Re Welding Track Frames

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   The photo in The 7G thread reminded me.

Similar job, different dozer.
When we got 
our FA 10 it had a problem on the tail of one track frame.  Fiat use a 
diagonal brace and a "locator" at the front of the frame.  This is not a
 fancy roller like IH used but a nest of two outer  plates and an inner 
that slides between the outer ones.  Factory clearance is 0.5 mm, not 
0.5 inch.  When it gets to that the diagonal brace won't give so the 
tail of the frame flexes and eventually breaks.  This one had repairs 
attempted without dismantling so it was a nest of cracked plates on 
cracked plates with a floating piece of steel inside that looked like a 
recent discovery of something Captain Cook lost overboard in 1770.  And the other one had started to crack as well.

The
 workshop manual gives all the dimensions for reconstructing the frames 
so we stripped it down and set it up.  But I got a neighbour who does 
pro repairs to do the welding as I didn't want to risk having to do them twice.

Also an example of times you wonder what went on but probably would prefer not to know.  FA 10's had some major modifications at engine #527.  

The alternator went from the mount at the top of the engine to the one down on the left hand side.  Changing the early alternator belt was a pain - the belt didn't go over the fan so you had to remove the fan - which meant the radiator as well.  Alternator access was good - now you remove the radiator to get at that.  So I changed ours - the alternators seem pretty reliable so not too much of a pain. And getting the radiator out isn't too bad as it is an automotive style.  Drop the engine sump guard, drop the radiator guard (ours is modified so you pull two pins and swing out to blow out, pull the other two pins and slide it down the tilt hoses to get access to the radiator.  Then  two hoses and four bolts and it is in your hands.  Takes about half an hour.

The original element filter  and oil cooler (which is on ours) was replaced with twin spin-on filters and no cooler.  BTW the early one actually uses a Cat element.

Our engine number is post those changes, the dozer number is post those changes  but the dozer has the earlier equipment - how the hell???

Now we have a problem as the filter body is not so good,  the chances of a replacement don't look too good, it would be expensive if available and a second hand one, if available, would likely be as bad as ours.  So we got a second hand twin filter assembly and it will be back to original.  That means changing one water pipe from the transmission cooler.  The pipe is available ex Italy but expensive so we'll talk to our local friendly exhaust system bender and make one.

Edited by Ian Beale - 01 Mar 2020 at 5:33pm

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Ian Beale Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Orange Level Joined: 03 Oct 2011 Location: New South Wales Points: 937	Post Options Post Reply Quote Ian Beale Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Re Welding Track Frames Posted: 01 Mar 2020 at 5:11pm
	The photo in The 7G thread reminded me. Similar job, different dozer. When we got our FA 10 it had a problem on the tail of one track frame. Fiat use a diagonal brace and a "locator" at the front of the frame. This is not a fancy roller like IH used but a nest of two outer plates and an inner that slides between the outer ones. Factory clearance is 0.5 mm, not 0.5 inch. When it gets to that the diagonal brace won't give so the tail of the frame flexes and eventually breaks. This one had repairs attempted without dismantling so it was a nest of cracked plates on cracked plates with a floating piece of steel inside that looked like a recent discovery of something Captain Cook lost overboard in 1770. And the other one had started to crack as well. The workshop manual gives all the dimensions for reconstructing the frames so we stripped it down and set it up. But I got a neighbour who does pro repairs to do the welding as I didn't want to risk having to do them twice. Also an example of times you wonder what went on but probably would prefer not to know. FA 10's had some major modifications at engine #527. The alternator went from the mount at the top of the engine to the one down on the left hand side. Changing the early alternator belt was a pain - the belt didn't go over the fan so you had to remove the fan - which meant the radiator as well. Alternator access was good - now you remove the radiator to get at that. So I changed ours - the alternators seem pretty reliable so not too much of a pain. And getting the radiator out isn't too bad as it is an automotive style. Drop the engine sump guard, drop the radiator guard (ours is modified so you pull two pins and swing out to blow out, pull the other two pins and slide it down the tilt hoses to get access to the radiator. Then two hoses and four bolts and it is in your hands. Takes about half an hour. The original element filter and oil cooler (which is on ours) was replaced with twin spin-on filters and no cooler. BTW the early one actually uses a Cat element. Our engine number is post those changes, the dozer number is post those changes but the dozer has the earlier equipment - how the hell??? Now we have a problem as the filter body is not so good, the chances of a replacement don't look too good, it would be expensive if available and a second hand one, if available, would likely be as bad as ours. So we got a second hand twin filter assembly and it will be back to original. That means changing one water pipe from the transmission cooler. The pipe is available ex Italy but expensive so we'll talk to our local friendly exhaust system bender and make one. Edited by Ian Beale - 01 Mar 2020 at 5:33pm

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DMiller Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Orange Level Access Joined: 14 Sep 2009 Location: Hermann, Mo Points: 29840	Post Options Post Reply Quote DMiller Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 01 Mar 2020 at 5:21pm
	Sounds troublesome Ian, have any pics by chance? Did my root passes with a MiG, MILLER 210 on the rail flanges, all further welds were 7018DC. Cleaned after every pass, brush off and air blow to remove dust and any chance leftover sl*g. Did a preheat with a gas axe prior to start of welds and just let heat flow after. I am hoping this does well as that is a Beater of a place to weld in. Were five passes including root top and bottom flanges, just over three on face of rail and then three for each weld on the reinforcement plate. Edited by DMiller - 01 Mar 2020 at 5:22pm

Ian Beale Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Orange Level Joined: 03 Oct 2011 Location: New South Wales Points: 937	Post Options Post Reply Quote Ian Beale Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 01 Mar 2020 at 7:09pm
	No pictures of the work in progress - that was quite some years ago. The dozer is out on the ranch and covered in mud atm. My orders are "Not to move it for at least a week and first thing wash the mud out of the radiator". Then I can get pictures of the finished job. IIRC it was done with a Lincoln Tractor Pack generator and WIA 16TC rods (to you that seems to be 7016, reckoned to be the rod most commonly used in dozer work in Australia - also works well on AC). I've got some more photos that are waiting for a "round tuit" to happen. Reason for needing a wash. Our eldest two boys have been home from the NT, where the elder manages a bit of acreage - two cattle stations of about a million acres. The younger started with a Cat apprenticeship and now runs his own heavy equipment repair business - his motto could be "Have spanners, will fly" as a plane is part of the vehicle line-up. They decided to go over the FA 10 replacing the water pump, noisy hydraulic pumps for steering and equipment, a heap of hoses that Fiat might have installed and find out why the rippers were sagging and needed to be chained up. Things I would likely have done one at a time as needed - seems I'm more tolerant of a few oil leaks. Incidently parts were no problem. They got hoses made up but had to wait a bit for new shafts for the ripper cylinders to be made as they're not Fiat and are out of production. This was somewhat interrupted by the breaking of a drought that has been going on since 2012 with 200 mm of rain. For the last 12 months or so the dozer has been pushing mulga scrub to feed cattle (I can expand on that later if needed). So at first chance they went out to finish the job. I went out on a bike, fell into one of the Landcruiser tracks and broke through. Our sandy loam soils when saturated act almost like quick sand and are bottomless. So I said that they'd better be careful on the way out. They bogged the Cruiser three times, the dozer three times pulling it out: once while it was sitting at idle while they hooked up. The dozer is now sitting on logs just in front of the last hole. They sure have learned more than I know about getting dozers out of bogs. But then I was waiting for the dozer to come home to clear timber off what was going to be our airstrip and they did it all with the AC Forty Five grader. At times one has to bow to experience. Edited by Ian Beale - 01 Mar 2020 at 7:12pm