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Joe Fick

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I have a good friend that somehow bought 2 963 on purple wave n only wanted one but ended up with 2 of em.
One of the 963 is the original 963 have been checked out by cat oil samples n etc mechanically sounds but need tracks. Got the 3304 motor. Had pictures on my old phone n it died. I'll go back n take more pictures of it soon
It's a nice lookin machine in my opinion n he want 20,000 for machine n I found a shop to put a brand new undercarriage on it for 13000. What is your opinion on the purchase n new undercarriage cost?

My plan is to use it to clear timber n clean out ponds n minor dirt wirk but mainly clearing land.
 

DMiller

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S/N will help as well plain 963, B, C or later?

963 is less awkward than a 977 but still a chunk of machine, costly to move unless already have machines to do so.
 
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Joe Fick

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Plain 963. Hire the hauling but mostly for myself soon as I get ground bought to start up cattle operation I will get the SN when I go back to where it's sitting at
 

DMiller

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It will be a pretty much all mechanical machine so will be less trouble for farm use. Hope I see others pipe in on this.
 

bam1968

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Is the $13,000 undercarriage quote for a completely new undercarriage including rollers and labor? I'm assuming the quote is for some sort of aftermarket undercarriage which should be fine esp for farm type use. $13,000 for a completely new undercarriage including labor sounds awfully cheap to me.
 

Welder Dave

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I doubt it includes labor but isn't a bad price depending on what all it includes, rails, rollers, idlers, carrier roller, sprockets, idlers, pads, bolts, etc. I would guess it doesn't include pads or change over.
 

DMiller

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Local contractor buys Cat supplied UC, his last purchase was for a 963D, was $16900 just in parts but all rollers, idlers, seal kit for track tensioner and segments with bolts included.l
 

bam1968

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I just looked on purplewaves auction results and I think I found the 963 in question. IF I'm looked at the right machine, the front idlers didn't look too bad. I didn't see any good pics of the bottom rollers. But the pads, chains and sprockets look like they were very well worn.
 

Joe Fick

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Is the $13,000 undercarriage quote for a completely new undercarriage including rollers and labor? I'm assuming the quote is for some sort of aftermarket undercarriage which should be fine esp for farm type use. $13,000 for a completely new undercarriage including labor sounds awfully cheap to me.
That's installed at their shop in Versailles mo. Diesel track repair is the name of the shop. DM Miller sir I see that your not to far from me and I'm sure you have heard of that shop before it's by Zimmerman crawler tractor shop in the Mennonites community of Versailles MO. N I triple checked the man on the phone that's the cost of the whole 9 yards making it a 100% undercarriage
 
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Joe Fick

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65459
I just looked on purplewaves auction results and I think I found the 963 in question. IF I'm looked at the right machine, the front idlers didn't look too bad. I didn't see any good pics of the bottom rollers. But the pads, chains and sprockets look like they were very well worn.

These two machine was bought several months ago out of st. Louis are if I remember correctly the sprockets are really dang work down n sharp. The rollers n idler didn't look to bad n yes the pads n grousers are shot. Ya you could get by with just a set of tracks but I would rather spend the money n do everything right the 1st time n prevent downtime also may would do a little for hire work on the side to help make it pay for itself
 

DMiller

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Is who I had transport my donor to me. They were buying it from a JERK that wanted more than I was willing to pay threatening to scrap it. He ended up selling thru Zimmerman and I got it for just a little less than he originally wanted. Are Mennonites that run the office, use Amish for mechanics. One young man can ride in the trucks but cannot drive while he is a knack on working Deere crawlers as a friend of mine bought one from them.
If you want one they also sell farm tractors on steel tires, odd seeing a 4020 or a 4325 or even a IH 966 on steel.
 

Joe Fick

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Is who I had transport my donor to me. They were buying it from a JERK that wanted more than I was willing to pay threatening to scrap it. He ended up selling thru Zimmerman and I got it for just a little less than he originally wanted. Are Mennonites that run the office, use Amish for mechanics. One young man can ride in the trucks but cannot drive while he is a knack on working Deere crawlers as a friend of mine bought one from them.
If you want one they also sell farm tractors on steel tires, odd seeing a 4020 or a 4325 or even a IH 966 on steel.
That's them. Dad had bought a d7 from them years ago n always been good to us
 

DMiller

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They also sell a great deal of Ag chassis crawlers, no blades or loaders, just drag tractors with aux hydraulic connections. They also have quite a yard of part outs.
 

Joe Fick

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The Deere cat they make just blows my mind. A John Deere motor and transmission on a cat d 4 frame n with all.the hyd n pto on it n photo of them.cutting hay with that thing blows my mind
 

bam1968

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The quote of $13,000 for a complete undercarriage including labor sounds like a really good deal to me. Personally I would jump at that in a heartbeat. Just my $.02. Hope you have good luck with that machine.
 

Dickjr.

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Did they say what brand the uc was? I had a discussion yesterday about different brands. I was told that CAT does not prorate they're uc if it fails. So does that mean if you run it 3500 hrs and it fails they replace it at no cost? I have used ITR on my last 2 and so far they seem fine both have over 1000 hrs on them. 963 is a hoss of a machine.
 

Welder Dave

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Sounds like a great deal as long as it's a known brand of undercarriage and not something nobodies ever heard of.
 

Joe Fick

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Thank you. I will have to check the make of the under carriage n I was at their shop one time bout a year ago. I don't remember seeing off names parts. It was all cat and John Deere boxes plastic wrap etc is I saw n I look for stuff like that all the time
 

cb75

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A complete Cat brand U/C for that machine will cost a bit more than 13K. We did one on a 973D that was right at 30k for chains, shoes, segments, idlers, top and bottom rollers, all new hardware (track shoe bolts and nuts, roller bolts and washers) and adjuster seals and one final drive seal assembly.
 
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