A D6 found it's way onto my radar the other day. I went to look at it. It is sn 9U9809. It is where it 'stopped' about 3 years ago.

The blade is just starting to push into an alder tree that is in front of it, and you can see dirt is built up behind the tracks like they were spinning. The pony is still loose, and the main engine turns. The top cover is off the clutch housing.

With the transmission and reverser in neutral, no amount of force that I could apply with a prybar would cause the input shaft to the transmission to turn. (there is about 1/4 in back and forth play) The shifter and reverser travel freely, and shift like they should. It looks like the winch is in gear, but I can't get it to shift out of gear.

So the story is this cat was working and then stopped moving. The lady that is trying to get rid of it says a 'cat guy that sold it to her' thinks a shaft broke in the transmission.

My questions?? Well, first off the clutch is not like the one on my 8U.. there are no thermites at all, it looks like the clutch that was in my 7U D4. It must have been an option or an upgrade? But between Eric and I none of our D6's are like that.

What could have broken in the transmission? I know that there is a countershaft that can lose a bearing but it is my understanding that the reverser doesn't work when that goes out. There is no removable top cover on the tranny, so it's a gonner as far as I am concerned.

I will try to post pictures later.

Jdnut

Hi Jdnut,
That would be the oil clutch version.
May be a case of having two gears engaged at once due to shifter detent/interlock problem. Not much access with unit in tractor other than down through the oil fill tower opening and the interlock side cover.

I would suspect the winch. That may be just because I'm an optimist, but it doesn't shift correctly, and the transmission does, so maybe removing the winch will free up the input shaft. and everything else is ok.

Could very well be as the winch is in constant drive except when disconnected by main engine clutch so if something in the winch is froze (bearing or drive gears) the whole drive line comes to a halt.

Couple more thoughts:
I would think if the winch drive had froze up solid enough to kill the tractor you would not get any backlash movement in the shaft unless the connecting coupling was loose. On the other hand locked gears in the transmission would still have some backlash as you mentioned. Either way you probably wouldn't get enough movement to engage/disengage the winch dog clutch for shifting. Just thinking........

Old Magnet,

Eric did not think that it was an oil clutch either. That is what I initially thought it was. I can't determine whether or not the winch was running 'accidently' while they were pushing on that tree and just bound the cable up so tight that it wouldn't move or what. All I know is that it stopped right there.

We may take a stab at trying to start it and see what can be done, but first we have a 14A D8 to bring home that runs.. So maybe it will get looked at in july. It also depends on what they want out of it. Free is almost too much.. It does have a nice 9' Mann brush rake, but the cat is pretty used up.

Jdnut

Hi Jdnut,
Any chance of getting a picture of that clutch???? Only two styles on the D6 that I know of.
By any chance does this unit have a hydraulic hard nose & #46 set up? Condition of the winch and is it a Hyster D6N model?

OM,

Here is a link to the pictures of the cat. I don't have any real good ones of the clutch. I dug all the crap out and then my batteries died in the camera.

Will I find a dipstick for the oil clutch on the right hand side of the cat like on most oil clutches?

Jdnut

public.fotki.com/jdnut/caterpillar-equip.../cat-d6s/d6-9u-9809/

Yes on the dip stick and fill plug...........but that's no oil clutch. Appears to be earlier clutch like out of a 4R/5R unit which has the fingers like the D4-7U that you mentioned. Also the early style release collar with the oil funnel drip lube that you can sorta see:D

Here's a sample early clutch....still has thermite links though.

Sorry, copied the wrong page.....and it's 4R not R4 (time to quit for the night)

Thanks Old Magnet. Kind of a puzzler on the clutch. I guess maybe you can put the older one in the later cat? Too busy right now to go up and play with it... Hopefully this summer.. I can't get the gal to come up with a value on the thing anyway.. And I don't want to pay for it.. If I wanted the clearing rake I guess I would pony up some dough.. but I don't...

Jdnut