Cletrac Model E letdown

[countryguy828]

So it has been quite sometime since I posted here.

Finally got the shop cleared out of other projects so I could begin work on the cletrac E.

Went to go move it and I can't get it to budge. Come a long to tree did nothing. Yanked with truck scooted a few inches but left ruts in the yard.

I drained several gallons of water out of the rear end and finals. I suspected the gears locked up to being frozen. I don't know now, its been a few days since it was cold enough to freeze. But of course its raining.

I sure hope that the freezing hasn't caused the castings to break and I hope that no bearings are locked.

Never-the-less, this is not starting out too good for a project.

Maybe the bright side will show itself once things get moving...

Dave

[hotratz]

Not to worry Dave, It doesn't sound all that out of the ordinary for projects like this. We sometimes tend to fear the worst when faced with the unknown. Once you start tearing it down it won't seem so overwhelming.

[countryguy828]

Yeah lets hope so, I fgelt the need to connect with my fellow Cletrac Brotherhood.

Once I get it to move, and get it into the shop...I will post pictures

Dave

[Bob]

I had to move a 20C into the shop a couple weeks ago. It was froze to the ground, and the rearend housing was full of water err I mean ice. My 350 JD wouldn't touch it. I hooked the FDE to it, and walked thru the chain, without budging the tractor. I ended up having to root it out one side at a time with the blade, then drag it.

Bought a 35 one time, and spent a whole day moving it a couple hundred yards with a big 4x4 Cat backhoe.

Storys just to let you know just how miserable these machines can be at times, when things are froze up.

I would think it would take several days to thaw out completely. I had an AD carcass in the shop with floor heat, for almost a week before all the ice was melted out of the oil pan.

Don't think it should have broken anything inside, as I've had many froze up inside and nothing broken yet. Possible it is a bearing tied up from rust, but I would doubt that too. There again, I have too many that have been full of water, and have had no trouble.

Best of luck to you!  Looking forward to the pics

Bob

[countryguy828]

Here it is about a month ago, when I thought I would be able to move it rather easy...

[chrisvdv]

Let me know if you need anything...I have most of an E taken apart waiting to be picked up in MN and taken to Upstate NY....first week in April...

[Bob]

Well, if that was a pic of when you tried to move it, I would guess your biggest problem was it was froze to the ground. Even after the snow melts, it will take a couple days before its thawed enough to let loose.

Whenever I go to move a running tractor after its been sitting a long time in the winter, I will pick the front up with the blade (if it has a blade) to break it most of the way free. Then low rpm, and go easy. Drive ahead a little, then back up a little. I do this until I have moved it the legenth of itself. I've done it many times, and have had no troubles. When you're working with dead tractors the technique isn't quite as easy...

Do you have the engine and ect?

Bob

[chrisvdv]

Anyone ever heard ice crunch in the transmission as you edge forward? It's a horrible sound but at least you now know to drain the oil!
I tried to get an old OC3 going the other day - cranked over a tiny bit until the chunk of ice sitting on the base of the flywheel got round to the starter!
OK...go back and wait for Spring 

[Kevin Aschenmeier]

How cold did it get? The transmissions seem to be able to take a lot of freezing. We had an OC-46 to move into the shop. It seemed quite dead. Not running. Everything cold. The biggest machine around to move it was an OC-3. The transmission moved in the fall. But not winter. We wound up nudging it around with the OC-3 until we could get the tracks free from the frozen ground. Then we pushed it sideways, it slid nice on all those skates. Finally we pushed it into the shop with the OC-3. The tracks never did turn. Not until we had it started and all fluids changed.
We found that the water, ice, and rust did not do any good for the differiental steering. However, with use it works fine now.
Kevin

[countryguy828]

Didn't try to move it that day, just wanted to take a picture then. I didn't have room in the garage for it a month ago, had a dumb Ford 8n in there, I never want to work on another one...ever...again...

With the monsoon of rain over the weekend it is too soft to get to it now.

I have an OOC block for it and a spare block with a hole in it, between the two, I think I have enough parts to put 1 motor together.

Still missing a few parts, what comes to mind is Fan, air filter, and the current manifold is broken.

Dave

[Bob]

I just drained the water out of the last 20C I dragged into the shop. Thought I was going to need a pontoon boat to get around the shop! The final drive was cobbled, and had plates welded on the bottom fo them. Ended up drilling and tapping a new hole to drain them. Made a special 5/8 square to remove the plugs from the tranny.

I may very well have an air cleaner...

Bob

[countryguy828]

5/8 huh? must be why neither teh 1/2 nor 3/4 drive would fit that hole on the bottom.

I tried moving it again today, I made a heckuva a tug with my truck and the back end lifted about 6 inches off the ground. But had to quit when the truck sank about 6+ inches into the mud.

So I went back to work on the lean to I am building off the back of the garage to store tractors in.

Dave

[Bob]

I lucked out and found an old "T" head bolt and took the grinder to it. Worked good.

Bob

[countryguy828]

Update, sort of...
We drug the E about 150-200 feet behjind the ford 550 backhoe. The tracks never did move. But at least we are closer to the shop.

Unfortunatly that 8n Ford requires work again, so Celtrac is on hold again

Dave

[Bob]

Well thats just the Ford coming out

I can't figure why it wouldn't roll, unless a bearing is rusted up good. Best of luck, keep us posted.