Top 10 Best Upgrades to do to your Dozer!

[twistedwillys]

Just thought I'd start a thread to see what people are doing to their dozers that they would recommend as a "Must Do" for people who are trying to bring their old worn out machines back to life! This can be anything other than standard maintenance type items that would normally be done.

Please rate where you would place a specific upgrade as if it was in a list of 10. For example "Upgrade to a 3 wire GM alternator, Rank 1 of 10" meaning this was an upgrade I did that IMHO has be the NUMBER 1 thing out of the best 10 things I've done on this project to improve functionality of it.

Lets see what other ideas people think are noteworthy!

Please feel free to reorder the list to your liking so others can see what you value in your upgrades....

------------- Top 10 best Upgrades I've done for my dozer! ---------------

1. Replace factory electrical with 3 wire GM alternator.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

[JWB Contracting]

Here's a couple of common fixes we seem to do to most machines:

Fix broken track frame and cross member bolts, weld front cross member to track frames, babbit rear cross member to track frame. Essentially remove any play or looseness.

Install oversize pins on loader / Dozer mounts

Add battery shut off switch

Fix oil leaks, replace cooler lines and main hydraulic lines before they fail.

Lubricate throttle and winch cables. I put a rubber hose over the cable, spray in some lubricate, attach a air hose, pressure it up and let it sit overnight

Fix dozer and bucket control linkages.

[twistedwillys]

Just thought I'd start a thread to see what people are doing to their dozers that they would recommend as a "Must Do" for people who are trying to bring their old worn out machines back to life! This can be anything other than standard maintenance type items that would normally be done.

Please rate where you would place a specific upgrade as if it was in a list of 10. For example "Upgrade to a 3 wire GM alternator, Rank 1 of 10" meaning this was an upgrade I did that IMHO has be the NUMBER 1 thing out of the best 10 things I've done on this project to improve functionality of it.

Lets see what other ideas people think are noteworthy!

Please feel free to reorder the list to your liking so others can see what you value in your upgrades....

------------- Top 10 best Upgrades I've done for my dozer! ---------------

1. Replace factory electrical with 3 wire GM alternator.
2. Add Battery Cut off switch
3. Replace Loader Dozer Pins with oversize Pins
4. Weld Front Cross member to Track Frame
5. Babbit Rear Cross member (remove all slop)
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

[twistedwillys]

Here's a couple of common fixes we seem to do to most machines:

Lubricate throttle and winch cables. I put a rubber hose over the cable, spray in some lubricate, attach a air hose, pressure it up and let it sit overnight

Sounds like a great idea! What kind of pressure do you take it to and do you keep the pressure on it all night?

Neil

[JWB Contracting]

Our shop compressor is set for 120 pounds, I connect a piece of small tubing to an air blowing nozzle and use a piece of hose slipped over it and the throttle cable with 2 or more hose clamps on both ends. Just pressure it up, takes a while for the pressure to push it thru. We use fluid film.

My dad used to hang cables from the shop wall with a piece of rubber hose on the high side filled with lubricant. So this was the next logical step. Works well to salvage an otherwise unusable and costly cable.

[twistedwillys]

Our shop compressor is set for 120 pounds, I connect a piece of small tubing to an air blowing nozzle and use a piece of hose slipped over it and the throttle cable with 2 or more hose clamps on both ends. Just pressure it up, takes a while for the pressure to push it thru. We use fluid film.

My dad used to hang cables from the shop wall with a piece of rubber hose on the high side filled with lubricant. So this was the next logical step. Works well to salvage an otherwise unusable and costly cable.

Sounds like an easy enough task to try tonight on my throttle cable... assuming the temps are tooooo low in the shop tonight when I get home!



Great idea! Thanks!


Neil

[pop pop]

LUBE is always good. I quit turning in my waste oils and re-use it for a multitude of applications.
i just slather it everywhere.
filtered i put it in a squirt bottle and really get carried away.
brush, squirt, pour, drench, the old iron loves it.

[Paul Buhler]

I'd add dropping the belly pan and just checking everything for tightness; look for leaks and cracks, then fix or plan to fix as time and money allow or park until it's appropriate to use the machine without serious harm. Saves time, money and aggravation in the long run.

[pondhogvt]

I like this post Idea willy,

keeping to the post topic of upgrades, thinking outside the box and improving on the product not just reading the jd book. and not maintenance you should be doing anyway but new Ideas.

About 12yrs ago I got real sick and tired of struggling with jd's idea of a parking brake. You lock it hard and you have to hit it just right to unlock it and sometimes it flips over and your trying to flip it back on its back with your tippy toe, not easy with big feet and real damn annoying in the winter with spiked boots on. So you get mad and reach down with your hand to flip it over(which gets a lot harder to touch your toes when your sixty) so sometimes you don't do it......Really..really big mistake!!!

So apparently I had one of those 450's that JD recalled because they can kick into reverse when in neutral lock, but I bought it second hand and never had any trouble before.

Anyway I was logging and placed dozer in neutral lock out but did not set the brake because of such a stupid set-up and I was tired at end of day. I am behind the dozer unhooking the logs and it kicked into reverse,,Amazing how slow they seem when you run them but how fast things happen when you don't expect it.

I am a very lucky man with grouser bar scars up both legs just short of the knees but somehow I got away from it,,It had me but I got away,, so now I'm all banged up and dozer is still backing towards main paved highway so I tried to jump up and shut it off and missed the first time getting smashed some more, second time I hit the key it stopped after pounding my shins on moving grouser bar tracks. I was 48yrs old then, 12yrs ago. I kept trying to walk so it wouldn't swell so much and get stiff for ten minutes or so, the pain let up alittle and I sat on a log.. All of a sudden I just started crying my ass off balling like a baby. I realized it was not pain making me cry I have been hurt before,, but It was the first time I have ever really been scared and I thought of my young son with no father because his father was stupid,tired and to lazy to deal with that ridiculous jd brake.

anyway enough of that...so I made what looks like the ugliest yet extremely easy, efficient brake lock..I just cut some flat stock steel and welded it directly to the jd foot lock, came up made some angles so it fits under and around the dash without interference and a handle at top..

Push foot brake, push handle forward and locks original Jd cog gear thingy.
to release just push foot brake...pull handle back,,its released.

Not only will it maybe save your life but it is also 1000 times easier to use then the jd set-up...and if it is easier you will use it..

Also unlike the stock set-up how hard you set the brake doesn't effect how much effort is required to release..

In the stock set-up if you set the brake hard you have to hit the little floor lever hard sometimes several trys to release.

I call it the Pondhog Modified.. I hope I haven't bored you,thanks, Mark.

[doc40c]

Hi Mark, good story and neat (simple) upgrade! Pain and fear can be good motivators and can get the creative juices flowing! I too find myself not using the jd parking brake on my crawler and wheeled tractors because they can be very inconvienent. One upgrade that I feel is a necessity for any crawler is some sort of overhead protection( I won't call it a rops because that is a whole different animal). Even if you aren't using a crawler for logging purposes, things can still wind up falling on you! I was levelling some dirt at our church a couple years ago and was getting turned around in a narrow lane in the woods where we dumped the excess dirt. While backing up slowly I barely touched a 8" ash tree when the top 25 feet of the dead tree crashed unto the top of my brush cage ( home-built). It scared the crap out of me but the cage and I came out fine. So you just never know when bad things are going to happen, but it's nice to be prepared as best as we can. Thanks for the tip! Randy from Michigan

[Scottyb]

Good idea for a post! What I need to do on my equipment is hang a box somewhere for chains and a few tools. Any suggestions?

[DrLoch]

Great story Mark. Can you post up a picture of what you made. I've got a 450C and I don't always set the brake often as I should. Generally if I'm getting off the machine it's to load up the bucket with brush, small stumps...... and I'll idle it down and shut it off. My property and the neighbor I've been helping to clear his property is quite hilly and I'd hate for the loader to make a run down a hill.

[MarkW]

Good idea for a post! What I need to do on my equipment is hang a box somewhere for chains and a few tools. Any suggestions?

I haven't actually done this yet, LOL....

On my 350C, what I plan to do one of these days is to get a milk crate and set it on top of the fuel tank and ROP cross bar on the right hand side, just behind the driver, and use metal hose clamps to secure it to the right hand ROP upright. It should be out of the way enough that way, and easy enough to reach.

Tools and small stuff I keep in a metal can next to the battery on the left hand side under the armrest. Keeps them dry and less chance of falling out.

[pondhogvt]

hey guys sorry for so late a reply..been real cold up here and had frozen water issues,,much warmer now,

Dr Loch I would be glad to post a picture of the home made parking brake but don't know how to post pictures here, If you send me an E-mail address I can send them that way, thanks and best regards Mark.