I have a wide gauge orchard model 5U. I noticed that one of the tracks has a curve in it. I then measured the tracks at the rear and measured at the front. The front measurement is about 2" more than the rear which means the tracks are out of parallel. I had someone look at it and he said it appears as if the pivot shaft is worn. I do not have any problems with tracks jumping off or no problems turning. Has anyone else had this problem and how serious is this? Does this sound like the right diagnosis? Are pivot shafts still available or do I have to have one made?

I don't know if they are available currently, but I have one from a parts machine I could sell. I am not so sure how straight it is, but could check it if you are interested.

Check the pivot shaft bushings in the track trucks (2 each side) they may be shot and also could be worn or bent pivot shaft. I don't know if new pivot shafts are available, may have to have that made.

I was just told they are not available from Cat and would have to be made. Thanks for the offer B4D2 but I will probably have it made. Am I right in saying this is something that should be taken care of soon? I don't use the tractor much but do want to keep it in good shape. I bought it about 3 months ago and it is in good shape except for this.

Yes, it would be a good idea to get it corrected as soon as you can as the misalignment will cause excessive wear to the rails, idler and rollers.

My Dad and I removed the pivot shaft and turned the ends to true the diameters. We had new bushing cast, machined them ourself, saving the removed material to send back to the caster. Has worked that we for years. Good luck with the cat. Tim

I had the same situation many years ago on my D2. Cat wanted like 1500.00 for it. I had a new one made for 200.00 and the machinest said it was a really simple thing to make. Probably cost a bit more today. I ran a ark welding bead accross the bronz bushings in a few places and they drove right out. Cat dealer mechanic told me to do this. Heated up the inside of track frame and drove the new bushings right in. Hope you have good luck with your repair. Charlie

My 5J was running way out sideways. I put in a salvaged shaft and new bushings when I had the rest of the undercarriage rebuilt. I couldn't believe how much less steering I had to do when I got it back in service. It actually ran in a somewhat straight line again.

Thanks for all the info. Mine runs fairly straight and does not seem to wander very much. Since I have not had it for very long and have not used it that much, maybe I have not really noticed it. The way I found out about this is I first found a spring problem. The main spring that supports the motor had come out from one side and was resting on top of the pin instead of resting below the pin. Then I noticed the shackles and pins for the pony spring were worn and real loose. I had a friend of mine look it over and that is when we discovered the misalignment of the tracks.

Take a long careful look at those shackles and pieces under the engine. If they come loose on a hard pull that Cat can come up and over on top of you just like the infamous fordson. Also, if they arn't in proper shape they can cause the oil pan to break and pans are real hard to come by in this neighborhood.