TD9 for my first crawler

I am looking at an early International TD9 for light road construction on my farm. It will be my first crawler. I have checked for easy starting, no smoke or leaks when operating, driving in all gears, turning both left and right, operation of hydraulics. What else should I check before purchase?
 
With a crawler, you need to check the track adjustment status before anything else.
If the adjusters are already maxed out, you have expensive repairs coming up.
 
Post up pictures of track and
sprockets, bushings and rollers.
Someone can tell you if it is
worth fooling with. New parts are
not available. Used are hard to find.
 
(quoted from post at 08:28:28 08/03/22) Post up pictures of track and
sprockets, bushings and rollers.
Someone can tell you if it is
worth fooling with. New parts are
not available. Used are hard to find.
mvphoto95451.jpg


mvphoto95452.jpg


mvphoto95453.jpg


mvphoto95454.jpg


mvphoto95455.jpg


mvphoto95456.jpg
 
(quoted from post at 13:15:29 08/03/22)

What do the sprockets look like? What do the bushings that the sprocket engages look like? How near the end of the track frames are the front idler brackets?
 
79 year old guy that has been around ih crawlers since I was 12 years old. My advise is that thing
is 50 years old. Here is what happens you get it home , say water pump leaks hard to find but you
find parts spend 250 get going next say radiator leaks o anoother 4/5 hundred. Next say the engine
clutch goes out labor and parts 1200 to 1500 hundred then it shells a final.. going to take 4
thousand or you have a high price boat anchor. I have seen it too many times find you something
newer you can find 450 JD or td 7 ih for less than 8 to 10 thousand then what you spenbd will
return. That old 50 year dozer is a money pit. Just my 2 cents but you will thank me some day.
 
(quoted from post at 06:47:58 08/04/22) 79 year old guy that has been around ih crawlers since I was 12 years old. My advise is that thing
is 50 years old. Here is what happens you get it home , say water pump leaks hard to find but you
find parts spend 250 get going next say radiator leaks o anoother 4/5 hundred. Next say the engine
clutch goes out labor and parts 1200 to 1500 hundred then it shells a final.. going to take 4
thousand or you have a high price boat anchor. I have seen it too many times find you something
newer you can find 450 JD or td 7 ih for less than 8 to 10 thousand then what you spenbd will
return. That old 50 year dozer is a money pit. Just my 2 cents but you will thank me some day.
I understand!
I am a 69 year old guy who has been around everything except dozers forever, so I am terrified of finals and drive-train components which I cannot replace with my current jacks, lifts, and tools, but I have no fear of thrown rods, carbs, mags, etc.
I have found several organ-doner crawlers, but they are also 50 years old and it can usually be assumed that the same weak-links have gone on them as well. So what are the weak-links in a TD9?
Everyone around here wants $200 an hour for dozer work, so if a $4000 dozer runs for two days before exploding it has paid for itself.
 
I guess I should also plead guilty of loving old iron. Every lathe and mill in my shop is over 80 years old and my planer was built in 1854. My weekend cars are also over 80 years old and are Flathead V8s. So I was intrigued by the TD engine which starts on gas and switches to Diesel when warm. But sometimes I need parental-supervision to rein in my tangents!
 
Fritz they might not but the thing I am getting around to is after he goes thru thos minor expenses then has that major one pop up the dozer will at least be worth fixing. Seen i t too many times just like I went thru guy buys that old of a machine and get too much in it. AND the latter machines will just do so much more. Too each his own but buying a 50 year old dozer and expecting any real work out of it is taking a big chance his money and I was just trying to tell him where he is headed.
 
Flathead take a picture or look right at the FRONT big wheel that the tracks role around down in
the center it mounts with what is call the porkchop see where it is on the track frame if it is
slid out to the end the tracks are worn need to see 2 or 3 inches of that track frame in front of
the idler mount. Don,t let me scare you away but I have just had so much experience with this kind
of situation. I ran or owned a 8 acre ih dozer scrap yard for several years. Parted a lot of td9s
but that was back in the 60s/70s now days when one breaks down it is parked.
 
(quoted from post at 12:03:08 08/04/22) Flathead take a picture or look right at the FRONT big wheel that the tracks role around down in
the center it mounts with what is call the porkchop see where it is on the track frame if it is
slid out to the end the tracks are worn need to see 2 or 3 inches of that track frame in front of
the idler mount. Don,t let me scare you away but I have just had so much experience with this kind
of situation. I ran or owned a 8 acre ih dozer scrap yard for several years. Parted a lot of td9s
but that was back in the 60s/70s now days when one breaks down it is parked.
Is the adjustment at the top of the image the correct one
mvphoto95496.jpg

?
 
Truth is I was pulling your leg a little bit... youre 100% correct about newer vs older machinery...the whole thing is a crap shoot anyway, no matter how diligently he inspects any machine, it could drop a valve tomorrow...just ask anyone with a D4H... they can polish up and look all high-tech and stuff, but not one of Cats better efforts.
 
(quoted from post at 12:41:42 08/04/22) Truth is I was pulling your leg a little bit... youre 100% correct about newer vs older machinery...the whole thing is a crap shoot anyway, no matter how diligently he inspects any machine, it could drop a valve tomorrow...just ask anyone with a D4H... they can polish up and look all high-tech and stuff, but not one of Cats better efforts.
Regarding older or newer, the CAT D4H is nearly 100 hp, and the TD9 is nearly 50 hp, so I would expect the TD9 to only push half the dirt of the CAT. Also the TD9 blade is adjusted with a hammer and wedges rather than hydraulics. Am I missing anything else?
 
That is the picture I was looking for, looks like you have a lot of track adjustment left. Judging
from that photo the bushing and sprocket should be good. Only thing that could possibly change that
if someone had removed a link from the rails but ever thing you have posted looks good on the
undercariage.
 
(quoted from post at 05:32:19 08/05/22) That is the picture I was looking for, looks like you have a lot of track adjustment left. Judging
from that photo the bushing and sprocket should be good. Only thing that could possibly change that
if someone had removed a link from the rails but ever thing you have posted looks good on the
undercariage.
Thanks guys! Access to your wisdom makes this forum invaluable
 

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