I got lucky last year finally, and found a working Berco track press, it was only about 1,500 miles away, and looks like it is still in pretty good condition, the guys who owned it farmed several thousand acres of sugar cane, plus contract harvested other peoples crops too, so they were busy, all the sugar cane harvesters run on D4D size chain.

They had set up a old D4 sprocket with a hydraulic motor to wind the chains up and down, so that will be handy, and it has the grouser bolt driver too, so I'll be busting the heads off bolts in no time, only problem is have no idea what all the controls do, and I need to learn everything I can before I use it. The other problem I have is it is run by a big old 3 phase electric motor of about 11hp running around 910rpm, and I don't have 3 phase power at my place, so I need to either find a old slow revving 3 phase diesel generator around 25KVA, or set it up to run off the PTO of my tractor. 

Does anyone have a operators manual for this vintage Berco press they can sell me, or share copies of it with me, I'd really appreciate the help, I can't find any identifyiing numbers on the machine anywhere, I'm guessing it is 1940's or 1950's vintage, I know it is darn heavy to lift!

Last year I visited my good buddy Joe 2,000 miles away after inspecting this press at the owners farm, they only live a few hundred miles apart, Joe has 2 track presses and did track work almost full time for over 10 years, he didn't have 3 phase power at his farm either at the time, so he set up the hydraulic pump in his shed to be driven by the PTO of a International crawler he owned, and that worked well for many years, he now has 3 phase power.

I knew track work was dangerous, and asked Joe to show me how to do it safely, I took a set of D4 chains with me when I visited him, and he showed me how to turn the pins and bushes in those, he had to make a few bushes using D4D parts to replace damaged 2" bushes in my chains, so he turned them down in his lathe. Joe is one of the smartest guys I know, left school at 14, self taught Mechanic that everyone in his area relies on to repair their machines, even the local Cat Dealer calls him in to help them sort out problems from time to time, and yes, he doesn't wear any boots, or safety gear, he has a D8H and D7G he contracts with when not wrenching on peoples machines.

That last photo is the sugar cane planter Joe designed and built himself, he found a 3208 engine that had thrown a conrod, so he repaired that engine and it has been running great the past 12 or so years, the machine runs on D4D chains, and applies the fertilizer and other chemicals in one pass, it was the first machine of its kind in the world.

Anyway, if anyone can help with a Operators Manual for this Berco machine, I will be very appreciative.
Thanks
Mike


 

Hi Mike,
Are you sure that is a Berco Press? Looks a lot like the press featured in the 8th Edition Caterpillar Service Tools Catalog. Unit actually built by Rodgers Hydraulics, Inc. St.Louis Park, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Hello Pete, thanks for chiming in, the first photo shows the big aluminum end cover over the chain drive, and that has a large Berco plate on it, so I was assuming it was made by Berco in Italy, there is nothing to say it wasn't actually a Rodgers unit possibly rebadged for markets outside the USA, but there is a small spec plate at the other end, which tells the operator the torque ratings for tightening the various size grouser bolts, ie 3/8", 1/2", 9/16", 5/8", and the writing is in both English and Italian, which suggests to me it is an Italian built unit, but I'm often wrong.

Appreciate your help

Is the hardware on the machine Metric size?

Mike you could leave it at my place i have 40kva generator. Probably would not help you much but best I can do.

Ha ha ha Colin, appreciate the offer, very kind of you to step up. LOL

I believe that might be a Berco PT 120 press.
It was still being made in the 1970's .
Bob

OK Bob, thanks for that info, the bolt heads on it are definitely metric sizes, 22mm and 24mm, and the big old 3 phase electric motor driving it is definitely Italian, the data plate on it is all Italian writing, not a word of English.

I have a April 1954 copy here of a Department of the Army Booklet TM5-9756 "Press Hydraulic Tractor, Track Type, for the 4 wheel trailer mounted, gasoline engine driven, with power wrench, 120 Ton Rodgers No. 11", and looking at the picture of the pump and controls, it is very similar to mine.

If my unit is post WW2 build, it is possible Berco were making Rodgers track presses under licence in Italy, that would explain the metric bolts holding it all together, and the Italian electric motor. I've been told track presses were all over Australia up until the 1990's, when consolidation of Dealers occured, and OH&S risks of doing track chain repairs started taking a front seat, plus labour costs were climbing, so most the good presses simply got scrapped, or disappeared into the back of farmers sheds.

It sounds like I need to find a manual for a Berco PT120 press.
Appreciate your help
Mike

Here are a few more pics, Pete, I only have a later edition of the Cat Service Tools book, so can't see the unit you are referring too.
Appreciate your help
Mike

Here's what's shown in the 8th Edition.....