I figure I might as well keep going with questions....obviously I'm slowly rebuilding this old girl wether I like it or not!!! Yet another good lesson in life. My next question for the experienced is about the track springs. I understand roughly what they do (cushioning the idler) but just how important are they???? I'm starting to put together a list for summer maintenence and the two thats on the old d5 look original (1972) and so I assume are in average condition (shagged out). Appreciate any comments.
If they are not broken I'd leave alone, they are dangerous to work on. If you have a problem the idlers would retract during a turn or hard pull
Also if the tracks get packed with sand or whatever all the slack will be removed from track and the springs will allow the idlers to retract instead of possibly doing some damage. I have seen a broken idler shaft when the spring was blocked. One of the worst thing for causing problems is snow although maybe you don't see much snow action in Perth. I've never heard of a spring being changed unless it was broken.