1982 USMC Caterpillar D7G

[jaws4518]

Nope, never heard of it. This is the pair my Brother and I have been running for a guy that bought them to put a pond (it's a lake) in.

Brother has a 450 Case that I can't grade worth a crap but I hopped into the 850 and run smooth for hundreds of feet at a time. The Cat is a D8N with rippers. First time I pushed with it I ended up rolling the dirt up higher than the hood. Good grief.

Worst thing in it? I forgot to pick the rippers up and ran it for half an area pushing dirt dragging them. I couldn't tell the difference.

I'd like to have a dozer but at my age that ship sailed. One of the best times of my life, my Brother running his Case backhoe digging sides while I was pushing the dirt out of a pond with the 450 Case to my Dad who was using his 450 JD moving it away.

Good day running a dozer is better than a good day at work or fishing.

View attachment 944439

That Case looks like very nice. I have seen a few like that in my area. I like Case equipment. I don't have any experience with the newer Case stuff.

 

[jaws4518]

So here are the things I have had to do so far. I have not run the dozer for more than an hour because it's not ready.

1. replaced tilt cylinder hydraulic lines and fittings
2. overhaul door seals which were non existent, doors rattled badly, had to be fixed in the open position
3. free main belt tensioner and generator tensioner to adjust loose belts
4. wash out clogged radiator cores, totally impacted on the fan side
5. pull cab hatch covers, rust treat w/Loctite Extend, red primer on all surfaces, add new weather seal and Titebond Gutter sealent (like NP-1 but better I think)
6. start prepping cab everywhere for pressurization, (rust treat everywhere, caulk with Titebond)
7. dissemble air handler can and remove for overhaul ( heater core and fan controls all good)
8. rust treat and coat battery "tie down" frames with Flexseal
9. remove seat for overhaul (all adjustment controls are frozen)
10. start freeing control rods and yokes so they can be adjusted
11. remove hatches to adjust brakes per TM
12. look for chaffed hydraulic hoses
13. drop belly pans to remove all debris and inspect power train and hose connections underneath
14. grease everything (some zerks are clogged)
15. fabricate new belt pulley for 1" to 3/8 belt combination (install AC compressor)
16. adjust tracks
17. install tachometer drive to the governor and gauge on the dash

Tachometer drives are becoming scarce for the 3306 engine. There is a $15 shaft coupling which is hard to find but I found another one from the same company 5 years ago. They said it was the last one they had. I got lucky! Back in the 70s and 80s Cat did not bundle anything together. Parts don't come with bolts, screws, clips, O-rings etc... Anyway, I'm preaching to the quire for you "old timers". I will post pictures soon. Trying to make this discussion informative for the next guy who has the same interest.

 

[jaws4518]

I'm not going to bash C & C but it was not job ready and it still is not job ready. It was a flip and that is their business. I understand the limitations in their make-ready scope. I ask them to change the disclosure to include the known facts about the certain condition of things and they could not guarantee anything. I wouldn't either! I had to make a decision based on what I saw. I thought about going there to get a real look and negotiate the price based on what I saw. I tried to do that anyway but they had their bottom dollar firm. If I had passed on the deal would it still be up for sale today? I don't think so. I looked at the sales history of the D7x for the past 15 years. This is a D7G in very good condition. One sold in 2014 or so for 72k without a ripper. Look at what a MV D7 wo/cab or ripper is going for... 62k+
Like I said, time will tell. The old dozers hold their value well if they are in good condition. It's a serious investment which I plan to use. It is in very good condition but I still question the hours on the frame. I think it has gone through rehab because it does not have the original hour meter in it. If so..., that is a good thing. New engine, transmission, chain, pins/bushing, maybe ripper and blade group? There are some things that I will point out in another post that I would like everyone's opinion on what they see. The service folder does not indicate any over haul or hour meter replacement? Not much to go on...? I will do a write up with pictures soon. So in conclusion for this reply, I would say be very careful on heavy trucks and equipment. It could be a very costly mistake. I don't think C&C wants a bad reputation for over selling anything. This is a very clean machine as the video shows. It is everything they said it was and I will take it from there. So far, I have been lucky and blessed. I can't take anything of this earth with me good or bad, so I'm going to do my best to make it better.

UPDATE:
I pushed some piles of reclaimed road base around this weekend. The D7 runs great but there are many maintenance things to complete to make it work ready. It has to have a working A/C system. It has to have good brakes and clutch controls. Power shifting into forward and reverse should be smooth and easy. It's not! Getting all the control linkages adjusted and free flowing is next. I am currently working on the cab rehab. I have the air handler and components ready to go back. The heater core has a fractured segment which the military tried to repair. There is 45 years of rust and corrosion to neutralize. Things are in pretty good shape considering its age. I did not buy this to be a landfill / rock quarry whore! Electronics are cheap, and it will have all of the amenities that the new equipment has without dealership involvement.

 

[marchplumber]

UPDATE:
I pushed some piles of reclaimed road base around this weekend. The D7 runs great but there are many maintenance things to complete to make it work ready. It has to have a working A/C system. It has to have good brakes and clutch controls. Power shifting into forward and reverse should be smooth and easy. It's not! Getting all the control linkages adjusted and free flowing is next. I am currently working on the cab rehab. I have the air handler and components ready to go back. The heater core has a fractured segment which the military tried to repair. There is 45 years of rust and corrosion to neutralize. Things are in pretty good shape considering its age. I did not buy this to be a landfill / rock quarry whore! Electronics are cheap, and it will have all of the amenities that the new equipment has without dealership involvement.

Proverbial "eating the elephant"......

Thanks for keeping us posted....

 

[jaws4518]

So, I was looking at the D7G TM and found the A/C installation instructions which I said did not exist. They are in TM-5-2410-237-23. The compressor is driven from a new pulley installed on the back side of the water pump. It's crazy to say the least... You have to add a new gear, bearings, etc... It's adding a new pulley shaft to the existing water pump drive shaft which shares the timing gear. It's weird! I would have to source out the original part group which is so proprietary in scope. Why would CAT engineer something like this to add a new accessory drive? I guess that is a stupid question to ask...

Anyway, it is up to me to engineer my own compressor drive solution.

 

[marchplumber]

So, I was looking at the D7G TM and found the A/C installation instructions which I said did not exist. They are in TM-5-2410-237-23. The compressor is driven from a new pulley installed on the back side of the water pump. It's crazy to say the least... You have to add a new gear, bearings, etc... It's adding a new pulley shaft to the existing water pump drive shaft which shares the timing gear. It's weird! I would have to source out the original part group which is so proprietary in scope. Why would CAT engineer something like this to add a new accessory drive? I guess that is a stupid question to ask...

Anyway, it is up to me to engineer my own compressor drive solution.

Why would caterpillar engineer its own pipe thread? Proprietary? Money? Keep stupid people from doing stupid things? Probably all of those..... Most operators are not fabricators.

 

[jaws4518]

Why would caterpillar engineer its own pipe thread? Proprietary? Money? Keep stupid people from doing stupid things? Probably all of those..... Most operators are not fabricators.

Our military ordered these fully loaded with every accessory part group except air conditioning. The damn thing is only good for mild weather climates where heat is needed. The cab is useless without pressurization and AC. Better off with open cab where air and noise can flow through and out.