Got a few pictures to share about a very small scale pond digging project that has been inching along over the years, as I endeavored to revive three ancient Cat LGP tractors, without winding up in the poor-house from getting nickel and dimed to death in the process. Of my collection of old Cat Dozers, the D7G LGP has the smoothest running engine, and thus was the one I chose to get shod with brand new LGP tracks that were very recently installed Couple of years back, my D4D tracor started off excavating a few ponds measuring about 100 meters by 40 meters, but then track problems grounded the D4D, which has now become another of those when-I-can-get-around-to-it projects, whose engine and hydraulics are only run once in a while to keep rust at bay. With the D7G ready for battle with its new tracks, I took her down to the swamp, to dig smaller ponds than before, and then to complete the larger ponds before anything mechanical went wrong with this decades old tractor. Well I got as far as digging ten small ponds each about 40 feet square, before the usual gremlins started to appear, annoyingly before I could go back and do any grading, and just hours short of finishing up a particularly useful one of the larger ponds. Enclosed are some pictures of the rather hurried work done out here in the African sticks, as well as a couple of shots showing the surgeons at work replacing chewed PTO gears, whose purchase set me back a good chunk of change. The rains are here early this year, so likely the D7G LGP will head home, where it will stay until the dry season rolls around. The D7G can be seen in the top aerial photograph, to the lower right of the shot.
Couple more random shots of the carnage that is afoot here.
The horror. The horror. The horror. The aerial shots were taken with a small RC helicopter, the UDI 13A.. I click on the video recorder when it takes off, and then extract still photos when I play back the footage on my laptop. This little helicopter is very resistant to crash damage, which is good, considering my Kamikaze RC piloting skills.
Really cool pictures. Are the ponds for irrigation? Having worked on equipment inside a clean air conditioned shop trying to keep dirt out of the systems that were open which was hard to do, I cannot imagine working on equipment in your location.
Hello Cat Toy, the ponds will be used to raise African clarias catfish, which, due to their ability to breathe air, thrive when crowded in smaller ponds such as the ones I managed to complete before this not-so-trusty D7G started to show its age again. Each pond will hold about a thousand catfish from six-week old fingerling size, until a couple of pounds weight is attained by six months of age, when the harvest is sold live to buyers from the local area who show up in minivans stacked with sacking-covered wide bowls. I imagine that sterile, climate-controlled, high-tech workshop conditions probably exist in the cities here, but with my modest means, and my rural location, shade tree mechanics have always been my go-to option for cars and bulldozers alike. That said, it is likely at least a few of the breakdowns that afflicted my ancient Cat dozers over the years, could be traced to workshop procedures not followed to the letter, the use of substandard Chinese-made parts, or the presence of sand in parts of the drive train intended by design to stay clean. The transmission of this D7G was literally bagged up in dismantled pieces when I bought the tractor a few years back, and I watched with considerable skepticism as the entire transmission was assembled on the concrete floor of my car's garage, by fellas like the ones in the above picture, using very basic tools and equipment. Knock on wood that transmission has worked flawlessly every since it was assembled for the first time, and with some more luck, the PTO failure will not have damaged the transmission, when we get to test the tractor early next week.
nice steel toe'd sandals.. wow.
With the high temperatures and humidity here, Old Dirt, these mechanics would probably work in sandals, and with no head or hand protection, despite the obvious risks. Among heavy equipment mechanics here, injuries do occur with regularity, and bearing that in mind I stay well clear when they are working on recoil springs and such.
Oldirt, you must have missed the other pictures with no sandals at all! One has to give lots of credit to anyone who can manage to keep things running under those conditions! That last picture of the dozer looks like someone just finished painting it nice looking old machine! What are those other plants off to the side of the ponds?
I work by myself off in the sticks a lot. When jobs go sideways and turn into something unexpected and difficult, a lot of times I feel like I am the guys in these pictures. Except they don't have the luxury of going back to the office and ordering some new parts that will come in a day or two. I tell my customer, we can come back another day with a [bigger/better/new/whatever] or we can do this the Africa way. Whatever it takes. A lot of times I end up tired and worn out, but at least the job got done the same day. Pictures like these motivate me to find new ways to get it done.
KS Hansen I forgot to mention that those trees in lines to the left of the ponds are 3-year old oil palm trees, standing about 8-foot tall on average now. Those trees should be ready for first harvest of the palm fruit in about a year from now. There are few hundred trees on this piece of land leased from the government that I have farmed for the past few years. On the opposite shore of the same river lies a sprawling Chinese-owned oil-palm tree plantation that covers many square miles, dwarfing my modest enterprise by several orders of magnitude. Won't be long before much of Africa becomes a part of Greater China, going by the rate at which Chinese mega-investment is pouring into Africa. It remains to be seen what the long-term picture will be with this changing landscape. For now at least, the Chinese are hiring lots of locals to work in their various enterprises, which is always a positive thing. Decided to paint the old tractor in olive drab to give it a vaguely military look, which I hope may help keep unwelcome guests bearing hand tools at bay when the tractor has to be parked down by the swamp. For an added measure of security I do have both day and night guards watching over my precious D7G LGP, until it is running again and ready for the mile-long slow trek back to the relative safety of my yard at home. @Birken Vogt I agree that the resourcefulness of mechanics in Africa's rural areas enables field repairs to be completed under the most difficult of circumstances, and using the very bare minimum in terms of tools and equipment. Compared to the rates charged per hour by mechanics in the industrialized West, Africa's village mechanics' work for very reasonable rates that must ALWAYS be haggled over and whittled down at least a bit, to avoid getting over-charged for the job.
Yair . . . . Guday Marsh Mutt. You got me . . . I'm full of questions. It looks like you could be in Uganda or some such? What are the trees in the plantation? Why is it necessary to make multiple small dams? Do they fill with seepage or cross country flow across the plantation? What is the go with the PTO and what does it drive . . . the parts and terminology are unfamiliar. All the best with it and Cheers.
Yair . . . . Oops! this is one of the issues I have with the new format . . . the #9 and 10 posts were not there until I uploaded my #11 post. Cheers.
Loving this thread, thanks for sharing! Makes me realize how easy I have it compared to these guys, imagine what they could do with a fully equiped service truck like the one I drive.
Hello Scrub Puller, the trees in that small plantation are young palm trees just starting to take off in growth. The red fruit from these trees will be harvested for the first time by next year, and processed into cooking oil, for local consumption. The multiple dams seen in the aerial pictures are necessary to prevent erosion from filling those small individual ponds with sand, during the rainy season just starting up here now. I opted to go with smaller ponds measuring on average 40 feet by 40 feet, because I wanted to be sure at least a few ponds would be completed by the time any problems surfaced with the D7G, given its advanced age. To respond to your question about the PTO, I had to check my parts manual for the D7G, and there I found that the term "PTO" worked its way into the vocabulary of local mechanics, but is NOT the name given to those four gear cog-wheels that lie aft of the torque converter. On page 118 of my Cat D7G Parts Manual, I now see that the gears known here as PTO components here, are in fact elements of the torque converter, bearing names like the "Flange Assembly" ( Part Number IT421), the 64-tooth gear (Part Number IT 436). I was also somewhat baffled by the reference to a PTO, since that term has always been used to describe the Power Take Off prop shaft connection that most agricultural farm tractors have, to facilitate the use of rotating implements like Bush Hog mowers and such. Shade tree mechanics have over generations here created their own lexicon of names for car and machinery parts, that would require a translator in order to be recognized by mechanics working stateside or in Europe.
Yair . . . Gotcha Marsh Mutt. I will be off line for a few weeks but like other folks on here hope you can post more pictures of your operation. Cheers.
The Chinese-owned industrial scale oil palm plantation is seen stretching out to the horizon in the top third of this aerial photo I took with the RC helicopter at dawn today, before the wind picked up. Another shot shows my older catfish ponds that were mostly excavated by the D4D LGP, before its worn tracks and steering problems became too pronounced. Those old ponds turned out to be way too shallow, leading to many of them being taken over by vegetation, as is visible in the picture. Next dry season I hope to pump the water out those weed-choked ponds, and clean up with the D7G, then perhaps excavate another foot or so of depth. The small forested tributaries of the river that flows through here make it an ideal location for catfish pond excavation, but with just the one bulldozer working and up to the task, and me being too cheap to hire a 'dozer operator, this is a long term endeavor for sure.
Great thread. Thanks for posting. Real pioneer stuff out in the bush. I like to do my own thing, but that is way to extreme. I don't envy you. As has been said, always astounding what people can achieve in the way of repairs with basic tools and in difficult conditions. Graham
Just for fun I have been doing some looking on SIS and did find that at least some had what even Cat referred to as a PTO. It shows in the section on the engine but is not real clear on where it is mounted. But this does not look like what I'm seeing in the pictures, this one appears to have straight cut gears, or are those the gears off to the left in my picture? Cat does like to have many options for machines and is one of the reasons when people are asking for help it is important to supply full serial numbers! I know marsh mutt was not looking for information so this is not aimed at him.
I sure appreciate your looking up these part numbers, KYFarmer, because I am giving some serious thought to maybe purchasing a spare set of these four gears even after this repair is complete, since apparently the D7G does have a reputation for wearing out those gears faster than one would expect. When the mechanics show up tomorrow to finish the job and test the D7G, I intend to photograph the damaged gears, and post those pictures here. The part numbers I see in my parts book for those gears are different from the ones you have been kind enough to include in the above post, and so I will need to take care to get those numbers right, for when I get around to placing orders for any spares.
If you are referring to my post above with the picture out of the parts book DO NOT assume they are the right ones for your machine! I only posted the picture to show that there was in fact a PTO arrangement used on some D7 dozers. If you can post the Serial Number of your machine and maybe any part numbers you can find on the damaged gears you took out I could see if I can come up with better and more accurate information. Like I said Cat does like to make many different options on some machines and one can get into all kinds of trouble thinking "All Cats are the Same"
I was looking at the photos of your machine, is that a accessory hydraulic pump at the rear in the tools mount bracketry? How was it controlled?
Those were cool aerial pictures with the RC copter ! The Cat D7G would be my choice dozer for your operation . Will handle jobs big and small , very powerful & agile at the same time . Perfect size machine for farm work . Must be a Massey Ferguson dealer in the area looking at the farm tractors . Is that an old Allis Chalmers dozer setting beside the shed ?
Interesting. I've read about the flow of Chinese investment into Africa, time will tell how that will shape not only the continent but the world as well. I'm familiar with the palm plantations in Costa Rica. Hundreds upon hundreds of acres/hectares of palms for palm oil production. Funny side note - when I first passed by the palm oil extraction factory in Costa Rica my first thought was "that smells like potato chips taste" then I realized potato chips taste like palm oil smells..
I have seen field repairs and mechanics like that around here. Amazing all the tools needed can be toted in hydraulic oil bucket . The parts will still set you back, but they are right up the right up the road.
That is a dang good looking olive drab bulldozer! That is excellent work, Marsh Mutt. I hope that you succeed and prosper.
Thanks for this clarifying reply, KHansen. I did not read your post carefully enough to spot that the drawing you published was not specific to my tractor. The serial numbers on my D7G-LGP are three in number, with the chassis number located on the dashboard, in addition to the engine number and the transmission numbers. The details are as follows. Vehicle Serial Number 72W 00563 Arrangement Number 8P5 459 Engine (3306) Number 3N 99 8H3 Arrangement Number 7N1552 Transmission Number 2GA 2608 Arrangement Number 9P 5382 When the mechanics arrive later today, I will post pictures of the damaged gears already replaced near the torque converter, along with the part numbers identifying each gear, from my parts book here, in the hopes that the part numbers I identify here will match with any part numbers that you might be able to locate when you have a spare moment. Speaking to the mechanics here, there is a difference of opinion regarding whether or not the gears being replaced in my D7G are prone to premature wear due to flawed design, or alternately if such gear wear is NOT typical, and is only brought about when the transmission pump starts to weaken with age, and thus supply less oil to the rotating gears, leading to early wear of those gears. Once again sir, I thank you kindly for sparing some time to look over these parts in the book. I wouldn't embark on this further research about these replaced gear cog-wheels, if it weren't for the opinion expressed by one of the mechanics here suggesting that those same gears may need to be replaced again after an unspecified number of working hours.
A tip of my hat to ya, Jim D, for the kind words about my slow but steady work ongoing here. You are one lucky dog to reside in California. I spent Xmas 2016 in the San Diego area, taking my kid to usual attractions, and one thing I noticed, after being away for so many years, was the drastic improvement in air quality, which I learnt is also noticeable during the heat of summer. For some reason that old Kenny Rogers classic song, "Evening Star" comes to mind as I dream of SoCal right now, way out here in the boondocks. Apologies for the digression from Caterpillar talk, but I do find myself rambling on sometimes, typing whole paragraphs before I realize I'm heading off topic.
[QUOTE The horror. The horror. The horror..[/QUOTE] As long as you are not turning into Kurtz all will be fine. No-one minds a bit of rambling off topic. Graham
I was just a little sad to see unprotected toes right out in the open. that older guy on the left looks like he has been through a lot. good job to them.
To keep this off topic a bit longer. I was through L.A. twice back middle of October and middle of Nov. Not sure how air quality compares between LA and San Diego but did not care for what I saw in the LA area. Hills off in the distance were covered in a brown haze. And I won't say much about the LA airport, I was told that if you don't have something nice to say maybe you should not say anything!
smog in LA occurs naturally due to the surrounding mountains blocking outflow of wind. keeps it warm too..
Slightly on topic, maybe, but a friend of mine here in England, big old boy called Dan, he's pretty relaxed type (must come with being such a giant) anyway he's got steel toe capped sandals. Wears them fair bit, I gather. Couldn't believe it when I saw them, but there you are. Steel toe capped sandals. Must be just the thing for a hot old African mechanic. By the way, thanks for this thread, Mr M Mutt. Very very good. Best wishes to you mate, keep it up.
Graham that timeless Brando quote describes all too well my state of mind whenever news of the latest parts and labor bill is broken to me by the mechanic who keeps my ancient D7G LGP running, for the most part. Here are some pictures of the usual suspects this time around, along with the relevant parts drawing to identify them. Included in the photo lineup is the housing from the D7G's transmission oil pump, which shows deep scoring apparently caused when some bearings gave way. @kshansen it is odd that there was noticeable smog in the Los Angeles area in November when you were there, because that is about when the annual Santa Ana winds pick up and usually result in amazingly clear days. That said, the account I recently heard from a friend, of summer smog levels being way down, may not have been an accurate picture after all. For sure San Diego has historically enjoyed far cleaner air than the LA basin, and driving there is way, way easier than it ever is north of Orange County. I sure am glad to have my old iron steed safely back in the corral, where it will undergo a replacement of all the hydraulic hoses remaining to be done, whether or not they appear to be in good condition, in readiness for the dry spell due here in a few months. My understanding is that all hydraulic hoses need to be replaced with new ones every 3 years, out here in the tropics, which seems to me like a really short service life, but again this may be unique to tropical environments where the steel braiding in those high pressure hydraulic hoses could be more susceptible to rust, than is the case where the ambient humidity is lower.
Despite its outward appearance, my trusty old D4D-LGP does fire up and run, as does the D6D-LGP tractor that I currently have fitted with standard narrow gauge tracks, since the LGP tracks that came with the machine were falling apart. In using the D6D, I immediately noticed that the blade does not lift high enough to pile dirt like the D7G does, maybe due to the D6D having originally been configured for grading type operations that don't require the blade to travel far upwards. Ultimately I plan to locate a longer set of blade-lift hydraulic rams, and also replace this blade with one that has a tilt blade function, as does the D7G. Once I have gotten used to having a tilt blade, going back to driving a machine without that capability is very limiting.
And finally I unveil this previously classified aerial photograph of my very own PERSONAL junkyard, that is open only to the discerning, chosen few, who realize that lurking amid the rusting hulks of now irreparable Cat 931B pay-loaders, and dismembered Massey Ferguson farm tractors, there is indeed intelligent life to be found.
That part book picture of the rear gear group is the one I found on SIS, but your copy is many time clearer! Maybe you should get a job with Cat scanning in old parts books? I do have the parts list that goes with that which also includes the "Cat Classic" part numbers for many of the parts in the rear gear group if you would like that send me a "private message" or as this new software calls it "Start a conversation" with an email address to send it to you. Looks like you are also in need of a few pump parts also, the gear seems to be trying to cut its way into the housing. It's not real clear, from what I have seen so far, what oil those gears run in, but I'm thinking it is the converter/transmission oil. If that is the case at the minimum I would be removing and cleaning the magnetic strainer and replacing the oil filter every few hours once it is back running to hopefully get all the nasty pieces of those gear teeth out be fore thy cause more damage. Not real familiar with D7 Cat, but most Cat magnetic strainers can be removed and cleaned without draining the oil. As for traffic in LA! We left the ship in San Pedro by shuttle bus with over an hour to get to terminal at LAX, about a 20 mile run up the 405. Figured we would have time to grab a bite to eat before boarding the plane back east. Wrong! By the time we finally got to our terminal and off the bus we could have used Usain Bolt from Jamaica to carry our luggage, but we did manage to make it just in time. Guess I'm just spoiled from 45 years of a one mile commute to work with no stop lights or even a stop sign along the way and only two driveways to pass on the trip!
I think the lift height problem you have with your D6D could be that the nose end is not original, a least its not like any 6D LGP or standard that I have used or been around. How did you finish up in that part of the world?
I'd say he must like the rural undeveloped ness of the place, plus the freedom to push out a pond or two with a dozer or two without having to ask someone first. Great picture of your yard, what is the circular water feature, rainwater collection or green jacuzzi?
Hello LDK, I visited Africa a couple of times over the years before realizing that the slower pace of life had started to grow on me, and before long I was spending more time here than in the West. There is no big game in this part of the continent, due to generations of unrestricted hunting that continues today, and deforestation is taking its toll here just as it does all across our planet's tropical belt, yet, in the pockets of wilderness that still remain here in my neck of the woods, a modest variety of wildlife still exists. That narrow ribbon of forest in my aerial pictures taken above is all that remains of vast tracts of ancient rain-forest that have long given way to farmland, yet, not far off as I paddle the river's winding course in my dugout canoe, troops of monkeys crash through the treetops, while six-foot Nile Monitor lizards, otters and African Dwarf Crocodiles share the watery forest floor with the elusive 200-pound Sitatunga swamp antelope, a superb swimmer that browses floating vegetation. At nightfall, the haunting dog-like squeals and barking of the African Tree Hyrax echoes though the treetops. For about a decade I have operated a catfish hatchery here, selling the fingerlings to local fish farmers at six weeks post hatch, when they are about one inch long and able to breathe air at the surface. Now with the D7G finally fixed up enough to work for long enough to dig a few new ponds, increasing numbers of fish fingerlings produced in my rural hatchery enterprise will now be reared until they attain a kilogram or two in weight at six moths old. The green water pond in the aerial picture of the yard here, is home to a few dozen female catfish brood-stock, of a very hardy species called Clarias, which can be kept in green water that would kill off other fish species, such as the Tilapia.
It is such a different world than I operate in. Glad you are sharing it with us. Graham
Marsh Mutt, Thank you for your reply, interesting reading! We are on the same continent... I am on the north western tip for a few more months and then not sure where, you look to be well south of me. I hope you are safe from this planets worst predator in your chossen location, you sound content so I guess you must be. When I was younger, I would go anywhere pretty much but with the way the world is nowadays and me being the wrong side of 60 my woder lust is more controled. Lifes twists and turns interest me ...... right place right time etc. I was once asked to run a prawn farm in Thailand. I had no experience what so ever but the guy putting the money in didn't care, he just wanted someone he could trust. I didn't do it but I often wonder what or where I would be now if I had taken that turn. Did you buy your dozers locally or import them, I would like to know the story behind your D6. Those D4D LGP's where a good little tractor.
Hello LDK, all three of my old Cat dozers were bought locally, after the previous owners had " got their money's worth" out of them, before putting them out to pasture in what can best be described as "mint junkyard condition". The D4D had no engine when I bought it, and one of the enclosed archive pictures shows the man I hired to hack away at the bush that had completely swallowed up the tractor, using the machete that he proudly displays in the picture. When I acquired the D7G LGP, the transmission had been dismantled and thoughtfully stored in a number of oil stained gunny sacks piled on the ground beside the mothballed tractor. The D4D LGP had been rusting away in a scrapyard crammed with partially dismantled earth-moving equipment, that was owned by a retired policeman, whose acquaintance I first made when I sought to rent a dozer for my initial early fishpond digging experiments down by the swamp. Over a decade ago now, that chance encounter marked the start of my obsession with LGP dozers, that in turn led me to acquire the D6D LGP and D7G LGP from a couple dredging outfits operating along the coast, where LGP machines are used exclusively in land reclamation projects, where they pile and level sand pumped to shore from dredging barges moored in the lagoons. The fire-engine red paint-job I applied to the D4D when I finally got it running, has long since faded, but the tractor still fires up, runs smoothly and rolls under its own power, leaving its steering problems as the lingering issues that need to be addressed by the mechanics at some point. The final photograph showing a (Non LGP) D4D and D7G at work, dates back several years, to the time I first rented dozers for pond digging, which led inexorably to my owning my own Cat LGP machines, that sometimes I regard as my costliest, and only vice. Noting the need for non-lgp dozers to steer clear of the swamp fringes in order to avoid getting mired, that early experimental project clearly illustrated to me that for my line of work in muddy soil along the swamp edges, an LGP dozer is the way to go.
Hello Marsh Mutt, Your D4D looks like it resurrected from the grave! I have got myself intrigued by the front end of that D6 of yours. I searched through a bunch of pictures on the net last night and could find nothing like it, has it baeen modified?
LDK there have been no modifications done to the D6D LGP since I took ownership of it, other than replacing the worn out LGP tracks with narrower, standard-width tracks, while also replacing all the worn and missing track rollers on both sides. Because this tractor was found on the street of a coastal town close to areas where lagoon sand dredging is ongoing, my initial assumption was that this D6D was engaged in piling up sand for land reclamation, but when I tested the tractor pushing dirt, the very limited upward travel of the blade suggested that perhaps this machine was not used along the coast, but rather devoted to finish grading work on roads under construction, though this is obviously speculation on my part. I did not realize until you pointed it out, that the nose of this machine is non-standard, and I now need to further my research to determine if that entire nose assembly, the blade and the hydraulic blade lift rams, might have to be replaced in due course, so that this machine can be adapted for fish pond excavation, which requires much higher blade travel for the job of piling that sand and mud. I would be extremely grateful for any pointers that can be offered regarding this blade conversion project that I will need to have done, before this D6D LGP can finally be put to work. Oddly, the D4D is also equipped with a blade that does not tilt, which is of similar in design to that of the D6D, however, the D4D blade can be raised considerably higher than that of the D6D, enabling me to use that D4D for quite a few productive hours of pond digging, before steering and track problems temporarily put the D4D out of action. That old D4D did give good account of itself, in the few months it was put to work down at the swamps, so I do intend to resolve its imperfections, rather than dispose of this trusty old work-horse.
I would love to have the knowledge to give you but I just operate, I don't fix. There are several on here that could help you. I will try and attach some pictures, notice where the lift rams attach to the blade, where they connect to the yoke on the nose. Also that blade is an LGP blade, yours is an angle blade so the rams attach a lot lower down
These pictures are very much appreciated, LDK. The hydraulic tilt ram shown in the left picture above is identical to the one on my D7G-LGP, other than it replacing the left, rather than the right side blade-support bracket, so this is the type of blade I will need to look for, taking care of course to check and be sure the blade arms will fit their mounting brackets on the wider-than-standard track roller frame of an LGP machine. With the introduction of metal recycling smelting factories in Africa, generally owned by the ever-resourceful Chinese, old non-working earth-moving equipment does not lay around for quite as long as it did in past years, but nonetheless, I have been pleasantly surprised more than a few times, by the local mechanics' knack for locating salvaged parts still in reasonable shape, from the innards of cannibalized machinery scattered about the countryside. The four gear cog-wheels needed to fix my D7G-LGP after its recent breakdown while digging ponds, were all removed from a D7G with standard tracks. It remains to be seen how the fix holds up, and during the coming dry months as excavation resumes down at the swamp, I'll be keeping my fingers crossed, hoping there will be no losses of power in the deep mud layer then needs to be scraped in light passes, to hit the sand below.
An honorable mention is due to AMS Undercarriage, a heavy equipment parts marketing outfit located in Middletown Ohio. Shopping for my D7G undercarriage online, I picked the name of this company pretty much at random, after running into payment complications with the first undercarriage vendor I found earlier. AMS accepts remittances made with the globally respected and secure PayPal method, for undercarriage purchases, unlike another un-named company I initially contacted regarding this track purchase, but which insisted on a dicey bank transfer as the ONLY payment option. http://amsundercarriage.com/about Despite the mention in the AMS website that new track assemblies are made to order in South Korea, I was delighted to see confirmation that the tracks for my D7G were en-route aboard a truck bound for my sea-freight shipper's warehouse, literally days subsequent to the approval of my online payment. I must hasten to add that I am not in any way affiliated with AMS Undercarriage, but felt that a positive customer review may be of value to any members of this forum who might be in the market for a new undercarriage in the near future. I included a picture taken with the old worn out tracks, to show the dramatic height difference between the track-segment grousers on the old track, and the new one shown in the final photograph. These brand new LGP SALT tracks, delivered with matching new sprocket teeth segments, transmit the torque of the tractor to the ground with far more authority than did the clanking old tracks I made do with for far too long. The difference in dirt-pushing capacity of this machine, due this timely track replacement alone, is far more pronounced than I expected, so I would recommend AMS undercarriage products without hesitation.
What brand of hydraulic hose are you using that lasts 3 years? I have 50 year old hoses that have been out in the weather for at least half their lives that haven't blown yet. Not that I'd do that on a dozer that works in the bottom of a hole where you don't want breakdowns. The humidity shouldn't bother the rubber, and the steel should be fine until the rubber cracks. Sunlight is the enemy of rubber. Maybe you need some plastic sun shields for your exposed hoses if you can't get better quality hoses. Even hoses that get exposed to fertilizer do fine until the ends rust off of them.
Growing up on a farm, I hardly knew hydraulic hoses were supposed to have a rubber covering on the outside, or be round. I don't remember a broken one.
Delmer I suspect the high humidity in the tropical air might, over time, seep through the rubber outer sheath protecting woven steel braid hydraulic hoses, perhaps even when the rubber of the hoses appears on visual inspection to be free of obvious cracks, resulting in accelerated rusting of the steel braid sooner than is seen with machinery used in dryer climates. Prior to hurriedly replacing all my D7G's hydraulic hoses exposed to the elements, there were a couple of hoses that ruptured under load, despite having no visible cracks in the rubber. On the D7G the mechanic replaced all the hoses that are exposed to the sun, but in the plumbing network crammed around the hydraulic tank, there are several shorter hoses that are not exposed to the elements, but which I have now decided to replace as well, as insurance to eliminate a burst hose from the list of faults that could stop the tractor in its tracks while in a mud hole. Knock on wood, I have not yet had a major breakdown while wading through deep mud, but the stories I have heard about tractors getting mired up to the operator's seat after a few days of sitting immobilized while working in soft mud, have given me good reason to err on the side of caution, whenever possible.
I sure remember some broken ones. The humidity is not the problem, hoses work in salt or fertilizer all the time, that traps moisture and radically accelerates rust. I still say it's low quality hoses. Maybe sticking relief valves? or maybe your mechanic "doesn't have the latest version of SIS"?
Delmer I would be inclined to agree with your suggestion that substandard hydraulic hoses might be the reason local mechanics here only expect 3 years of use out of them. Counterfeit vehicle parts and equipment are a global reality, but are very prevalent here in the Third World, where patent enforcement and quality control scrutiny are not regarded as priorities. Your recollection of seeing hydraulic hoses last a half-century is amazing to hear, because my previous estimate for the life of factory-issue heavy equipment hoses would have been a decade at most. With the concerns about poor quality hoses now factored in, I need to ponder over whether to replace the intact hoses surrounding the hydraulic tank, or just watch them closely and replace them individually, when leakages are spotted. Another factor I considered with my particular kind of work is that the tractor spends an easy 50% of its working hours pushing a full blade of mud up the steep incline of pond excavations, which is considerably more demanding on the tractor's engine, hydraulics and drive-train than is the case where the work site is primarily on level ground. The added stresses of almost exclusively pushing uphill would put all systems to the test every day, exposing weaknesses far sooner than would occur were the D7G used for light grading over a comparable number of hours. I thank you sir for the timely reminder to have the pressure relief valves looked over as well, before I put this tractor back to work when the dry months roll around. Had a couple of unusually ferocious tropical rain storms tear through here over the last few days. Lots of uprooted trees about. The rainy season arrived with a bang this year for sure.
In my humble opinion it makes no difference as to how the machine is working hard wither pushing uphill or pushing a perhaps larger load on flat ground. The most productive push is carrying all the material the machine has traction for. I might add that the Caterpillar brand is designed and built for the traction to be the limiting factor. This is why you still see these old machine still working, unlike a few other brands whom overpowered the rest of the machines drivetrain and rendered them to be useless relics on the scrapheap with no parts available. Unless someone has added vast amounts of weights to enhance traction pushing as much as possible either uphill or flat should not cause undo stress the machine.
I'll leave that to OIH, he has far more experience than I do. I will definitely agree that the hydraulics especially don't get "abused" by anything you're doing. Guessing that your relief pressure is around 2,000 PSI, you should never blow a hose unless it gets pinched, scrubbed off by a log, or the rubber's gone and the steel braid is rusted away. That's two layers of steel braid, and you mostly only need one.
Old Iron it sure is good to hear from an old hand with long years of experience, that using a tractor primarily for excavation work won't age it any quicker than would equal time spent pushing the same full blades of dirt on level ground. Also your observations about the comparatively long service life of Caterpillar's older tractors, help assure me that my bargain-basement 1970's vintage Caterpillar bulldozers have a lot of productive work left in them, provided I keep up the maintenance. The advice and insights I have been able to read in this forum have been of enormous benefit to me as I stumble along learning as best I can how to maintain and operate these landscape-altering mechanical marvels called bulldozers, and once again I must express my gratitude for the privilege of being allowed to participate in this forum that is frequented by highly experienced operators and mechanics who so generously share their wisdom with novices like me.
This is the closest thing I could find I bet it was retro fitted from another older machine to work. Looks like a bush fix lol. But it's pretty cool to see your keeping them going.
JWest your mention of a possible bush fix reminds me of a comment often heard among shade-tree mechanics here in Africa, whenever they are confronted with the spectacle of a totally dilapidated vehicle that is well past its useful years. Such barely-rolling scrapyard escapee vehicles are described here with a phrase which translates to an observation that such jalopies "no longer bear any white man's fingerprints". I always get a chuckle from that comment, despite feeling that it is an unfair description of my 1985 Mercedes that runs when it wants to, and no sooner.
Looks like you've trained these guys to keep an eye on your hoses Marsh Mutt.
They are indeed the Guardians of the Caterpillar, Queenslander, though my efforts to cross-train them for duties checking visitors IDs at the gate have so far been unsuccessful
You , Sir, are a hero . Is this your project or are you helping out or both . I am impressed ! By the way them critters are eating a hose .Carry on . Kevin .
Hello Kevin the project is mine, but the land is leased from the government, so in theory I could get booted off the land at some point in the future, if for example a well-connected corporation or individual sets their sights on acquiring the place. Government documents in this part of the world can look impressive with all the official seals, coats-of-arms and stamps, but a routine change of elected government can see land allocations revoked literally by the stroke of a pen, especially if well-heeled speculators are lurking behind the scenes to "oil the wheels of progress" as it were. That said I am banking on flying under the radar for hopefully enough years to see some returns from all the effort and time spent to get the fish farm going. A secondary reason that I am lining the forest edge with excavations is to block access to the little forest remaining, from timber thieves that prowl the area looking for a quick score. Once the forest is destroyed, the swamp usually dries up, ending all prospects of creating fish ponds there. So in addition to bumbling along as a self-taught farmer, I also do my best to serve as a forest guard, since the real forest guards lose their enthusiasm for enforcing the law as soon as timber poachers offer small cash bribes.
You are quite the adventurer . Not very safe there I gather . How do you protect yourselves ? Admire your courage and durability , Kevin .