Hi, Jfirebaugh.
Congratulations on your recent acquisition. Sounds like a good little jigger. I hope time and work will prove that to be the case.

Re taking it to BSOT, I think they would love to have it - and maybe even you - there. I think the procedure is that you phone Tricia Scott at the Heidrich Ag Museum and register there but an enquiry here will no doubt elicit the required information.

I have to disagree with Old Magnet on one point, that you should forget trimming with a D2. I cleaned up a lot of our work area at our last local show with a very nice little D2 belonging to one of our local major contractors. It has the large front idlers and I was VERY pleasantly surprised at how well it handled. 'Course, it's possible that the weight of my ample butt on the back end might have had something to do with that. It might not have had enough energy left to buck. LOL.

If you do take it to Woodland and you see a shortish, rather round somebody with a small silver digital camera and a bone-colored hat taking an interest in your machine, be careful. It just might be me. LOL.

Again, congratulations.

Yup, Congratulations:)
Will look for you and the tractor at Woodland.

<span style="font-family:Arial">Haole Cat, </span>
<span style="font-family:Arial"></span>
<span style="font-family:Arial">Thanks for the kind words and especially your second opinion about the value! Yes, I had to agree to pay $350 more than the $6000 that I thought was a “safe” price, but $350 really isn’t much money these days! (Boy, listen to me rationalize! LOL) I just hope there are no big surprises, but with 55 year old equipment no one can really know everything! </span><span style="font-family:Arial"><span style="font-family:Arial">Thanks to all the info. I gleaned from this site for the past year and a half I feel comfortable about the condition of the Undercarriage! </span><span style="font-family:Verdana"></span></span>
<span style="font-family:Arial"> </span>
<span style="font-family:Arial">What part of the Big Island is home for you? My wife of 30+ years is from Kaimuki and Pearl City on Oahu! She inherited a three acre lot on the Big Island in a subdivision called Fern Forest near Volcano Hawaii. I look forward to meeting you at the BSOT! </span>
<span style="font-family:Arial"> </span>
<span style="font-family:Arial"> </span>
<span style="font-family:Arial">Des Plant., </span>
<span style="font-family:Arial"></span>
<span style="font-family:Arial">Thanks! According to Google Maps I live 45.7 miles south of the BSOT Show site. I hope to get the D4 home, remove the ugly ROPS and would love to give her a bath and change the fluids before I try to take it to the Show. With me still working full time, I don’t know if I can make it by the 20th, but I’ll try! For sure I’ll be at the show to meet everyone, including the delegation from “down under”! </span>
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<span style="font-family:Arial">John </span>

I found a d4 6u last aug. in a barn 30 yrs run once a yr each yrs to drag a mile of road . cost 5500 plus to get it to farm in va ran it 2 hrs cleaning up a fence row what fun

Hey John,

Welcome to the addiction. You should know better than to talk with a bunch of yellow blooded grease monkeys. Regarding towing, I have been hauling a bumper mounted trailer for thirty plus years. Many miles on snow and ice roads.The load was a Sno-Cat that I made a business transporting folk and grooming cross country ski trails. Total wieght 19,000+. The tow vehicle is a 61 GMC carryall (suburban) that I put an 1160 Cat (pre 3208) engine. The rig has close to a million mi. with over 600000 with Cat engines. I am thinking of bringing to Woodland but will probably bring 78 MB as it gets 30+ mpg and the GMC only gets 20. Would like to see your D-4 at the show.

firpitch

JF-
Congrats on your purchase, with as thoroughly as you checked it out I can't imagine there will be any problem.

Re: Towing- I didn't know the narrow/foothills part of the equation; best to be cautious.

CS

firpitch,
Well my Dad was a Cat Skinner for So. Cal. Edison way before my time, and he was a super great guy, so I think I'm going to be around a fine bunch &#8211; well, maybe a little greasy and dusty, but a good bunch.

John

&quot;carlsharp&quot; wrote:

JF-
Congrats on your purchase, with as thoroughly as you checked it out I can't imagine there will be any problem.

Re: Towing- I didn't know the narrow/foothills part of the equation; best to be cautious.

CS

CS,

Let's hope you are correct!!!
My track knowledge is certainly a product of what's available on this BB and also the ACME BB!
I know I've got a Battery Box Cover and Pony Engine Starter button/switch to buy, also a CAT Hood to replace the "local-made” one on it now, and perhaps both lower engine side panels as these both have heat knife cutouts where the mounting pads are located behind the lower radiator area. The biggest $$ I know of right now are the track pads as they have welded on grouser bars but look a little thin where they meet up with the next pad. If the bolts aren’t frozen on, at least that’s an easy R & R. Oh, did I mention the three ripper shanks seem a bit short!? Plus the bar can hold five shanks….. Once I get the machine I'll be seeking leads for these parts as well as any manuals they don't pass on with the D4.

<span style="font-family:Arial">Is it starting to sound like I want to have everything "right" and in its original CAT configuration? GOOD! I can't help it, but that's just me....</span>

John

Hi, John.
Unless you really, REALLY want to show off, I wouldn't worry about getting the extra 2 shanks for the ripper. It is a LOT easier on the tractor when ripping to use 3 shanks and 'straddle rip' to cover the gaps than to try pull all 5 shanks in all but soft sand or mud. The extra pockets are there mainly to give you more spacing options rather than because the machine will pull all 5 at once.

On top of the extra load of all 5 shanks in the ground at the same time, there is also a build-up of disturbed soil ahead of each shank which has to be able to go somewhere. With only 3 shanks, this disturbed earth can easily slip between the shanks. With all 5 shanks in place, this disturbed earth has more problem finding a way out between the shanks, further adding to the load. If the pockets were staggered- alternate pockets ahead of and behind the beam - this would be less of a problem but they ain't usually staggered like that.

JUst my 0.02.

&quot;Deas wrote:

Hi, John.
Unless you really, REALLY want to show off, I wouldn't worry about getting the extra 2 shanks for the ripper. It is a LOT easier on the tractor when ripping to use 3 shanks and 'straddle rip' to cover the gaps than to try pull all 5 shanks in all but soft sand or mud. The extra pockets are there mainly to give you more spacing options rather than because the machine will pull all 5 at once.

On top of the extra load of all 5 shanks in the ground at the same time, there is also a build-up of disturbed soil ahead of each shank which has to be able to go somewhere. With only 3 shanks, this disturbed earth can easily slip between the shanks. With all 5 shanks in place, this disturbed earth has more problem finding a way out between the shanks, further adding to the load. If the pockets were staggered- alternate pockets ahead of and behind the beam - this would be less of a problem but they ain't usually staggered like that.

JUst my 0.02.

Deas Plant.,

Understand! Yes these shanks are just in-line as one would expect. Thanks for the insight - I'll keep what you said it in mind!

John