Pictures of my dozer

[g_man]

Willie, looks good. The track spec is 1" to 1-1/2" sag front idler to top idler after trying to climb a block to tighten the bottom.

gg

 

[Willie B]

I'm now in that range.

I'm building a log arch for it. The welding has been thus far, a lesson in distortion. I've used 1 x 5 stock to make two vertical plates to bolt to the rear. Two 1" holes in each, four 3/4" holes in each. Between groups of holes a massive 1 x 5 was morticed into each upright. I was proud of myself at guestimating it'd shrink 3/32 in height when welded. Bolt spacing is now perfect up, and down. It wasn't quite flat where it mates to the crawler, so i cut, and welded to true it up. A bit of grinding, it's perfect.

Putting in a crossmember of 1/2" wall 4" square tubing, I didn't guess as well. I figured 1/8" shrink, It shrunk 1/4". Bolts don't line up. If I have to cut to align it so be it. I'm getting hooked on dual shield. It's like stick welding with an automatic transmission.

Willie

 

[milkie62]

Looks like you did a nice job on it. I am not too far from you. I snowmobile in the Mt Tabor area. I put in at Bromely. Did you find that machine locally ? What do the Dressers run in price compared to JD's ?

 

[Willie B]

Private sale from Whitehall NY. I'm not convinced the manufacturer makes a whole lot of difference in price. Most crawlers this old are very tired. A few sellers try to conceal how badly worn their tractor is. I don't believe anything was hidden with this one, but there were still a lot of things needed doing.

 

[JNB]

It sure does look nice Willie! Brings back good memories. The TD7e was the first track machine I ran...1978ish I think.

 

[td25c]

The dozer really turned out great !

Nice work Willie B .

 

[Labparamour]

Machine looks great!
Would love to see pics of the logging arch.
Did you find a winch for your TD?
Darryl

 

[Willie B]

It sure does look nice Willie! Brings back good memories. The TD7e was the first track machine I ran...1978ish I think.

A good friend had two TD7Es. He died in his late eighties. Now his son has one, his brother has the other. They are idlers. Diesels are better off running than not is the whole family's firm belief. They start a machine if they think there is a chance it'll be used that day. If they don't use it, they've been known to forget, and leave it running all night. One shows 27000 hours. It has had several partial undercarriages. I don't think the IH engine (3.9 litre) has been apart.

I don't see much change in the TD7G. The G has a 3.9 Cummins.

Willie

 

[CavinJim]

They start a machine if they think there is a chance it'll be used that day.

That sounds like the brothers I bought my 955 from! Their father instilled in them the conviction that you might not need that machine every day, but by golly it had better work when you do need it! Though they didn't use it enough which is, I'm sure, why all the cylinder's weep....

 

[Willie B]

 

[Willie B]

I can't seem to add text. My first project with heavy steel, and Dual Shield welding.
It has been pretty welds on lighter stuff. I had a few blunders to hide, and significant distortion to correct to make bolt holes line up. Note the temporary spreader bar. I used a 20 ton hydraulic jack to spread, so bolts would line up.

It's a log arch to lift butts over stumps, and rocks, instead of hanging up. Also it gets the choker further away from the tracks in tight turns. Maybe a winch in the future.

Willie

 

[DMiller]

Usually when welding on the heavier materials I will tack weld the fixed point to a welding table then as finish out the welds take it loose to see where the distortions lie, in that respect can add final beads to cause a draw away from the distortion direction.

 

[Willie B]

I used strategy, it proved to be flawed strategy. I morticed the horizontal plates through the vertical. I wanted full penetration welds, so i blew out the back side of the mortises. to get me all the way in. It made for a big weld, biggest at the surface where it mated to the tractor. This pulled the plates quite concave where they should be very flat. To attempt to pull them back to flat I piled a bunch of weld on the face side. That worked somewhat. I have a 12 ton press in the garage, a 20 ton out back, a little hard to get to. 12 tons was not nearly enough to move them at all. Rosebud tip on acetylene torch only a dull red, and localized, failed to pull. I should have combined press, and rosebud.

Then I bolted them to the tractor, and tacked the cross tube. I hoped distortion would be minimal as they were welded on all sides. It wasn't a lot, but enough so bolts wouldn't line up.

Next one will be done in a different way.

 

[Metalman 55]

What is this device on the back of the dozer for?

 

[Willie B]

"It's a log arch to lift butts over stumps, and rocks, instead of hanging up. Also it gets the choker further away from the tracks in tight turns. Maybe a winch in the future."

Chaining trees to the drawbar caused them to plow a furrow, and get snagged on every root, rock, and stump. This will tend to lift the butt end over obstacles. Also, it's a little farther back allowing clearance between choker, and tracks.

 

[g_man]

You have plenty of iron in that arch Willie. Seeing it reminded me that I took a picture of a dozer arch in an antique logging museum out in Northern Cal. when I was visiting our daughter. The winch is missing. Made for big wood to say the least.

 

[Willie B]

That is one serious piece of iron! Was the winch on the tractor? or one of those manual crank things on the arch. I don't think it is suited to VT side hills. About a 10% sidehill, that thing is going to be on its side.

What is the crawler? it says thirty, is it an oliver?

 

[Labparamour]

Looks good. Using chains with slip hooks...dropping chain in notches- simple but effective!
Seen skidding plates for 3pt hitches like that...another project in my bucket list.
Darryl

 

[Willie B]

At Marden's a sort of surplus what have you store I found cable chokers. They have a quick attach knob at one end, and a forged widget that slides on the cable, the knob drops into the forged slide. On the other end is 3/8 grade 70 chain maybe 5 links. I've coupled this chain to 5 more feet of 70. No hook on that end. Drop it in, I'm hooked.

 

[g_man]

Side view





Front view of the same model but a different tractor



gg