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My D6D

.RC.

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 27, 2012
Messages
1,507
Location
Central Qld, Australia
I would Glum, but I am afraid I might get eaten by a meerkat over your way.

I have all the stuff back on it now. These rollers have the holes for 3/4 bolts with the sleeves for 5/8 bolts. As some sleeves were rusted out I got some tube from a local hydraulic shop. 5/8ID and 3/4OD and cut sleeves out of it. It is stainless tube as well.

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LCA078

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 29, 2019
Messages
737
Location
Austin, TX
It's good to see you're using Cat bolts. When I first started turning wrenches on my own stuff (machine tools like large lathes, mills, etc.), we used grade 8's from the local hardware stores as they were good enough. But when I started getting into yellow iron, I quickly realized (or maybe just believed) that Cat bolts are really that much better. It's a bit more $ and definitely more hassle to use them but I think it's worth it.
 

.RC.

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 27, 2012
Messages
1,507
Location
Central Qld, Australia
And so like sand through the hour glass, this drags on and I bore some more people with the saga.

The tin duo cone seal guard on the inside of the sprocket was damaged. The final drive Guru tctractors mentioned once that these guards were essential to make the seal last a long time.

So I got some 2mm think steel sheet and cut a strip 30mm wide and long story short. Welded it in there. The little bent guard that goes on top. The bolts were all that old they had rounded heads. So had to weld nuts onto them to remove them, but one had been snapped off. I tried to weld a washer and nut onto it, but failed on two attempts. the weld just snapped. Why the hell they never fixed all this up when the last person pulled that apart is beyond me. It had been recently pulled apart just before I bought it, by the fresh gasket goo on the final drive case.

Any case, it is back on it's feet again now as the track frame is in position, just have not tightened the bolts up yet.

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D6 Merv

Senior Member
Joined
May 10, 2007
Messages
707
Location
Coromandel Peninsula. New Zealand
Occupation
Self employed bulldozing contractor with a D6D D4E
yes whoever had it apart should have rivited new guards onto the sprocket while it was off and well as fixed up the half moon bolt on gaurd. I certainly did all that when i had my D6D apart. She had done 11000 hrs when i reraced finals and swapped gears side to side. And should see me out !
 

Shop Dweller

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 26, 2024
Messages
114
Location
NW, North Carolina
Occupation
Semi Retired from 28 years logging, now I wrench and weld Heavy Equipment
It's good to see you're using Cat bolts. When I first started turning wrenches on my own stuff (machine tools like large lathes, mills, etc.), we used grade 8's from the local hardware stores as they were good enough. But when I started getting into yellow iron, I quickly realized (or maybe just believed) that Cat bolts are really that much better. It's a bit more $ and definitely more hassle to use them but I think it's worth it.
Yes, Cat bolts are the best bar none. I have buckets full. I never toss one unless it's really damaged
A rust pitted Cat bolt is stronger than a brand new regular grade 8. Seen it many times.
 

JAJ

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 22, 2022
Messages
297
Location
Australia
Occupation
Owner operator of small fleet
You have gone to a great effort to get this all back up to standard I hope she appreciates the pampering!!
I will need to do some of this when I do the undercarriage on my D6H too. I should post a pic of how they stuck the idler to the track frame not sure what they were thinking.
How do you find the threaded inserts? I have heard some mixed reports but I think they might not have been as precise with the prep work as you are. They look great to me but I have never used them.

Do you do your own ac gas?
 

Shimmy1

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 14, 2014
Messages
5,571
Location
North Dakota
I will need to do some of this when I do the undercarriage on my D6H too. I should post a pic of how they stuck the idler to the track frame not sure what they were thinking.
If your cannons are worn out, like most all 6H are, you are going to be worn out as well when you're done, both your body, and your pocketbook.
 

.RC.

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 27, 2012
Messages
1,507
Location
Central Qld, Australia
You have gone to a great effort to get this all back up to standard I hope she appreciates the pampering!!
I will need to do some of this when I do the undercarriage on my D6H too. I should post a pic of how they stuck the idler to the track frame not sure what they were thinking.
How do you find the threaded inserts? I have heard some mixed reports but I think they might not have been as precise with the prep work as you are. They look great to me but I have never used them.

Do you do your own ac gas?

After all this pampering. Probably want a divorce now. :D

I find those threaded inserts awesome. As the tap hole is oversize the tapping is very easy to do and easy on the tap. I know little about thread inserts and which one is best. I also used high strength retaining loctite on the insert before I put it in.

I use Hychill Minus 30 in the air con. I do it myself. I found air con systems at least on these older machines are not highly complicated things. They are actually very basic. Imagine the cost to get someone out to put R134A in it. I now see in other countries where R134A used to be easily available, government's are cracking down on it. Of course those can of freeze spray and even some "canned air" are all R134A, along with those asthma puffer inhaler things apparently.
 

JAJ

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 22, 2022
Messages
297
Location
Australia
Occupation
Owner operator of small fleet
If your cannons are worn out, like most all 6H are, you are going to be worn out as well when you're done, both your body, and your pocketbook.
Yeah that is what worries me! The previous owners ( 2 back) had mostly stripped the bolts in the joining links of the chains, had a go at helicoils, made a mess of that, so welded them. When I looked at the machine I thought that is going to be a pain… hopefully they don’t have to come apart till they are buggered. I have now had to do both track adjusters over a couple hundred hours. We did the seals and bushes on the cannons while they were out but didn’t measure the slide guides. If they are worn out I wonder if they can be built up and re milled? It might be cheaper to upgrade the machine!
 

JAJ

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 22, 2022
Messages
297
Location
Australia
Occupation
Owner operator of small fleet
I use Hychill Minus 30 in the air con. I do it myself. I found air con systems at least on these older machines are not highly complicated things. They are actually very basic. Imagine the cost to get someone out to put R134A in it. I now see in other countries where R134A used to be easily available, government's are cracking down on it. Of course those can of freeze spray and even some "canned air" are all R134A, along with those asthma puffer inhaler things apparently.
Yes I use that as well. I think it’s pretty good. AC People would have you believe that it’s super complicated black magic. I am no expert and mostly self taught, but a bit of reading and it’s pretty simple. If there is a problem in the system it gets more complicated but no worse than troubleshooting most other things from what I’ve seen so far.

A guy did tell me that because it’s less dense than R134A, if the gas gets low enough (it might not have tripped the low pressure switch yet), it might not have enough to keep enough oil circulating and cook the compressor. He just said keep them topped up if they have slow leaks.
Cleaning and flushing after a compressor failure is not much funo_O
 

.RC.

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 27, 2012
Messages
1,507
Location
Central Qld, Australia
I have heard lots of things about hychill, all from people who have R134A licences. I am sure it also makes people club baby seals to death as well.

I have not had much dramas flushing air con systems, but I only have two, this dozer and a JD tractor with soundguard cab.. I just used isopropol alcohol and made sure nothing was flammable nearby.
 

JAJ

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 22, 2022
Messages
297
Location
Australia
Occupation
Owner operator of small fleet
I have heard lots of things about hychill, all from people who have R134A licences. I am sure it also makes people club baby seals to death as well.

I have not had much dramas flushing air con systems, but I only have two, this dozer and a JD tractor with soundguard cab.. I just used isopropol alcohol and made sure nothing was flammable nearby.
Haha yeah that’s about the same as I’ve heard…. Maybe I should check with Greta for an expert opinion.
It is supposed to be heaps better for the environment according to Hichill, but they are selling it. It’s basically highly refined BBQ gas and any muppet can get a bottle of that so it can’t be too bad. I did re-gas a ute for one guy with BBQ gas because he wanted to use that instead of pay for the HiChill.
I think HiChill is pretty awesome because lots of stuff now has Ac at my place that wouldn’t if I couldn’t do it my self. The UV die is good for finding leaks too.

I have only flushed the system in my Hilux and I used brake cleaner in a AC flush gun and that worked well, but I did replace the condenser and TX valve as well. I have one of the loaders to do but I was going to try to back flush the condenser in it. I’ve been told it won’t work, but I haven’t tried it?
 

.RC.

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 27, 2012
Messages
1,507
Location
Central Qld, Australia
That D6C I posted about some time back. Yes it is still here. But the track frame is finally welded back together and the rollers right to bolt back on.

I found out the reason why the problem the owners have been having with rollers falling off.

There is a mix of various roller brands. Some are built for 5/8 bolts and others for 3/4 bolts.

The ones built for 5/8 bolts the height of the roller where the bolt passes through is less then the 3/4 ones. Add onto that an old machine from the 1960's and the threaded holes in the frame are not in new condition any more. Plus the person who installed all the rollers added an 8mm shim between the roller and frame AND they used 2 1/2" bolts. The rollers with the thick section, the ones giving trouble have about half an inch of bolt in the actual thread itself. I have 3" long bolts coming for them.
 

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