scottwolowich
Well-Known Member
I'm the owner/operator of a CAT 303.5 that I use in my small excavation business (basement waterproofing, gravel driveways, concrete slab prep, land clearing, ditching, utility trenching, and more). I also use it on my 40 acre wooded lot that I am developing to eventually build a home on. The machine currently has 3500 hours of which I've put on 200 or so. I keep it well maintained but it needs a good looking at this winter - there are some hard to reach hoses that are chafing and could blow at any time on a job site or out in the woods so I'll be addressing that alongside many other issues the machine has. The machine is not in bad condition nor neglected but cleanliness is not allowing good leak detection and it's a bit rougher cosmetically than I would like so it's time to do a bit of a disassemble/refurbish on the machine this winter to keep it going for many years to come.
I've already recently rebuilt both sides of the undercarriage including bottom rollers, idler wheels, sprockets, tracks, and a reseal on one of the final drives. Here are a few pics from today - the task completed was removing the ROPS and exposing the operator station mounts to get that ready for removal. This will allow for much better access to the engine and hard to reach hoses. I'll be able to clean, inspect, and refurbish things much easier by removing the operator station. Pics are before, with the rops removed, and a few pictures of the 4 operator station mounts. Next up I'll have to disconnect the pilot controls (haven't done this before, I imagine mark the hoses, cap off the ends), disconnect all electrical connections, then I'll use my steel beam above to hoist off the station like I did the ROPs. Stay tuned for more pics. If I can clear up enough of the mechanical work this winter I may even start to paint it.
I've already recently rebuilt both sides of the undercarriage including bottom rollers, idler wheels, sprockets, tracks, and a reseal on one of the final drives. Here are a few pics from today - the task completed was removing the ROPS and exposing the operator station mounts to get that ready for removal. This will allow for much better access to the engine and hard to reach hoses. I'll be able to clean, inspect, and refurbish things much easier by removing the operator station. Pics are before, with the rops removed, and a few pictures of the 4 operator station mounts. Next up I'll have to disconnect the pilot controls (haven't done this before, I imagine mark the hoses, cap off the ends), disconnect all electrical connections, then I'll use my steel beam above to hoist off the station like I did the ROPs. Stay tuned for more pics. If I can clear up enough of the mechanical work this winter I may even start to paint it.
