Growing up with an HD5

I haven't quite finished up my current 955L project, but I'm starting to scope out my next adventure in store. This thread was originally started in HEF, but I was asked to bring it over here to share, thanks to Andrew_D and DMiller!

The Beginnings of the Story:

My dad had an old AC HD5B that he bought to piddle around the farm. He ended up finding the old 2-71's end of life after the first project he put it on. Needless to say, he was a little aggravated at the situation in whole, but he commenced to get a running engine pieced together. By the time the new engine was set in the frame, life got in the way and the AC set in the yard for half a dozen years.

I ended up getting ambitious in eighth grade or freshman year and took it upon myself to get it going. I got all the controls hooked up to the engine, changed all the filters, installed the radiator and hoses, and whatever else needed finished. I did seek advice from a few old mechanics as I was going along with it, especially on how to get it all primed up. I was quite proud of myself when I got the old gal fired off!!

I drove it a round a bit and got the clutches freed up, but I could not get it into reverse. I pulled the shifter out, and the rail for reverse was froze up, most likely from water intrusion. I ended up running it into the shop and pulled out the transmission (at the same age, mind you!) with a cable come-along tied to the top of the homemade canopy. With a bit of elbow grease and some penetrating oil, i got the rails sliding much better. I had a smile from ear to ear when I got the blade up to my first pile of rock to push!

I did not know it then, but that just planted an itch for playing in dirt with more than just sandbox toys...

After it was running and out of the yard, it did not get used very often, as we sold the dairy cows and rented out the farm ground shortly after. At least it was parked inside now.

Fast Forward a Few Years:

The old AC still slept in its spot inside the old cattle barn, yearning to be worked but never given the opportunity. Life continued onward, and I ended up dating a girl (now, my wife) that had a father that enjoys working in the woods and sawing lumber on his mill. After a few years of dating her, a tornado hit her parents' home and tore the heck out of the woods surrounding the homestead. Their house was repairable, but his 6-month old barn disappeared, and crushed almost everything inside.

As he was contemplating the cleanup, he asked of the old crawler parked away on the farm and was quite interested in buying it off my father. I was a little torn, but it would definitely be better for everyone, as well as the machine, itself.

I dropped a battery in the Allis, gave it a little snort, and off we went!

My Father-in-Law used it quite a bit in the woods, dragging out mangled messes of trees and debris, trying to salvage what he could. It was a good feeling, seeing the AC get some use again. It got a new canopy, radiator guard, and some love that it needed.

After a few years of use, the tracks were simply past the point of destruction. Every link showed more of the pins than of the bushings. Even though the tracks never came off, they were jumping teeth. With the fear of doing more damage to the machine, it was put back in the shed to hibernate for a few years until we could find a way to revive her.

The Past Year

After searching high and low for pins/bushings/rails/tracks/rebuilders and any other option we could find, I came across a set of tracks down in the bottom of Kentucky. The price was fair, but they were triple-bar grousers off of a loader. Not the best for going through the woods, but that would definitely be a better option than nothing.

Now, we just needed to make a trip down there to see if they were in better condition than what he already had. I was honestly dreading the changeout, since the adjuster was a giant ball of rust that was not going to be persuaded easily. Oh well...

Being not completely satisfied with this option, I continued my hunt. And, boy oh boy, did that get me in trouble!! Short version - That is how I ended up bringing my 955L home!

I continued looking for more ways to spend money on the internet when I found the answer - another complete machine!

Present Day

I found the "donor" in January, and we went to go look at it on a Sunday afternoon. It was about 1.5 hours away, so it was quite a bit shorter of a distance than to where the tracks were located. It was definitely the better option. The shoes were 3" wider, great single-bar grousers, and a few years newer. It even had the 2-speed reverse that was MUCH tighter than the transmission in the other machine. After looking at the machine a little closer, it was honestly in better condition than the one we were wanting to repair. It originally had a winch and a blade mounted on it, but the owner was planning on converting it back to a tractor for pulling a plow at shows. They had sold off the blade and the winch, removed the hydraulics, and eventually lost interest in finishing it up.

We were ready to go pick it up as soon as we could, but the weather has been not cooperating in the slightest bit this year. Finally, yesterday, we were able to make the trip to bring it home. It is still parked on the trailer, but we are starting to study each one and make note of which parts are in a better condition than the other. The pins are a bit loose in the bushings in the "new" machine, but the tracks are not sagging, and the pins are not showing through. It will work just fine for playing in the timber.

The goal is to swap over the hydraulics, blade, canopy, radiator, and a few other items. I am not sure on the engine, as the first one definitely has fewer hours. That can happen down the road, if needed.

The Original: