"Rome wrote:

Here are some pics of one,

Thanks for the picture Rome

"Old wrote:

Various sizes....

Thanks Pete

Actually they fit both the hex nut and square nuts.

"gauntjoh" wrote:

Hello Mike,
I hope you are well !
I did many years ago change a set of D4 shoes from one set of chains to another, which involved removing all shoes from both sets of tracks.
In those days I didn't have a rattle gun so I bought a good quality (Britool) 3/4 AF combination spanner and used it with a length of pipe.
Not a single bolt defeated me although the spanner was banana shaped by the time I'd finished.
Even though the shoes had been on for many years, the (fine) threads on the bolts were clean and shiny when they came off, probably because they'd been pout on my Loctite or similar.
I'm afraid I can't help you with a picture of a trach wrench though. There is a schematic of one on the tools page in the parts book though.
Best Regards

Hello John, doing great thanks, had a year basically away from the old Cats working on other projects, back in the saddle again and enjoying the challenge of saving basket cases!! As you know, when working alone on these old girls you often need 3 hands, and it sure does help if you can find the right tool.

A couple of days ago I had to fix 2 loose track plates on the D4 7J that had been fitted with non Cat bolts and nuts way back when, and they had rusted solid, after the first 2 broke I realized the rest were not going to unscrew without a real fight, and I have some very old chains here off a 15 and a 22 that will be a interesting challenge to remove.

Glad to see you on the ACMOC Board John, thankyou for stepping up.
Regards
Mike

"Rome wrote:

Actually they fit both the hex nut and square nuts.

Mine are all hex nuts

Hi Team,
at The Dealer on smaller tracks like D4's etc where the bolts were not going to be reused we simply turned the tracks on their side and used a sledge hammer and suitable punch to shear the nut ends of the bolts off--a good sharp blow and one swing did the job--usually the tracks came in wound up on their sides so it was quicker and cheaper than oxy cutting off like was done for some D6, D7 upwards.

Often if the bolt heads were well worn a socket would not grip the bolt head and so there was no choice--track work was never easy and can be a demoralizing task.
Cheers,
Eddie B.

"edb" wrote:

Hi Team,
at The Dealer on smaller tracks like D4's etc where the bolts were not going to be reused we simply turned the tracks on their side and used a sledge hammer and suitable punch to shear the nut ends of the bolts off--a good sharp blow and one swing did the job--usually the tracks came in wound up on their sides so it was quicker and cheaper than oxy cutting off like was done for some D6, D7 upwards.

Often if the bolt heads were well worn a socket would not grip the bolt head and so there was no choice--track work was never easy and can be a demoralizing task.
Cheers,
Eddie B.

-very true Ed

"edb" wrote:

Hi Team,
at The Dealer on smaller tracks like D4's etc where the bolts were not going to be reused we simply turned the tracks on their side and used a sledge hammer and suitable punch to shear the nut ends of the bolts off--a good sharp blow and one swing did the job--usually the tracks came in wound up on their sides so it was quicker and cheaper than oxy cutting off like was done for some D6, D7 upwards.

Often if the bolt heads were well worn a socket would not grip the bolt head and so there was no choice--track work was never easy and can be a demoralizing task.
Cheers,
Eddie B.

You are right Eddie, and these jobs always take longer than you think they will, still, a Cat with no shoes is just a boat anchor aren't they! Hope you are doing well down there, as madness grips the country.
All the best
Mike

Hey, CTS, you used to be a track man back in your youth. Any tricks to share?