Messages

Dave: Ever thought about making your own press from a hydraulic wood splitter.  Yes alot of work. There is a video on you tube where a guy did a Pin and Bush on an IH 500 crawler.  Tonnage for hydraulic for the little Cletracs???

Good Luck and keep us posted!

Chris: PM sent. 

Thanks Orangeman

Scott:  Can you post a short write up on the materials and engine swap out when you get a moment. 

Did you machine the adaptor plate yourself or did you secure from a metal fab. shop.

Keep up the good work!

Doug:  I was toying with the idea of making pins from 1144 stressproof.  Could secure a length and cut your own.  I am thinking that heat treating DOM tubing stock or drill rig stock might work for the bushings. 

Anyone used this approach?  Thoughts and comments welcome!

Doug: Used to be that crawler manufacturers produced a book titled " Track Frame Service" at least I know Allis Chalmers did.  I would bet Zimmermans or Bechtold's has this information.  I would assume that it was released as a service bulletin many years back.

I do have some ideas on how to obtain the stock necessary for the PINs and Bushings as I did track this same information down for an Allis Chalmers H-3 machine.

You are welcome to send me a PM or email and we can swap info. if that would help. 

Good Luck on this detail - Orangeman

Hello Doug and Oliverchris:   Excellent information, so when the tracked drill rig was being used it was pulled or tow into position - then a gas or diesel powered air compressor was hooked up to power the air drill.


Wondering if they used Joy, Ingersoll Rand or Jaeger or some other air compressor brand as the prime air power source?  When I get a chance I will try to see if I can go back and snap a pic. 

Thanks for all the good insights!

Orangeman

Good Morning Doug: 

I could see why the shaft would be longer for the rolls - it would the machine to carry more dead load from the weight of the air track drill. 

Do you know what was used as the power source for the air drill?

Good information - Thank-you!

Guys: I was travelling the southern part of NYS today doing my field engineering work.  I went past a old construction firm, sitting next to the road was what appeared to be a Cletrac HG that had some sort of drill apparatus mounted to it. 

Anyone know about these, appeared to be an old time rock drill of sorts.   Did these travel under their own power or were they dragged into the spot where they were put to work.

It was an interesting old piece of iron. 

Any thoughts on who made these units would be appreciated.   Sorry I was unable to snap a pic. 

Thank-you ...Orangeman

Hi Guys:  Thank you for all the good information. The centering tool seems like it would work really well.  Also the beeswax should help as well.  I think what I should do is split the tracks and pull the transmission so that I can work on it from above. 

This machine is in real nice shape with the exception of the  broken studs.  I not sure what an operator would have to do to break the studs off at this point.  Only thing I can think of is that the machine was being operated on some ground that had very abrupt grade changes and once the machine cleared the vertical profile all the dead load was transferred to the end of the frame and front of the transmission which resulted in snapping off two of the studs. 

There is no replacement for a good operator!

Be well guys and thank you for the info.  Appreciate it!

Orangeman

Wish all you good Cletrac Guys a wonderful 4th of July holiday.  

My little HG still sits in the garage waiting its turn to be restored.  Broken bolts in the frame to transmission mount.... so am thinking it would be better to change out the tranny.  Any good ideas on how to remove those broken studs where the main frame couples to the front of the transmission?

Any comments appreciated.  

Thank-you...Orangeman

Hello Robert:   

Thanks for the insights into the engine and the transmission.  I guess I will proceed to see if I can secure an original service manual for the BD crawler.  Do you know if White offered a manual on the JXC or JXD engine.  I was thinking they would since they offered on for the IXK and IXB engines. 

Thanks guys for your responses, I will keep you posted as I progress on this project.  Orangeman

Hello Bob and Robert: You guys are sure a wealth of information, and I certainly do appreciate the guidance and advise.  Is the six cylinder hercules in the BD referred to as the JX series of engines? 

I guess I should have figured that the differential is planetary and thus the brakes operate in oil similar to the little HG.

One more question if you don't mind, when talking with the owner he mentioned that the machine would lock up in one of the gears.  I am working up a cost estimate to get this machine back to working order so need your advice on the transmission.  Should I be thinking this is a gear issue, syncronizer issue or should I be thinking about something else.

My main goal for this machine is to save this vintage American Iron from being scrapped and to use it here on the farm to move some small piles of loam and keep it in good working order. 

Thanks again for your previous replies!

Orangeman   

Hi Guys:  I stumbled upon a BD this morning that is whole and complete machine.  I talked with the owner who wants scrap price for the machine.  Has a blade on front and pto on back.  Would appreciate your advisement on the following:

1.  Where should I be looking for the serial number on this machine.

2.  Are there vendors that still provide parts for the diesel engine in the event that I need to go through the block.

3. On the steering clutches - do they run in oil or are they dry?  Are the steering clutch plates still available. 

4. Walter what does the SH stand for on a BDSH?

There appears to be an A sitting next to it that has a nice 4 cyl. hercules in it. I thought all the A's has six cylinder engines.

Hope you guys are staying cool.  Thanks for any input.  Orangeman   

Hotratz: Guess I better qualify the $400 price.  The guy I bought the tracks from was the son of a Cletrac dealer, his father loved his Cletracs, the son heads up our Syracuse, New York Office of the Dept. of Transportation Maintenance shop, got a NOS carb, mag and two rollers thrown into boot. Real nice guy, since I work for DOT guess he wanted to give me a break.  Said he rather they get put to use rather than go to China.  I need to go visit him again!!! Glad this question came up.  Hope everyones summer is going well!!!

Orangeman

Hi guys: Orangeman here - I am mulling over an OC-9 project - the engine exhaust has been left open to weather so am guessing it is seized. 

I would like to acquire the machine and put another DD198 in it.  In my travels looking over machinery I am thinking that I saw the Hercules 198 in some military generators and portable compressors -worthington or joy???

Can any of you guys list the specific names of equipment that the Herc 198 came in.  I am thinking that pulling a good running engine from another application would be the best way to proceed. 

All thoughts and comments appreciated. 

Enjoy your summer!  Orangeman