ACMOC,
I have owned my Cat 955H for about 5 years now and it has been an absolute hoss on our mountain property, it always starts and runs great.  It has performed well on the little bit of digging we have done with it, I have gotten pretty good with rough grading as well.  It has mostly been used cleaning up downed tree's and maintaining our long driveway.   

I have a large project coming up digging out a spot for my barn and I wanted some advice on anything I should go over on the machine before I start.  it has had periodic maintenance as prescribed in the manuals, the only issue it has started to have is a very minor leak on a lift/tilt cylinder.  I never run the machine hard and it is always maintained. My questions start there:

1. On the lift/tilt cylinder, I've read you can remove the outer plate, take out spacers and when put back together...this tightens the packing and hopefully stops the leak.  How hard is it to break down the front of the cylinder and is it worth my time for a very minor leak? (I've circled the cylinders in question, picture 4)

2. What other maintenance or things should I look over, all hoses seem to be in good shape with no dry rot or cracking.  The 955 is kept under cover since I've owned it and as I stated above, functions with no issues.  As a precaution, should I replace the radiator hoses and belt? Any other filters or fluids I should replace? 

3. I've also read the best way to start is by creating a level pad to work from and dig from there? Any other advice? This machine has a 1.75 Cubic Yard side dump bucket, kind of unusual but it works great and I've used it a bit when digging to reduce turning the machine.  

As you can see in the pictures, It has done some digging for me, behind our cabin and creating our parking area.  The material is virgin Tennessee dirt with some rocks here and there, I'm happy to take any thoughts or advice since digging/site prep/construction are not my day to day job.  I'll be relying heavily on my dad's experience as a surveyor and builder.    

Thanks all! 
- Nick 

Hi Nick,
You have a very clean, very good looking 955H. I downloaded pic 4 and even under large magnification I couldn't see signs of the leak. Personally I don't think it's worth the effort yet.
I recommend using only AW 32 hydraulic oil. Don't use the cheap universal hydraulic oil. 
The fan belt and hoses may need replacing. I suggest that you at least purchase them before failure.
Craig 

@seiscat - Thanks for the kind words, I looked for about 2 years before I pulled the trigger on purchasing the 955. We are really OUT/UP in the mountains, I needed something that was reliable and easily repaired. It's definitely been a swiss army knife and sometimes after a heavy rain is the only thing we can use that has traction in the slippery red mud. I'd love to find a 4 in 1 bucket for it, expand the roof a little and put some lights on it.

Any good recommendations on where to get them? Cat or aftermarket?

When I was a heavy equipment contractor I always used genuine Caterpillar hoses because the "will fit" hoses are not as thick and sturdy as Cat ones. I used Cat belts because they were so important to keep my 'dozers running.
Since you are not using your 955H in a commercial every day situation you can easily get by with the aftermarket ones if Cat hoses & belts are hard to get.
Craig

only thing about hoses is the current cat equipment uses slightly thicker flanges on the hose ends so you may need a spacer ring if you use after-market ends with the original clamping plate. theses older machines use SAE code 61 fittings on the hydraulics system. remember they are in dash size each dash is a 16th of a inch for example 3/4 is dash 12

you cat dealer workshop can make you hoses for what ever you require using the old hose as a sample to copy if they dont have the catalog info. which is how the local hose service will do it anyway.

adapters also exist to change from code 61 to JIC and other common threaded hydraulics fittings.

Thanks trainkid88, but we were discussing radiator hoses not hydraulic hoses.
Craig

yes the fun of getting quality radiator hose that wont go hard and blister in the sun. i tend to use gates hose when i can as its decent quality.

Craig and Trainzkid88,

thank you for the info on both hydraulic hoses and other hoses, I'll look into both Cat and Gates hoses.

- Nick