Tame

Today my dozer has developed issues with the left track. The brake tends to slip, and the steering clutch tends to slip… I adjusted the brake tighter, and it helped, but didn't solve it. I tried adjusting the steering clutch linkage, but no improvement. I presume that the steering brake and clutch are dry? Or are they wet?

Do you think that suggests there is oil in there making them slip…? Cheers.

Greg, do you think it had got wet in there, or is it just condensation? Pretty rusty hey. Finished reassembling mine yesterday, got her adjusted and work good, so took her up into the hills last night and worked until it got too dark. Raining today, so not working…

Do you know if the brake band in the same as the newer yct dozers? Hope you get replacements ok.

What was the hour clock reading on your 252? 

If I had some lumps of bronze, I would make some little shoes to go on the slip ring… but other than that i don't think she is too bad design wise… Well actually it is a but daft having the thrust bearings constantly loaded, but I haven't thought of a way to modify that yet!

I am on the whole alot more impressed with this little machine than i expected to be.

As for the springs… Well I'll see how well the ones I have made last. If they get through the summer I will be happy, I can redo them next winter if need be. I agree though Rich, that it would be better to use proper wire, but yet again it is the issue of tracking it down and the two hour drive to the city.

It is turning out to be a busy few weeks, so not managed to finish fixing the dozer yet, but nearly there. I managed to track down a couple of release bearings that were close enough, and a replacement main shaft seal (140x110x12). The selector yoke I built up with weld and re ground. The slip ring I polished. The pressure plate I ground….

The problem with being in NZ is it often takes to long to get parts from other parts of the world, so I tend to end up modifying or making… If it is something I can't make do, then I will pursue more seriously getting it from USA or China.

Greg, when I get a spare hour or two I'll scan in that parts manual and email it to you. Thanks for all info. How many hours has your 252 done? Mine seemed to have no wear other than the damage from the seized thrust bearing. But frankly that is my fault, it had no oil in there!!!!

I got the engine back in yesterday and tried the drive, all seemed ok shunting in the work shop, so just need to put all the panels and guards back on… Next week maybe. I'm working out in the bush this week on the IHI is35GX excavator…

Once I get the dozer fully back together the mission is with the dozer and excavator to cut the new track through a small canyon in the bush into 80 acres of farm that we have never been able to access with machines… Should be alot of fun.

Yesterday was getting a a bit frustrated as to what to do about the springs. In an earlier photo you will see one is as good as new, but the other is cooked and permanently compressed. I had not managed to find anyone that could supply anything close or suggest who might be able to. I have recently been reading 'Hardening, Tempering, and Heat Treatment' by Tubal Cain, and knew in theory that I should be able to anneal, re shape, harden, and temper the damaged spring… But I have done it before… Well what have I got to lose, the spring is wreaked anyway?!?

So I annealed it (heated to cherry red and let it cool slowly), re shaped it to pretty darn close the the good spring, hardened it (back up to cherry red and instantly dunked in water), and broke it! @#$%&* 

It was as fragile as glass! I then tried tempering (heating very gently to the point the shiny metal goes past purple to light blue) the largest fragment. It seemed perfect, like the good spring. I was furious, if only I had been more careful, it could have been successful.

Well I was both angry and encouraged now… talk of mixed emotions! So I decided to have a go at making a matching pair of springs from scratch. Rooted through the old fence wire, found some #10 that was about the same thickness as the spring, annealed and burnt off the galve, shaped it, hardened it (was blimming careful with it this time), and tempered it. I now have two spring that are pretty close to the original dimensions and spring rate, and well matched to each other, which is the main thing. Pretty satisfying in the end.