Good point. Some of my early experience with the 84W was in 1984 with low serial number models. They were running double shift in surface coal mines in eastern Kentucky six days a week. Didn't leave us or Whayne Supply much time to fix the derned things. We had continuous track problems, engine trouble, steering and brakes, hard bars, bottom rollers, you name it. Could a built another 10 with the spare and used parts we had on hand.
I worked in a Cat house in 1980-81 in western Colorado and assisted factory engineers testing brake and steering clutch springs and then, later on, hydraulic pressures for the operation of the steering and brakes. I think I rebuilt every D10 final drive then in use on the western slope. I did a significant amount of work on Gilbert-Westerns D10 in the oil shale operations too.
My last experience, D10 wise, was with 84W610, the next unit built after a serial number break update for these models. It was a b*****d machine having been equipped with newer or updated parts going on 610-up and older leftover stuff from 609-down. Had to have two parts books you see, plus every parts and service bulletin and fiche that Cat had concerning D10's. I spent well over two hundred fifty thousand dollars in parts on this machine in three years on the uranium job in Colorado. It was in pretty good shape when I left though.
I thought when I left Colorado in 93 that I had seen the last of it, but no, in 95 when I hired back in the company, they sent me up to Beatty, Nevada and guess what was waiting for me there? It hadn't gotten any better with age and I fought it for about two months. Then the engine failed and it was hauled off to Missoula, MT. I nearly got it back in early 96 at Kennecott Copper in Salt Lake City but a road job in eastern Montana got it first. We had to push our 631E's with a lowly D10N there at Kennecott. THANK GOODNESS!
Most of the 10's I was ever around worked double shift or more and were worked hard. They racked hours up fast. Parts were sometimes a problem as Cat was changing stuff so fast some dealers wouldn't stock much for them as by the time the part was on the shelf, it was already obsolete or updated.
Cat is pretty proud of the D10 however. The first 76W ever put into production has been rebuilt and is on display in Peoria at the factory.
:usa 
