Hi.  I'd like to replace the sprockets on my D6B.  It's become unusable from slipping and I almost threw a track the other day driving down at an angle into a creek.

The service manual has a giant spanner wrench that I can buy for $325-$400.  Which I might consider that, or I might build something.  The hydraulic puller though looks maybe out of my price range.

1. What do you all do for changing sprockets?  Do I get it all broke down and try to find a guy that will drive to my house and pop the sprocket off?  I'm also contemplating fabricating a puller from a 50ton porta power cylinder.

2. Also the book has options on sprocket part numbers.  Could anybody help me on what sprockets I should purchase?

Thanks
Robert

Hello,

I am just wrapping up rebuilding a final drive on my D6 8U. Long story but I had to swap the final drive cover from my 9U parts machine to the 8U since it was not useable due to the pinion bearing location being a half inch oversize. Thankfully we have the tools and materials we need to do this type of work. Never worked on a cat before.

Here are a few photos that show the puller, pusher, and wrench (on the ground by the sprocket) we made.

Very nice. I thought about the bottle jack, but I wasn't sure the whole assembly would come off. Thanks

You do not have to pull the sprockets to re rim them, buy new rings, cut out a section so that they will slip over the hub end whilst track fram still in place, cut off old rim and weld on new rim. Neil Packu has just done this on I think a traxcavator.

Wombat

Robert, Wombat is correct. Don't remove the sprocket to replace the drive rim. Also while shop built pullers can pull apart sprockets, most of them have no accurate way of displaying how much force is used during installation. Sprockets installed too loose or too tight can cause bad problems.
Craig

If you decide to replace the entire sprocket, have someone with the proper tools do it. Safety first. As far as re-rimming one, that works too, just be sure to properly weld the spokes and keep things aligned, etc.
Best wishes on getting your project wrapped up. JM