Nige
Senior Member
An aftermarket one matching the rest of the aftermarket undercarriage on the tractor would be my best guess.
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I have a 1989 D4H
- Thread starter James2019
- Start date
Nige
Senior Member
Poor quality material maybe..?
I've heard anecdotal evidence of idlers "exploding" when welding repairs were attempted due to the pressure inside the hollow shell. Never seen it myself though.
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DMiller
Senior Member
Will need to drill a vent hole, drill absolute ends of crack then grind it V. Weld and allow to fully cool then daub weld the drilled vent hole. Likely something as to the internal face of that idler, could be a thin spot from corrosion in which case trying to weld it will fall away. Weakened too far and will catastrophically fail in side stress.
Welder Dave
Senior Member
I did work experience in a shop that used to build up idlers 24/7 with the sub-arc process. They cut about a 3" hole in the side of the idlers so they wouldn't build up with pressure from the intense heat of welding. You could always tell if an idler had been built up if it had the plug welded back on the side. I welded a crack in a ripper frame and it cracked on cooling for the same reason. I should have left a small bit un-welded until it cooled and then finished it. It's not much different than a car tire gaining pressure after driving but with the welding there is 100 times the heat input and 100 times the pressure build up. I don't think drilling a vent would provide a fast enough release of the pressure. The crack in the new idler is odd.
DMiller
Senior Member
Believe they are hollow casting machined smooth.
Can I use a TO-2 in this machine? I believe that was what was use when it was new?
This crack looks like it may of been from a 3" hole, the idler appears to have a lot of meat on it, was wondering if this could be the patch from a drilled hole cracking?
Welder Dave
Senior Member
Some idlers are cast and some are welded assemblies. The idler in question doesn't look like it was built up but maybe it was and then painted. However if the crack is because a plug was cut out and welded back in and then ground flat, they did an unbelievable job fitting the plug back in perfectly. I don't think a drilled hole would crack like that. Any idea what brand of idler it is? The crack could be ground out and welded on the machine though. A 3" weld isn't going to cause any problems like the hundreds of inches continuous welding will on a closed in structure.
Could I operate it with this crack? And if the crack continues as a circle it seems it could be a patch though? It was painted and understand no sign of brazing. Have no idea what brand all I see is the JS 3700.
Also there is a leak on the hydraulic cylinder to the blade on one side. Is this a big job?
Also there is a leak on the hydraulic cylinder to the blade on one side. Is this a big job?
Nige
Senior Member
You are correct, TO-2 was the specified oil when the machine was new. However you may struggle to get TO-2 oil today, almost 20 years after TO-2 was superseded by TO-4 which has a higher performance specification.
Nige
Senior Member
If you can still get TO-2 where you are it’ll work just fine.
It may be worth pointing out at this time that good quality oils & filters are probably the cheapest insurance you can buy, even with a machine the age of yours.
It may be worth pointing out at this time that good quality oils & filters are probably the cheapest insurance you can buy, even with a machine the age of yours.
Nige
Senior Member
First the cylinder would need to be removed and held securely. How are you fixed for tooling to unscrew the head (#9) or the bolt holding the piston in place (#4)..?
If you are short on tooling Plan B might be to remove the cylinder yourself, take it to a hydraulic shop, and have them reseal it for you.
If you are short on tooling Plan B might be to remove the cylinder yourself, take it to a hydraulic shop, and have them reseal it for you.
Nige
Senior Member
A chain wrench would be better. Because the jaws only have bite in a couple of small areas a pipe wrench would tend to crush the collar and might even cause it to bind up on the threads of the cylinder. If that happened it would neither come off nor go back on and the only option would be to cut it off.
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Welder Dave
Senior Member
You could run the idler with the crack but you risk the crack growing larger and potentially causing further damage and you don't water and dirt getting in the idler. Even if you had to hire a welder to grind the crack and weld it, it is less than 30 minutes work. Just make sure to put the ground clamp directly on the idler on clean bare steel.