#12 7t grader help

Hi, Mog5858.
I'm thinking your shift pattern is going to be a standard 'H' pattern with reverse to the front and 1st to the rear nearest your right leg and Hi/Lo on the second stick. When changing up or down, you move the range lever every change in sequence and the main box every only every second change. F'rinstance, 1st gear is 1st position in the main box and Lo in the range box while 2nd is '1st' in the main box and Hi in the range box. '3rd' gear would be '2nd' in the main box and Lo in the range box - and so on. This arrangement also gave you a Hi and a Lo reverse.

Your climate may well be a factor in your steering issues. When you do get moving, I would advise using the lean wheels along with the steering wheel to reduce the load on the front steering box and the down shaft 'cos it was not uncommon to break either the steering box or the down shaft with the earlier power steering adaptations that had the 'force' applied to the steering column before the steering box.

Cat eventually built a system that had the power steering ram down at the bottom of the down shaft to minimize these breakages.

Just my 0.02.

The steering box takes 90wt gear oil.
Couldn't find the shift pattern for the 7T but here is the 8T. Not sure it's the same but might be.
That grease zerk is supposed to be the fill level plug.

Hi, Mog5858.
Oooops. Sorry. I had the 1st-reverse and 2nd-3rd slots on the wrong sides of the main box, 1st-reverse being AWAY from your right leg, as per Old Magnet's picture. Maybe I need a refresher course on 'em but it's only been about 32 years since I was last operating one. Could I REALLY forget that quickly?

A kew-ree-yuss mind would like to know.

My guess is the lower seal in the steering box went bad so a zerk was added and gun grease was used. Clean it out and use 00 grease, also known as cornhead grease.

Also on a 8T I use a 3/16 drill bit to set the distance between throwout bearing and pressure plate fingers. Takes a couple rotations to get them all even as they will change as the next one gets set.

Sure looks like a 9K to me.. Nice looking nevertheless..

thanks for the the pick OM. Deas it make sense now that i think about it with a grader being back wards well if you would like to have a refresher cores on one come on up i sure i will have learn some bad habits you will have to brake me of as i a complete new to grading lol. it's a 7t-2347 with 4600 built in 1946 i think it was the next year they came out with the 318. thanks for the info on the steering box i will get it cleaned out and see what i find inside when i get back to my buddy shop.

Hi, Mog5858.
I gotta better idea. How about you get yourself down to Santa Margarita for Memorial Day Weekend and we'll try to get Glen to take his 99E Cat 12 down there for the show to help with the clean-up afterwards. Heck, we might even be able to eradicate some of O-I-H's bad habits at the same time. LOL.

Just my 0.02.

Hi Martin,
My 212 had a lot of condensation water in every gearbox and compartment when I bought it. My steering box had over a quart. I drained all and replaced with all new lube. I would be very careful running the blade and controls with out checking them by loosening the plugs. But the water has to be thawed to do so. Ice in the boxes is not your friend. Chain boxes might have ice also.