D6 8U track idler issues. Parts needed?

You will find hook type things that run on wear strips on the inside of the track frame . In your case these are worn out and the track adjuster is trying , unsuccessfully , to keep the idler aligned .
You need to break the track then remove the idler and do whatever repairs needed to restore the aligning surfaces on the hooks and inside the track frame .
The track adjuster also needs work.
Probably using wrong terminology here .
The other side most likely needs doing also.
Good luck.

$800 - you have just begun your journey : ) Add a zero and you'll start to get somewhere! In all seriousness, if this is too much, hiring a machine might be a better option because these units can suck up $ if you let them.

Andrew, thank you. To be honest I hadn't thought about having to break the chain, till you mentioned it. Also seen how things are connected, but didnt know about the wear strips. Not fully studied into the parts manual yet.

I think I know what happened now, as I tried to get the machine to raise the front with the blade this evening. The part I'm calling a support bracket also connects the front spring to the track unit. The bolts in that bracket have rusted and broke free sometime in its life. Instead of repairing it then, the left it, and over time it has bend the shaft through use. Though not sure what the sleeve or whatever junk welded over the rod is for, unless its broke, or failed hydraulic.

The broken off bolts in the track frame are buried in there pretty deep, going to be a pain. The other side is in a lot better shape, the idler wheel is even still fairly yellow.



Neil, I'm working some pretty soft sandy dirt. I could probably just weld some material on the final drive cover, and finish the job for less than paying someone to come out here. And as bad as it sounds, scrap value is about what I paid for it. Think I can say for certain 8k isn't getting spent, though I'm going to try and fix it right if I can.

There are a couple of threads on D6 undercarriage issues in here. Just need to search around a little bit. Not sure what part of Kansas you are in but surely there must be a few of these machines out there? If you found one for Scrap price, got it started, drove it 6 miles, then it cant be all that bad of a deal!
Get the Parts manual on Ebay if you don't have one already, study it to see the parts that have been described.
You mentioned rusted broken off bolts in the track? Are you referring to these being newer Alligator connected tracks(rails)?

From 1500 miles away that looks like the original screw adjuster. The handy dandy add in piece is a poor mans make do shim?

The original had a grease fitting with the idea of some lube to keep it from rusting up,(my opinion) didn't help much but sure didn't hurt.



For now pull the idler ahead and see if you can get a look inside the shim.Then add more shim for the cheap quick fix since the money tree is not in full fruit right now. If more than a few hours work you need to shim the yolk or at least add something to keep it down. As they say "a poor man has poor ways", but we all know in the long run cheaper do it right to get the most us out of machines.

If the guide bolts for the adjuster are broken then that's the reason the yoke is tweaked. That bracket is also your equalizer spring retainer. That's what keeps the front end of the tractor from rearing up. Letting the track stay loose on the 8U has been known to let the rails cut clear through the final drive housing and/or into the side of the tractor main case.

drujinin, will do. I was just finishing going through the operators manual, changing fluids, filters, cleaning breathers, etc. And naa, it wasn't a bad deal at all. Just more so issues with parts, and equipment to get repairs done. There is a Weller tractor salvage in Great Bend, but mostly they deal in Cat graders. Pretty much everywhere I have found so far is out of state. I feel like shipping is going to cost as much as the parts, lol.


Ray54, I think they're hydraulic, but I'm including some more pics with this post. Dont see anywhere for adjustment on the good side. The little cups on the top have zerks down in them. Though it looks like the front ones are close to being sheared off by the guide/equalizer spring retainer. You're right about the shim, I'm thinking it was added before the bolts broke.

I might have to do something like that for a quick repair, unless I just abandon it for this year. Part of this whole moving to the country was buying an old abandoned school, to turn into a home. Already so buried in things to get done before winter rolls around again.


Old Magnet, that's whats happening. I thought I would raise the front of the machine last night, and try to get that bracket to lay down, but realized the spring was pulling it up instead. Explains how things had been getting bent that way.


Thank you guys for the replies. I appreciate it. I'll be going through the parts manual this evening for some bedtime reading, but since I'm here babbling anyhow. If actually so equipped, did some of these come with hydra adjusters? Or are these Henderson units? I feel like I need everything from forward of the spring and the wheel as far as used parts. The bearings in the idler wheel are shot. Would it be ok to have a hydra adjuster on one side, and a manual on the other? I know that sounds kind of dumb, and it would bother my OCD a little, but don't think I'll have options of being too choosy.

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yep those are hydraulic adjusters. no need to buy new ones,just clean up those and put new seals in them. the bolts holding the adjuster assembly down to the track frame are broken or missing on the affected side and it looks to me like the hydraulic adjuster needed seals so the PO just shimmed instead. just clean her up and disassemble the bad side and then you will understand and know what you need. probably a lot of work but not much money to fix in my opinion. but we haven't answered what condition the track chains sprokets rollers etc are in either. it isn't safe to operate in it's present condition.

I am't sure but these track adjuster are't hydrolic the greasse fitting are for greasse the rod tread in the nut assembly 4f9145 and the idler have no bearing on shaft it is boushing and the idler side scratch it should be a loose strip trackframe make it and the equalizer spring retainer need bigger bolts.