Cat 977k now power, hesitates then goes...

Just had a 977k delivered today and already issues.
So we got it unloaded with no issues, or at least seemed so. It has a cylinder leaking so the guy I bought it from said it was low on hydraulic oil and I should add at least 5 gallons. So, went and got 5 gallons of 15w-40 oil and poured it in. The sight glass is very cloudy and I could see the oil through the fill and didnt look too high. Closed it up, started it up and started driving it. It seemed to not have much power and started having trouble steering. Would only turn if I locked up either right or left. Then wouldn't turn right at all. When I pushed the right pedal it just stopped. Then it just stopped all together. I throttled down and felt like it started to engage again but then faded again. Shut it off for a few minutes to look it over for anything obvious, didn't see anything so jumped back in and started it up again. It started to move but with hardly any power. Got it back down to level ground lowered the bucket and shut it off. Then I noticed the hydraulic oil reservoir started to over flow. Took the cap off and let the excess oil run out. One thing was odd, it seemed like the oil was heavily airated. Let it sit for about 20 minutes or so and gave it another shot. Started it up, looked down the fill for the hydraulic tank and it drew the level way down but I noticed bubbles in the oil. Started driving and it felt better but still way down on power, but was moving along. So then, I figured I'd try and dig at a stump, dug the bucket into the base of the stump and started to lift, the engine started to bog down slightly then boom. Looks like it blew a hydraulic hose, sprayed oil all over. It was already getting dark, everything being covered in oil couldn't tell exactly where it was coming from so I just wrapped it up for the night. Camd home and purchased the service manual from jensale. Chose to just download it, well once you pay for it, THEN you get the disclaimer it will take 1 business day if ordered after business hours. Well that does me no good Saturday evening. So now I'm stuck..... any help would be much appreciated. I know the hose is a separate issue on it's own, but where should I start on the driving issue.

First thing to do is check the oil level in the transmission.

Where do I check that?

Under the seat, There should be 2 dipsticks there, one for the transmission and the other the bevel gear.

Found only one dip stick, a large fill plug and a vent attached to it. I'm guessing its the transmission, its sitting on a slope but its reading pretty low. What type of oil should I add to it?

It was low on transmission fluid. Topped it off and now drives fine... But now, it will only steer right if I press hard on the right pedal. Not extremely hard but hard enough to stop the right track. AND, now the track adjuster on the right side let go and it loos like I need to replace the seals. Do you have to split the tracks to do this???

I don't know about the 977K, but on some tractors you can loosen the track tension off and get enough slack to move the idler all the way forward to get to the piston. You may have to break the track though.

A service manual is invaluable in owning a tractor. Usually though, other guys on here can show you an easier way to get the job done. Ebay has quite a few:

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.Xcat+977k+service+manual.TRS0&_nkw=cat+977k+service+manual&_sacat=0

They have owners and parts manuals too. You need to make sure that your serial number is included in any of the books that you get.

I would check the fuel lines

[quote="d9gdon"]I don't know about the 977K, but on some tractors you can loosen the track tension off and get enough slack to move the idler all the way forward to get to the piston. You may have to break the track though.

A service manual is invaluable in owning a tractor. Usually though, other guys on here can show you an easier way to get the job done. Ebay has quite a few:

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.Xcat+977k+service+manual.TRS0&_nkw=cat+977k+service+manual&_sacat=0

They have owners and parts manuals too. You need to make sure that your serial number is included in any of the books that you get.[/quote]

I bought the manuals but they only go through the steps to completely disassemble the group. It doesn't address just the adjuster.

How would a fuel delivery issue affect it. It starts right up and runs strong as hell.

Adjustments and lubrication intervals are covered in a operators manual.