Newby with CAT 305.5E2 (not CR) -- I think the tracks are toast. Do I need new sprockets?

[skyking1]

Most often any tracking issues if you're using foot pedals, are dirt stuck under one pedal or the other. It's a travel on the control thing.

 

[Baxsie]

Also: I have never received the manual or the results of the 4x oil analysis. I called today and both were delayed for different reasons. Soon, now, they promise!

 

[Nige]

I do have an immediate question though, it seems to have a more noticeable drift to the right. Is there an adjustment that can be tweaked to straighten out tracking?

If the area under the travel pedals is clean and they are both moving freely & fully then it’s break out your tools again time. It appears as though a reseal of the centre swivel may be in your future. At least that would be the first suggested step to sorting the problem.

 

[Baxsie]

. . . It appears as though a reseal of the centre swivel . . .

Nope. Tracking straight as an arrow!

(at least that's what I am gonna tell myself)

 

[Nige]

I do have an immediate question though, it seems to have a more noticeable drift to the right. Is there an adjustment that can be tweaked to straighten out tracking?

I was basing my reply on this which, to me at least, made it appear the machine was not tracking straight when required to do so.

"Nope. Tracking straight as an arrow!"

Now I is confused...........

 

[oarwhat]

I think he's joking since he doesn't want to do that repair

 

[skyking1]

I ran a yuuge old excavator that cut pretty small circles, with a massive hoe pack on it. It still got it done and I could not do bucket assists with it for fear of tearing the rubbers clear out of it.
I think it was an American with all these air buttons on the sticks, and big balls for the top of the sticks. I think it was Star Trek inspired.
Same story with a Cat 245B. Wiggle the stick periodically to go down the road. Still worked.
Quit looking for perfection man. It is the enemy.

 

[Baxsie]

I was basing my reply on this which, to me at least, made it appear the machine was not tracking straight when required to do so.

"Nope. Tracking straight as an arrow!"

Now I is confused...........

Sorry. That was my attempt at some humor !

I think he's joking since he doesn't want to do that repair

Yes, I'm kidding because I really do not want to tear into the spindle.

I had already come across @farmcraft101's Yanmar videos:

3 years ago he rebuilds the swivel:

But then he still has two more involved videos regarding tracking:

I was just hoping that CAT would have a little tracking control that would make it an easy tweak



Well, in any case it would not be project until the weather warms up. I have a heated shop but the Massey barely fits in (with the ROPS folded), the 305 would not fit in.

There has to be a minimum of 12 connections to the spindle, right? So I would also need 12 caps for the hoses. I wonder how "serviceable" the CAT spindle is -- as in how difficult would it be to access all those fittings and get the actual spindle onto the bench.

That will have to be a problem for future @Baxsie.

 

[skyking1]

alternatively you could *just run it*.

 

[Nige]

I had already come across @farmcraft101's Yanmar videos:

Beware that guy. He farkin dangerous, at least IMHO.......

 

[Baxsie]

. . . Quit looking for perfection man. It is the enemy.

alternatively you could *just run it*.

Yes. I need to keep in mind that this is a machine that I plan to own only temporarily, and that it doesn't need to be perfect to do the job that I need done.

The AR part of me wants to fix everything -- and I do like wrenching. On the other hand, parts on the CAT can be very expensive. Just the hydraulic track tensioners would have been $1200 from CAT if I had needed to replace it.

Beware that guy. He farkin dangerous, at least IMHO.......

I can get how a shade-tree farm mechanic could drive a real equipment service tech crazy. And like many YouTube content creators, it can be more about the video than safety. I grew up in a small farm environment: no money, gotta get the equipment running now. Pretty soon any short cut seems like a good idea.

Where I'm at now is quite a bit different: retired-ish, no real time pressure. Still I need to watch the expenses and not get too much further upside-down on this machine.

Frankly, I think the only sane option is to "*just run it*". More sane might have been renting!

OK, back to the tracking bit.

My background is electrical engineering, and there are some parallels between power electronics and hydraulic systems.

Since it turns to the right, could some kind of a metering valve be installed on the left propel motor?


My idea would be to have that valve open far enough to allow "normal (turtle) speed" operations without affecting the flow very much, and yet closed enough to slightly slow the left track when using "fast (rabbit) speed". Would that work or is there something that I don't understand about how the system operates ?

Thanks for your continued help and support with my learning about this machine.

 

[Tones]

@Baxsie, you're starting to overthink things now. A simple and easy fix is not to lean on the fast track lever so hard. Just sayin.

 

[Baxsie]

. . . The tracks are unexpected. I did talk to the seller today and there is some chance he will meet me half way on the tracks. That would take some sting out of it. Not sure if that will actually happen, but it was not an immediate "No."

So in some good news, the seller did meet me half way on the tracks + sprockets. I was really quite surprised, since I had signed his "as is" acknowledgement. I think that the tracks being shot was a surprise to him. He had a trailer and only moved it a short way from the trailer to the job.

So nice to come across a person like that.

Peace.

 

[Baxsie]

FINALLY ! ! ! THE OIL ANALYSIS ! ! !

These are as-received -- before I did any maintenance.

Engine, GREEN:



Hydraulic, GREEN:



Left Final Drive, RED:



Right Final Drive, RED:



I have changed the engine oil and filter, and I have a second set so I can change it again in ~25 hours.

I have changed the hydraulic filter and topped off the fluid.

On the final drives, I drained them, swished some diesel in there for a couple minutes, filled them with oil, ran that for a few minutes, drained that overnight, then filled them properly.

I plan on doing a simple change on them again along with the ~25 hour oil change. I'll probably repeat the 4x analyses then.

So, what are your thoughts ?

 

[Nige]

The engine looks fine. I wouldn’t change the oil/filter again 25 hours after the last time it was changed based on the analysis.

Bearing in mind the iron level in the hydraulic oil I would suggest you consider changing it, but I wouldn’t bother with the filter since it was recently changed. If you want to do another sample in this system wait for the machine to clock up some hours AFTER the oil has been changed.

Final drives. I would suggest to simply resample them at 25 hours and then act on the basis of the subsequent oil analysis reports. Worse case scenario they might need another diesel flush in addition to an oil change. Best case scenario the analysis could come back green.

 

[Baxsie]

It was a crazy nice day today, and I had a free minute so I decided to take the covers off the drive motors to inspect and clean.

Here are the before pics:





I pressure washed them and dried them:






The rust on the fittings and lower bolts is epic. Interestingly the upper mounting bolts are still clean zinc coating.

I think this thing sat in some kind of corrosive liquid. Maybe salt water?

I sprayed some "Cavity Coater" wax on everything and buttoned it back up.

 

[BC Placer gold]

One of the first things I do when we get a 'new' machine. I have seen this area completely packed tight with silt. Yours actually looks pretty good in comparison! Then fittings rust out resulting in pinhole leaks.

Good on you for doing some maintenance most just ignore. That is a nice sized machine, I imagine you will realize a good amount of work from it; you are making good progress on all the repairs!

 

[Tones]

Acids in the dirt plus moisture are the primary cause of rusting in there.
If there's no dirt in there it hasn't been burning, not burning then it ain't been earning.

 

[HarleyHappy]

I would have probably done some light sand blasting with soda or equivalent and coated everything with some rust converter.
Or at least used the rust converter.

 

[Baxsie]

The mystery of why there was too much wear on the machine for the hours shown on the meter is solved.

I was at the CAT parts counter today and talking about the machine to the new (to me) parts guy.

I mentioned that the machine has the remote monitoring, and he casually pulls up this screen, which shows 9250 SMU/hours on the machine. Only a slight difference from the 1635 shown on the hobbs meter.

Sigh.

Well, mystery solved why the bucket and tracks were was so worn.

I've gone from "How can this machine be so worn with only 1600 hours?" to "Wow! This works great for a 9000 hour machine !"

Oh the joys of knowing next to nothing and still buying the equipment.