Yeah I've heard the transmissions didn't always last very well in the 7F. I've also read that the older ones had the old D7E transmission that didn't work out as well with the faster turning 6 cylinder engine of the F model. Sounds like the last couple of years they used the D6C transmission with much better success. From my serial number I think mine is right around the time they made the switch so I'm hoping for the newer transmission but won't be surprised if I have the older one. That's usually my luck. If it ever gets here, I'll find out.

Hi blythkd,

What is the status on the tractor, when are you going to receive it? Been talking with the trucker?

I've been calling them once a week. Last Friday they said they haven't been able to get a truck there. We'll see what the answer is this week. I'm starting to get a little impatient but can't really afford the other alternatives. I have friends in the area with detach lowboys but they're only tagged for 80m. If they pick it up and scale it and find out they're overweight their only option would be to take it home and have someone else come pick it up to deliver it. That would probably cost me $500 more than my current arrangement. The problem is there's a big plant in Ottumwa, IA where the dozer is sitting, John Deere I think, and they take priority over me. I have a local 20 miles away that I thought I would contract to go get it but his triple axle detach rig weighs 42,000# so he know he'll be overweight and he doesn't want to fool with IA and MO overweight/oversize permits. Can't say I blame him.

from Digitty-48 Ihave a parts& service manual for a 94v serial # if you think they will help. Also have several other parts &serice manuals for D6 & D7 tractors D7 17a# D6 8u# Also Ref &spec manual for D318 eng

Well, it arrived today. The driver detached his hitch and pulled away. I started the engine, put it in reverse and started easing back. When the back of the tractor tipped over onto the ground, it quit moving. The motor was just free wheeling. I shut it off and started looking for fluid levels to check. I removed the seat and found a dipstick that was showing several gallons low. I dumped all the hydraulic oil that I had in it and tried it again. Still nothing. At this point, the gearshift lever wouldn't even go into gear anymore. When I pulled it into reverse or foward there was a noticeable resistance then the lever would just pop back to neutral when I let go of it. I hooked my biggest tractor to it, a 1570 Case, and dug four holes in the driveway. Hooked a 2390 Case to front of the 1570 and we finished pulling it off the trailer. I fired it back up and still nothing. Went to town to do some business, came back and fired it up again after the engine had cooled off enough that it was hard to start again, put it in gear and drove away.

The fluid on the dipstick under the seat was very clean and clear, appeared to be motor oil. This looked like it went into the rearend. Is that where the transmission pulls its oil from or do I need to find another dipstick and filler farther forward?

I mentioned in earlier posts to this thread that the previous owner mentioned that it didn't like to turn left. So I've been wondering if it was the steering clutch or brake that was out. More specifically, it won't turn left. Both clutches pull. The left brake is gone. The pedal bottoms out completely without any resistance. It doesn't hold anything. Guess I'll get to find out what the brakes look like before I get to do anything with it.

That's enough bad. The engine starts right up and runs good. It was about 4 degrees here this morning. It was up to about 35 when the truck arrived but I'm sure the engine hadn't warmed up much yet. The batteries were a little flat so I hooked my pickup to it with an average set of jumpers, hit the glow plugs for 30-40 seconds maybe, hit the switch and it started right up. It got a new head, valves, glow plugs and turbo about 4 years ago and hasn't ran much since then. The oil pressure goes to the top of the gauge when you wind her up. I probably didn't get it clear up to temp but it was idling very high in the green range on the gauge as well.

Oh and undercarriage. SHOT. it has one good ider that was recently replaced, the rest of it is scrap iron. But I want to make sure the powertrain is ready to go before I even think about replacing rails, rollers, sprockets, etc.

Thanks in advance for any tips and pointers, even if it's, "run it off a tall cliff."

What is the s/n?

Persevere with it, like i said dump all the oils & filters, replace with genuine or good quality aftermarket, the pedal could just be adjustments, you won,t get a better service manual to follow than a Cat manual so get yourself one of those and have a play!

S/N is 94N04314

94N4314 is before the transmission upgrade and change to 3306 which occured at 94N5192.

Sounds like the trans pump is sucking air. It's got a safety feature to prevent it from going into gear when there's not enough pressure in the trans.

Get an operators manual, service manual, and parts book. You should be able to find them on Ebay.