In addition to my personal equipment that I have listed below, check out the Caterpillar museum in New Zealand:
The New Zealand Caterpillar Experience
Fuel pump: November 2013 & January 2014 Updates
My stuff:
Michigan 55AG Payloader
Purchased a Michigan 55AG Payloader with a Hopto 110 Backhoe attachment in September, 2012. It was in non-running condition when I got it.
I flushed out the gas tank, replaced a portion of the hard-line that was rusted and leaking, installed a new fuel filter, and bypassed the existing wiring harness with a hot-wired system to get it running. After cleaning some spark plugs, filling it up with water, I was able to get it running. After filling up the hydraulic system with oil, I was able to operate the backhoe into a transport position, and then drive it up into the shop for further work. I immediately noticed that the backhoe had some hoses that were leaking a steady stream of oil, so that was the first task to tackle.
After purchasing consulting the manual for the backhoe that I purchased from eBay, I determined the correct replacement lengths of hoses, and purchased those at Mills Fleet Farm. Then it was time to replace the worst of the hoses, mainly the ones that go from the valve body out to the main boom. Total of 5 hoses replaced for this time around.
Next will be some additional hoses for the main pivot and the stabilizer arms, as there’s some small leakage somewhere along the hoses.
More pictures at bottom of page, scroll down for more!
Michigan 75A Payloader
I bought this one for a steal on Craigslist in November 2012! The guy was selling it because it didn’t seem to be working correctly, and based on his information and research I did on this unit I was fairly certain the transmission was low on fluid. When he arrived with it on his trailer, it would barely move to get it off the trailer. After he farted around with for a bit, I brought out some transmission fluid, added a couple of quarts, and it was drivable with no problems! Needless to say, the seller was a bit disappointed that he didn’t think of that, but was glad to see it being sold to someone who could work on it. I’ve done some further looking at it, and I’m fairly certain that there’s some seals/o-rings up on the torque converter that are leaking. For now, I’ll just add transmission fluid until I can take the time to pull the engine, remove the torque converter, and fix it correctly.
It sure is fun to drive! I’ve got some land work to do on an acreage, so this will come in handy.
Here’s some video’s of it:
Here’s more pictures of both of them:
