1988 Cat 953 - Caterpillar. My First Track Loader

[Georgia Iron]

Using the loader on the dams banks to clear downed trees and brush.



After using the loader a good bit clearing downed trees on the dams banks.
I found out it is important to:

1. Make sure the hydro stats fluid is full. (That was what was giving me the no power problem on the grades).
2. Keep the pads angled so that you keep traction and do not slide sideways.



The loader will not go up this incline forward. It spins.





The bottom photo shows the lakes drain pipe that has a small stream under it. The loader floated right across the creek pushing a large pine that had fallen into the spill way. The picture shows the top of the pine tree. The tree goes on for another 90 feet. Being nervous about getting the rear end down into a mud hole. I reversed the machine straight back out before crossing back over onto hard ground. On reverse it started to sink into the mud. It went down about 18" and the belly was just starting to slide on mud. The LGP tracks floated the machine very well. I however do not want to find out what happens when they break free and start spinning. So once in and out was enough for me.

The CAT 953 is a really nice machine to use to do any kind of work around property. It moves fast and has a lot of traction. It will go places that you might be better off not taking it. I really like the A model that I have. It is good on fuel and seems to have good power for what I am using it for.

 

[CM1995]

The loader will not go up this incline forward. It spins.

I'll always go bucket down slopes like that because you can use your bucket if need be to push yourself back up.

The last picture is an area that a 953 does not like.:spaz

 

[JDOFMEMI]

I bet that flat plate makes it nice for grading with.

 

[CM1995]

I bet that flat plate makes it nice for grading with.

It does make grading a lot easier. Also helps tremendously when back dragging and clean up. I can turn out a finish grade as good as a skid steer with that machine.

 

[sealark37]

And Now, with the help and encouragement of my grandson, I will attempt to post the pics of my replacement of the cab jack on my 943 with aftermarket parts. I hope that you can see the general arrangement of the fittings I made for the ram fork with pin and the cylinder mounting base.

 

[Georgia Iron]

Sealark37...Very Nice Job!

And Now, with the help and encouragement of my grandson, I will attempt to post the pics of my replacement of the cab jack on my 943 with aftermarket parts. I hope that you can see the general arrangement of the fittings I made for the ram fork with pin and the cylinder mounting base.



View attachment 93381View attachment 93382View attachment 93383View attachment 93384View attachment 93385

Very nicely done. I am wondering what is the purpose of the cab jack having a fork on the upper end? Can I just take a piece of 3/4" flat plate and bore a hole in it to mount on the machines "mounting pin" and then weld it to the jacks shaft? Is that forked piece something you bought or made?

The jack I bought is a similar jack.



Thanks

 

[sealark37]

I made the piece on the nose of the ram. Your idea of welding a plate with a hole to the ram will work. My jack is only a 3-ton unit, and it did the job easily. I took a hacksaw and cut the two ears off of the bottom of the jack, then I bolted a 4"x4" plate to the bottom, and welded a piece of 1/2" bar to the bottom 4x4 and bored a 1 1/2" hole to fit the stud on the tractor. You should measure the distance between the bottom stud on the tractor and the holed tab on the cab to be sure the assembly will fit in place. The six large bolts that hold the cab in place are easy to remove, but you have to disconnect the jack to get to all of them. Remember to disconnect the pins that connect the steering controls. You may have 7 or 8 depending on your machine. After I finished my repair, it occurred to me that I could have merely cut a large "V" on the bottom mount of the jack, and accomplished the same thing, and saved some room, too. Regards, Clark

 

[boone]

Cool thread Georgia Iron! Your loader is 1 year newer than the 175 we have. Glad to see you taking care of it and getting some good use out of it.

Nice fab work on the jack sealark. And good job posting the pics. Did you mount your fire extinguisher is that factory? We've been meaning to mount an extinguisher, but haven't gotten around to it.

 

[sealark37]

The fire extinguisher is normally mounted at the operator's right knee, just out of the way. It was in the picture because I laid it there while working on the steering pedal linkage, which was the reason for needing the cab jack. I tend to over-build and over-repair the machines that I work on. It's nothing new. If you mount an extinguisher on your loader, place it so that you can reach it as you are dismounting the tractor. Don't put it inside where you have to open a door or panel to reach it. Don't ask how I know this. Thanks, Clark

 

[Georgia Iron]

Clearing trees with the 953 and eating Ivy.

I was working on clearing a little area for a building and an old tree was in the way. I did not think to take pictures beforehand. But here are some pics of the tree that came down.

If you look at the last picture you can see a wedge I cut in the tree in efforts to drop it away from a power line. I was going use the loader to apply a little force that way too so that I could cut across the back of the tree. When I pushed on the tree up and over it went.







The stump is 5' tall and the tree is 34+ inches at the wedge cut. The loader just pushed the tree over I could not believe it. I wasted a lot of effort on that wedge cut!

I carefully fought threw 2 feet of posion Ivy in order to make that wedge cut. Posion IVY really does a number on me. Then the vines on that tree came down on me when I was loading it and the chainsaw dust must have gotten a lot of posion it it. I knew it was going to be a doctor visit for a shot. I have been put in the hospital when I was younger.

The day after I got into the IVY, I was starting to get red streaks and burn/itch all over. I have heard that eating posion ivy will make you immune to it. I knew that if I were going to try to eat it, now is the time or else I would have a very bad week and a half. I read to start out with a small piece, then increase it over time. I just increase it to a full leaf by day three.

You would never think eating posion ivy is a good idea till you must! NOTE... DO NOT EAT POSION IVY BASED ON MY STATEMENTS.... it is dangerous and might not work for you!!

It also causes you to feel like you are getting it everywhere you sweat when you sweat. But it just goes away after you stop eating it. I never got a blister or bad rash this time just a few iches here and there and it went away once it cleared my system.
It stopped the outbreak and cleared me up. MAGIC.

NOTE... DO NOT EAT POSION IVY BASED ON MY STATEMENTS.... DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH...

 

[ttazzman]

from the looks of that stump that tree was going to fall anytime ............so on the poision ivy eating........how did you handle it to even eat it.......gloves....fresh....dry....stem...leaves...any mouth issues?....

 

[Georgia Iron]

The stump split in half. Half stayed in the ground. So it was weak.

Day 1. I used a pair of latex gloves and picked a small fresh leaf and tore it into a 1/2" by 1/2" piece. Then carefully put it in a piece of fruit roll up and sealed it up into a small pill sized bite and swallowed it.
Day 2. Same deal but 1" x 1" piece.
Day 3. Same but increased to a Full small sized leaf. Not requiring any chewing or choking.

Careful to not get any oil on anything other than the inside of the fruit roll up.

That was it.

Others say to start out in spring with a small fresh leaf. I just used what was on hand. It never effected my face other than it made my eyes feel ichy but that could have been from the chainsaw dust, not too sure. But the bad rash and the burning was most certainly cut to maybe 15% of a normal case of posion ivy. Which for me is great cause I can go on with out even itching it. No broken skin or blisters.

 

[ttazzman]

you really have to wonder about the first guy to try something like that.....(eating PI leaves)

 

[Georgia Iron]

Yep. I wondered if it was going to put me in the hospital but it did not. I am completely over my case and it really works.

 

[Georgia Iron]

I took the belly pans off the 953 and notice they are concaved to the point that they are rubbing on the hydrostat. Is their an easy way to flatten them out. I am thinking of attempting to use the loader and run them over?

What do you guys recommend?

Thanks.

Also I want to give a quick thanks to Yancy Cat in Atlanta. They went out of their way to fix a wrong length drive hose on my loader. I got it on after 3 attempts and appreicate there help recutting it twice. I give Cat a hard time on there pricing but this time it paid off buying original equipment and they had it all in stock. :cool2

 

[wosama931b]

hi georgia iron, I have the same problem with belly pans and i was thinking about trying the same thing, if you add a little heat would that help, iam sure some one
has figured out how. sam

 

[Scrub Puller]

Yair . . . Georgia Iron and wosama931b. I am not familiar with your machines or their belly pans/sump gaurds but generally speaking on dozers you will need more point loading than what I believe could be achieved with a loader tire . . . perhaps a loader applying down pressure to a baulk of 8x8 timber with the belly pan bottom corners supported on 4x2's? . . . it would be a good start but it could take twenty odd tons.

Heat would help of course but over here it would be very expensive and if they won't come right I would be more inclined to cut a few judicious slits with the oxy and then try again . . . its not much trouble to put a nice run of iron powder or whatever on the slits.

Once you get them right you will need to check the mounting hole centres. They will be almost never be right and may need jacking out or pulling in with a come-along.

Cheers.

 

[d9gdon]

I like to use a big excavator to massage those bent belly pans. You can put lots and lots of pressure on one tooth.

I agree that they will be warped a little, but a come along or lining punches and bars will get them back on. Use a longer bolt just to get them started if you need to.

 

[Scrub Puller]

Yair . . . On most 'dozers I always found it worth while to hinge them on one side.

Easier then to clean them out at service . . . by hinge I mean just a couple of sets of stout lugs with say a 3/4 bolt through, you still use the bolts up into the frame.

Cheers.

 

[docdirt.net]

Hi Georgia Iron.
Putting old pieces of concrete in the dam wall area will only make matters worse. Any material under the concrete will not compact properly and is likely to develop voids as all the material settles. This will make the wall washout very quickly.

I think he's trying to cascade a patch into an erosion on the lake side of the dam where materials are being deposited in water.

Clay is used to build dams or patch leaks, it looks to be you are trying to lean material against a near vertical that is partially submerged in order to prevent the edge/top of the dam from narrowing.
If that's the case, use concrete only in the water. Put a couple of buckets of concrete in with the loader then do your best to settle them flat with the excavator and scoot them out at first. More concrete and wider at the bottom making a sloping wall face underwater in the lake.

Cap it with compacted clay as soon as the concrete gets up out of the water.