Bulldozer D7 resurrection

[Al Smith]

While I'm in my thinking mode another thought crossed my mind . You could have a brake band that either is out of adjustment or all oiled up from transmission or final drive oil leakage .If that old D7 is like the D4 the kerosene treatment might clear that up too . Trying to trouble shoot an old dozer over the internet is about like doing a chainsaw ,Best advice I can give is just a shot in the dark .I'll keep an eye on this thread

 

[Al Smith]

Nearly every piece of old iron I own I have tech manuals for plus parts manuals if I can find them .From Tillotson chainsaw carbs to Cat D4 dozers .The series I have are 7J ,2T and 5T -1940 1943 and 1946 . I just looked on E-bay and they list an original Cat service manual for the subject machine for 50 bucks .FWIW I paid 35 bucks for a reprint of an original covering Cat D4 series covering all the early models from 4G to 7U and that was over 35 years ago .It's really saved me a lot time trying to fumble around attempting to figure things out over the years .

 

[pantheraba]

I'll go look for that manual...good info. Thanks.

 

[Burnham]

This is a fun thread!

 

[gf beranek]

My bet was on Al.

 

[FireFighterZero]

It takes a clutch and a brake to turn.

Take the inspection covers off the back and adjust your bands.

Check your hand clutch linkages for binding.

If your clutch won't disengage, you almost always have to remove the tank and pull the clutch pack.

 

[gf beranek]

My friend Wally Schattuck resurrected an old 7 that he affectionately called 'Ally Oop' It had sat parked in the open woods on the coast for near 20 years. It took him a couple days to get it started and broke loose enough to get it on a low bed and up to his shop. After a quick physical and oil change ol' Ally Oop served Wally as a Skid Cat for 6 years. I wrote a short story about Wally in High Climbers.

 

[FireFighterZero]

Was probably sold by our friend in Napa by Peterson Cat.

 

[FireFighterZero]

Nice thing about Cat machinery.

They lasted a long time. Never any of them had enough power to pull your pecker out of a lard pail.

 

[gf beranek]

I wouldn't stand in the way of one.

 

[FireFighterZero]

Naw....but a Komatsu or a Deere will eat one for lunch.

I am qualified to say that as I have been a Cat skinner from way back.

 

[gf beranek]

Up until the 70's Cat dominated traditional west coast heavy logging equipment with Allis Chalmers running a close second, least early on. Started seeing more Japanese and European iron in the woods in the latter 70s and early 80s.

As farm machinery goes Japanese and Euro brands probably come 20 years earlier. I'm only guessing.

 

[FireFighterZero]

We ran a D7F for years and years.

It was produced in the same factory that produced the Japanese Zero.

Mitsubishis finest.

 

[gf beranek]

The Irony.

 

[FireFighterZero]

Profits first.

Them slant eye sunsabitches produce a fine tractor for less.

 

[Al Smith]

When I ordered a set of gaskets for a 1943 2T series D4 directly through Holt-Rafacus Cat of Toledo Ohio it took about 6 weeks to get them .They had to wait until the factory in Japan to make them .Holt BTW was the great grand son of Ben Holt who formed Cat .in I think around 1923 .
The real old machines used a lot of cast iron and a lot of cubic inches to make power but it's pretty hard to destroy one .For example in my case the D4 could move twice as much dirt each push as the little gasoline Oliver which had about as much HP .The Ollie did it twice as fast though .You could stall out the Cat trying to pop out a small tree but the Ollie would dig to China in low gear .In a back drag the D4 only had one reverse and it was slow as a snail .The Ollie has 6 forward and two reverse and it would fly in reverse 2 .