutsch connectors are better but oil will work till you get there. Simon C
Man, you guys are freaking me out about the connectors LOL. I'm not a certified CAT technician, I'm a retired hobby farmer having fun playing with big yeller ride-on Tonkas! Seriously, though, thanks for the feedback. Hmmm. I have some Super Lube . . . which is supposed to be water resistant, useable as a dielectric grease, and also supposedly it will not attack the rubber. I guess I could easily disassemble the bullets, slide the little insulating covers back, grease them up with Super Lube and reassemble them. It is thick and it would be covered by the little slip on insulation of the bullet connectors -- so it might last a while. Peace.
I just spray over and the dirt will stick to it in no time but at least the wires exposed will rust slower. It's not a permanent cure just what I have done in the past to prolong the connection from corrosion. Simon C
Where I am the winters are pretty wet so my wiring is always soldered with heat shrink and then electrical tape.. so far I’ve never had a connection corrosion issue
That’s all fine and dandy until something has to be taken apart…
True enough Nige but it’s been 7 years now without any need
The three of those lights that come together in that one photo are all mounted on removable covers or removable doors that's why they have the bullet connectors. Or, if it's once every 7 years like @jbernielh , a pair of cutting pliers to disconnect and some more solder and heat shrink to reconnect
As much as I want to solder every joint and claim to be a master at wiring, I am perfectly okay using a melt on butt connection, almost everywhere. On my plow and sander and anything that gets disconnected regularly, I will use a Weatherpack or Deutch connector. I try and buy the solder melt connectors with the heat shrink but have a few more hundred of regular crimp connectors, that I use heat shrink on, before I die. I keep records on my repairs and if I have a problem, I usually know where to look. I also use Dialectric grease on most connectors, heck, I just used a Scotchlock last weekend. Go ahead, get the fire ready. I was doing lighting on trailers 35 years ago, with just crimp connections and no heat shrink. That lasted until the trailers went into someone’s back field. Only took care of 45 trailers.
"I just used a Scotchlock last weekend" Tell me you didn't really
Factory equipment for some trailer manufacturers (Hudson)
I have a few of them on certain machines, I keep them mapped on one of my brain cells so I can give them a wiggle when things don't flow
Well admittingly, it wasn’t a crucial repair. Wife was putting up white Xmas string lights on the deck, as the solar ones we had bought last fall when we did the pavilion, didn’t work well. Gave her the low voltage staple gun, showed her how to use it and 3/4’s way through, while standing on her head, cut one of the wires. I grabbed the strippers and a Scotchlock and showed her how to do it, gave her a couple of more and left her to it.
It is drying out pretty quick, but still too muddy to get up on the hill without making a mess. And I have a hydraulic leak under the cab I need to deal with. Meanwhile I installed a gadget: What are your thoughts? Could this actually be useful in the real world or is this just a dumb gimmick from someone who has too much free time?
A gadget that consumes lever time.
I finally got around to making a replacement cover for the track tensioner grease fittings. First off was drilling out the broken off bolts and cleaning up the threads: Some fresh M8-1.25 flange bolts from ACE Hardware and the new 3-d printed cover: It is printed as "solid" using black PLA. The flange helps spread the force of the bolts. I used a little thread locker to make sure the bolts stay put. Not as tough as the original CAT 425-2866, but it does not appear that thick steel helped, seeing as how they were both missing The design is available on Thingiverse: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:7331795 Peace.
I was able to fix the hydraulic leak (pats self on back smugly). It turns out that whoever installed the thumb was not that excited about actually tightening the Rube Goldberg stack of adapters that they used to go from BSP valve through a flare and NPT to JAE hose (maybe - I'm guessing about the BSP and JAE names but they would not thread together without the adapters). I sealed the pipe threads with Loctite 545 -- is that OK to use on these machines? Another pic of the farm dump, for reference: Got up there and sorted tires from concrete from metal: I'd not be able to remove that tire by hand ! Rita is loaded and tarped with a load of scrap metal. No heater or wipers in Rita so I will take her to the recycling next nice day:
Your Cat looks good in it's environment there, is it good to run? On the Loctite question, it's unusual to need a thread sealant on the normal hydraulic fittings one comes across. There's normally a flare, a cone, a dowty washer or an o-ring that does all the work sealing. With the exception of tricky bulkhead fittings or in places where you're trying to get something moving (codged together) with old hard o-rings or suchlike, I can't remember the last time I've needed hydraulic sealant on fittings. But I learn something new everyday, so post a pic if you like.
I have used it on fittings like the style on the label
It seems to be doing great for a 9K plus hour machine . The AC is a little noisy -- I think if I put in the effort to take the seat out and get at the fan I'll find that the blades are all caked up with kak. Yes, I only used the 545 on the NPT joint that is between the two other connectors. If I have to get in there again I'll take that stack to the local hose shop and see if I can find a single adapter that will translate between the hose (JAE?) and the valve block (BSP?). Here is a pic of the stack, for reference: I'm not sure of the correct names for those fittings. You can see that just to the left there is another connection that is done with as single adapter. Just above and to the right is another cobbled mess (dripping), with slightly different fittings. Not leaking today , so it is fixed!
Here are the first two loads of steel. Load one was on January 23, 2560lbs, $134: Load two was today (April 14), 1760lbs, $92: On load one, I picked up a wire in a rear wheel. That started the ball rolling on new, modern tires and wheels for Rita. The barely worn 22-year-old tires and 80-year-old split rims went to someone else somewhere else. Best of luck with those brother!
That is a good feeling pulling the lever on that crap and sayonara.
So, even though I put fresh new digging teeth on the bucket , I also want to be able to scrape the ash and garbage off the ground without digging in too much. So I used some of the old edge from my loader. It is 3/4" mild steel. (I replaced the edge on the loader with a new, hardened edge). I cut two 30" lengths from the middle, welded some pockets on them: The pockets are made folded up from from some re-used scrap from the dump. Here is one of my less embarrassing welds: So it just slides on to the teeth: I'm open to suggestions for ways to retain it. I've though about just using the mag drill to go through the new plate and through the floor of the bucket, but the bucket has been hard faced in that area. Also thought about running a chain under the bucket to a clevis in the lifting eye. Maybe I'll just put a strap on it that can be bolted through the floor of the bucket further back. Or maybe straps on both sides to one of the cheek bolts. Ideas?
Ended up with straps to the cheek bolts: I'll have to see if it survives contact with the enemy . . . ummm . . . dirt.
If it does not, get a couple of teeth and weld those to the plate. Then you beat the pins out to remove it. That is the typical arrangement.
Or I've seen chain both sides and a ratchet binder to pull it on tight
Treasures from the farm dump: @Truck Shop vintage semaphore signals!
Maybe it is a "Truck Semaphore Turn Signal #221 Detroit Products Co Bus Light Arm". Apparently some people think they are worth something:
Another load of scrap to the recycling yard: There was a big wad of scrap steel stuck in the bed. I was walking over after taking the photo to figure out how to get it loose when this happened: The big scrapper crane plucked it out so quickly and precicely!
that has to feel so good to see gone gone!
Some of those scrap yard operators are really good. Others are really good at bending your trailer or truck.
I think that makes 9360 pounds of scrap steel so far. Plenty more to go. With the age of my truck, having it mistaken for scrap is a real concern ! He seemed to know exactly where that hook was going, and was not slow about it ! Yeet !! Usually I just dump and leave. This time there was an old truck service bed of some kind jammed in there making a big glob of stuck together stuff. I'm not sure I could have worked it loose quickly by hand, so I was happy to have the crane's help. Perhaps also lucky with no damage to my truck
4:36 pm on a Friday. I started seeing a fine grey mist every time I closed the thumb. Probably not able to get a hose until Monday. I had been working on this big grain bin: Crunching it up so I could fit it into the truck: So job done, but now a break to fix hydraulic hoses. I'm thinking clean it real good, a drop of super glue in the hole, 4 or 5 tight layers of electrical tape to seal it, then a couple wraps of Gorilla tape for strength. It will be good to go! I am wondering if the bypass for that cylinder is set too high Of maybe it is just an old hose flexed too many times.
@Nige The hose is supposedly a "263-7001 HOSE AS". Is there a way to tell how long it is and what fittings are involved? My plan is to go to the local hose shop on Monday, taking in a sample. Would this need to be 2-wire or 4-wire? Would you replace both hoses or only the one that has failed? In other news, I think my stick hoses are routed incorrectly. They are outside the ears and I think they should be inside the ears. I have seen people on youtube that have hydraulic plug and cap kits. Is there some standard that CAT uses on these minis? Would something like this JIC and ORFS kit work? Do I need an ORB (O-Ring Boss), BSP or NPT kit ?
My preference is to keep as far away as possible with 0 ring fittings. They have a terrible habit of failing when you need the machine the most. It a tiny inexpensive item that costs a lot. The stick hoses normally are outside and keep the sag close to the boom and dipper.
"Would you replace both hoses or only the one that has failed" A few years ago I would replace both and maybe even buy a third as a spare. Today I would be asking them to cut out the bad bit and crimp a new end on Really, it depends on the condition of the other side, with how far to the hose shop, how much more work to do before selling it and how lucky you feel factored in...
Yes there is. It's called HIS (Hydraulic Information System) but is only available to Cat dealers and selected customers, to help them build hoses obviously. We had access to it because we had an on-site Cat hose shop. Chances of your getting the info - slim to none. if you go to a hydraulic shop just take the old hose as a sample. Should you replace both.? Depends on the condition of the other one I would say. Post some photos showing how the hoses are run.
On one side, the bucket cylinder hose droops down : On the other side, it is buckled upward : Most of the pictures I found on the internet have those two hoses going between the big ears on top : The bucket extension hoses and the aux hoses ( the one with leak) kind of interfere. I tied the bucket hoses together with a string to keep them out of the way a little bit. I'm thinking, as long as I'm screwing around with stuff up there, I might as well reroute those hoses properly.
The photos you found certainly look more “right” than your machine. Only the Parts Manual will reveal the full story.
@John Shipp When Monday rolls around I will take off the bad hose and take it up the hydraulic shop. If it is not too expensive, I'll get two, if it's really expensive maybe I'll just replace just the end or get one. Both of those hoses seem to me like they could lose an inch or two in length and not miss it. It seems like a big unnecessary loop -- as far as I can see from internet photos that's the way it was from the factory.
The 4th pic in #214 shows the aux hose the other way up to your machine and the 3rd pic. Would think that would get quite a pull on it when the dipper is crowded all the way in towards the boom. How does yours look fully crowded, still big loop?
This SIS2GO pic could be interpreted as indicating that the bucket hoses go through the ears: The aux lines do not look like mine or the bulk of the photos I have found: Most pics I have found -- as well as my machine -- have an elbow at the lower end, a spring around the hose, and a big S curve: Ya. I pulled that pic because it showed the routing of the bucket hoses between the ears. Neither my machine nor most of the pics I have found on the internet match the machine in that photo, so I assume it is a rework of some kind.
I would agree. Look for a part number tag on one or other of the steel lines that run along the boom on your machine then search your SIS for that number.
I took a shot at rerouting the bucket lines between the ears. I think it looks a lot better. Here is the stick fully extended: And here is the stick fully retracted : There is no tension in either position and no leaks after a quick test so I think that's a win. I noticed that one of the steel tubes that feeds the right hand aux line is bent. Perhaps it's not coincidence that it's bent on the same side that the hose is damaged on . The line on the other side just goes straight where is this near side kicks up. I'm thinking it doesn't affect anything functionally, but cosmetically it bothers me. Would I be completely stupid to try to put something on that pipe and straighten it out? Are they more ductile or I'm likely to break the dang thing off ?
You stated the issue perfectly. It's cosmetic. It doesn't matter which way you put the hoses for the aux circuit on the stick as long as they don't have any circular torque on them as you move the attachment. There is no paint knocked off that pipe so the bend is as installed. As far as the type of hose goes thumbs, breakers and compactors operate between 2,000 and 3,000 PSI so quality two wire hoses are good enough. A four wire hose will be a lot thicker and stiffer making installation like wrestling a python and it will be a lot more costly. You can measure the hose while it is on the machine by just using a tape measure along a single line of the hose and include the ends of the fittings. That's how it will be done in a hose shop anyway.
Thanks for the clarification. The way the dipper has been fabricated makes go sense to go inside. Pipes can be bent a little without damage but if it worries you adding 2 x22° male-female bends to each hose would solve the problem
I had success straightening steel pipes by removing them and using a press with pipe bending die made to fit. Bending them back straight while on the machine itself I've not had satisfactory results.
Sidetrack: Straightening out the bent hydraulic tubing for the thumb. Despite the very reasonable advice to leave the pipe bent as it was: I came up with some split hose to protect it: Slipped a slightly larger tube over that and reefed downwards . . . very incrementally. Not perfect but somewhat better than it was:
Went to the local hose shop to get new hoses made. He was happy enough to just put a new end on the one hose, but I decided to "go for it" and got two new assemblies. What is the name of this fitting? He called it a DIN MINI or something like that? He assured me they would fit, and they did. Passed the leak test. So All is well but I would like to know what the heck they are called! Here is a shot of the new hoses, stick extended: And with the stick retracted: These are actually 2 inches shorter than the ones that were on there, even so I am not excited about that big droopy loop hanging down. He was happy to use spiral plastic protection, but I opted for the original style coiled spring protection. Price without tac was $104/hose $208 total. Cat SIS2GO quoted $127 each $254 total -- so CAT's price is not at all horrible. Local shop had me in and out within about 45 minutes. In other projects, when I walked the digger the 1/4 mile back to the house to work on these hoses, my right track was quote loose. It seemed to pump up again, so I'll give it another try -- but I fear I'll have to take it apart and mess with that track adjuster if it gets loose again. Once again, thanks for all of your help coaxing this newbie along with this machine.
With regards to your track adjuster, that's the beauty of running machinery. Just after fixing one thing up nicely, there's another thing coming down the pipeline to tinker with
Well done with the hoses, looks proper now.
Very nicely done. ZooDad
Another load of steel: Running totals: Steel recycled: 5 loads, 11,820 lbs, $620 received Trash to dump: 2 loads 15,300 lbs, $1095 fee to dump And a little bit of fun -- found an entire John Deere combine (from the 1950's maybe?) butied in there:
The yard surface where you're tipping that load of scrap looks interesting design, is it steel rails with dirt between? Not seen like that at a scrap yard before.
That is what it looks like to me. Got a puncture in a rear tire there on the first load. Trying to be careful since then, but there is significant risk driving in a scrap yard !
Picked out a load of wood: Eyeballed by employee at 7 Cubic Yards, $84
Could have bought a lot of marshmallows for $84
This is wildfire country. Burn restrictions are pretty strict.
So the digger operater was trying to break up the wood, and stuck a board through the bed's steel mesh opening and knocked out Rita's rear window. :-( Amateur -- jeez. So I made a new grate that is a little bit beefier: 3/8" rods fully welded. Hopeful that will protect the cab window. Rita's rear window was cracked since we bought her 25 years ago. But it was a window - not shattered glass littering the inside of the cab. The kinda good thing is that when I just got new windows for Rita , they didn't have the rear window gasket. It has since arrived, but I never got around to installing it. So as soon as I get finished with the grate, I will install the new window with its gasket and it will be better than ever. Peace.
We aren’t even burning our paper barrel at the moment. Severe fire restrictions at the moment.
what you are doing, it is a great thing.
Let's all play a game called: ! ! LAUGH AT THE NOOB ! ! It will be fun I have been using the excavator and making progress on cleaning up the dump. 14000 lbs of steel recycled so far, as well as a bunch of concrete, wood, and other trash hauled out. I have about 60 hours on the excavator since my initial big service, so went to CAT and got 4 more oil sample kits to test the final drives, engine oil, and hydraulic oil. I changed the final drive oil, engine oil and filter, and the hydraulic filter. I should have the analysis back shortly, which I will share here. So since I got the new tracks on, I have noticed a pretty pronounced curve to the right . I have also noticed that the right track motor seems to be weaker than the left. For instance, If I am facing up hill, I can's start with the right track only. Starting to suspect the right traction motor. Also, the right track often sounds crunchy like it has rocks in it. So I am talking to the CAT service guy, looking at pressure gauge kits -- mentally preparing for a long, expensive haul trying to figure out the tracking issue. Then I noticed this: The teeth on the right sprocket are really worn on the side. W.T.F. ? So I looked some more some more: Do you see it? Apparently the sprockets are not symmetrical, and I have the one on the right backwards. That is the bad news. The good news is that I have done this before, so it only took me 1 hour and 30 minutes to break the chain, take off the sprocket, put it back on the correct way, and reassemble: And what do you know ? It tracks MUCH straighter now. "LASER" does not come to mind, but "banana" is no longer the first thing I think of. Also, I can now start the right track even facing up hill, and no more "crunchy". Duh, I feel stoopid for getting the sprocket on backwards. OK, now it is your turn to MOCK THE NOOB!
I would say that can happen to most of us at some point Fair play to be posting it here though lol. One thing that we do here is buff the paint off all mating surfaces of undercarriage parts before fitting, using a wire wheel on a 4 1/2 inch grinder or flap wheel. So the paint on your sprocket ring where the bolt holes are would all come off, and then wire brush the rust and crud off the final drive mating surface. You might of done this but can't see on the photos, looks like paint still on maybe. Probably less of an issue on smaller machines but on machines used daily don't want them coming loose on "your shift".
Updated oil analysis after ~60 hours (the original analysis is also listed): 2026-06-11_6564211_WE205536.PDF Looks good from what I can see. The Final Drives are much improved. Thoughts ( @Nige , others) ?
No harm no foul. None of the leaky things leaked out.
Have you used some moly-based anti seize on the engine somewhere.? That, or a contaminated funnel, is the only thing I can think of to account for the jump. Final drives are vastly improved. I would say run them to about 150 hours then repeat the flush you did previously and fill with new oil. SOS interpretation is only as good as data supplied. Make sure you supply correct info on oil types and get the hours right. It’s somewhat implausible that the machine accumulated 9300 hours between 10/25 and 04/26.
Thank you for your replies. I have not done any engine work. I have been using this "moly" grease on the general fittings: Valvoline™ Full Synthetic Moly-Fortified Grease VV985 ( datasheet ) I try to be careful and clean everything, but some trace could have ended up on the inside of the funnel. It's not unthinkable that I used the grease fitting wipe rag to clean the inside of the funnel. I'm using CAT fluids for the engine oil, final drives, and hydraulic make-up. I'll be more specific on the labels of the next analysis, The disparity is between the Hobbs meter (at about 1700 hours) and the SMU reported by the telemetry (at about 9300 hours). As far as I can tell, I need to add ~7615 hours to the Hobbs meter to make it match to the SMU. They must have pulled up the telemetry numbers and used for this analysis, while believing my Hobbs number on the first analysis when I was not aware of the SMU from telemetry.
Gotcha. However you need to be sure you specify the total machine hours, hours on fluid, and viscosity in each compartment. The folks in the SOS labs are pretty good but one thing you can depend on is that they will NOT assume anything.
Update on the dump project: I need to haul out the big pile of refuse that the loader is sitting on. That will be a lot of Rita loads at 7000 lbs each. Recycled 17234 lbs steel, not including the big pile next to Rita which is probably 2000 to 3000 lbs. 59520 lbs of "trash" hauled to landfill. Much more to go. 2 loads of concrete, one more to go. 1 load of wood. Peace.
The clean-up phase of the farm dump project is COMPLETE ! Here are the numbers: 49 truck loads removed 9 loads of steel to recycling, 21,054 lbs 1 load of scrap wood to a wood recycler 4 loads of concrete to a inert landfill 1 load of tires to a "free tire day" 1 load of a dryer 1 load of an old fridge to a specialized reclaim shop 32 loads of contaminated dirt to the transfer station (landfill) 248,180 lbs 1 tired-ass old man that is glad to have this part behind me How it started: How it's going: Peace.
And how’s the excavator doing now.?
Seems to be doing great. I mean, I'm no expert -- this being the first excavator I've operated or owned. Getting that reversed track sprocket on correctly seems to have fixed the "tracking problem". I still have a small leak under the cab, which I believe is another fitting related to the aftermarket thumb hydraulics. I just need to get around to it which involves walking it the ~1/4 mile to the barn, then cleaning under there, tracking down the offending fitting and snugging it up. A/C works great. Heater works. It is doing everything i want it to do.
After a crazy fire season here, I decided to put ABC commercial fire extinguishers on the truck, the tractor and the CAT 305.5E2 excavator. I could not come up with an easy place that was outside the cab, accessible, and would not get rubbed off the first time I turned in close quarters. Here is the location and mount I came up with: The mount is some channel welded to a scrap circle of steel. I used 4x 5/16 bolts to mount it to the upper engine cover. I put double-sided mounting tape between the metal parts to stop rattles. Some "CAT yellow" spray paint from ACE makes it look not too horrible. The cover is a cheesey one from scAmamzon .
Take care that the vibrations resulting from the fire extinguisher and bracket when the machine is working don’t crack the much thinner steel of the engine cover.
First thing on any new to me equipment. Clean, wash and wax job. Second thing, fire extinguisher. I have been on one machine that caught fire and was under another, when it caught fire. No damn fire extinguisher to be found. Thankfully, one I was near a creek and had water, the other one was a barbecue until local FD showed up. Depending on the machine, I will sometimes add 2 or 3. Never mind the days of carburetors and rubber fuel lines and priming the carburetor with gas, till it backfired. That and cutting parts off of vehicles for parts, with a cutting torch. Been around too many fires!
The vibrations from the machine working will pack the contents of the fire extinguisher, when you squeeze the handle, the contents will not come out. Take the fire extinguisher and turn it upside down and shake every once in a while, once a week, twice a month, whatever is easiest for you to remember to do. From memory, NFPA code for static fire extinguisher monthly inspection is to turn upside down and shake along with checking the pressure gauge.
I was instructed to unclip once a month and turn upside down and wack the bottom with a rubber mallet. Sometimes you can hear the note change when the contents have all shaken loose
I’ve seen instances where the vibration of machine operation unscrewed the gas canister inside the extinguisher and allowed it to fall into the powder. Regular maintenance is a must if you want it to work when needed.
I think I've told this story here before but some of the outflow tubes in the canisters were made of plastic and would break off and fall into the canisters. Cold and vibration were the issue and I was told the tubes were changed to stainless steel later on. I sort of doubt that happened. It is a good practice to have extinguishers installed on machines and do basic maintenance on them every so often. I have seen several burned up machines where the installed fire suppression did not work.