My D6D

[colson04]

Solid assessment @.RC.

Similar situation here. My local climate can grow corn and soybeans, both quite valuable crops. Our average yield on corn was around 180 bushel/acre last fall, with a harvest price in mid-November of $4.15/bushel.

My annual mortgage comes out to $218/acre (I had 40% down when I bought my parcel) . Property tax and insurance another $65/acre. Cost to plant, grow, harvest an acre of corn about $430/acre.

Gross Income last fall $747acre
Expenses $713/acre
Net profit $34/acre

This changes fast if you owe more for land, or prices drop. Current spot price of corn is $3.89. My net profit (on paper) is -$12.80/acre. When we had $6.40/bushel corn in the bin a year ago, we felt high on the hog. It comes and it goes. At least the milk check comes twice a month. Keeps the lights on and the mouths fed.

 

[DMiller]

Only difference US is ability to write down capital expenditures and improvements against taxes at end of year. Not much consolation unless like many farms around here the new machinery gleams in the sun.

 

[Cliffy]

Done the same sums on a couple of blocks ive looked at. All the same results, the carrying costs with interest is higher then return on investment at $4kg.
interesting you mentioned the corporates. At $6-$9 a kg and 2.5% interest, there was slaps on the back all round. Assets doubled in value and money was rolling in. At $3.40 and 7% the accounts are telling the managers that they made a massive loss.

 

[DMiller]

Corporate loss column, tax dodge as still own ground and many corporations self finance, charge on paper to make look good to tax people.

Big game in MO is Return to ‘Natural’ except access roads, feed lots for wildlife, special hidden observation areas and extravagant structures. This type claims to restore to native yet still mows, plants for feed stocks, invites the ‘investors’ out to thin the wildlife. Massive tax dodges. Has the coin but takes loans from personal corporation to show that deductible finance. Hauled to these people as they played the games.

Most are bankers, took several thousand acres out of livestock production just in our county, plat it up big for news services in special articles on restoring native specie they really don’t. One family died out, kids wanted the ground just not the expenses and efforts, all went to saplings and scrub in a few years, now sits untended.

Purina bought north of us on the plains grounds3500 acres, established five ‘Test Farms’ are essentially geese, turkey and farm
Raised quail hunting ground for management. Big grant absorber for ‘Test Plots’ experiments, loads of structures heard called labs yet are more like Cabins. Weekend retreats on the Taxpayer Dole. Oh and a Purina Financed bank in a local town financed the purchase. Pretty sure is a money launder, legally.

 

[.RC.]

I got some of that Cat ELI. It is really no more cheaper then the automotive concentrates you can buy. The drum does not have that Cat quality feel to it. I will let the label do the talking.

I have a few machines that need the coolant changed, I will try it in them.

 

[Welder Dave]

You don't like it's made in India? I guess it depends on how good the quality control is and the Cat specs. for it.

 

[Pony]

What'd they sting you for it?

 

[.RC.]

You don't like it's made in India? I guess it depends on how good the quality control is and the Cat specs. for it.

The quality of the packaging made me wonder about the quality of the internals. I am sure it is fine.

What'd they sting you for it?

Eighty Two per twenty litres.

 

[Queenslander]

Looks like it’s the cheaper option.
The last ELI that I bought was the concentrated version, simply because I didn’t have room in the car for four 20 litre buckets.
It appears to be US made and works out at $5.50/litre.

 

[.RC.]

I did not look hard enough to see that concentrate, but looking now the website saya the closest bottle is in the US.

Finally got a decent drop of rain a couple of days ago (2") and I borrowed a test gauge to check pressures and the neighbours place never sold at auction rather passed in at $2750/acre.

The speed clutch pressures are 360psi at full revs and 290 at idle. Specs are 375 +/- 10 at full revs. 330 at idle.

Direction clutch pressures are 310psi at full revs and 250 at idle. Both are supposed to be 55 +/- 8 lower then speed clutch.

I do not know what the idle speed is set at so it could be lower then it is supposed to be, thus lower pressures, or a worn pump. I also never checked the pressure at the oil filter, mainly as I went there expecting the pressure ports to be standardised and them all 1/8NPT threads. Of course the trans filter one is not even a NPT thread. The parts book says it is a 9S4191 plug which google says is a 9/16 18 UNF thread. I also did not check it at the sequence relief valve as that area is all covered in oily dust and I think you have to remove the belly plate to get to that port.

Just drive it I think is the answer.

 

[.RC.]

Well of course I will have to test the pump pressure.

So quickly zipped up an adapter that has a bad finish and needs deburring. 9/16 UNO one end. 1/4" BSP the other.

 

[.RC.]

Have checked the pump pressure, at full revs and warm oil. 390psi. At idle, about 290 at really low idle, but quickly jumps to 330 with a slight bump in revs.

 

[.RC.]

Back to my problem with the track frame alignment. It certainly is in the location of the outer support.

Glum suggests just stacking on more shims. Problem with this is the two pins that stick out to stop rotation of the shims and the outer plate and the nut lock, do not stick out very far. Solution there could be to make longer ones and install them. But then you still have the duocone seal squashed up far more then it should be, and a lot more rotational stress on the pins. If they shear off, then the nut comes loose, lots of internal damage could happen.

OzDozer suggested boring out the taper and sleeving it. Problem there is there is a keyway to contend with, tapers have to be right, I have no dimension to what big end of the tapered hole is supposed to be. I do have the tools to do that job though. I also get concerned with if I did not get it right, the taper comes loose then again a lot of damage internally.

Third option is $700 for a new one from Cat standard duty, which I expect should give caterpillar performance.

I have to do something as it will just wear all the sides of the sprocket and chains.

Pictures showing the sprocket seal guard to adjusting nut dimensions how they are about 12mm difference for each side. First picture the good side, second the dodgy side.

 

[.RC.]

Well I have ordered a new genuine part from Cat. I have heard from another source that when it comes to these dimensionally critical parts, aftermarket can be a crap shoot.

I have also finished off making another one of these thinning bars. This one is made up of 3 metre sections and is heavier then my earlier one per metre. A freaking lot of stick rods went into it.

Plus I have some steel ordered to weld up a tree spear for the dozer as my next job has a heap of trees that "mysteriously" died to push over. Going to try some 4mm 7024 rods on it to get it done quicker.

Luckily just had 4" of rain over a few days so things are looking pretty good.

 

[Queenslander]

What style of pusher do you have planned?

 

[.RC.]

Just a simple blade mounted one. It has had one fitted before are the blade lugs are already there, albeit for some reason angled inwards so anything pinned to it cannot pivot up as it would jam. Ideally I would get another dozer in and a chain it to get it all on the ground prior to raking. But anyway.

 

[Queenslander]

We’ve ended up with three different styles of pushers, each with good and bad points.
This one was made by the same outfit that made your rake.
Not something that I would design myself but it is well made and meant that we could put the tractor to work straight away.
Works great as a pusher but not so good for piling timber.

View attachment IMG_4368.jpeg

 

[.RC.]

Yes, when I got my rake, those pushers were supposed to come with it, but I asked for no pusher for a bit cheaper. In hindsight, probably should have got the pusher with the rake. If I make one light enough it should not be too hard to lift on and off as required.

I did go to pick up the steel today, I rang beforehand, their computer told them it was there. After searching high and low, they are not sure where it is.

 

[Queenslander]

This one is certainly light, and easy to lift on and off.
Possibly not ideal to be pushing from the very top of the blade but works OK for occasional use.
Sometimes it does flip backwards over centre if you flop the tractor over something too fast in reverse….which is a pita because it’s too heavy to push back by hand.

 

[.RC.]

Not to keen on that design as I can see damage get done if you lift the blade as you push, you could rip it off or bend something. It seems to be a recent development trying to get away from the third leg that rests on the mouldboard. Trying to also work out how far to have it stick out the front of the blade. I am thinking about 1.8m.

In other news, you would have thought they could have have at least painted it. Not sure yet how I am going to get the old one off the taper, I do not have a puller anywhere near big enough. I will have to make something.