The pinion mechanizim has about given up on my HT4. I have been parking it on a slope so that I can start it and use it when I need it. It starts really easily this way.

A couple of months ago I backed it up to park it and it let go with a grinding noise. I stripped reverse on my 7U dozer about 20 years ago. I jumped in and fixed it quickly but I was 20 years younger and a bare tractor is a lot easier to get into than this Traxcavator.

I have been wrestling with this in my mind for months. I do have a building that I could work on it in, just dirt floor but that would be okay for this kind of job.

The problem is I don't have a good track record for finishing projects. I am 76 years old and I have many tasks to do every day. I had a Subaru torn down in there fo a very long time. Everything got covered with dust and cobwebs. I could not make myself work on it
We finally sold it for $50 to get rid of it. I could just picture this old Cat getting torn down in there and never getting put back together.

Yesterday I finally made myself start it. It had rained so I had to do some digging under the front idlers and put in first and turn the engine with the fan to get it to roll
I started it up and ran it down in the yard. To my great satisfaction, REVERSE IS STILL THERE. It must have simply jumped out of gear.

I think in the future I will park the front idlers on a plank, it is very front heavy with the bucket up like that. Also I ran it up the hill in first and came down to my parking spot so as not to strain reverse too much.

I am overjoyed to have my old Cat back.

Tom

I like to believe that the occasional grinding of gears isn't necessarily the death of the transmission. Since things should be built strong enough to withstand those types of occurrences on a once in a while thing.

If you sat there for like 1 minute grinding the gears, then I could probably understand the gears giving out.

Something that is built to help propel a 20,000lb chunk of steel is probably going to withstand some occasional grinding.

Good for you! When I am your age I hope I'll have a similar story to tell.
Keep on having fun!

"8C wrote:

The pinion mechanizim has about given up on my HT4. I have been parking it on a slope so that I can start it and use it when I need it. It starts really easily this way.

A couple of months ago I backed it up to park it and it let go with a grinding noise. I stripped reverse on my 7U dozer about 20 years ago. I jumped in and fixed it quickly but I was 20 years younger and a bare tractor is a lot easier to get into than this Traxcavator.

I have been wrestling with this in my mind for months. I do have a building that I could work on it in, just dirt floor but that would be okay for this kind of job.

The problem is I don't have a good track record for finishing projects. I am 76 years old and I have many tasks to do every day. I had a Subaru torn down in there fo a very long time. Everything got covered with dust and cobwebs. I could not make myself work on it
We finally sold it for $50 to get rid of it. I could just picture this old Cat getting torn down in there and never getting put back together.

Yesterday I finally made myself start it. It had rained so I had to do some digging under the front idlers and put in first and turn the engine with the fan to get it to roll
I started it up and ran it down in the yard. To my great satisfaction, REVERSE IS STILL THERE. It must have simply jumped out of gear.

I think in the future I will park the front idlers on a plank, it is very front heavy with the bucket up like that. Also I ran it up the hill in first and came down to my parking spot so as not to strain reverse too much.

I am overjoyed to have my old Cat back.

Tom

Got to have a win every now and then. Keeps us old farts going!!!!!

I have about the same problem with an HT4 , needs motor pulled bearing cuttings in filter . The tracks & sprockets are about 99% so I hate to not fix it but at 72 years old I'm not sure I'm up to the job.