Skidder rebuild, { warning graphic pictures}

[plasticweld]

I was not sure I wanted to go this route, spend a bunch of money and time rebuilding a old skidder. I had looked at buying newer equipment but according to the dealers I talked to mine was worth nothing and theirs was worth top dollar. I bought this skidder a year ago with the idea that it could last 3 months without major work. I needed a machine that I could count on to finish a job which had a deadline coming up for completion. I had the machine less than two weeks before spending lots of money and time on a transmission and a host of other problems. I managed to finish the job and worked most of the winter with the machine. I had a second transmission that was now giving me problems, a Detroit with a 3 quart a day oil problem and pins and bushings that were way to sloppy. Here is the photo story of what I have started.

I am lucky I have a mechanic that works for me in both of my businesses so I did not have to do this all by myself. The first order of business was to pull all of the components. I figured that I would rebuild the trans, the motor, the transfer case, the reverser, the winch, the pins and bushings for the blade, the steering and the center pins, I would also rebuild the rear bumper and the winch spool.

The timberjack is a 1979 and when I looked at the cost of buying newer I figured I could spend as much or more on newer machine only to have some of the same problems that I am having with this one

 

[plasticweld]

The bumper of the years has been ripped bent and torn so that there was not much left to work with, this winter I pretty much worked without one.

I built a new bumper out of cardboard to make a templete for the steel, the orginal was made of 1/2 steel the new one was going to be made out of 3/4 inch steel

The new bumper weighed 1100 pounds it also took over 35 pounds of welding wire and rod to put together and mount on the machine. I tacked up the parts on the machine and then lifted off to work on in the shop. I did manage to drop the bumper on the floor while un loading kind of defeating the purpose of doing it inside, when I went to put it back on the machine I needed to still do a bunch of work to make it fit right

<a href="http://s30.photobucket.com/albums/c304/plasticweld/skidder%20rebuild/?action=view&amp;current=IMG_2362.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c304/plasticweld/skidder%20rebuild/IMG_2362.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

 

[plasticweld]

The next thing I tackled was the walking beam, it had tons of play in the center pins and the blade pins where also badly worn.

We cut out the old bushings and used a weldable bushing that was oversized. We then took a old fence post and turned it down on the lath to give us our centers so that it would line back up when we put it back in the machine

<a href="http://s30.photobucket.com/albums/c304/plasticweld/skidder%20rebuild/?action=view&amp;current=IMG_2371.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c304/plasticweld/skidder%20rebuild/IMG_2371.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

I used a mig machine with .45 wire on it and it went pretty quick. I basically found that I had to over weld the part in so that when I got done grinding it down I had a flat surface.


The pins orginall wore down because the line that was used to get grease to the fitting had broken and I did not know it. I had over the winter pumped in pounds and pounds of grease into the belly pan thinking the whole time that it was going to the joints that needed it. While the design that timberjack has for doing this, "being able to grease the machine from the operators seat seemed great" In reality there is no way to tell if the grease is really getting there.

<a href="http://s30.photobucket.com/albums/c304/plasticweld/skidder%20rebuild/?action=view&amp;current=IMG_2365.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c304/plasticweld/skidder%20rebuild/IMG_2365.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

The pin and bushing for the steering also suffered the same fate. {no grease ever made it to the bushing because of a broken line} This bushing when we took it apart was smashed up so badly that there was about half a inch of play because the bushing had siezed on the pin

<a href="http://s30.photobucket.com/albums/c304/plasticweld/skidder%20rebuild/?action=view&amp;current=IMG_2364.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c304/plasticweld/skidder%20rebuild/IMG_2364.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

The back pin had only minor wear so it did not need any welding just a new pin and bushing. I am sure this is due to the fact that you can tell if it is getting grease

 

[D&B Mack]

So how far are you into the rebuild?

 

[056kid]

that is scary.

 

[JRepairsK70e]

nice work and when you are done you will know exactly what you have rather than learning a new machines short comings how many hours do you think before putting it back to work as a new machine rep sent jk

 

[plasticweld]

<a href="http://s30.photobucket.com/albums/c304/plasticweld/skidder%20rebuild/?action=view&amp;current=IMG_2352.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c304/plasticweld/skidder%20rebuild/IMG_2352.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

while working on the bumper I had time to repair the spool, welding on this could only be done in short spurts to keep it from getting to hot, 5 pounds of welding rod later

I still have the spool on the left to repair but I am going to do this with the wire feed machine instead of the stick welder I do not think I can get good enough welds any other way. For some reason there is not a good ground though the bearings and figured I would have to come up with a different method

The blade had some damage I don't remeber doing this damage but there it was I must have caught some rocks somewhere that did not move

[/IMG]

 

[hammerlogging]

beautiful!

 

[zopi]

With regards the spool and ground..shouldn't ground through a mech joint anyway...jury rig a ground long enough to weld an old bolt or something on, then knock it off when done...

 

[mdavlee]

Welding through bearings can cause arcing across the bearings and galling. Weld something on there for a ground. A thick flat washer will work in a pinch.

 

[plasticweld]

Thanks for the tips on welding the other spool, I was hoping to have some way to keep it moving as I welded it, this is the process I used to to the main spool

As to the time frame when it will be done in true logger fashion it should have been done two weeks ago. I have all of the parts here and will post up more pictures and text as I go should be finished in a couple of weeks. As I sit here I was trying to think of any part of the machine that is not getting rebuilt and I can not think of anything besides the valve bank that runs the steering and blade and winch controls is the only thing I am not removing and rebuilding or replacing, it is scheduled for even minor things like new paint new mufflers and new seat, the tires are going to have to do I bought new chains for all four tires last fall

The front rear was fine, the back was whipped. I ended up ordering new ring and pinion and new differental gears for each side the was just under $1700 in parts

The biggest problem I have had has been getting the right parts from the dealer, many times I got more than I asked for or the wrong parts. I am glad I have another machine that is working the delays caused by the wrong parts being sent has been the single biggest delay for this project. This was supposed to be in the woods working and done during spring mud

I have had oil leak problems, far past the normal Detroit oil leakage. I had a couple of problems to deal with. I thought I was going to be real smart and buy a complete engine ready to drop in and get mine taken care of when I had free time it ran fine but I wanted to do bearings and take care of the leaks so I bought a engine out of a Barko loader that had only 300 hours on it since being rebuilt. For $2700 I thought this was a good move. It turns out that the motor I bought does not fit my skidder but fits a Franklin,Tree-Farmer or Clark the exhaust and intake are on opposite sides. If anyone is looking I got one I would love to unload I am now stuck with a motor that will not work on my skidder. I ended up taking the engine that leaked down to Reiff Diesel. Engines-Rebuilding and Exchanging in Lewisburg, PA They went through the engine I told them to replace anything that was needed. For once it was better than expected. The top end was in really good shape, a couple of valve seals and springs a new head gasket. The oil leak was coming from a front main seal and from a broken oil pump bolt. I had new rod and crank bearings rear main seal front seal and a new oil pump and front cover they did all of the work on the motor and then test ran it for $1400 and it took only a couple of days one of the few projects that went a head of schedule. Next up are transmission, reverser and transfer case. The winch is also getting a couple of new bearings and seals minor stuff the winch has always been trouble free on this machine

 

[upstateny]

Is this a 230 or 208/225/240?

 

[plasticweld]

Is this a 230 or 208/225/240?

this is a 240

 

[Cletuspsc]

Nice work. . . ..ever think about a Cummins 6BTA instead of the jimmy?

 

[056kid]

:agree2:

 

[Oldtimer]

Holy sheep dip!

You sure ain't skieert of a lil wrenching!

How much $ will you have invested when you are done?

I have to think you could have stepped into another working machine for the $ and been working it this whole time?

Anyhow, you have my respect!

 

[plasticweld]

Nice work. . . ..ever think about a Cummins 6BTA instead of the jimmy?

Orginally I thought about using a Dutz but everyone I talked to seemed tell me it was cheaper to buy a skidder with a Dutz already in it than change over to one because of how the pump was set up and all the other stuff that would need to be changed.
I used the Detroit just because I had it; not my first choice ever, lots of noise and not much power. In my dream world I would sell my Clark 664 skidder and trade it for a Cat 518 or 525 cable machine and make the 240 my spare machine and the one I use to pull trucks in and out with. I want a machine with a dealer that stocks parts and does not have 10 different models they stock parts for and none of them mine. When it come to ordering parts. The Timberjack no longer has a dealer ship the Clark dealership is gone and I can order parts for either machine over the phone and pay for overnight shipping to get the wrong part almost 50 percent of the time. I am willing to pay more for a part and walk in and get it than wait couple of days for a part. by the time you spring for the overnight shipping and now figure for lost time; it makes the off brand parts just has expensive as Cats parts now.. Like I said in my dream world

 

[plasticweld]

Holy sheep dip!

You sure ain't skieert of a lil wrenching!

How much $ will you have invested when you are done?

I have to think you could have stepped into another working machine for the $ and been working it this whole time?

Anyhow, you have my respect!

I figure $15,000 plus, also a lot of my time. I did look at buying a different machine I figured my machine as a trade plus $15,000 only bought me another machine that was just as likely to need something major. I can afford the money I can not afford to be broke down in the middle of a job this year when I need the machine the most, While I am way behind on schedule this repair project I am hoping to work without major problems for awhile once it is all back together. I also pay for stuff as I go and this is what I thought would make best of the money I had in hand. I suppose if I had a different mind set I would have taken the $15000 and my machine got something really nice and just made payments. I am already looking for a log truck and figured that I did not want to drain all my resources if I ran into trouble with a truck.. I am kind of playing it safe with what I have I am sure a year from now I will look back at this with clarity

 

[OregonSawyer]

Awesome thread. Can't wait to see more pics of the rebuild! Rep sent :msp_thumbup:

 

[Gologit]

Good effort. It takes a lot to keep that old iron going sometimes. When you're done you'll know every inch of that machine.