Cat 955 L

[Spyros33]

Today's progress:
Did some precission torching on the broken bolts,cleared the threads with a 5/8-11 tap
and installed the brackets with new bolts.
It was a relief to take out the Wedged pin from the sprocket and let the spring rest on the brackets!!
Broke the right track and and now i am going to bring the new tracks to the Shop in order to cut the exceeding length of the pads.View attachment 229695 View attachment 229696

 

[avanfarm]

Looks good. I’ve been putting off a broken track spring repair. Your motivation is contagious. Need to dig/move some mature olive trees and that’s not happening until new spring. I’ve used the machine in the past to relocate trees for a house pad and they’re hard to beat. 955 can cut, dig, carry, load, with enough power in a size that can still maneuver in an orchard without destroying it. One of many attributes that earns its keep. Now it’s my turn to earn mine. Thanks for the motivation-

 

[Spyros33]

Idler tensioner piston seals replaced, pushing Rod welded, waiting for idler bushings to proceed

 

[Spyros33]

The guy i got the dozer blade from, had missplaced one of the mountings so i have to make a new one

 

[oarwhat]

the sprocket segments look very worn out. how does it match with the new tracks? A big mismatch will cause problems

 

[kshansen]

The guy i got the dozer blade from, had missplaced one of the mountings so i have to make a new oneView attachment 230021 View attachment 230022

Hard to believe one could loose something that big, maybe he left it in a shirt pocket and it went in the wash?

 

[Spyros33]

I was lucky to even find one of them because it was located 50 km away from the blade, inside the bucket of a loader.

the sprocket segments look very worn out. how does it match with the new tracks? A big mismatch will cause problems

Havent layed the tracks yes, will have to see how they much

 

[Cat977]

I was I a bit tricked on my $8500 purchase of my 1973 977L. New segments and pads and wore out rails with a link removed. The new segments busted up the bushings. The worn segments accept a little change in the rail pitch. The rails would of lasted much longer with the old segments. I did get a lot of service out of her and looking to get some used rails or better yet a parts machine. I have 2 K's to keep me busy. Love seeing your project. Maybe the track frame might need some beefing up. Check out a dozer frame. And keep those pictures coming! Thanks!

 

[Spyros33]

Had an unexpexcted gift today, previous owner called and said he had forgot to tell me that the loader had a cabin that he had taken of when he got it and it was laying in a field. I went and got it right away. The only glass on it is the top one but it's a start!

Idler bushings and seals came in today, got busy with that too.

Left idler's push Rod was bent about 10 cm from the front end. I couldnt get it straight so i machined the two end faces on the lathe to become parallel, made the straight end conical and welded the flange on the other end

 

[Spyros33]

I had a Hard time getting that Rod to get passed from the loader frame. I tried all possible positions but it Just wouldnt get through. I ended up grinding one corner of the flange to make it fit. Is there a certain way that one is supposed to install that Rod?

 

[Spyros33]

Maybe the track frame might need some beefing up. Check out a dozer frame. And keep those pictures coming! Thanks!

When the tracks are on i will put the blade in place to see how wider then the loader frame it is, and i am going to weld plates with threaded holes for the blade mountings to screw on.
I will make these plates long enough to distribute the forces on a bigger surface of the loader roller frame.

 

[Cat977]

Had an unexpexcted gift today, previous owner called and said he had forgot to tell me that the loader had a cabin that he had taken of when he got it and it was laying in a field. I went and got it right away. The only glass on it is the top one but it's a start!
View attachment 230222
Idler bushings and seals came in today, got busy with that too.
View attachment 230223
Left idler's push Rod was bent about 10 cm from the front end. I couldnt get it straight so i machined the two end faces on the lathe to become parallel, made the straight end conical and welded the flange on the other end View attachment 230225 View attachment 230226

Kudos! Skills and Ambition!

 

[avanfarm]

Not only did Spyros save Perseus, but looks to also be saving a 955. Good job! I appreciate you sharing your experience and progress on the project.

 

[Spyros33]

Finally got the new tracks today. Only problem was that they were sitting outdoors for years and they had become very stiff. Had to use an excavator to unroll them. I pushed them under the loader and moved it back and forth a few times to get them straight so i could cut the pads.

 

[bam1968]

FWIW If you are planning on digging any holes with the blade make sure you put your mounts up a ways on the blade. If you put them too low you will have trouble digging a hole.

 

[Spyros33]

Thanks for the tip!

 

[Cat977]

Looks like you have sealed and lubricated rails. About 1973 when Cat went to S&L rails on the 977L the pitch changed and they went to an alligator bolted chain split instead of the cursed master pin. I'm not sure about how you could loosen them up. I bought a dry rail machine that had some stiff links that loosened up over time with a little drain oil to help out. A big hammer seemed to be a waste of time. I would be careful of using heat. You could damage the seals.

 

[DB2]

I’ve read of people having success submerging them in water.

 

[Cat977]

Maybe you could hose them down and work them with the excavator. Maybe set up a few logs to exercise them over. I was surprised at how long they took to loosen up on my machine. I put quite a lot of miles on it before they freed up. At least if water works you wouldn't have oil stains right away.

 

[Spyros33]

The tracks are not SALT, they are dry. They were two pads longer then needed, but before shortening them, i pulled them with a forklift in place and connected them. Then i moved the loader around for a while so they got a little loose. Broke the tracks again, removed the two extra links and reconnected.

Looks like a beast with the wider shoes!
But turns out i have to cut the outside too about 5cm each side because the dozer frame doesnt fit.
The connecting link had different Bolt pattern for some reason, so i had to drill new holes on the two shoes.