Similarities between 7J and 7U series D4 models

Mangoman, I will be looking at the difference between the rear case of the J series and the U series to figure out why the winch mount might be different. I will take my trusty tape measure and see if the seat mounting is different between the two. I dont know if your winch has the control that runs under the seat like the older ones, but if it does, you will have to keep the channel iron pieces that raise the seat. Bolting a tank to the fender should be simple. I will look to see if there is any more bracing under the fender on the 7J with the fender tank. Grant.

Beware that J model tractors prior to 7J5600 do not have provision for upper winch mounts built in to the cover.

Old Magnet, that probably explains why there are the extra brackets that the winch on my dads old RD4 had. The extra brackets would be needed on my early D4 6U since it is pretty much the same as the 4G and 7J.
Mangoman, I walked back and forth between my 6U an 7J and the levers,pedals etc are different but you wont need to change them if you change seat. I would not consider trading for 7J fenders. The U series fenders are much thicker/stronger and dont need the three braces under the fender that a 7J or 4G does. The fenders on my earlier D4s are all bent or ripped but the 6U is straight. The fenders are actually thicker than the braces for the winch on the older ones. The question of the seat tank or fender tank is one that I am wondering about myself. To get to the steering clutch linkage you need to hoist a heavy fuel tank and make sure it doesnt leak. A bit of a pain if you have to go into those rear areas more than once. I was going to swap to a fender tank but am re-thinking it since I started the pony motor on a D2 this week and the fender tank was mostly in the way. It made it difficult. The other thing is, with a tool box and battery box on one side and hydraulics on the other fender, it is hard enough to get in and out of a Cat. The good part of a seat without the tank in it is a little extra leg room. Caterpillar engineers must have been rather short. I could not get a good measurement on the hood. They seem to be the same length but I was working under a tarp so would not trust my measurement. It was interesting to do a real comparison of the different series. I hope it helps. Grant.

Old Magnet, that probably explains why there are the extra brackets that the winch on my dads old RD4 had. The extra brackets would be needed on my early D4 6U since it is pretty much the same as the 4G and 7J.
Mangoman, I walked back and forth between my 6U an 7J and the levers,pedals etc are different but you wont need to change them if you change seat. I would not consider trading for 7J fenders. The U series fenders are much thicker/stronger and dont need the three braces under the fender that a 7J or 4G does. The fenders on my earlier D4s are all bent or ripped but the 6U is straight. The fenders are actually thicker than the braces for the winch on the older ones. The question of the seat tank or fender tank is one that I am wondering about myself. To get to the steering clutch linkage you need to hoist a heavy fuel tank and make sure it doesnt leak. A bit of a pain if you have to go into those rear areas more than once. I was going to swap to a fender tank but am re-thinking it since I started the pony motor on a D2 this week and the fender tank was mostly in the way. It made it difficult. The other thing is, with a tool box and battery box on one side and hydraulics on the other fender, it is hard enough to get in and out of a Cat. The good part of a seat without the tank in it is a little extra leg room. Caterpillar engineers must have been rather short. I could not get a good measurement on the hood. They seem to be the same length but I was working under a tarp so would not trust my measurement. It was interesting to do a real comparison of the different series. I hope it helps. Grant.

[quote="GrantJ"]Old Magnet, that probably explains why there are the extra brackets that the winch on my dads old RD4 had. The extra brackets would be needed on my early D4 6U since it is pretty much the same as the 4G and 7J.
Mangoman, I walked back and forth between my 6U an 7J and the levers,pedals etc are different but you wont need to change them if you change seat. I would not consider trading for 7J fenders. The U series fenders are much thicker/stronger and dont need the three braces under the fender that a 7J or 4G does. The fenders on my earlier D4s are all bent or ripped but the 6U is straight. The fenders are actually thicker than the braces for the winch on the older ones. The question of the seat tank or fender tank is one that I am wondering about myself. To get to the steering clutch linkage you need to hoist a heavy fuel tank and make sure it doesnt leak. A bit of a pain if you have to go into those rear areas more than once. I was going to swap to a fender tank but am re-thinking it since I started the pony motor on a D2 this week and the fender tank was mostly in the way. It made it difficult. The other thing is, with a tool box and battery box on one side and hydraulics on the other fender, it is hard enough to get in and out of a Cat. The good part of a seat without the tank in it is a little extra leg room. Caterpillar engineers must have been rather short. I could not get a good measurement on the hood. They seem to be the same length but I was working under a tarp so would not trust my measurement. It was interesting to do a real comparison of the different series. I hope it helps. Grant.[/quote]

Wow that is helpful Grant. Thank you. The main reason I wanted to change it is because that is how my Papa had it when he owned the machine. I thought it might be nice to get a little leg room too. The man with the fender tank machine that brought up the subject of trading is about 2.5hr drive away. I have a 3 and 5yr old and my wife and time is in short supply so i doubt i can justify running up there, doing a big mix and match and coming back home. I dont know how well equipped he is but it sounds like it could be a very full day and I dont want to leave him hanging with a half dismantled D4 if something doesn't go as planned. Let's face it- when do they really? There is almost always something. Maybe i can find someone with a parts machine and swap at my leisure and scavenge other parts as needed. That would be the ticket. Grant I really appreciate your time you took to check things out!

Nathan

I suppose it doesnt matter much. I'm plenty thankful to just have the machine. I had thought it might be nice to hand paint as they did years ago- C. SIHLIS LUMBY BC (what was on his work trucks) on the tank to honour my papa and the hard work he did. Part of me wonders if it is even the same machine because the owner after had told me he bought another D4 to scavenge parts and there are so many differences in pictures. Maybe the old fella got confused? Maybe my Papas was the one he scavenged then scrapped? I dunno and I dont think I will ever know for sure. My cousin told me tonight Papa never had a drawbar mounted as this one does. Wouldn't be a welcome addition in the bush as he used it. Anyways, maybe I will change it to a fender tank if I can find one to scavenge otherwise I will just continue to enjoy it 🙂

A standard seat and a fender tank would not take too much work and should be easy to find. The D2 I just picked up has a fender tank and it is about 2 inches shorter than the fender tanks on my old D4s, so it would work fine. I think the 4G and 7J seats would work fine. Is your seat raised up by about 3 inches? Your winch is a newer model than the one I have and may not need the seat raised. My brother who is well over 6 foot, took the 3 inch channel iron that raised the seat for the winch control and raised the seat on his 4G for the extra leg room. I may do the same thing for my 6U. The reason I recently pulled the mounting brackets from the old dead RD4, is that I want to mount a set of Drott rippers/scarcifiers on my machine and they need the stronger upper mount. Any chance of photos of your upper winch mounts? Grant.

A standard seat and a fender tank would not take too much work and should be easy to find. The D2 I just picked up has a fender tank and it is about 2 inches shorter than the fender tanks on my old D4s, so it would work fine. I think the 4G and 7J seats would work fine. Is your seat raised up by about 3 inches? Your winch is a newer model than the one I have and may not need the seat raised. My brother who is well over 6 foot, took the 3 inch channel iron that raised the seat for the winch control and raised the seat on his 4G for the extra leg room. I may do the same thing for my 6U. The reason I recently pulled the mounting brackets from the old dead RD4, is that I want to mount a set of Drott rippers/scarcifiers on my machine and they need the stronger upper mount. Any chance of photos of your upper winch mounts? Grant.

Yes it might not be too bad. There is only a handful of bolts for the seat to the fenders but if he has a canopy it might be more difficult. I will need to look and think a little more again tomorrow in the daylight. Also to properly do this, the shifter, winch controls, clutch levers and brake pedals all need to be swapped too and I'm not even sure if that would work between a 7G and a 7U. I dont know if the steering clutch shafts are the same, the trans shifters..etc. I cant tie up multiple days with my wife looking after the kids. And I dont want to leave this fellow stranded so unless I feel confident I can pull it off in a day, I can't go there.

Nathan