Greetings all, 

As I begin my quest to prolong the life of my new '60 Cat D6b I find myself in search of parts, both new and used, that I can acquire to achieve that goal.  From what I have been able to garner it appears that in the searching of parts, identifying interchangeable items between models would broaden my selection.  As near as I can tell, it seems that there is more compatibility of parts between a D6 9U than say with a D6c or an early D5.  Am I correct in this assessment and are there certain years I should be looking at over others?  This same compatibility issue also applies to searches of 'how to' examples for performing various repairs.  i.e. I need to replace the recoil springs on both sides.  I have purchased a set already and received them.  Boy are these manly springs.  I am completely comfortable in installing these... the question is how.  I have tried to find examples on YT University however there is little now to be found there for a D6b.  Are there other models that would be similar in their procedure and application?  I seem to find much more related to a D6 9U than a D6b for example. 

Parts I am in search of include but are not limited to the following: 

Rail protection covers (mine are completely missing)
Recoil springs (just purchased a set) 

At the moment that's my list.  Surprisingly this dozer is in really good shape for a '60.  I am sure I am going to find more but I got to use it for the first time all day a couple days ago and outside of some adjustment issues I intend to bring up in another thread I was able to make a lot of progress on 25 acres we are developing. 

Hi hdokes, Welcome part ways aboard. I suggest you come all the way aboard by becoming a paying member. Doing that would give you access to the ACMOC tech library which has much info on the D6B.
Important!!: The hydraulic pump on the D6B is no longer available from ANY source! Use only AW ISO 32 hydraulic fluid. Change the oil & filters often, this is not something you want to do the cheap thing on.
There are more interchangeability with early D5s than 9Us.
Craig

Hi Craig,

I am more than happy to become a full member. I mentioned it before that I do not provide credit card info on line for any reason. I have been an ISP owner/operator for 24 years and I know first hand the horror stories regarding personal information given out over the internet. Does the site accept Paypal?

Thank you very much for the provided information.

Hi, hdokes.
I am with seiscat about the compatibility issue. As I understand it, Cat ceased production of the D6B some time after they introduced the D6C and later realised that there was a 'gap' in the line-up, possibly mostly in the agricultural sector but also among small contractors. To cover this, they 'resurrected' the D6B as the D5 with a choice of direct drive, ala the old D6B. or with powershift, which would have suited small contractors more than the direct drive.

To look at the D6B and the D5 which came out as the replacement from any great distance away, you would be hard pressed to tell them apart.

Just my 0.02.

there is still a fair amount of parts available from the dealer network.
to use the cat part system you need to convert the old part numbers to 6 characters by adding zero or 2 after the first 2 characters.in example 6f345 would become 6f0345.
google is also your freind

if you can find the national stock number you can find what else used that part. useful for gears, bearings, seals, fasteners etc
as for the gaurds over the track gear get some steel sheet and make your own.
see if you can get a service reference for your machine. and a parts book. their is a cat publications site never know what reprints they have available. also ebay can be a good source. hell even a jensales reprint is better than nothing at all.
a place that does have a large selection of earthmoving machine parts is tillys of toowoomba, queensland but the freight to America would probably cruel you. though they do send stuff internationally.

Hi, hdokes.
Another 'trick' that might help your Cat dealer to find parts is to ask them to check, "Cat Classic Parts".

Just my 0.02.

Hi guys,

Thank you for that information.

I did find a reference a few weeks back regarding the addition of the 0 but not the 2 regarding serial conversion. I did not know it applied to parts numbers as well. I appreciate that clarification. Also good to know regarding the D5. I will see if I can find examples of recoil replacements on that. I just don't know how I am going to compress the replacement springs, assuming I need to, to fit them in.

I have been fortunate enough to find original Cat prints of the D6 Tractor operators manual covering my D6 serial and also the D333 engine. I have also found a service manual reprint for the D6 also covering my serial. I've had other suggestions regarding the protective plates to fabricate my own. I am also fortunate in that I have a 16,000 sq ft prototyping shop. Some time ago I won a set of powered rollers that I think could put an arc on 3/16" steel. I may want to retrofit with a manual means of turning it over the existing power method tho this one did not come with it's motor. I also have a 12' sheet metal brake tho it's capacity is not that hi for bending. Do you think 1/8" plate would be sufficient for the covers? Having not seen the originals I am unsure of what will hold up.

I haven't had a problem using my credit card on ACMOC for 13 years.. Most good cards will reimburse false charges anyway. If that doesn't allay your fears ACMOC does accept checks it just takes about a week longer to upgrade your membership. The most secure method of payment is for you to go to any bank and purchase a cashiers check made out to ACMOC and mail it in. That's a way to pay without sending any financial info. 
I think you will enjoy reading the magazine. 
The most useful manuals are the OMIs(Operation and Maintenance Instructions.) The older Caterpillar tractors require a OMI for the bare tractor and additional OMIs for the blade and hydraulic system.
The library currently has the OMI for the hydraulic system and a service manual for the D6B. I'm planning on scanning my OMIs for the D6B tractor and the 6A blade and sending them to the library in February.
Craig

Hi Craig,

The unfortunate thing is it only takes one breach and once the information is on the internet it is forever on the internet... waiting to be tagged.  Ask the absolute millions who have had their personal information compromised from even the most secure of infrastructures... i.e. Amazon and many many more.  As an IT guy who cut my teeth on the original Apple computers and have been involved with the evolution of the desktop computer and all devices there after along with being involved with the internet from the very beginning I know how easy it is to hack those systems.  Back in the day it was only script kitties we had to worry about... today it is complete Governments who condone and support cyber hacking and the like.  I have said from the very beginning that if information is to valuable to have compromised unplug the damn cord... the network cord that is.  It IS that simple yet no one will do it. Anyway... as you well understand today's commerce is all about convenience regardless of the consequences.  Most take the attitude that it isn't THEIR data anyway and they don't take any ownership for it's protection and they certainly are not held accountable (and they should be) when a breach occurs.  We allow customers to use Paypal to pay for services and if they wish to use a credit card they can call it in and the data is kept on an off line server... as it should be.  Again... years of dealing with that crap is why I know better.  If you will allow me to call in my credit card info and assure me it will not be kept on an on line system I would be happy to make the call.

Regarding the pricing structure, can I assume that $44 is internet access only and the $60 is for the hard copy version of the publication given I live in the US?  

On the subject of part identification, the blade on my D6B is approximately 11 and a half foot wide. Where might I find a reference number on it to know the type of blade it is?

Thank you Craig for your time and information.

Just mail in the cashiers check to ACMOC and you won't have ANYTHING to worry about. Please stop posting those long dissertations about how dangerous using credit cards on the web is. If it is as bad as you say using PayPal won't be safe either.
1. I'm posting the OMI for your blade to the library the first week in February. 
2. The 1/8 plate will be good for your covers.
3. If your tracks are staying adjusted you can get by without replacing the recoil springs as long as you are careful how you operate it. I expect there will be naysayer replies to this but it's true.
4. If you are going to replace the recoil springs the picture below is a partial page of the service manual so you will know where to find the info you need. 
5. ALL shops now require all un-broken coils be torch-cut before any attempt to disassemble. 
6. I suggest you hire an experienced shop to replace those springs as it can be very dangerous!
Craig