Caterpillar Sproket Removal (also Komatsu)

[tctractors]

This is an engine for a D8H, it was all stripped out (not by me) to a very bare block with all the bolts in a big tub and all the bits poked in different locations,the engine copped the full hit with crank and counter-bore stuff and new innards,with the old engine in the tractor whipped out and this motor popped in, plus I did stuff to the steering clutch and brake band zone, the tent thing was to keep off the worst of the near constant rain, in 2013 I did 3 of these D342 CAT engine jobs 1 was in frame pistons liners and heads in a Power shift tractor, the other was after removing the engine from a clutch tractor (A lot easier task) and doing similar stuff including counter bore reclaim etc and rebuilding the clutch with old not so worn out bits.

that my sad arse in the snaps tctractors

 

[Randy88]

TC, some of us amateur mechanics that do our own stuff have enough trouble when we label everything, put in a very organized placement and take pictures as we go, take notes of how things came apart and try to do the best we can, I can't imagine walking into something like that, we're its more of a scavenger hunt than a rebuild. How much longer does it take to put it back together when its like that verses when you take it apart yourself and have things organized? twice as long, three times or ?

 

[tctractors]

Randy, I would always prefer to strip out my own jobs as you say its handy for keeping things grouped up into the sections as things come to bits, plus its often on the strip down that you can make a judgement as to the viability of components, another customer of mine has his casual labour chaps strip out 2 or 3 engines at a time with all the bits kept into their own heaps, then he gets me in to build them back up with new pistons-liners bearings etc, this often results that I find a part knackered with the quick fix being to grap a good bit from the next engine heap, in doing this the last engine seems to end up being a fair "Dog" needing a deep pocket to put into a running unit making the engine the 1 he wished he had never seen, on CAT Cummins Perkins etc I know all the tricks plus I can always take a peep in the parts book so no trouble realy as I have had a few years at it, plus any bits I have left over I pop into my back pocket as I whistle.

tctractors

 

[HATCHEQUIP]

I hear ya TC and now I get to see the man behind the wrench.

 

[tctractors]

some pics of recent jobs

 

[tctractors]

some more pics

 

[tctractors]

more nonsense

 

[tctractors]

A few verbs to help the snap's, the Komatsu has sheared to HPFP drive shaft, I never pulled it to bits I just get the job of poking it all back together, the CAT scraper is the last 657B series charabanc left in the UK?? its parked resting its Butt against the flat bit of a D9G, the little CAT with its rims pulled is a 61J series D4D w/spread tractor, the Fassi Crane is something I (and others) have been working on from the first thoughts,Its nearly finished now and it looks a blinder, The CAT 951 C started off as just a track adjuster seal, I have done a bit more that 1 seal to it as things have developed some as even the balancer shafts were scrap.

tctractors

 

[HATCHEQUIP]

TC how many tons will the fassi get up close max pick and how far out will it reach and looking at the d65 its looking like you might be drying up some

 

[profrooky]

Love the Pics TCT. Looks like you're the final drive guru!

I also wondered about all the special tooling needed for these old machines and how most of it has likely been recycled into toasters.

Funny when someone mentioned the Red Cat liquid gasket, I could remember the smell of it!

Have you ever had any close calls with any of the hydraulic pressing tooling letting go?

I can remember having a 100 ton press maxed out trying to get a steering spindle off a front strut on a 777 Cat. Very scary! It never did come off and we had to send it to a machine shop where they maxed out a 300 ton press. When they added heat it finally let go and shook the whole building.

PS. Love the picture with the chicken by the machine!

 

[tctractors]

Hatchequip, the weather has changed finaly after raining for over 2 months the Sun is out, the Komatsu had to have its drive shafts pulled so it could be fetched out of a swamp onto a less boggy spot, the Fassi will be set for 200metric tons @1 mtr the plan is to pick up a CAT D8K tractor and place it onto the load bed as a test load the engine is a Deutz 914 (sold on permit) and the pumps are Rexroth, this is the first time I have used this make of pump due to the higher top pressure of the Fassi.
Profrooky, I have only had a few thread rods snap using hollow cylinders but nothing sort of scary as I always take precautions, firstly to make sure nothing or no one gets in a line of fire, secondly I always safeguard my kit from any damage, I would use some part of my hydraulic tooling at least once a week, pressing in Track pins, bushings, Cylinder liners and final drives is my usual type of task, I have been doing it for many years so I know about the pucker issue.

tctractors

 

[Nitelite]

Enjoyed your thread tc!

 

[Nige]

Who did the 657 originally belong to Tony..? I remember working with Merriman's in Northumberland late 1970's on the topsoil stripping of an opencast site. They had 20+ of them on that job, funnily enough pushing with D9G's. Can't remember who else ran them back in the day.

We have a Fassi as well, not quite that big but 85Ton-metre IIRC. Impressive piece of kit, I used it to put the stick on a Hitachi 3600 once when there was no crane available.

 

[nicky 68a]

here's one of TC tractors engines.Going well.

 

[HATCHEQUIP]

Is that two future operators or mechanics

 

[tctractors]

Nige, the 657B was 1 of 7 owned by Neil Becher, He took 3 over to Africa to work, 2 are in the yard torn down for parts never much chance of ever being anything but parts or scrap iron, 1 was sold for a project, leaving this mount that is all complete and running,it was working in a power station pulling coal about but the P/station is now running on Bio-Mass, so the chariot has now joined the S.E. Davis collection, they have a large collection of everything to do with Earth Moving from a Calf Dozer to a TC12, on the scraper front they must have about the lot from an S7 to a 657, the largest scraper in the U.K. is a CAT 666 thats blowing out its cobwebs now the Sun is out to play.
On the CAT D8 front last year I managed to pull 2 of the D342 engines down and build 3 up, the tractor in the pic the engine had been stripped to a bare block by someone else, I only copped the job of bolting it back together, I like the Caterpillar plate it sort of makes it a C Series motor. tctractors

 

[profrooky]

Hi TCT: Good to hear you stay on top of your pressing equipment. Certainly time well spent checking everything before hitting the button for the pump.

 

[Slidey]

Yes you guys have made the news down here at the bottom of the world where its all sunshine :notworthy
UK the worst and wettest storms for 100 years; and the US massive cold snaps; makes me wonder what my winter will be like. But on a cheerful note worked a full weekend on my D6 over the new year, all by myself no one to annoy me, lovely warm weather, just me on my 6; bare feet, just shorts on, no singlet, just a cowboy hat to protect my bald head. Pure working bliss. Still worked during the week but because was people around have to wear some safety stuff like boots and day glow shirt and a hard hat if wrong persons watching, only good it would evr do was protect me from abit of bird 'dust'. Yes am abit of a hillbilly but are at least 10 years behind you guys with all the bovine excreatment some of you have to put up with. Have a great weekend TC :drinkup

Off thread a bit but was travelling out your way a few weeks ago and spotted this wee dozer in the long grass

http://i1016.photobucket.com/albums/af290/fulladpipe/6D23C26C-B6EB-4021-BC29-D8EC4CAAD71A.jpg

 

[tctractors]

some more pics

 

[tctractors]

and a few more