Couple vids of my old D9D http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zjx11KLxp3o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYwf_daLHrg
Nice vids, I love watching those old cats work on the 'tube. I see that it has the blade carry angle cylinders added on as well.
It's a nice old machine, easy to run and very productive. Those aren't hydraulic rams, just screw jacks with chrome rods- you have to get off and wind 'em if you want to change the angle.
Nice to see that magnificent beast doing its thing Hope you don't mind a few questions... What year is that, how many hours and do you know anything about its history?
It's a '56 or '57, serial is 18A1214. I don't know the hours. Don't know much about it's history, either- I bought it from a guy who had got it at an auction. A friend of mine is pretty sure he had seen it working somewhere around Philadelphia, PA. Looks like it was well-maintained throughout most of it's life, but the last guy that owned it must've been a real prize. The seal had gone out of the track adjuster so some genius welded the idler to the track frame. I mean, c'mon, the seal is very easy to replace on this particular machine, but if you were really pressed and needed a quick fix just jack out the idler with whatever is handy and jam a piece of angle between the yoke and the recoil spring housing until you can get to where you can fix it right. But to weld it to the track frame? I've never seen anything like it. It also had a bad final, complete with broken deadaxle, a bad clutch and a non-operative pony. Fixed the final and clutch. Fixed the pony, but it shook like a wet dog and kept tearing itself from the main, so I put another pony on and it did the same thing. Had enough of ponies, converted to electric start. The UC is whupped, but I took a link out (I know, I know:badidea) and it's good enough for now. I have a parts D9 with a good UC, but the thought of R&Ring two D9 bottoms is more than I want to contemplate at the moment.
Couple pics of the old girl
Nice looking 9, does it have a blower to cool the brakes? One of those old 9's did. I grew up working on those #29 cable controls, kinda glad those days are gone for me, fun to watch though.
DPete, In the last pic you can see the intake for the brake blower just in front of the geartrain on the back of the engine. It uses the framerails as ducts to get the air to the steering clutch compartments. I like the cable blade more than I thought I would. When I first got the machine I was planning to convert it to hydraulic, but after running the cable I changed my mind. I know some ol' timers who are still convinced that cable is better
Actually if everything is in good shape the cable dozer isn't bad (IF) you understand how to use it. Lots to go wrong though with sheave bearings, cable etc. We used to have trouble with operators adjusting the clutches to tight so they did'nt have to move the lever as far, all that did was cook the seals in the clutch pack and then the grease would get in the discs, all finished then:Banghead . One thing about a cable dozer is it will go down as long as the cable is long enough opposed to a hydraulic rodding out. Parts for the cable unit were getting really high, hate to guess what it costs today to go through one especially the nut and screw in the pressure plate and the lined discs. If you just use it occasionally it would last a long time though.
9H still turning dirt heres a pic of a couple of our 9Hs still making the rounds
Wow, nice machine Dave! I would love to see it run sometime.
Playing Devil's Advocate here there's lots to wrong with a hydraulic system, too. Pumps, hoses, valves, cylinders, etc. In fact, that was how ol' RG Letourneau convinced the US military to go cable in WWII- the cable systems were simpler and easier to maintain. I've got a fair bit of time on old machines, including 9U D6's, 3T and 17A D7's, various old D8's, etc. Some were cable and some hydraulic, and IMHO it's a tossup as to which is better. Each system has it's advantages and disadvantages. Of course, the hydraulics improved over time and the cable system was quickly outpaced.
Welcome to Heavy Equipment Forums xcavate77! :drinkup
Yeah ointlaugh Welcome to HEF excavate77 :drinkup
nice pics
another vid http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ia5v_hKbJGc
That was really nice, wonder what they sounded like when the turbo's were first put on?
That old 9 was Cat's first production turbocharged machine, it's got a big ol' turbo on it. No muffler though, just the turbo for sound dampening, so the exhaust note overshadows the turbo whine. You can hear it a little bit in the vid, especially at the end when the machine reverses.
Hey Dave deos the D9 in those years have the 353 engine in them? Those things if rebuilt properly were probably the toughest engine ever built.
It's a 353. I took one of my "spare" D353's to the iron pile the other day, anyone care to guess how much it weighed as pictured sitting on the trailer? The last pic is of a 353 piston and rod sitting atop the 231 Buick V6 from my Grand National. One hole of the 353 displaces 15ci more than the little Buick.
Havent had timr to get back here lately. that ole piston probably has more iron than the hole block on that buick! As for wieght on that 353- I'll take a guess of @ 4000Lbs.
The one in the pic with the all the framework came in at 7320, but I took a bare 353 shortblock in the other day and it weighed 4400.
Stopped by to watch those clips again there Dave. Big ole Tank.
I'm always glad to see the older machines working. Something about them amkes me think of how things used to be done without power this and that. Tough folks back then.
Another video yet another video of my D9 :drinkup http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_Kbnb3DMlM
parts help... Great stuff Dave....love the vids. My father and I recently got an old D9D- 18A that had been sitting for years and have been fixing her up. Any advice on a good source for parts? Looking for weld-on sprocket rings but not having much luck. Have been to local Cat dealer found some way out west but shipping is outrageous. Any help much appreciated
Other than the Cat house I can't think of any source of parts, used to be parts machines around but not much anymore. Is yours 9" pitch UC or has it been upgraded to 10 3/4"? How much more do you have to do on it? I ran mine today, a little clearing and spreading some piles. A really sweet machine, one of all time favorites to run.