Anyone Know Anything About Vintage Cat Dozers? Potential Rescue of 1959 D7...

[legdelimber]

I have no experience with earthmovers.
Don't know if there's any sort of access to the dozer clutch to do what we sometimes did on old dirtbikes.

But with 70's Jap bikes, stuck clutch plates (wet type) on a parked bike were usually a sign that the plates weren't trashed. Plates needed to be pretty flat to have the oil layer hold them together.
Sometimes you could reach the clutch pack with a long screwdriver (through the oil filler hole) and gently nudge them to separate, while holding the clutch lever in.
Dont force the tool or you'll bend the plates or crack/chip the linings.

Usually just tied something around the clutch lever, put transmission in gear and and rocked the bike back and forth till they slipped.

 

[bulletpruf]

I have no experience with earthmovers.
Don't know if there's any sort of access to the dozer clutch to do what we sometimes did on old dirtbikes.

But with 70's Jap bikes, stuck clutch plates (wet type) on a parked bike were usually a sign that the plates weren't trashed. Plates needed to be pretty flat to have the oil layer hold them together.
Sometimes you could reach the clutch pack with a long screwdriver (through the oil filler hole) and gently nudge them to separate, while holding the clutch lever in.
Dont force the tool or you'll bend the plates or crack/chip the linings.

Usually just tied something around the clutch lever, put transmission in gear and and rocked the bike back and forth till they slipped.

The folks at the antique Cat machinery owners club acmoc.org are saying these wet clutches last forever and that I should start it in gear and it will eventually free up.

Thanks for the input.

Scott

 

[moparnut88]

The folks at the antique Cat machinery owners club acmoc.org are saying these wet clutches last forever and that I should start it in gear and it will eventually free up.

Thanks for the input.

Scott

yes they are bulletproof. on my 17a it is wet decked also, so the steering clutches and brake bands are in oil.

 

[Yukon Stihl]

Latest video is up in case anyone is interested.

Sounds so familer...
Big 4 Cylinder torque
Makes me want to go get 2 new batteries and push some dirt

 

[bulletpruf]

yes they are bulletproof. on my 17a it is wet decked also, so the steering clutches and brake bands are in oil.

Sounds good. Got any pics of your 17A?

Thanks

 

[bulletpruf]

Makes me want to go get 2 new batteries and push some permafrost

Fixed it for you!

 

[bulletpruf]

Looks like the next trip out is going to be a week from now, if the weather is decent. We'll have a mentor of sorts show up to supervise - he's a member of the Antique Cat Machinery Owner Club (acmoc.org) that lives about 2 hours from where the dozer is. He owns several vintage Cats, including a D7 and a D6 tractor from the same era.

Anyway, the plan will be to check the fluids as best as we can (it's on an incline, so I'll have to do some guesstimating) start it up to get it warmed up, then kill it and start it up in gear. If it starts in gear, the clutch should eventually free up.

 

[jakethesnake]

^sounds like a good plan.

 

[bulletpruf]

Ok, headed back down tomorrow to see if she'll move. We hope to have some technical expertise on site as well...

Dropped $350 at Napa on various fluids and $58 at the local Cat dealer for the drain plug socket. If I don't end up using all the oil to top off the various reservoirs, I'll have to buy this dozer or another one so it doesn't go to waste...

 

[bulletpruf]

Today was an out-freaking-standing day!

Picked up my buddy Will at about 7 am; it was only 35 or so degrees, which is frigid for south Texas! We were on site at about 9 am, sun was shining and it was warming up nicely! Ended up in the mid-70's by early afternoon; just a gorgeous south Texas "winter" day!



Worked on fluids first -- added another 5 gallons of diesel to the tank, then topped off the oil in the winch; turns out it was only a few quarts low. Next step was to add several quarts of 30W to the steering clutch booster.

At that point, our "tech advisor" Craig, showed up on site, with his lovely wife, Helen; they drove in from 2+ hours away. Craig has been running Cat dozers for 50+ years, so it was a huge help to have someone with his knowledge and experience present as we tried to get the tractor moving.

Next, I managed to get the tractor started, but it wasn't as easy as I had expected. Anyway, once started, I let it idle for 5-10 minutes so it could warm up a bit. After it was warm, I killed the engine, then started it up in Forward, 1st gear. I was half expecting it to jump, but it didn't do anything until I engaged the clutch. Once the clutch engaged, it moved forward immediately and out of the hole that it had been sitting in for 10+ years; that was a huge relief.



At that point, I didn't have much room to move forward, so I killed the engine and shifted into reverse, still in 1st gear. I wasn't able to shift while the engine was running because the clutch was still dragging.

Once I started the engine and began moving in reverse, I tried the steering brakes and clutches - both worked and I was able to steer without any problems! From there, I killed it again, put it in forward, 1st gear, and did a lap around the area (a few acres) where the dozer had been sitting. All went well, so I parked it for now, and topped off the engine oil (a few gallons low!) and the final drives (each took a few gallons of 90W).

I suspect I have culminated on this tractor. I did what I set out to do, did right by the old girl by getting her running and operating again, and now there's a decent chance that she'll get sold to someone who will put her back in service.



Will and I thought about making a stop at the Dusty Saddle Saloon on the way home, but I'm not a huge fan of women that chew Red Man, so we headed back to San Antonio!



Thanks again for all the input!

Scott

 

[legdelimber]

Women that chew?
ahhh ya just gotta always remember to sniff any bottle before you take a sip and you'll probably survive.

 

[bulletpruf]

Latest video is up in case anyone is interested.

 

[bulletpruf]

For those of y'all who are familiar with old Cat dozers, since it looks like I'm done with this one, what should I look for if I wanted to buy one to tinker with? I'm thinking another Cat, something old (1960's vintage?) but in decent shape, pony motor would be great, and something that could be moved on an equipment trailer behind an F450 or something similar.

Any ideas?

 

[Loony661]

For those of y'all who are familiar with old Cat dozers, since it looks like I'm done with this one, what should I look for if I wanted to buy one to tinker with? I'm thinking another Cat, something old (1960's vintage?) but in decent shape, pony motor would be great, and something that could be moved on an equipment trailer behind an F450 or something similar.

Any ideas?

Did you sell this one already?

 

[bulletpruf]

Did you sell this one already?

It's for sale but I never bought it. I just got it running/operating, and that was a good stopping point. This one just needs waaaayyyy too much work.

 

[Yukon Stihl]

Find an old D4 or D2
One guy used to haul his D4 on a triple axle trailer behind a single axle 67 Chev dump truck.
Are you set on a track machine ?
We use to have a rear wheel steer 966 still have a 58 950. 308 th articulated 950 built has a fibreglass cab. It’s like the energizer bunny it keeps going and going. Tons of blow by. Leak from engin to trans so the trans is always overfill with black oil. But like any old Cat a fresh set of batteries and it will fire up and go back to work

 

[bulletpruf]

Find an old D4 or D2
One guy used to haul his D4 on a triple axle trailer behind a single axle 67 Chev dump truck.
Are you set on a track machine ?
We use to have a rear wheel steer 966 still have a 58 950. 308 th articulated 950 built has a fibreglass cab. It’s like the energizer bunny it keeps going and going. Tons of blow by. Leak from engin to trans so the trans is always overfill with black oil. But like any old Cat a fresh set of batteries and it will fire up and go back to work

Yeah, there are some seriously heavy duty equipment trailers that will handle a D2 or D4, but it will take something more than an F450, I think. Dump truck should do the trick.

I'm looking for a track machine; preferably a dozer, but would pull the trigger on the right loader, too.

Thanks

 

[bulletpruf]

Contacted the owner today to let him know that I wouldn't be buying the D7. I suspect he's going to be ok with that, especially since he can now ask more $ for it and let prospective buyers know that it runs and moves.

 

[FergusonTO35]

I would think any medium duty single axle dump truck (F-600/700, C60/70, etc.) would pull a D3/4 size dozer or backhoe. That's what everybody does around here and it would be way cheaper than a one ton pickup spec'd to do it. Was that D7 a pony start? A running pony motor by itself is worth a fair amount.

 

[bulletpruf]

I would think any medium duty single axle dump truck (F-600/700, C60/70, etc.) would pull a D3/4 size dozer or backhoe. That's what everybody does around here and it would be way cheaper than a one ton pickup spec'd to do it. Was that D7 a pony start? A running pony motor by itself is worth a fair amount.

Yep, and those old dump trucks are relatively inexpensive, too.

The D7 was originally a pony motor start, but it was converted to electric start.