Good Sunday morning gents......Finalized the deal on the dozer in Arkansas and it is S Texas bound as I am typing this. We never made it up there as planned (something always coming up when you run a ranch) so I bit the bullet and bought her anyway. The hauler never started it he just winched it up on the trailer after removing the blade and c frame, so we didn't have to mess with getting overwidth permits. The hyd control unit and all the parts are on the trailer with the dozer and he should be pulling in here late this evening. I bought batteries yesterday (owner said the ones on it were dead, which is the reason they used a winch to load) and my thought is to put the batteries on it when it gets here and driving it off the trailer. There seems to be some confusion with the hauler that you can't run the dozer with the hyd assembly off the machine........I don't see the problem since the only thing the hyd runs is the blade....

I need some input from y'all on this please........what are your thoughts on starting the machine without the hyd pump assembly and blade being on it????

Kind of wondered what happened? Transporting as is to work on at home base is best solution.

No problem running without hydraulic unit. Just be sure the U-Joint coupling is unbolted and removed from the crankshaft so that it isn't flopping around.

Is this unit dual start? I see pony motor and big battery box?

If you have a tractor or even just a big tree you could chain it to, you can get it off the trailer:lol:

Without the dozer on it, it should pull pretty easily forward or backward. If you want to get it going and the batteries don't do the trick, you can pull it either forward in 5th or backwards in 4th gear to start it. You do need to get the reverser lever in the correct position whichever way you pull it. If going forward, pull the reverser lever back toward the seat. If going backwards, push it forwards. Just a note, there is no reverse in 5th gear, the reverser lever does nothing in 5th, the tractor still goes forwards, but you should always put the reverser lever in the forward position when you're driving in 5th to ensure the parts inside the transmission all get lubricated properly.

Check there is oil in engine, Should be a couple inches above the Full when running mark on the dipstick.
Check clutch, injection pump housing, pony motor pinion (if it has a pony) and steering booster underneath seat. (remove sheetmetal cover below fuel tank across the back of the tractor. All these have motor oil in them. 15W-40 diesel engine oil is good for all of this stuff.

Also check gear lube (~75-90 WT unless you will operate in heat over 100, then I would use a multiweight lube 85-140 for example) in transmission, final drive on both sides

Check water in radiator and fuel in tank.

If everything is good, and you want to pull start it. Check that the throttle is closed (pushed hard forward) and the brake is unlocked (little leatch on the right brake pedal under the front edge of the seat near the gear shift lever

Get the D6 rolling and engage the clutch to spin the engine over. I usually check that there is oil pressure showing on the gauge before I open the throttle, but if I can barely move it, I'll try to start it right up as soon as I get it rolling on a good surface for the pulling tractor.

Pull the throttle back toward you (HARD!) and the engine should begin making white smoke, lots of white smoke:lol: As it hits on some cylinders, there will be black puffs and when it is sort of all black, you will likely need to push the clutch forward and let the engine speed up on it's own without the load of the tractor holding it back. Those high gears may be too fast for it to actually move the tractor under it's own power when the engine is cold.

Thanks OM...I knew I could get a good answer from y'all....Owner said just the shaft is sticking out the front, everything else is already off. Sooooo excited to finally get her here.

Wow ccjersey....you covered it all right there! My husband has been running dozers for 30 years and suggested all this to the hauler, but we weren't there and they did it the way they wanted......all that winching was not necessary but they are getting it here and that's all that matters right now.

Thanks for all the information....I don't turn down any advice, just add it to the inventory in my brain lol maybe should write it all down in case I lose my mind somehow. hehehe

OM....yes you see a pony but it has been converted.....we do want to get the pony runnin again, but that is another thread for another day. You will be hearing me ask for information again

You guys are great! Happy Sunday and a safe Memorial Day everyone!

Pull it off the truck if you can so the trucker can go and make a buck. Then you got time to check things over before you start it. By winching it on, the trucker was being carefull with your machine, a machine that has not been run for a while. All in all that is not a bad trait to have, and you get to be there to see the first and hopefully take a video to share with us. We look forward to seeing it.
Good luck.

Yeah you are right old iron habit......thanks for reminding me....I needed that!

In the list of things to check, I forgot the pony motor! That is an important one! Ponies are expensive to overhaul. If you have the time, you can drain a sample of oil from each compartment as well as draining "dry" compartments. Just loosening the plug enough to let a bit of oil (or water!) out will tell you a lot about the condition of your purchase.

If I get water out of an oil containing compartment, I usually attempt to drain all the water and if the oil appears up to the job, I'll go ahead and replace the plug and run the tractor so it will warm the oil and make the first drain much more effective in getting rid of all the remaining gunk. Of course if the oil is badly contaminated, Just drain it and refill, it's not worth taking the chance of ruining something. On final drives, if you can get a half cup full of oil out and catch it in a clean cup, you will know more about the condition of the gears and bearings inside. The transmission I would expect to have some fine filings on the plug magnet, but no chunks obviously! It's a messy procedure, but you can learn a lot about a "new" machine.

We have had a 9U around the farm since the 1970's and while it does take some upkeep, it's well worth it to be able to go out at any time and be ready to go do a job within an hour or so. Ours will sit for a year or more sometimes without being used. This is tough on pony motor carburetors/gas tanks, but if you always shut off the gas and let the pony burn up all the gasoline in the carburetor, you will have better luck starting it when you need it. This also prevents the gas in the tank from finding it's way into the pony oil sump and diluting the oil. Many pony motors have been ruined because of that problem.

Good luck with your new purchase!

Thank you ccjersey......all good points to consider since you always cant trust what an owner says about a machine.