keepin an old girl running.

Those temps dont seem bad. Factory for a cat 12 is 175 deg thermostat.

Thanks. She starts right up and runs very smooth once she's been running for a few minutes. I guess there are some other things I could look into fixing like the slop in the steering and the slop in the cylinders that push the blade down.

Ray there are some shims under the pivot caps for the rams and under the ball caps at the end of the rams that may be still in place. Mine were worn so badly that when I removed the shims there was still some slop. I had the pivot caps turned down a little to tighten them up. I took the end caps off the adjustable side shift linkage which had no wear and switched them with the ball caps on the ends of the rams to help get rid of some slop there. I don't think that my machine ever saw much grease during it's life. My service manual describes how to remove slack in the steering gear but it is a little complicated and involves removing the steering gear. End play in the worm involves removing some shims. Play between the worm and the roller is adjusted by loosening the lock nut and screwing in the roller shaft adjusting screw.

Thanks for the help Don. I have 12 hours on it and all is well so far. I worked her hard yesterday, grading up a long steep hill and saw 190 degrees on the gauge. There is a leak on the main seal at the tranny but I'll just add oil until it's time to work on the clutch or pull the engine to shave the block down or some similar head ache. The book says 30 weight oil but my mechanic friend says 40 weight in this old machine. What do y'all think? Perhaps I'll crawl underneath and check the torque on the bolts. Perhaps I can slow the leak down that way.

You are welcome Ray. I didn't respond right away as we just spent the last two weeks soaking up some sun in Maui. I also don't like a dirty machine and it took a lot of pressure washing to get all the grime off of my machine. My engine is due for a rebuild so there is some blow by that keeps it dirty with oil seeping down from the valve cover. I go through quite a bit of engine oil and use cheap 30 weight. I also hope to cure a few problems when I rebuild the engine. Another example how my machine had been neglected was that the bolts holding the cross member for the front engine support were gone on one side and the engine was essentially hanging from the bell housing. It appeared as if it had been run that way for some time.

I've gotten all the grease points except one taking grease now. That was tough. I got the mouldboard tightened up with your help and only the steering is loose now. I added lights for working too late. Next up is redoing the control handles for the hydraulics. They are sloppy as all hell and it makes it difficult to operate quickly and accurately. I'm not positive what approach I'll use. It's a mess, especially the lift handles. This machine is getting to be in pretty good shape overall and so far we have about 12k$ in her and about 80 man hours. I like the decision to buy this machine. We own here inside and out now and understand her better with each work session. I used her to cut ditches last night and was pleased with the results.

Ray, I know what you mean by sloppy levers. Mine is/was the same. My machine was a very basic machine and I have added some additional hydraulic functions so I replaced the 2 spool valve with a new 4 spool valve on one side. I don't know if all these machines came this way but my machine had the left blade control on the left side of the steering wheel and the right control on the right side. I am left handed so I juggled the hydraulic lines so that all the blade functions are now on the left side of the steering wheel. I also replaced the hand throttle control with a right side foot throttle control so I only have to take my hands off the hydraulics and steering to shift gears. Like most humans I was born with only two hands so my changes have made life a lot easier and to make things even easier I have added power steering. As for the slop in your controls I would try and find some new pins or make some new pins out of bolts that are a hair larger than your existing pins and then drill out your pivot points for a snug fit to the new pins to get rid of the slop. I am glad that you are now starting to have some fun with your machine.

The oil leak from the engine main seal is getting to be a bit much. I ordered in the seal and I guess next weekend we'll pull the engine and try to get this taken care of too. Has anyone here done this chore on a 65? What do I need to know that's not in the book? The saga continues. I don't think this one will be so bad. Perhaps just a one day deal with time to spare. I know I should probably just keep adding oil but I hate to have a machine that won't hold oil.

I just found this old thread and I'm pleased to be able to update it. I've been using this old grader now about 50 hours per year and it has been working quite well for us. I've tightened a few more things up and replaced the tires. It surprises me each time I make it home without problems. I appreciate the help I got on this forum 8 years ago to help us get through some early difficult times with this old girl.

Nice to see the old girl pushing dirt again

Did you have to pull that engine? I ended up having to because of corrosion on all cylinder sleeves resulted in antifreeze in the oil. Still that 570 has managed to pay for itself and I guess that I've gotten an education along with it. Always something to fix on it, but I prioritize more now.
It was good to reread this old thread as Spring maintence is coming up and I needed some motivation.

I actually never changed the seal. It drips out about a quart every 10 hours of use, more if I'm aimed downhill a lot. At that rate it just hasn't made sense to pull the engine. As soon as I do something else will break that can't be fixed and I'll have done it for no reason.

I've fixed so many things on it that it ran out of problems and has been fairly light on required repairs the last 5 years. Just a hose here or there and some filters and a seal or two. The radiator cap never sealed as it needed a really long neck cap. That was never able to be found so for years I was losing antifreeze. I finally cut a rubber shim gasket that I shaved down to .188" from some 1/4" rubber. It worked like a charm so for the first time in 10 years it holds coolant. Even the radiator guy who rodded out the radiator had never seen a long neck throat. Right now the circle gear box is puking some kind of emulsion out the top so the top seal must be letting water in that is mixing with the gear oil so that needs to be taken care of next.

All the tolerance shims have been pulled from everything and it is still loose in most places. The whole thing is loosy goosey but it still cuts roads and cleans ditches so every year is a gift. When we have to replace it we will be looking at real coin so I hope it coincides with a downturn in the economy when equipment is available on the used market.

Them ole 262 buda made Allis engines were good motors. About the only thing I ever have seen go bad is the impeller ring, in the injector pump. Keep away from bio-diesel, and it'll last longer... Also, if you need a motor, there are others that should bolt right up, WD, WD-45 gas, and diesel. That grader has one of the longest life spans of any out there, still being made, today, I think, not sure by who, but fiat bought Allis, then this grader line was sold, several times...

The circle gear box on my 570 is dripping out the bottom so I just think of it being the auto circle tooth lube. I did replace the O ring, but skimpted on the the top and bottom washers because I thought the price the dealer wanted too high. Might just bend over this year as it's not that many $$$ or time.
Your right about not letting a quart of oil every ten hours be a significant problem, that's what I mean by prioritizing. I have a similar problem with a Kubota tractor V series engine that I use for about ten hours / year. Just keep it moving and park it over a pan.

Hey Ray, I have a M65 grader too and I'm up near Waco. I also have a parts machine, but not many engine or trans parts left on it. I mention it in case you have trouble finding parts somewhere in the future...I might have it. I also know some salvage yards to look in.

BTW, that D262 engine is pretty common if you have trouble with yours.

Be very careful shifting into reverse as they don't make that gear any longer and you can't find them used anywhere. I paid a lot of money for my parts machine just to get mine up and running.

Ray, I'm glad the old grader is working out for you. They are a fairly capable machine for a small grader. I am glad that I was able help you out in the past. I ended up moving into the city a couple of years ago and sold my D grader. I still follow this site and the allischalmers.com forum.

This old girl is still running for us. The latest issue is a ticking sound in second gear which is louder in third gear and really loud in 4th gear which I never use. I have to look into it before I'll feel comfortable putting it back to work. I just wanted to update this old thread.