That's about as manly as it gets!!!

Thanks,

Scott

Houston, we have a problem.

The bearing/hub assembly on the right final drive is damaged and will need to be replaced. I saw it before we started working on it, but I was hoping it wasn't a major ordeal to repair/replace. Now that I've done a bit of research, it looks to be a fairly involved and expensive project.

More to follow, but I think I know why it was free!!!

I enjoyed the video. I am a FB Marketplace and Craigslist junkie also , can't pass up a good deal.

Purely in response to the title...

KILLDOZER

Yeah, I try to pass on deals if I don't have the space or bandwidth, but this one was too hard to pass up.

Thanks

I do get pissed off at the HOA at times, but not the Killdozer level of pissed off...

GREAT movie !

I wasn't referring to the movie. But the way things are going, the HOA is probably going to be the least of your worries.

Yep. It's about to get expensive.

the biggest dozer of any worth i have experience with is the JD 450 we used back in my junkyard ownership days.
it was bought cheap, although i can't remember why, and it was a learning experience for my partner and i to get it running and working again.
and of course we buried it over the tracks in a mud pit doing stupid stuff..............
took us 3 weeks or so to get it out, using several of our other yard vehicles, including an oliver cleetrack baby dozer wannabe and our '46 international winch truck. [which also got buried several times and had to be dug out to continue the original JD dig out]

Sounds like an epic adventure! I almost bought a JD 450 a month or two ago but the owner wanted too much for it.

Latest video is up in case anyone is interested - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBSKaC6GzPw

Nice video.

the "adventure" tales that could be told about the junkyard could fill a book !
two guys having fun while running a business, the business location, and some of the hauls [why haul a load unless it's a BIG load........ ] would make a great goofball comedy...........

More bad news on the 977; after I got the belly pans pulled and I spent some time inspecting, I found some half-a** repairs that need to be undone if I'm going to save this machine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7AjI7zMuEY

I'm curious, what motor does it have, like a 3306 or 3406?
And that roll over protection, is not original from that era, correct?
Neat acquisition .

You weren't friends with Marvin Heemeyer by any chance?

Watched the videos.

IMO know when to say when . Its a parts machine

But then again, I dont know heavy equipment costs either.

The problem becomes once your into it and find more issues. You are now committed

In regards to replacing the tracks themselves. all comes down to what you intend to do with the machine long term. If its just something to piddle with around the homestead. Leave the tracks alone

If you really plan to work the machine regularly,,,,then reevaluate

Caterpillars are out of my price range, knowledge, or experience, but I have been involved with a large number of "free" cars and trucks.

Usually "free" means its not going to be an easy money maker, if that was what was on your mind at the beginning, you are a fool. Its going to involve work or special equipment to retrieve from its position, the dead line is pretty short, or other difficult things are going to be present. If it was going to be easy, it would have already been gone. That means you enter into these operations because the challenges are just too great to pass up, for something that has the potential to be really a cool or fun. If that is why you entered into the challenge, you have to know how deep you are willing to go. You really shouldn't expect it to come out as a wonderful experience, but at the same time, you sort of hope it does just that.

In the end, most "free" projects I collected were barely worth the effort invested from a financial stand point. Most produced some great stories, and many were actually fun, and challenging at the same time. Nearly every one of them was a learning experience. I was always aware of the point at which it was time to pull the plug on the "free' operation and call it done.

This Caterpillar adventure has been a great story and a fun adventure, but I'm beginning to question the guy's ability to end the adventure. He seems pretty stuck on the idea of it being a money maker, and keeps chasing that end farther down into the big hole of it being an expensive failure. He needs to call it done, and start selling parts to recoup some of his expenses, while the story is still sort of a fun story.

Sorry if I missed this, but what year was this built? A quick internet search says it could be as old as 1955?

The engine is a turbocharged D333 with 150 hp.

The 977 was manufactured in 1961 or so. The ROPS is from the 1970's, according to the tag.

I don't know Marvin Heemeyer.

Thanks,

Scott