Hi,
maybe check the height of the pump suction pipe out of the tank--if you have say a minimum of 12 -15 inches of oil above it then you may be safe at low idle.
Your experience may vary.
Cheers,
Eddie B.

  Decided not to risk moving when so low on oil. My large fire is far enough away to not endanger the machine, I think...

On another forum there was a discussion of what kind of an excavator could be easily repaired in the field, ie pre
electronics. This was one of the responses.
"Maybe find and restore a Cat 225B? It’s not going to save any money, but you can fix it with a rock and get parts for it."

I have followed your posts for years, you are a capable guy. you should be able to fix it yourself. Its not rocket science.

I used to fix everything myself but I find now that I have gotten old I run into road blocks and frustration and the item being worked on just sits and it gets to the point I don't even want to look at it.

I bought my first D2 55 years ago. The first thing I worked on was the pony. Many Cats later I have worked on many ponies. Now my newly aquired beautiful D4 is sitting due to a carb problem I haven't been able to solve.

Good luck I know you can do it.

Tom