Question for anyone who needs a good head scratcher. In time, I’d like to build a diesel 30 conversion using a wide thirty and a d3400 or d311. We have both engines already but no room for the 30 yet. My main questions would be 1) has anyone attempted this project before and 2) what easy to think of problems would I run into mating these pieces together. I’m not concerned with getting more performance using the diesel engine, just a neat parade tractor that will maybe pull a terracer. I’d love any info I could get! Thanks

With diesel you would have a race tractor, diesel engine rpm is considerably higher than the gas engine. When Cat offered a kit to convert gas 60's to diesel using diesel 50 and RD7 engines they included a planetary reduction gear box to get engine speed down to a usable speed for the tractor..

Good Luck finding a Wide Gauge Thirty
I would not want to "destroy" a Wide Gauge, most of them here in the Sacramento Valley were used for the running gear on "home built" rice combines. Standard tread were much more common.

I am not sure anymore - Thirty ran at 850 RPM, Sixty at 650 RPM - quite a difference with the diesels.
Pulling any load, I would be concerned about the rest of the drive train too.
CTS

I wonder how many wide gauge thirty vs standard were produced? In the hilly country of the Palouse the wide gauge tractors are much more common. I always kinda wondered if the wide tractors were ag and the standard gauge were more common for being equipped with blades and such for dirt moving. Thanks, Mike

Standard gauge vs wide gauge

From what I have been told over the years, especially in the case of Caterpillar Thirty, standard gauge center of gravity was high, they would or could roll over quite easily.
Wide gauge in comparrison was much more stable.
I can attest in operationg both standard and wide gauge machines pulling same loads, wide gauge was much better turning, The difference was very noticeable especially in soft sandy soils.

CTS

Some just have more luck than others. Paso Robles west side has been more brush than open land until the bulldozers showed up. South to southwest facing hills tend to be open as they dry many days faster than a north face. As a teen gathering cattle with my dad, on one of those really step south sides my dad say this has been farmed. And then goes on to tell me they did it with a standard gauge Cat 30. We farmed land that put the leveler on a Cat/JD 36b combine to the macs plus a little more and this is a good bit stepper. Not saying I would go there, just saying it was done.

Sorry for taking this off track SoCalCatman. Not near as many Cat 30's hiding out in the brush as years ago. But would guess there are more than most would expect. I am always surprised by how many narrow 30's show up for the Paso Robles Pioneer day parade, which is much more local than The Best of the West Show. But as steep as much of the area is, my logic says there should be more wide than narrow in San Luis Obispo county. But from what I see could be very much even amounts.

Love the stories! This narrows my search a little which is good. Hopefully there are some wide thirty’s sitting in the weeds somewhere waiting to be brought back to life. That’s if the big collectors haven’t scooped them all up by now. 

I have a wide 30 that I rescued from the scrap yard, I can get pictures if you're interested

If it’s easy to get some pictures that’d be great. No rush, as I’m not able to be a buyer at the moment. Life and school get in the way right when the going gets good. I also have a farmall restoration that is almost done and needs to get completed before I think about starting another project. What’s your local area? 

I can get some pictures in the morning. I'm in north Idaho