Does it damage the steering clutches...

[Welder Dave]

After spending all day Sunday getting the 931B tracks unfrozen, and getting covered in mud, I was wondering it if it causes damage trying to turn the tracks when they're frozen or if just the torque converter stalls? I didn't slam it gear. I put it in gear at idle and then gave maybe a 1/4 throttle for a couple seconds to see if they'd move. I had the track lifted off the ground and it never moved. After being under a tarp with a heater all day and digging out most of the frozen chunks, I tried again and the track moved about 1 ft. I alternated between forward and reverse with the track off the ground and always put it in gear at idle. Each time the track moved a little more. Finally I had the track doing a complete revolution and few big frozen chunks from behind the sprocket came out. Once free I let the track turn for a minute or or so in forward and then reverse. Just hope I didn't do any damage to the new steering clutches? It drove and steered perfect when I put it back on the ground. I never want to have to do that again.

 

[Nige]

Doing it the way you did won't have done any damage to anything. It sounds like you were really careful with it - far more careful than I would have been TBH.

 

[Randy88]

After being in mud in freezing conditions, we dig as much out as possible, then let it sit for a while, so the mud that's left can set up, then drive it some more, do this a few times, then drive it up on old tires to keep it from freezing down again, the way you went about it, is about right if the mud is that bad, taking your time is the most important thing to prevent damage.

 

[Shimmy1]

Doing it the way you did won't have done any damage to anything. It sounds like you were really careful with it - far more careful than I would have been TBH.

:exactly

 

[Welder Dave]

Thanks guys. I just spent about $6500 on rebuilt steering valves and new steering clutches and brake bands. I read that you can break the the fiber discs in the steering clutches. Dragging it out, the guy on the D5 didn't think it would hurt anything in the drive train because it was froze solid. I think a direct drive machine would be a lot worse if you tried to move it while it was frozen.