D6D SA Tractor Undercarrraige

As a farmer you end up doing what it takes to get things done. Early in time farming, I had 50 acres ready to seed and the rain was coming. I had a Allis Chalmers HD 5 and 12 foot grain drill. I had the seed sitting there on a truck. After a bit and the tractor is warmed up, I hit high gear. Everything is side hill here so sure did not stay in high all the time. But for the next 35+ years I seed in high gear with that tractor. Yes I have a crack in the frame of my now old JD 8350 grain drill, I have never seen in another. But it still has not failed. I know I was the talk of the neighborhood, at least the old guys that never farmed here with rubber tires. But the 5 to 5.5 MPH is not considered fast by the guys farming today with wheel tractors.

A cousin and I discussed this to death as he had come to the same conclusion as I, faster is Ok as we are the guy that pays the repair bill as well.

Yes the HD 5 is tired today. But that poor old tractor has to have hours on it. An uncle bought it new in 54 and planted 600 acres a year and summer fallowed another 600 with it and a JD A popping Johny. He always had a hired man to run the night shift. I think one or 2 years before he retired he had it to the dealer for complete rebuild. As an experiment one track got new pin and bushings the other was just turned. Fallow was all disc plowed with the crawler, and he always ran the track in the furrow. So the story I was told that track had a bit more wear, but ?? Those tracks are still on it, my guess 150% warn. Just starting to see holes in a bushing or 2, or ?? If anybody want the learn about changing tracks? I have much better sets. One is off an HD6 so it would need shorting. Sprockets still look good to me, and have a 6 or 7 new rollers.

I do not disagree with the idea speed wears tracks more. But 95% of what I farmed is clay without sand. From 85 to 2015 that HD5 planted better than 400 acres a year. So with other jobs better than 3000 hours.

So I would guess on flat clay land and new sprocket segments you could run that D6 until the pins want to break. Maybe not the best way but farmers are the best at using what you have and getting it done.