D7E Front Idler Issues

Looks like the collar assembly which sits either side of the idler and which hooks on to a long steel retaining block below the track frame, on the inside has come adrift. The wear strips on the bottom of the collar may have fallen off or worn out or the block onto which the collar hooks over may have come adrift.

The rubber springs which fit into the rear part of both arms which run back to the large rod have also come out. There should be a wear plate and perhaps some thick washers that fit up into the large holes atop the springs. The wear plate has two locating dowels which fit into the springs and ride on the upper wear strip, which is still in place .

A member will hopefully post a parts diagram so you can see what's come apart.

It will be a difficult fix I fear, probably needing track off so the idler can be removed to see what's worn or broken😞

I'm doing just that now. Argh everything is so beeping heavy !,

Here is a pic of the track frame, note the strips onto which the collar hooks on to.[attachment=35777]image.jpg[/attachment]

Thanks for the replies, Sucks to hear that I gotta split the track! I believe mine are welded together, I have a backhoe and a skid steer to help with the heavy lifting, so that doesnt bother me too much. But was hoping there would be another way haha.

Looks basically like I just back off the pressure in the tightening cylinder, split the track, and drag that out of the way, then slide the front idler forward.

heck when you say it like that it all sounds so simple ha ha ha but I think you will have to split the tracks sorry for the bad news

Paul

[quote="mrsmackpaul"]heck when you say it like that it all sounds so simple ha ha ha but I think you will have to split the tracks sorry for the bad news

Paul[/quote]
Easy peasy hey! haha That was my thoughts as well!

I can handle the heavy stuff much better than the complicated stuff, thats for sure!

Ill pressure wash it all out so shes nice and clean, then limp it up next to my garage where I have access to some air tools and welder and whatnot, if I think of it while doing it, Ill try to post some pics of my experience with splitting the tracks. I think regarding that, the worst part for me will be getting them welded back together. All I have for a welder here is a miller 211 mig.

Hello preppypyro,Your D7E high-hp is a great tractor. I can see in the second photo that it is equipped with a 7A (angle) blade with twin tilt cylinders (my favorite blade option). The blade lift cylinders are equipped with the optional guards to protect the oil pipes. The best news is the Sealed And Lubricated Tracks (S.A.L.T.) that have a split master link. The master link appears to be solid when viewed from the side also the master track pad bolts are spaced closer together than the bolts in the other track pads. The master link might have been welded in the past; if it is I suggest removing the track pad from another link and cutting through the center of the link carefully to separate the track. Reassemble the track by installing the track pad and bolts and welding the link together. That link should also be welded to the track pad for extra strength. CAUTION: Take care to cut/weld a small enough amount at a time to avoid overheating and damaging the seals in the pin and bushing assemblies.
The photos show that the idler has been moving too much because of excess wear to the idler collar wear strips and/or to the idler collars themselves, and to the roller frame idler guide assemblies. These parts will need to be replaced. These parts require an experienced welder to remove them and to weld in the new parts.
You can use aftermarket parts to save money but I advise you to use only genuine Caterpillar fasteners, they have thicker bolt heads and are priced to compete with aftermarket fasteners. Caterpillar bolts are a minimum of grade 8 strength (six radial dash marks on the bolt head), but some Caterpillar bolts especially in undercarriage applications are special higher-strength bolts with seven radial dash marks on the head.
I know from experience that when the idler on one side needs repairs the idler on the other side usually needs repairs. The quantity of the parts listed is enough to repair both idlers. The bolts hold the idler collars in position vertically are broken off and/or missing in the photos they are 1B4367 bolt and 3B4510 lockwasher (8ea.)you might also need 2M3514 shims (12 when new) you probably don’t need as many/or none due to wear. The bolts that hold the idler collars in position horizontally are 1D4590 bolt and 3B4510 lockwasher (16ea.) these also require 2M7116 strip (😎 and 7M6571 spacer (😎 you might also need 9M0729 shims (48 when new) you probably don’t need as many/or none due to wear. The idler collars also need the 2M7097 (4) wear strips unless the collars are too worn to repair and you need to replace the entire 2M7112 collar assembly (4) (comes with the 2M7097 wear strips installed).
The springs that fell out are the 4F5003 spring assembly (😎 and the 4B1398 plates (4) that go on top of the springs, you will also need the missing 2M1163 plate assemblies (4) that the springs ride on. I advise you to replace the 1A1460 bolts, 3B4508 lockwashers and 7F0502 washer (8ea.). The guards (scrapers) that are held by these bolts could also be replaced at this time, they are 7M5337 (right hand outer – left hand inner) (2) and the 7M5338 (right hand inner – left hand outer) (2)
The 7M5146 (4) guide assemblies on the roller frame will need to be replaced (another cut/weld job).
The Operation and Maintenance Instructions book, a Parts Book and a Service Manual would save both time and money; they are sometimes available on ebay and from other sources.
Happy Dozin', :cool2:
Craig

And if that isn't enough to do it would be a good time to reseal the track adjusters while your in there.

Good call Old Magnet, I was just tired of typing. I'm going to look at the 7S blade again tomorrow.

...yup looks like somebody has had a go at a temporary fix. The bolts holding the cheek plate on are interesting, especially the inner ones which have a bar welded across them. On my D7, These bolts screw in from the outside, into threaded rectangular blocks, one either side.

Perhaps the situation might not be as bad as it looks and hopefully repairing and replacing the missing bolts might pull it back into line with the retainers. Hope you don't have to drill out the upper bolts cause they are b' hard!

Let us know how you go.