After looking my undercarriage situation over , I called about pricing the rails pads and segments. So far I have 2 quotes , one from Whayne the Cat dealer for 8200. The other is from Brandeis , Komatsu dealer for 5700. The Cat guy was telling me that I needed to use the heavy duty Cat u/c that has a 4000 hr warranty. I asked about the Cat classic , he said they don't make a classic to fit my 943. The other brand is ITR which also has a 4000 hr warranty. I can't see the 2500 difference or why its that much. This machine might see 500 hrs a year. I hear that ITR is ok on the lighter machines where as from a D6 / D65 size up you need the better undercarriage due to weight and added hp. Right now I'm leaning towards ITR. I would like another quote if I can find someone to send it.
For what it's worth.... I put ITR rails and segments (reused my pads) on a komatsu D65 EX-12 last winter. I think it has @ 800 hrs on them now and everything still looks good and haven't had any issues yet. I also put ITR on a Dresser td-15c @ 4 yrs ago. Ran it for another year and sold it to a local farmer. I saw it a couple of weeks ago and it looked good as well but I don't know how many hours they have put on it. My limited experience with ITR has been good so far and wouldn't hesitate to use it again. Just my $.02
For a limited use machine I wouldn't even consider CAT, go with aftermarket. :my2c
Caterpillar undercarriage is made and priced for the machine that is used every day, all day. It is the best by far in this application. However, it makes no sense to invest that many dollars in undercarriage that only works occasionally. Aftermarket stuff is aimed at the user who does not require every/all day service. Regards, Clark
Can't help with rails or pads but I put a set of ITR segments on my 953 last summer. I can't see anything wrong with em. That said I don't run it everyday. John
I've pretty well settled on which way I'm going to go with this but have one question to ask. Do they make a Cat classic rail for this machine? My Cat rep says no , but they also didn't know about the Cat classic muffler I put on it , had no clue.
The 943 takes a high rail link which is not common on dozers, so I doubt Classic has it... if you want to go cheap you could probably run D5 rails, but over time the links may fracture out due to the weight and impact imposed by the loader. My best guess, YMMV.
If you have some time you might be able to find a salvage machine with a good set. Sometimes you can buy the whole machine for the price of the undercarriage.
Talked to my Brandeis psr today. He has the best quote at 5800 and has now offered 0% for 15 months. ITR brand. I did take other quotes , one thing I can add this guy lives about 400 feet from me and our property joins , he actually puts a garden on me every year. So this should work out , I get the u/c problem addressed , 0% interest , and he keeps a garden spot. I appreciate everyone's input , this is a big move for me being a small contractor.
I got my ITR rails and segments by going thru CAT. They ordered and it was dropped off at their place and there was no shipping. Only issue I had is they didn't ship all the segments, longer story, just make sure to count them