new skidder

[lumberjack48]

I would have had a [ Gochi ]  hold on the mechanic days ago 8)  Just swapping engines would have took me 2 days.

[treefarmer87]

Talked to him today and he said mon for sure

[lumberjack48]

I sure hope he gets things together for you. TF87 i know one thing you got going for you, thats patience, thats a good thing to have in this business.

[treefarmer87]

he takes a long time, but it gets done right. i wont have to worry about it for a long time.

[lumberjack48]

If you'd ever did a motor swap, you would understand why were getting short with your mechanic.

I hope your strategy pays off, the longer the job takes, its a better job done.

I'm sorry, but i would start getting a bad feeling if a simple job took this long. [ just me tf87 ] 

[chevytaHOE5674]

Few years back when I was in college I worked for a guy hand cutting large saw timber trees that were too big for his feller buncher and also limbing the bunches. One day the motor in the buncher tossed a rod through the block way down in a ravine with no way to get the machine out of the bush (imagine 4 feet of snow, steep hills, temps around 20 or 30 below zero, and it was dead in the water). We built a tent around the machine with plastic and had the motor pulled, a rebuildable core motor sourced, rebuilt, reinstalled and running in 4 days time.... That was years ago and the machine has changed hands 3 times and still going strong.....

A simple motor swap like yours out in the open with all the proper tools and such should be an easy weekend job.

[treefarmer87]

it is completely back together. it has 65 lbs oil pressure idling now. all new gaskets and seals.and it sounds good too 

[lumberjack48]

tf87  thats to high of oil pressure at idle, even if motors cold. I would change the gauge, or check it with another on motor.

That high oil pressure would scare me, something is wrong.
A hot Detroit should idle at 20 lbs, full throttle 50-55 lbs

[treefarmer87]

besides the gauge what could be the cause of that high of pressure

[lumberjack48]

I'm not an engine rebuilder, if its not the gauge. I would do some calling around first thing in the morning and see what Detroit says about it, its probably something real simple.

I guise it makes a difference where its hooked into the motor.

[Woodhauler]

On a cummins motor in a truck i had, i beleive there was a spring in the boil pump that could be streched out to give it more pressure? I would get a gauge and check it right off the block. HOPEFULLY its just the gauge!

[tlandrum]

hopefully its the gauge and not oil gallies blocked cusing it to read high. or a bearing not lined up correctly causing it.

[treefarmer87]

I hope so

[chevytaHOE5674]

Could be a bearing not lined up, bearing tolerance too tight, or possible oil pump clearances too tight.

If I was you I would find a new qualified mechanic and have him fix it correctly and send the bill to the guy working on it right now.

[lumberjack48]

tf87 pull the oil filter off, take a good look at, make sure theres nothing stuck in the holes. change the filter

If that has a spin on filer and the oil pressure that high, it should have blew it off.

[craigc]

I agree with Tahoe get rid of this "Mechanic" this guy has cost you a month of work.  Sit down and caculate how much money you have lost in sales.  A qualified mechanic can make you money by doing a proper job and done in a timely manner.  Spend the extra money to get it done right this will pay off.  We are in a business were you need to be working every good day you can.

[lumberjack48]

What really upsets me about this whole deal, i knew that motor had an oil pressure issue when they bench ran it. I thought it had been resolved, evidently somebody don't have a clue what there doing.

TF87 i really feel for you, but we have to set our feelings aside. Nows the time to grab the BULL BY THE HORNS, enough is enough, this skidder has to be fixed in days not weeks or months. I would be in the sellers face, i got a feeling hes treating you like sum kid fooling around with a skidder, will its just about court time, i would straight tell him to FIX IT. You figure all your down time, the stress on you, and ect   smiley_deadheader alligator

[Autocar]

I feel for you TR one thing ive learned over the years figure out stuff yourself then your only *pithed at yourself when things goes south  :D. I hired my detroit to be rebuilt [ 4/53 ] but now I sometimes wish I would of had another to tear down and try to see how tuff they reaily are to rebuild. Iam lucky enough to be in a place in my life where I don't have to hit it every day but still remember how stressful it can be when your down and having to rely on someone else. Ive learned theres only two people I can rely on myself and my wife  ;) Hope things come togather for you soon, Bill 

[treefarmer87]

everythings back to normal. skidder did great 8) oil pressure at full throttle is 60 lbs now (idling 35) . thats alot better, guess the gauge was wrong. temp gauge was 180-190. got a load of pulpwood on the truck now for in the morning. i would have done more today, but the wife wanted to cut hay, so i showed her what to do. going early tomm. morning to push out a new deck with the dozer

[grassfed]

Sounds great! I think that  the 453t is a great motor...the best of the Detroit 53s. I am jealous that you are cutting hay already I will run out of hay in 2 more days and my pastures should be just ready for my cows...I hope! 

[treefarmer87]

i plan on cutting 3 times this year. i usually cut once a year, and always have hay left over , but we only have 25-35 cows. we got a new jd 5300 series 8). it is nice.

[Norm]

Glad to hear you got it running.

Only 25-35 cows huh...that's a bunch! What are you cutting hay with?

[treefarmer87]

A 5300 series jd and a 916 jd moco disc bine

[grassfed]

I use a MF 399 pulling an old kuhn fc 300. Is it flat where you live? It is kind of hilly here so you need about 80-100hp to pull a 10 foot geared disk at 5-6mph. You could get by with 70hp with a shaft drive disc like a 5209 new idea. I have about 50 head but we feed hay about 6 months a year.

[lumberjack48]

 Thank your lucky stars it was the gauge, finely something going right.

I never owned a cow, just a full time logger. I don't know where i would have found time to take care of cattle.