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Why do this to a belly pan?

Shimmy1

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 14, 2014
Messages
4,260
Location
North Dakota
Please explain High Set and why it matters.

I'm probably speaking without raising my hand here, but I think I remember reading on here somewhere about "high set" with the idlers. I believe you want them in that position on a tractor without a blade being used to pull a scraper. The tractor will ride completely on the rollers, and will turn easier. This is why Tony asked why because you can obviously see the blade on the tractor in the picture.
 

.RC.

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 27, 2012
Messages
731
Location
Qld, Australia
It is so when you drop stuff into the pan you can easily retrieve it. :D

Honestly I have no idea why you would do that other then makes it easier to clean out without removal, however they are easy to pull off and put on by yourself with a winch.

As for the idler block position. Could be they snapped the bolts off the other way around and easy fix to spin it over. My D6D was like that. One up and one down with snapped bolts.
 

John C.

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Joined
Jun 11, 2007
Messages
12,865
Location
Northwest
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Machinery & Equipment Appraiser
In my experience most people replacing undercarriages in the last fifteen years don't know the difference between high and low positions on the idlers.

Belly pans on older machines are usually bent and bowed so that the bolt holes in the machine frame no longer match the holes in the pan. I've had to do all sorts of things to the pans to get them back up in place and bolted up hard again. The hole in the photo also looks like the cover for the engine oil pan drain plug. You wouldn't want to pull the pan just to change the engine oil. A lot of people also get in a hurry and forget to put the thing back on. Or the pan might be sprung enough that the bolt holes no longer match the holes in the plate.
 

LCA078

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 29, 2019
Messages
292
Location
Austin, TX
I didn't think you had to pull a pan for engine oil replacement but who knows why the stitch job on this pan. I didn't look to see if the pan was bolted to the frame or if it was sprung and welded back or such. Maybe they tried to fit the pan back and realized it wasn't going to go back on without a fight. So they cut the access panels out and then welded the pan back on???

Current owner didn't even know the belly pan was cut up. He's had it for only a couple years and probably put 2-300 hours on it fixing stuff on his farm. Wonder if he ever even changed the oil?!?
 

tctractors

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 9, 2007
Messages
2,383
Location
Worc U.K.
It is so when you drop stuff into the pan you can easily retrieve it. :D

Honestly I have no idea why you would do that other then makes it easier to clean out without removal, however they are easy to pull off and put on by yourself with a winch.

As for the idler block position. Could be they snapped the bolts off the other way around and easy fix to spin it over. My D6D was like that. One up and one down with snapped bolts.
No issues with bolts snapping as the idler block has only clear holes, it's fixed with bolts into the wishbone and threaded blocks with bolts into the side plates, it's purely down to a lack of knowledge on the correct fit up of the parts, the Belly pan beggars belief and the E-Bar will have damage, putting the E-Bar mounting to the frame and the bar will be a 2 day affair tctractors.
 

.RC.

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 27, 2012
Messages
731
Location
Qld, Australia
No issues with bolts snapping as the idler block has only clear holes, it's fixed with bolts into the wishbone and threaded blocks with bolts into the side plates, it's purely down to a lack of knowledge on the correct fit up of the parts, the Belly pan beggars belief and the E-Bar will have damage, putting the E-Bar mounting to the frame and the bar will be a 2 day affair tctractors.

It is the threaded holes that hold the side collars that can snap off. Unless they changed the design at some point.

Here are some photo's of me getting the snapped off bolts out of mine.

20200521_145103(0).jpg 20200521_145851.jpg 20200521_171925.jpg
 

John C.

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2007
Messages
12,865
Location
Northwest
Occupation
Machinery & Equipment Appraiser
That happens when the up and down movement of the idler to the track frame gets way too far excessive. You can see the wear marks on the top of the idler support block from the side plate running loose. I've had to do that same job more than once.
 
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