1939 CAT DOZER, with double winch

[Ironwood]

Well, I have a buddy with this old Cat sitting out back. Small little Dozer, say around 12,000lbs. The model # escapes me now. I thought about buying it to skid logs on our property. He had it running a few years ago. Now the clutch plate is rusted together due to leaving it engaged during outdoor storage.  The tracks, sprockets and idlers look great. The blade does pivot manually, the winches on the rear are whoppers. He also has a tracked loader that has the same undercarrige and motor (shot). He wants $3000 for both or $2200 for just the dozer. Should I run and hide? Or look into this further? I suppose the things are collectable because of the brand but I would use the one and if ever I needed to just put them back on the market. Any thoughts?

                           Reid

[Luckyfarmer]

I'm very new on the forum but very old with Cat.  Having owned several over the years I would buy it in a heartbeat.  I am currenty running an 8H.

[Ironwood]

I think it is an 8H, it is cast into the upper radiator cover and has the old undulating CATEPILLAR logo on the side. The price seems reasonable?? Reid

[IL Bull]

Is it a pony motor start?   Good old machines but are expensive to repair.  :P
Sounds like a neat machine.  Old Cats neve die,  they just crawl away. :D

[Ironwood]

I don't know on the pony motor. Should I buy both given the marginal cost and the amount of spares I would get? I know Ford 8N's like the back of my hand but these are a whole new, "RUSTY IRON ADVENTURE".Reid

[IL Bull]

I would buy both.  you would have your own parts department. ;D

[Frank_Pender]

Reid, what is the cost to ship them out here?   ;D  I would buy them in a half a beat, if they were very near.  I have a D5 for a big brother for the John Deere 40, but little brothers are always nice, sometimes. :D

[ronwood]

Luckyfarmer,

Welcome to the forum. My neighbor has a D2 and uses it to skid trees. Slow but it works good.

Ron

[Ed_K]

 I'd buy both, if your lucky the parts will interchange. If they don't scrap is up right now  .

[Mike_P.]

Reid:

I'd buy them both if I were you.  I've got a couple of old Cats, a D2 and Ten (1929) and I find parts are fairly available and they're much easier to work on than some of the other brands.

A couple of years ago, I rebuilt the steering clutches and brakes in our IH TD-6 and we were able to find replacement parts, but I found myself thinking unkind thoughts about the engineers that placed things where they did.

Of course, you've got to take my advice with a grain of salt since I get very fond of this old stuff.

Mike

[WH_Conley]

Check the cable capacity of the double winches. Had a guy do some work for me that has a D6 with double winches, course I was curious about them. Turns out he has a pan that he pulls with the 6, the double drum winches operate the pan. I have no idea at all if they are suitable for anything else or not.

[Part_Timer]

Reid

I don't know if this will help or not but I was at an auction 2 weeks ago and they sold a gas JD 350 that had a loader bucket on it for $3500 no winches.  It was in nice shape and I knew the guy that was selling it.   I should have bought it and kick myself for not but I don't have a truck and trailer big enough for it.

I'd say go for it but I'm still suffering from "not buying remorse"  :'(


Tom

[Ironwood]

Part tiimer,

  I try to avoid the "not buying blues" by purchasing just about everything I am interested in. . I would rather haul it home think about it and then resell it if necessary than regret the lost opportunity. Thankfully I have a patient wife. 8)


                       Reid

[Frank_Pender]

Me tooooooo, Reid on the last sentence. 8) 8) 8) 8)

[whitepe]

This isn't a 1939 but 1937 is close.

http://www.washington.edu/uwired/outreach/cspn/curforest/42.html

Last year I sent Jeff B. some books with pictures of old CAT tractors.
Several pictures were of logging applications. One picture that I
remember was a CAT model THIRTY pulling 20 cords of pulp wood
in Port Arthur Ontario.  The wood was on sleds with wooden runners.

http://www.financial-book-review.com/BB/BOB/BOB_309.html

A couple of weeks ago,  the wife came home carrying a couple of calendar year 2005
CAT Legendary Equipment. that she found in the literature warehouse.
Jan. was a picture of a 1955 CAT 6 traxcavator with forklifts loading logs in Eureka
california.  May 2005 was a picture of a 1937 CAT D4400 diesel with belt pulley
driving a sawmill and edger in Roanoke, Alabama.  The estimated production
was 1000 board feet per hour.  I am glad that I wasn't the one pulling boards. :D

[whitepe]

Here's a picture of a CAT TWENTY at the Buckley Old Engine Show.

http://www.buckleyoldengineshow.org/Tractors/1920/MVC-699S.JPG

Shucks,  for all I know,  Jeff might have taken that picture.   

Here's a CAT model SIXTY with a log skidder.

http://www.pleasantonmodelrr.org/newsletter/sixty.html

[whitepe]

Our FF friends at Rust Reaper have a really fine on line album of old tractors.

http://www.rustreaper.com/gallery/album05

[Quartlow]

Go buy it!!!!  ;D ;D I wouldn't worry about the clutches. The ones on my 500C IH where froze up when I got it. Tore it all apart. Polished the paltes with 80 grit sandpaper on a da with the duaal action locked out, makes it spin like a grinder. Put it all back together and went to work. that was 5 years ago.

[farmerdoug]

Reid,

Check out this site.

http://www.ibdozing.com/

There is a site for antique Cats but my link is dead.  I know the guy running the site was having problems last year with the server host.

Farmerdoug

[Ironwood]

OK, here it is. This thing I have decided is beyond the scope or scale of my abilities and interests. Anyone interested can be directly in contact with the guy and they can work out the details. The unit is near Ligonier, Pa. PM me and I will give you contact info. Reid