Happy (and apprehensive) new owner of 955L: Questions

Hi all,

This is the first piece of heavy equipment that I've owned (I had a skid steer and a little tractor but they were tiny compared to this beast). We have 12 acres of half-forested partly steep terrain and lots of stuff to move around.

I've enjoyed reading the experiences of other owners and few somewhat reassured.

I haven't had the machine delivered yet but I viewed it last week. The urgent thing I need to fix are the lift cylinders - leaking badly. I have ordered the seal kit and have read the other posts on the repair. No doubt I'll be asking for help as I get into this!

The bucket is in pretty bad shape (so maybe the machine has had a hard life??). I guess I'll have to weld it up as best I can and/or look for a replacement. All the teeth are missing. Are there reasonable sources to buy these? The ones I found were $300 each! I'm in Western Canada. While we're on the bucket... I doubt I'll need the side dump very often. It would be far more useful to have a thumb/grapple using that function. Is that a ridiculous idea? Are there other buckets that fit these machines if I'm looking at wrecks?

Can someone look up the s/n and find out the year please? 85J6695. I'll check the engine number when I get the machine.

Thank you,
James

Where about are you in western Canada? With your location we may be able to find the teeth you need. Post some pictures of the bucket when you can and also the undercarriage etc. Any other info like hours and history would be good.

I'm in the Kootenays (BC). I see you are in Lethbridge. I get over that way sometimes. Not sure of the hours - the meter is cracked. I'll send some pictures when I get the machine. Thanks

You have electricity in Canada? To run computers?

Electricity in Canada? Eh? At least in BC. Huge water power here. And another huge hydro project just about completed. That's why the Provincial power utility calls itself "BC Hydro". Go figure--BC is as socialist as you can get but the previous conservative gov't got the ball rolling on the Site "C" project and got it far enough along so the current commies couldn't kill it without looking like idiots. On the other hand, Alberta has been busily shutting down coal fired plants and relying on wind energy. Pretty sure we know where that will get them. I run my computer on steam power.

As to the 955L, its probably the one I was asking the forum about last week. The side dump is kind of rare (and not very useful) and you probably are better off finding a regular bucket or a 4 in 1 bucket. You have the luxury of having the 3rd hydraulic valve that can run the 4 in 1 clam which will be handy to grab stuff and move it. If you had to add that valve it can get costly.

The machine is likely a 955K (Labels can LIE) but the experts on here who can look up the exact SN can tell you for sure.

Are the tracks any good? If they have some life left you might have got a pretty good deal.

Photos- or it didn't happen! Keep us posted.

Jon.

sawmilleng said:

Electricity in Canada? Eh? At least in BC. Huge water power here. And another huge hydro project just about completed. That's why the Provincial power utility calls itself "BC Hydro". Go figure--BC is as socialist as you can get but the previous conservative gov't got the ball rolling on the Site "C" project and got it far enough along so the current commies couldn't kill it without looking like idiots. On the other hand, Alberta has been busily shutting down coal fired plants and relying on wind energy. Pretty sure we know where that will get them. I run my computer on steam power.

As to the 955L, its probably the one I was asking the forum about last week. The side dump is kind of rare (and not very useful) and you probably are better off finding a regular bucket or a 4 in 1 bucket. You have the luxury of having the 3rd hydraulic valve that can run the 4 in 1 clam which will be handy to grab stuff and move it. If you had to add that valve it can get costly.

The machine is likely a 955K (Labels can LIE) but the experts on here who can look up the exact SN can tell you for sure.

Are the tracks any good? If they have some life left you might have got a pretty good deal.

Photos- or it didn't happen! Keep us posted.

Jon.

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Hi Jon,

Given the weather this month, there is plenty of water!!

Tracks look fine. So does undercarriage. No photos yet - I need to arrange hauling. Looks like you're from around here - any suggestions?

The P/O gave me some manuals but they appear to be for the wrong series of SNs. I assume it will get me close until I buy the correct ones.

Thanks,
James

jacr said:

Can someone look up the s/n and find out the year please? 85J6695.

Click to expand...

You have the S/N which is all you need for parts. If you need the YOM for some other reason I'm sure someone can help.

sawmilleng said:

The machine is likely a 955K (Labels can LIE) but the experts on here who can look up the exact SN can tell you for sure.

Click to expand...

No, it is a 955L, one of the later ones fitted with a 3304 engine. That range started at 85J6247.
Anything below 4672 is a K with a D330 engine, anything 4672-6246 is an L with a D330 engine.

jacr said:

The P/O gave me some manuals but they appear to be for the wrong series of SNs. I assume it will get me close until I buy the correct ones.

Click to expand...

What range of Serial Numbers are the manuals for.?

Thanks Nige

Nige said:

What range of Serial Numbers are the manuals for.?

Click to expand...

I have one service manual for 61H1 - UP, 53H1 - UP, 48H1 - UP, 31J1 - UP
and another for 60A1 - UP

Are these really different or quite similar?

The first one you mentioned is for a 955K. 61H was the US-produced forerunner of the 85J. It first came on the market in 1966. The other three S/N prefixes were built in France, Australia, & Japan in the same time frame as the US machine. So much earlier than your machine.
60A is for a US-built 955H which is even older again. Production from 1960-66.
Your late-ish 85J machine is late 1970's I would have thought. The first 955L (85J4672 - see above) was 1976.
How much in common those manuals would have to your machine I dunno.

Why not put them both up for sale and use the funds to buy the correct manuals.?

The correct (full) Service Manual for 85J6695 is Cat Publication reference REG00634.
A Parts Manual is UEG0700S. https://www.ebay.com/itm/275191073403
A basic Maintenance Manual is SEBU6520. It can be downloaded from Cat in pdf format for $28. A (complete) paper version of REG00634 should include this manual.

I have already ordered a copy of the parts manual on Ebay.
I just downloaded a copy of the SEBU6520 from CAT and thought, "it's a bit underwhelming - where is the rest of it?"
Then I reread your message more carefully and realized that I was expecting the full Service Manual.
I found a copy on Ebay so I wasted $28 on the Maintenance Manual. Ah well.

Thanks again.

Black Cat Blades probably has teeth for a reasonable cost. They are in Edmonton. You could call them and ask for dealers in your area. Does the machine have the adaptors and are they in good condition? If it has adaptors that were run without teeth, they are likely quite worn and need to to be built up with weld and ground to the right shape. That can be a lot of work and it might be better to get new adaptors. Arrow West Equipment just outside of Edmonton may have a bucket for your machine.

There is also Titan out of Edmonton and Boundary Equipment in Calgary that was helpful getting me some edges for a fair price.

Thanks guys. I'll check out Black Cat, Arrow West, Titan, and Boundary.

I'm not sure how much extra the side dump bucket weight is but you may not want to put a lot of work in it. Maybe find another lighter, probably deeper bucket and add a large weld on skid steer grapple. Maybe one side of a split grapple set up. A excavator thumb or 2 could be good. Check the Iron planet auctions they sell up in Canada. You'd have a deeper bucket for stumps and brush. If you can add a little something to keep things from falling out till you get the bucket rolled back it goes a long way. Make it though enough you don't break it. The more iron out front the faster you get off balance nose heavy. The old machines use large diameter rams to develop force with low pressure hydraulics. The new ones its the other way. You get a new one with a cylinder with it ect. do the math. Don't break the thumb with the ram. To slow the actuation of the ram you can put a restricting orifice in the line to slow the flow.

Thanks Cat977. I'm happy to get rid of the side dump bucket. When I'm looking for a replacement are there certain standards (like a skid steer)? Or do I have to know which models and brands are interchangeable? Thanks

For the bucket get one that fits your machine! Maybe take the part number and do a search on say Machinery Trader or get a locale scraper to find one. There are digging buckets (that's most of them) and material buckets for carrying and digging loose stuff. Get one that has the same pins and pin locations! For a thumb there's not much to go on, mostly the people that might help are..... well probably busy. Get a ruler that's set up to draw things to a paper sized scale. The ones that are shaped like a triangle are the most convenient. You can use a regular one and convert it say 1/16" or 1/8" equals a foot. For detail work nothing beats full scale. Find a drawing of any machine similar machine and play with the picture to get it to a workable size for your ruler. If you draw something that looks about right you may get someone to pay you for it, or you could build it, or my favorite is find something that looks close and steal their idea and hopefully their work. Measure the bucket metal framing thickness and go 3 to 10 times thicker. Now you have an idea of what your looking for. Once you get the bucket there's plenty of time to find the grapple, thumb, thumbs. 2 thumbs would be Cool, the hydraulic pressure would hold uneven loads, thumbs going to their best grip.

Not sure but this may be a 955 bucket less than an hour away from Edmonton.

84” CAT LOADER BUCKET - perfect to make manure chuck blade!! | Heavy Equipment | St. Albert | Kijiji

As for stealing work..... It seems manufacturers just made nonstandard buckets except when everyone wanted a bobcat then most Makers copied Bobcats Quick Tach system to compete with them.

Cat probably is the only one that made a bucket for your machine. If you can fab up something with a good welder.....? Well I haven't done it but I've been thinking about using the back of my ailing 4in1 bucket to mount a new wider bucket and put a grapple or "twin thumbs" on. You want a bucket off something with about the same or more HP. I'm thinking of cutting the back off my bucket with Fast cut brand (I think) cut off wheels 7"dia. (I think) so you can get a good weld surface that you can get on nice and square. The bucket has a hollow place in back for strength and this will push the newer loader bucket forward just a bit. May want to cut into the back of the new one or better yet maybe cut the hollow spot out of the old one on the bucket side (much better idea but may be a pain). Bucket for 977L is 8', new one off wheel loader is 9'. The extra width will keep material away from the tracks but will suck up weight, move the center of gravity forward, and eat HP, (8.5' would be better). I did slot dozing before, maybe it'll suck this way? Cut away the extra parts off the back of the new bucket ears ect. with something like.... air arc cutting with welder, or a scarfing tip with oxy/ac. Mount everything as close to the radiator as possible if the cutting edge is any further forward than necessary you lose curling power and you shift your machine's center of gravity even more forward and screw up its handling. For hard digging use a smaller bucket. Have teeth unless you're in a quarry loading up loose material.

Get some pictures posted so we can see how your new friend looks.

The 955L was a Good Choice!!!

55 is a nice size machine. Not difficult to get hauled, big enough to get some things done. That side dump bucket is an oddity. I only ran some JD wheel loaders with the side dumps. It would be awesome to find someone who wants that heavy pig

When a refitting like I'm talking about is done you will need to do some welding up of the bores and line boring. By keeping the original bucket ears attached to the original bucket you keep the pin positions pretty well located but when you cut the front off the bucket the assembly will bow and twist. Dealing with that is not easy and this project cost is adding up at this point. Finding a used bucket even with High Shipping is looking better and better. When a new bucket is built they have new material that is welded up in fixtures and I'm pretty sure they wait till all the welding is done to do finish machining for the pins. If you cut off the front of the bucket you will release stresses built up during the welding work.