Dandy wrote:

Whats your serial number? Some 212 Graders were equiped with the Direct Electric start option. I have run and did repairs on a 212 that is serial number 79C-42. It is a 1955. These were available 1954-1957. This came factory equiped with 24 volt direct electric start. My serial book does not show an end number for production, but the beginning number for 1957 was 97. The easiest way to tell is if it was originally equiped this way is look to see if it has glow plugs in the head? It will have a switch in it like this D2. The switch is near the hydraulic pipes. If not, Someone has coverted it in the past.
 

Hi Dave, serial number is 94 C43. Looking at the gauge pod (see attached photo) there are no switches as shown in your D2 photo so I'm pretty sure that it doesn't have the glow plugs.

Current owner tells me that they fitted the electric starter to it, so it's definitely a conversion.

My Serial book has a 95C suffix listed. Austrailian built machine. Starts with serial 1 in 1953. No 94C listed. Yes, Too early to have the Direct Electric Start option.

Just for info on this, My gasoline powered Cat 12 serial 6M17 has a 12 volt starter and generator. Same basic dash as yours. It is a 1940. You can clearly see the Generator and starter in the video. This is a very rare option. Only 56 Cat 12's were built this way.

Sorry yes, it's 95C 43, my typo.

Thank you for sharing that Dave. Very interesting old machine and nice to see!

I have a Mack B model that has a polarity switch. It is 12 v most of the time for running lights and charging, when the truck cranks the engine it switches to 24v cranking.

From what I know on the No.12 8T the direct start boss was not pre cut until 1955 around the same time of the series change at 8T14781. Though there were many options starting in the early 30's for stand alone direct start that were available for stationary equipment like emergency backup generators and pumps and the like. Thus parts do exists ... Finding them ... different question. Common voltages ⚡ were 6v, 12v, 24v & 30v also known as 32v.
You have a well sought after prize with the 24v starter and your system can only provide a maximum of a 12v charge. Is this right? Then have you thought of getting a 12v stater and sell the 24v starter. As far as glow plugs, a pre heating coil bolt on (6.6 Duramax, Cummins) adapter to intake can be made to work. Also in super cold weather like -18°C ~ 0°F ... I cheat 😲 I take a small propane blow touch and per-heat the intake manifolds of the pony and the diesel, I also heat the pony spark plug base on the starting side (starboard).
My old 6v system on the 8T14777 1954 No.12 had been converted to a 12v system and marked as such. Even with two 12v batteries in the winter I still have a tough time keeping up with the heater and all the lights needed to work. An alternator with a larger diameter pulley would help. Meh 😶. I think my main problem is low/slow charge with excessively large draw from the old heater motor; oh, and the green copper lighting wires don't help either.
I don't mine using the pony motor until I stall out the engine. When it runs well, the pony helps starting in cold weather and is so much easier on the old iron and in all types of weather. It takes a minute for it to fill the oil filters and top end, the colder it is the longer it takes.
Mine don't have the in cab starter station.😒 so I have to get up off my ask, climb all the way down to the ground. Walk all the way around the machine redoing the pre-flight check list😉😉 so I don't run my ask over, restart the pony and diesel. AND then go through all my post starting procedures ... bla, bla, bla ... set my ask back down.
Whao is me the pain is real. 🤣
To pre check the pony motor. Grab the rope starting pulley and rotate slowly back and forth a few inches and feel for any radial slop in the crank and/or piston pin bearings. Then lift up and push down the crank pulley up, down and side to side (North, South, East West) checking for main bearing slop. Also, push and pull the crank pulley in and out checking the main 'bearing pin' for slop(end play).
Remember to check the oils in the injection pump and pinion clutch

 

Fat wrote:

From what I know on the No.12 8T the direct start boss was not pre cut until 1955 around the same time of the series change at 8T14781. Though there were many options starting in the early 30's for stand alone direct start that were available for stationary equipment like emergency backup generators and pumps and the like. Thus parts do exists ... Finding them ... different question. Common voltages ⚡ were 6v, 12v, 24v & 30v also known as 32v.
You have a well sought after prize with the 24v starter and your system can only provide a maximum of a 12v charge. Is this right? Then have you thought of getting a 12v stater and sell the 24v starter. As far as glow plugs, a pre heating coil bolt on (6.6 Duramax, Cummins) adapter to intake can be made to work. Also in super cold weather like -18°C ~ 0°F ... I cheat 😲 I take a small propane blow touch and per-heat the intake manifolds of the pony and the diesel, I also heat the pony spark plug base on the starting side (starboard).
My old 6v system on the 8T14777 1954 No.12 had been converted to a 12v system and marked as such. Even with two 12v batteries in the winter I still have a tough time keeping up with the heater and all the lights needed to work. An alternator with a larger diameter pulley would help. Meh 😶. I think my main problem is low/slow charge with excessively large draw from the old heater motor; oh, and the green copper lighting wires don't help either.
I don't mine using the pony motor until I stall out the engine. When it runs well, the pony helps starting in cold weather and is so much easier on the old iron and in all types of weather. It takes a minute for it to fill the oil filters and top end, the colder it is the longer it takes.
Mine don't have the in cab starter station.😒 so I have to get up off my ask, climb all the way down to the ground. Walk all the way around the machine redoing the pre-flight check list😉😉 so I don't run my ask over, restart the pony and diesel. AND then go through all my post starting procedures ... bla, bla, bla ... set my ask back down.
Whao is me the pain is real. 🤣
To pre check the pony motor. Grab the rope starting pulley and rotate slowly back and forth a few inches and feel for any radial slop in the crank and/or piston pin bearings. Then lift up and push down the crank pulley up, down and side to side (North, South, East West) checking for main bearing slop. Also, push and pull the crank pulley in and out checking the main 'bearing pin' for slop(end play).
Remember to check the oils in the injection pump and pinion clutch


 

Hi Dan. Yes it's a 24V starter with a 12 volt generator.

I saw Pacific Northwest Hillbilly was planning to fit a Cummins pre-heater to his restored D4 in his latest Youtube video.  I've had that option in the back of my head as well.  Right now I'm starting to lean toward going with the pony motor for cold starting with the electric start for hot re-starting - thankfully I don't get many earthmoving inquiries from Antarctica, so I won't be having to deal with -18C!  We may get down to zero in the highlands, but not too often thankfully!

The serial/parallel switch mentioned above gives me a good solution for dealing with the charging/voltage problem, so I'm not too concerned about that now.  An alternator would be nice still, but I can leave that for another time once I have the machine home and gotten it working.

Thank you for the pony motor pre-check list.  That's very handy to know.  I'll be inspecting a D6 8U soon so it will likely be useful for that too.

a family freind used to start the cat 12E his Dad drove for the shire council by putting the starter rope over his shoulder and falling forwards off the wheels. he learnt the hard way don't drop the rope, when he was having a steer and stalled her with the machine blocking both sides of the road. he had to walk back and get the rope in the mean time the local copper shows up wanting to get past. he didnt say anything but the impression was hurry up and move that grader.

i second the manifold heater im doing a similar thing with ours when i get it finished. it will have the heater coil as used on ford and massey tractors it simply screws into a npt port welded on the manifold. and there cheap from memory cost me about 20 bucks via the local bareco stockist.