A couple of bottom rollers on my D6C 10K dozer have been weeping a bit lately as the machine has been sitting a lot just lately. Can anyone tell me if the Berco rollers can be serviced as far as checking levels/adding oil to them, as they don't have the same setup as cat with the thread in plug? I do have the Cat filler tool to for the cat rollers. thanks
Most newer-design Cat rollers have a 2-piece plug comprising a rubber plug with a plastic stopper in the centre of it. Your Berco rollers look very similar to that design, so I would say with the correct tooling it should be possible to service them.
If you are thinking you are going to add oil to them all I can say is good luck. They are life time sealed units and when the seals leak, you have just discovered the meaning of lifetime. Find a Berco dealer and see is they would be willing to make a warranty claim. If not, then figure on replacing them.
Pull them apart and have a look at the Duo-Cone seals.? If the tractor spends a lot of time sitting it could be that the Toric Rings are failing.
Actually, on my old 941 track loader I ordered new Du-Cone seals, Toric Rings etc O-rings, all from cat & I didnt notice till it was apart that the rollers were Berco........rebuilt using Cat parts & they worked fine! I may buy one new roller from Berco & then get a rebuild kit for the leaker, to have a spare once rebuilt, if there is a means to add the oil.
I've never seen a rebuild kit, always had to order parts per piece. Keep in mind that rollers usually leak for more reasons than a damaged seal.
You could try grade 00 grease in them which could help if the machine sits for longer periods. Wakefield Connect
Anyone have any information on what the fill stopper configuration is like on the bottom rollers, if in fact it is removable on the Berco? I bought the machine in Jan of 2013 & the Berco undercarriage was about new then, so it must be circa 2011 ish if that offers any clues to what is in there age-wise?
As I recall Cat had a filler/tester machine that would pull a vacuum on the roller and if it would hold then it would release the oil and it would fill the roller about 80 % . I believe the stopper ,plug and filler tools are the same. You may be able to fill the roller by taking it off and end fill it. Good luck Bob
Bob's right. With the fill machine the roller can be oiled in any position, and it also has the benefit of being able to pull a vacuum on the seals to ensure that they are not leaking. But there is nothing to stop you from removing the roller and standing it on end then pouring oil into it. The downside is that unless the oil cavity is totally empty you have no idea how much oil to add. There has to be an air space left above the oil for expansion. Push the stopper in and drive the plug home and you're done. The plug is not removable on a Cat roller without destroying it so I doubt if the Berco arrangement is any different because it looks like a direct copy. The centre plastic plug is drilled out then the large rubber stopper can be hooked out. A new 6Y-0473 plug & 9G-4872 stopper is probably less than $10 the pair if you buy aftermarket. As John C said above it is possible these rollers are leaking because of wear in the bushings or the seals, in which case refilling them with oil is not a long-term fix.
If you need to work better buy new rollers and try to repair the old ones. It is necessary to watch the backlash of the axis. Bimetallic or bronze bushing may need to be replaced
Unless something has happened that I'm not aware of......the aftermarket rollers have been dirt cheap. Rebuilding those seems to be a waste of time to me.
Yes, others have mentioned that as well. However my OP was just inquiring about topping up weeping rollers from lack of use recently on the unit, not rebuilding them.
I just got pricing back on the Berco DF & SF bottom rollers from our supplier; see below: 1 x cr1792 d/f Berco roller 510.00 ea 1 x cr1793 s/f Berco 475.00 ea CDN funds.
Update..........the same supplier just emailed me a price on Korean rollers, same warranty for just over 1/2 the Berco price.........I think I know what direction I am leaning, given the machine only works about 150 hrs annually.
I have used these and haven't had any problems.
Those prices (Berco) seem high to me. Have read where several people say Berco isn't as good as it once was. I'd call Trek (or other aftermarket) and get prices for comparison. See you got a price for Korean undercarriage that may be Trek/DCF. Trek has a location in Mississauga. TREK Quality Parts (trekdirect.com)
Welder Dave, not sure where you're from, but I got my pricing from Equipment Sales, Etobicoke Ont.. For that price I'll go with Korean............
I'm in Edmonton. Trek/DCF is Korean and if you contact them, they could provide other dealers that sell their undercarriage. I priced Trek from 3 different dealers near me and the differences can be quite a bit. The JD dealer sold Trek as their aftermarket brand but were higher priced than the other dealers that sold it. Equipment Sales and Service here sold Berco but it was a lot more money $$$$. Another place that sold Berco was also very high, more than Cat! They dropped Berco several years ago because the pricing was way too high and now sell their own branded undercarriage which could be made my Trek or another Korean firm. What was interesting was some items were cheaper at one dealer but the other items were more. I went with the cheapest overall price and saved a bit more because I picked it up myself at the Trek warehouse here.
Berco has been dropped from a lot of undercarriage suppliers for the last few years. They have almost priced themselves out of the market.
Isn't Deere using Berco undercarriage on all the tracked equipment?
I would be interested to know if they were. As mentioned earlier, I bought that machine in 2013 with a new or almost new Berco undercarriage under her & there is very little wear on the bushings & sprockets now with about 850 hrs on it since I have owned it. The main reason for my rollers to leak is this spring/summer so far the machine has been sitting more than usual.
Normal life on a dozer undercarriage is usually between 3,000 and 5,000 hours depending on what the machine is working in and the skill of the operator. You aren't even through the first third of the life of that roller. If it is Berco, you should find a dealer and make a warranty claim. Time was never a factor in seal life on the original parts warranty.
I'm not sure if undercarriage warranty is transferable? Here's the Berco and Trek warranties. They are worded a little different but essentially the same. Might have to look at longer versions to see what the pro-rated numbers are. Cat classic undercarriage is 3 years/4000 hours the same as Berco and Trek and Cat genuine undercarriage is 4 years/4000 hours. For a non commercially used machine it might just come down to the best price for aftermarket undercarriage out of Korea or Italy and maybe China if it's from an established supplier like Berco, Trek, ITR, ITM, etc. or even Cat. It's interesting that I priced out Berco several years ago and it was more money than genuine Cat and has less warranty. Maybe Berco prefers to be an OEM supplier instead? Their prices do suggest they're pricing themselves out of the market. Garanzia_tk.qxp (agro-costa.com) warranty_en.pdf (trekdirect.com) C10290735 (scene7.com)
Can you post links to those sites that publish the warranty conditions. Thanks
They only list the basic warranty conditions. I mentioned longer versions of the warranties may have to be read but the warranties listed look very similar. Saw that forestry and wider shoes can shorten warranty. Berco lists 100% warranty on rollers up to 1500 hours or 1 year. If another brand offered 2000 hours or 18 month's would have to compare the price difference. If they were close to same price go with the better warranty. Cat and Berco were around $1000 more on my machine for dry rails compared to SALT rails. I couldn't justify the extra price for the amount I use my machine. I had 1 roller develop a slight leak over winter at about 1500 hours but took the hex cap out and but some grade OO grease in it. Doesn't appear to be leaking anymore. If it does a new roller is less than $200.
I wasn't able to find anything but ad copy. There were some aftermarket people listed their warranties but nothing from Cat or Berco. Do you have a copy of the warranty you got or anything in writing that specifies those hours and time frames?
It was quite a few years ago and I saw something that listed how much the pro rated percents were and they said the warranty was the same as Cat. I was never given a written warranty statement. The one independent repair shop that sold Berco for decades dropped Berco a few years because I think even the dealer prices jumped too high that they couldn't be competitive. They are now selling their own "Select" brand undercarriage and say they are getting really good service with it. I think they sold both for a while just so they could see how the Select performed. Back in the 50's they were the Cat dealer.
I emailed the dealer this morning (with pics of the leakers) & the reply back on the Berco warranty was "3yrs or 1500 hrs". I've owned the machine since 2013 & that undercarriage was under it then.
Pretty poor warranty. Berco used to guarantee seals for the life of the roller. 1,500 hours is not even a year of regular operation.
No wonder dealers are dropping Berco. Higher cost and less warranty.
Talked to my son in law whom is the parts manager at the local John Deere dealership and he sells mostly Trek undercarriage citing cost, warranty, and reliability. Doesn't really use Berco much any longer referencing much of the same concerns expressed here. Says that Trek is a good undercarriage.
Not trying to be a smart a** but it looks to me like the front roller in the picture of your original post could be out as well. It could be just the angle of the pic or a shadow or something. But it would be worth a look at before you order your rollers.
Agree. Time to ditch the whole side. Maybe you have one or two that you can swap in the other side when those crap out, which might be sooner rather than later.
Anyone remember the US prices on Trek rollers for D6C 10K standard width tracks?