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The posts on this site are few and far between - seems like everyone is on the Cletrac Oliver "public" Facebook group. You don't have to have a Facebook account to view the posts but you won't be able to reply or post unless you do have an account. The posts are frequent, interesting and typically have very nice photos. Check it out.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/cletracgroup/

Jim

The 50 weight seems to be doing a good job of lubricating the outside track support bushings. Wondering if I should switch to grease on those too for the same reason.

Jim

Just bought some fresh JB weld this morning. Seems like the best option to me short of building a special bushing.
Worth a try anyway. Am wondering if I should switch out the button fitting for a standard grease zerk and start using grease on those inside track support bushings as opposed to the 50 weight I use on the other button fittings (rollers, idler, spring and outside track supports).

Thanks,

Jim

It makes sense to me that the bushings would be a press fit on the stub shaft since there is a grease flow groove cut into the support bracket allowing for lubrication between the support bracket and bushing. There would really be no way for any sort of lubrication be get between the bushing and the stub shaft. I ended up purchasing two slightly used support brackets but I still have the issue of a loose fit on the stub shaft even with new bushings. There has obviously been some wear on the shaft. Landis Zimmerman told me they sometimes build up the shaft with weld and grind it off round so the bushing fits better but he also told me it is not really a press fit to either surface. Making up a shim could work except that the shaft is worn at the bottom and is not "round" anymore.  Any suggestions more than welcome. Seems to be a problem area on these machines.

Jim

Hello everyone,

I am doing a little work on my HG 68 that I rebuilt about 10 years ago. I removed the inner track support brackets to check the bushings because the button fittings had plugged up on both sides on the inside. Surprisingly the bushings are in good shape. The bushings fit rather loosely on the housing stub and in the support bracket. Seems to me like they should be a press fit into the bracket. I am weighing options about how to modify them but wanted to get some expert advice before I proceed. There is an oil groove inside the bracket and a hole in the bushing but if the bushing is loose enough to spin then there is no way for oil to get the the surface between the housing stub and bushing. The bushing can't be a press fit onto the stub since there would be no way to remove it. Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. The wear on the bracket is on the bottom end which bears the weight so using an oversize bushing is not an option. Not sure if I could find two track support brackets that don't have any wear. I suppose my main question is this: is the bushing supposed to be press fit into the support bracket?

Thanks!

Just a reminder to install the roller oil seals "backwards" to allow for oil to flow past them. I learned this one the hard way.

Jim

Hello Steve,

Does your engine have insert bearings or "babbited" bearings? The earlier HG's had the babbited bearings. There is a shop in San Jose that can pour babbited bearings but it is very expensive. Sometimes it is cheaper to find a later model block that has insert bearing. If you do have the babbited bearings and if they have excessive wear then they will need to be re-poured and then line bored. All depends on how much wear of course. Might need to turn the crank too. The babbit bearings do have shims that can be removed to tighten clearance. You can use plastgage to check crank shaft bearing clearances but it is probably better to have a shop do this. You can easily tear down the engine but you will need to have some expensive measuring tools (e.g. an engine cylinder caliper to measure the cylinders to determine the amount of wear). The cylinders may require boring to fit oversize pistons or they may need to be sleeved. It is always good to have a block magnafluxed to check for cracks too. You may get lucky and have minimal wear and just get away with honing the cylinders, installing new rings and doing a valve job. The crankshaft may be fine too. All depends on the clearances and clearances are often best left to the experts. Hope this is helpful.

Jim

Hello,

Since you've got 36 views and no replies I'll take a stab at a reply to your question about where to get adapters etc. for a Model A transmission install in an OC3. I'm no expert here - I've got one HG with a model A transmission and I am in the process of setting up my second HG with a model A transmission. I am fairly familiar with the conversion process and, unless you can find a "Trasco" unit, you will need to provide adapter plate specs to a qualified fabrication shop and have them build the adapter. Obviously you will need the Model A transmission too. The adapters are easy to make but they take time and attention to detail to get them properly lined up and to get the spacings correct relative to the input shaft, throw out bearing etc. The fabrication instructions on this site are well written and should get you headed in the right direction. There are lots of options for the "U joint" assembly. It needs to be short enough to fit between the Model A transmission and the Clark transmission. You can use a Model A U-joint but I think a better approach is to have a fabrication shop build something that will allow you to remove the U-joints without moving the transmission or engine to allow clearance. The design in the write-up will work and is simple to build. As far as I know there are no "kits" commercially available for this conversion. Hopefully some other viewers will chime in here. There is a heading on this site specific to auxiliary transmissions under the HG heading. That would be a better location for this discussion.

Jim

Hey Jerry,

Just wanted to let you know I appreciate the information you just shared and am looking forward to future posts. Photos would be great if that is an option. Good luck with the project!

Jim

Hello Everyone,

Saw this "modified" OC6 in my neighborhood and thought I would post a few photos. It has a "replacement" engine - not the original Flathead and has extensions putting the track frames out wide. Probably was set up for row crop work since it has narrow tracks. Seems to be a stout, simple and powerful machine. I am an HG guy so haven't paid much attention to the OC6 but was impressed with the fact that the clutch housing seems to be integral with the frame eliminating the need for a "bell housing". Seems that set up would make engine swaps easier. Anyway thought you might enjoy seeing this machine.

Jim

Scott,

Thanks for the explanation on the CAT re-power. Seems pretty straight forward. I am going to look around for a bell housing for the Kubota. That could be an easy solution. Then all I have to do is adapt the model A transmission to the bell housing. Should be interesting.

Jim

Scott,

It is a difficult decision to either keep the IXK or convert to diesel. Not sure which direction I will go. In thinking through the diesel conversion I would be inclined to keep the original HG bell housing since that part seems critical due to the fact that the track supports bolt to it. My 1105 Kubota does have a clutch type flywheel and the width is not an issue in terms of setting it between the frame rails. Seem like the best approach would be to find a clutch disc that matches the HG spline and the Kubota flywheel surface and use a Kubota clutch and machine a pilot bushing to fit the HG input shaft. With this set-up I use the Kubota starter too. It would be pretty easy to build an adaptor plate to bolt the HG bell housing to the Kubota. How are you planning on mating your Cat diesel to your HG? Do you have a solution for the track supports? Are you planning on using the HG bell housing?

Jim

Blake, Scott,

Thanks for the replies. The displacement on the 1105T is 68.5 cu in. Maximum torque is 65 lbs/ft @ 2,000 rpm. As rpm goes up past about 2,000 the torque starts to drop off. At 3,000 rpm the torque is 55 lbs/ft and HP is rated at 32. I am guessing it is governed to run hydrostatic and probably doesn't have a variable speed governor. I'll try to verify that with my local Kubota dealer. I had considered setting up the HG as hydrostatic but I don't have the pump that came with the motor. I have a model A transmission that I will use as an "under drive" transmission. Seems like the diesel will be a good conversion but it just looks so small compared to the hercules. These are pretty common engines in skid steers and small excavators. I think I can match the HG flywheel to the kubota and build an adapter to mate it to the HG bell housing.


IXK: The main and rod bearings are, in fact, babbited. One of the rod bearings is completely gone. I don't think I can replace it with an insert and all of the other bearings are pretty sloppy. All of the shims have been removed. I believe the best route would be to re-pour the mains and line bore and I am not sure about the condition of the crankshaft. There are no longer guys who can pour rabbit in our region. If I could find a good IXB that might be a better option but the little diesel is tempting.

Jim

I have an HG42 with the IXK engine. The crankshaft bearings are in very poor condition and in need of re-babbiting and I am having a hard time justifying to cost. I am considering re-powering. I have a 3 cylinder Kubota 1105 turbocharged engine that will put out about 24 HP and 50 lbs torque at 2,200 RPM. It came out of a Jacobsen hydrostatic mower so is governed to run at a constant RPM. I can't find a performance curve for the hercules engine. I am guessing the HP is close to the Kubota but wondering about torque. I would appreciate any thoughts regarding a re-power as it relates to matching power output. I am wondering if this little diesel engine is too small for the application. Any feedback or guidance would be greatly appreciated. My inclination is to find a diesel engine that is rated at closer to 30 HP but I already have the 1105T.

Thanks,

Jim

Hello Scott,

I'm in a similar situation with an older IXK block in an HG. It has the "poured" crank main and rod bearings. They all need replacing along with pistons, valves etc. etc. It got way to expensive. I recently purchased a little Kubota 1105 diesel engine with a turbo out of a Jacobsen mower. I'm in the process of working through all of the details of a swap. Swaps get expensive too. It is looking like my biggest challenge will be coming up with the right clutch/bell housing combo. I will be putting in an "under drive" transmission as well. I have a model A trans but I may end up with a small transmission (if I can find the right one) with the same output shaft spline configuration as the smaller Kubota clutch discs. It will be a long drawn out process for sure but, if it all works out, will provide a very fuel efficient little crawler.

Jim Leap
San Juan Bautista, CA