You got more of that slick stuff north of here (I'm about 15 miles south of I-44). The most reliable piece of equipment I have is the 50 year old JD 350. It'll start any time, but it is gas. The next best is the 1979 Yanmar 1500 two cylinder diesel. Worst is the three year old green tractor! The newer it is, the less reliable. Guess that means the best would be the Flintstone car! You know Fred would have been a HEF member!
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Need some advice on t.loader/dozer
- Thread starter CavinJim
- Start date
Went and looked at that 955K today... and bought the dern thing, at a little less than asking. Apparently they only had a half-dozen calls on it and I was the only one to show up to look at it! They've owned the machine since the early '90s and it has been shedded for nigh on 20 years. They've only put a few hundred hours on it. It's been religiously started it every year and moved it around, worked the hydraulics and all, and have kept the batteries good (the current ones are about 3 years old).
The good: This summer it had all the fluids changed, new filters, new radiator hoses, new fan belts, and so forth. The rubber drive bushing was changed out last year as well as the bull gear. Best of all: it has almost new SALT tracks (verified by the 4-link measure being 100%)! The bushings are almost perfect cylinders and the rollers are all in fine shape (not a leak and the wear looks minimal). The triple grousers look almost new, too, so I think the undercarriage was replaced shortly before they bought it. No missing or broken bolts on the cross frame and no visible cracks. It started right up after a minute of preheat (outside temp was around 40F). The engine has no visible leaks. The service meter shows 03960 hours (I reckon it's been replaced at some point, I can't imagine that it has less than 4000 total hours!!!). The tranny shifted crisply and smoothly from N through 3 forward and reverse (no real hesitation there, could go from F1 to R1 and there it was). Steering was smack on--from a fineness to spinning on one track forward and reverse each direction. It was actually a real pleasure to operate. Even the return-to-dig and auto-dump-and-spread circuits work as they should. Even the rock-guards and track adjuster covers are complete and in-place!
The mediocre: all of the hydro cylinders leak, and I expect that's mainly due to sitting. Those are a relatively easy fix. The sellers said it had been overheating so they cleaned the oil cooler (had been fairly well clogged) and cleaned the radiator. After spending two hours with them and considering that the main operator was very concerned that the fuel pressure was at the low end of the green on the gauge, I'm certain he didn't let it overheat. He even changed fuel filters (twice) and blew out the lines to try improving the pressure. If it drops too much I'll address it, but I don't see it as an issue. Same with any over-heating issue, though I think they solved that one with cleaning the oil-cooler.
The bad: The only thing that gave me pause is the left final drive leaks at the oil pan gasket. The worst case is that the axle seal is leaking (I haven't looked at the parts breakdown yet to be sure of the right names, but that's what it should be). Considering that everything else seemed to be in good condition, I decided not to let that leak be a determining factor (hmm, might regret that decision at some point, but I can't imagine that it would be unfixable!).
So, maybe I'll have to start a new thread on this adventure when I have the machine at hand in a week or two. I know I'll have a lot of questions for the good folks on HEF!
The good: This summer it had all the fluids changed, new filters, new radiator hoses, new fan belts, and so forth. The rubber drive bushing was changed out last year as well as the bull gear. Best of all: it has almost new SALT tracks (verified by the 4-link measure being 100%)! The bushings are almost perfect cylinders and the rollers are all in fine shape (not a leak and the wear looks minimal). The triple grousers look almost new, too, so I think the undercarriage was replaced shortly before they bought it. No missing or broken bolts on the cross frame and no visible cracks. It started right up after a minute of preheat (outside temp was around 40F). The engine has no visible leaks. The service meter shows 03960 hours (I reckon it's been replaced at some point, I can't imagine that it has less than 4000 total hours!!!). The tranny shifted crisply and smoothly from N through 3 forward and reverse (no real hesitation there, could go from F1 to R1 and there it was). Steering was smack on--from a fineness to spinning on one track forward and reverse each direction. It was actually a real pleasure to operate. Even the return-to-dig and auto-dump-and-spread circuits work as they should. Even the rock-guards and track adjuster covers are complete and in-place!
The mediocre: all of the hydro cylinders leak, and I expect that's mainly due to sitting. Those are a relatively easy fix. The sellers said it had been overheating so they cleaned the oil cooler (had been fairly well clogged) and cleaned the radiator. After spending two hours with them and considering that the main operator was very concerned that the fuel pressure was at the low end of the green on the gauge, I'm certain he didn't let it overheat. He even changed fuel filters (twice) and blew out the lines to try improving the pressure. If it drops too much I'll address it, but I don't see it as an issue. Same with any over-heating issue, though I think they solved that one with cleaning the oil-cooler.
The bad: The only thing that gave me pause is the left final drive leaks at the oil pan gasket. The worst case is that the axle seal is leaking (I haven't looked at the parts breakdown yet to be sure of the right names, but that's what it should be). Considering that everything else seemed to be in good condition, I decided not to let that leak be a determining factor (hmm, might regret that decision at some point, but I can't imagine that it would be unfixable!).
So, maybe I'll have to start a new thread on this adventure when I have the machine at hand in a week or two. I know I'll have a lot of questions for the good folks on HEF!
DMiller
Senior Member
Awesome, is good to hear someone found a bargain that really is one!! My luck is just the opposite, only bargain I can find is the ones I offer others.
old-iron-habit
Senior Member
- Joined
- Nov 22, 2012
- Messages
- 4,233
- Location
- Moose Lake, MN
- Occupation
- Retired Cons't. Supt./Hospitals
I would not be concerned about the fuel pressure being in the low green. Was that at idle or high idle? Them gauges often show a bit different from one to another. Look at where it runs with a new filter and accept that as good. Sounds like you got a decent machine. Good luck and keep us posted.
Ask me a year from now if it was a bargain! I don't know about you, but I always do my fair share of second guessing after a purchase and before getting to run the machine for a week or two.
Old-iron, the fuel pressure is at the low end of the green at full throttle. It drops into the yellow at idle. I figure I might have to do something with the fuel pump and hopefully that won't run up too many $$. If the fuel filters were that clogged I wouldn't be surprised if the injectors need some TLC as well.
Old-iron, the fuel pressure is at the low end of the green at full throttle. It drops into the yellow at idle. I figure I might have to do something with the fuel pump and hopefully that won't run up too many $$. If the fuel filters were that clogged I wouldn't be surprised if the injectors need some TLC as well.
Tinkerer
Senior Member
I ran a service (grease) truck for seven years and encountered hundreds of pieces of Cat equipment that had the fuel pressure in the very low side of the green. Even after changing filters and cleaning the pre-filter. Those machines had no indication of reduced power or performance. Never did we take one out of production to try and get that stupid gauge reading higher.
MarcusZ1967
Well-Known Member
A little late but, here is a 977L.
www.machinerytrader.com/listings/construction-equipment/for-sale/20112259/1977-cat-977l