And then comes the 400+ $ for batteries.

I just went thru it. I still like the starting motor.

Hi cojhl2,
Yeah you are right after the starter comes the batteries. I have been looking around and it seems you can pick up a couple 12V Interstate batteries with about 800-900 CCA for around $300. What kind of batteries did you get? How are you charging them?
I still like the pony too. This tractor is new to me and the pony looks pretty tired. I've had a little experience with these ponies and I know they can be tempermental....My tractor already had the hole for the starter cut out so I figured why not try it? I'm going to leave the pony on until I see how this electric start works out.

Johnstone

"Joel59" wrote:

I've been watching this thread with anticipation of doing my own 9u direct electric conversion. Great info here. I have started to accumulate some of these same parts as well.

My bell housing has a crack that needs repaired. Is it cast iron, cast steel, or what? What welding process would you use? It has been repaired while still in the machine, and now that it is disassembled, I would like to get it welded a little better. I have a hobart 187 mig welder or an old lincoln buzz box. Thanks.

Joel, I wish you were closer, I have a several oil clutch bell housings sitting out back. I am guessing you will find the housing is cast iron construction. Unless you think you can just use an epoxy to stop a leaking non structural crack, I see two ways of repair. Welding after a good preparation of the casting or Lock n Stitch where you drill, tap and fill a series of holes with threaded plugs.

For welding, usually try veeing out the crack a little if in areas which can stand some bead protruding above the surface or deeply vee-ed out if the surface must be ground flush. I believe you should also grind the surface where the weld will run so you don't have any impurities picked up in your puddle. Most folks use nickel rod with extensive preheat before welding or else only short beads run between cooling periods so you can put your bare hand on it before welding again. It is usually suggested to peen the weld as it cools. Since you have to wait anyway, might as well peen it.

I have a D25J which has an extensive repair to the transmission/bevel gear housing done with nickel rod. It was done long before I got the project tractor and seems to have held just fine.

I have done a repair on cast exhaust manifold with a mig using regular mild steel solid wire and 15%Argon/85%CO2 shielding gas. It wasn't pretty, looked like bird do, but it stopped the smoke. I was amazed that I could build layers to replace missing chunks of the manifold and even welded on a piece of schedule 40 pipe in one place which was missing a very large chunk. I figured I had nothing to loose by trying and was pleasantly surprised at the success of the repair.

Other times I have tried using 7018 stick or ER70S wire, the repair cracked as it cooled, so at this point I don't know how to predict what will work and what won't! Seems as though different castings from different manufacturers weld completely differently. Shape of the piece and location of the crack also seem to be important.

agree with all the above, and pre-heating will also assist and should prevent cracking. There used to be a rod called cast craft that was specifically made for welding cast iron/steel. My D4 7U originally had large welding around the rear bull drive housings and right across the back end.

I replaced the whole transmission but in doing so noticed that the welds - which must have been done professionally - were V'd almost right through the casting, and some weld had a bluish tinge indicating perhaps cobalt rods had been used.

I spoke with an old supervisor for a Cat dealership in Tasmania and he said at one time back in the 50 and 60s, they had 10-15 welders on staff and repaired many transmissions and other castings. I guess they got very good at it. He said pre-prep was vital. They would strip the whole unit down, clean it, deep v the welding area, pre-heat, weld short sections and cool under control, eg., in sand or use a rosebud flame progressively withdrawing the heat. They also applied patches in high stress areas and in other areas they used a technique that essentially consisted of layered weld beads back and forth cross the crack and along its entire length. This messy looking weld was left as is and provided additional strength to the repair.

In the end as the machines got older and less valuable, it was not economical to weld them at the dealership, and as Cat progressively addressed structural weaknesses for example, by beefing up castings, the need for such repairs fell away.

I have also seen home-made repairs probably just welded with a low hydrogen rod without pre-heat and controlled cooling. These seldom work out on large castings as evidenced by one of my spare tranny casings which has simply cracked along the weld where the weld material meets the cast metal - probably due to shrinkage.

I would not attempt a large cast weld myself, but if the crack is small and not in a vital area, why not have a go as described above, and see what happens.

"johnstone" wrote:

Hi cojhl2,
Yeah you are right after the starter comes the batteries. I have been looking around and it seems you can pick up a couple 12V Interstate batteries with about 800-900 CCA for around $300. What kind of batteries did you get? How are you charging them?
I still like the pony too. This tractor is new to me and the pony looks pretty tired. I've had a little experience with these ponies and I know they can be tempermental....My tractor already had the hole for the starter cut out so I figured why not try it? I'm going to leave the pony on until I see how this electric start works out.

Johnstone

Hi Johnstone,

Here is the deal. I bought this electric start wet deck 9U just before I left WA. After I got back home I had my contractor friend get it started and moved to my place.

So I am second hand on information. I do know for moving and batteries + some mechanics time it cost me another 1000$ with 400 of that being new batteries.

I just now called my friend in WA and asked about the batteries. He said they installed 4Ds, two of them, they are about 16in long and 9in wide. I did not ask him but as I remember the Cat when I looked at it they were in a box on the left side, inside the cab.(which is coming off soon as I get back!!).

This 9U had the starting motor removed so there is no question you gotta have electric start working.

Back in the day(the old man in Pawn Stars) we considered starting motors and the Cats they started very dependable. That's all we had. Today as they and we age, it gets a little more scarey with mag knowledge going away.

John

I have read the thread with much interest. I have a D68U with an oil clutch. Am in the process of fitting a starter (Ingram - 50MT, 11teeth - straight teeth). The motor in the machine had been replaced and already has a factory fitted hole in flywheel housing - so probably off a 9U... The problem I'm having is that the nose cone that came with the starter has the bolt holes in the flange in the wrong position. Looking at the photos - on entry #33 - photos 2 and 3 - seems to be in the position that I require. Does anyone have a part number/maker for this nose cone and possible suppliers - I am in Tamworth NSW Australia but am happy to deal with US suppliers if they post!
I have attached photos of the nose cone that came with the starter with the correct bolt position marked in permanent marker.
Purchased the machine as a non-goer -and would like to see how the diesel runs - pony(donkey) motor has a cracked block and have been informed that parts here are as easy to find as hens teeth.

You need one of these....also the helical drive.

Hi Cosy Nook,

That starter nose cone [drive end housing] you are talking about came from ebay.Iam sure there are probably other suppliers. The seller is "Triodiode", he does not have any listed right now but I think he does not stock them...seems like he waits until he sells one before he gets another from his supplier. Send him a message and tell him what you're looking for....his name is Wayne, he'll help you out. Here's a link to the drive end housing www.ebay.com/itm/230900216949?ssPageName...id=p3984.m1497.l2649

Johnstone

i got a d6 9u someone converted to 12 volt starter for solenoid clerance they took a carbon arc and made some room i have had it 12 years and works good when i get back home this week end i will post a picture of it.

Last weekend the weather was nice [for January] so I got that 60 pound 42MT starter and hauled it over to the 9U in my JD tractor bucket. I had the top 12 point bolt already on the DEH. I layed a small piece of plywood and a few old towels to sort of form a cradle to hold the starter in position then I slowly started the top 12 point bolt by hand and little by little, I worked it in, using a small vise grips if necessary, I got the bolt snugged up ok. I was concerned that the other 2 bolts might be tough to access but using a couple of long extensions on my ratchet worked fine to get them snug also. I had the cover off the solenoid so I manually engaged the starter drive with the ring gear and it seemed to work OK. Well, Old Magnet, you were right. Using the 40MT 12 hole DEH on a 42MT starter with a "P" lever housing....."appears bolting wise it will work with indexing coming out the same as the correct parts." The only things I will not have is the o ring seal that comes with the 42MT 6 hole DEH, but I can get around this by using a little RTV sealant where the DEH meets the lever housing.
Guess my next job is to do a little relief grinding to get a 12 point wrench to wrap around that top bolt. Then the starter is ready.
Hey, jw45..... Iam looking forward to your pictures of solenoid clearance on your d6 9u.