Working on tightening the track on my 690a I just bought. The teeth on the track keep walking to the side of the tumbler wheel, Ive tried tightening the outer and losing the inner and vice versa but no luck. Any tips?
I would keep the outer and inner adjusters the same length, more likely your track is just walking off the way you're turning (pivoting) the machine. Tighten the tensioners on the end of the carriage with the drive chain tensioners first, then tighten the ones at the non-driven end. If you can't get it tight and have to run with loose tracks, spin the carriage so the drive wheels are at the back, so they are always pulling from the bottom of the track as you move forward, so the weight of the machine will keep the track tight and in the guide rollers... if you do the opposite (drive wheels at the front and pulling the track down from the top) and the track is loose, the cogs will skip and that's how you throw a track.
Truthfully, in 15 years of owning this machine, I have not had to buy many parts for it. I've replaced a hydraulic hose, and of course filters, and I've had the starter worked on once and put a starter solenoid on it twice (lesson learned - only buy Standard brand solenoids), and that's about it. The starter is an Delco/Remy, the injection pump is a Stanadyne, if it came to buying specific parts for the hydraulic drive motors or the John Deere engine, I may have issues finding them - but I haven't had to do that with this machine. It is old enough (1970?) that some of its brothers and sisters are being scrapped now. Of course if you have the chance to get a machine with a hydraulic thumb, get that one... this one has a stiff thumb that was added to it at some point, it helps, but I really wish I had added hydraulics to it at some point. I even have an extra valve block from a 690B that I picked up at one point. If I could do it again, I would probably buy a 690B or later... there's a big difference between the 690A undercarriage (which is chain driven and threaded-rod tensioned, like an old crane undercarriage) and the 690B and newer (maybe 1974 and newer?), which are directly driven and tensioned with grease, like most modern machines... but I bought this machine for $10k about 15 years ago, and it has worked well and owes me nothing.
New ones for a 690A like this one? I imagine you'd have to fabricate them or have them made for you. It's a long shot, but you might be able to find NOS ones somewhere. You might be able to find used ones in a scrap yard somewhere, but this type is so old (50+ years) that most of the non-running ones have been scrapped and melted down by now. If you're talking about a 690B or newer with hydraulic (grease) adjusters, you might have better luck... it seems like there were more of those made, and since they are slightly newer, there seem to be a few parts here & there...
Another soothing video, I just feel like everything is going to be OK when I watch you fix things. Good therapy
Everything IS going to be ok...
Hello, enjoyed your video thanks for sharing have a blessed day lisa@moneypit homestead
Thanks Lisa! I hope it was a help to you...
Working on tightening the track on my 690a I just bought. The teeth on the track keep walking to the side of the tumbler wheel, Ive tried tightening the outer and losing the inner and vice versa but no luck. Any tips?
I would keep the outer and inner adjusters the same length, more likely your track is just walking off the way you're turning (pivoting) the machine. Tighten the tensioners on the end of the carriage with the drive chain tensioners first, then tighten the ones at the non-driven end. If you can't get it tight and have to run with loose tracks, spin the carriage so the drive wheels are at the back, so they are always pulling from the bottom of the track as you move forward, so the weight of the machine will keep the track tight and in the guide rollers... if you do the opposite (drive wheels at the front and pulling the track down from the top) and the track is loose, the cogs will skip and that's how you throw a track.
I am looking at a similar machine. Was wondering about part availability for it. Have you run into any issues?
Truthfully, in 15 years of owning this machine, I have not had to buy many parts for it. I've replaced a hydraulic hose, and of course filters, and I've had the starter worked on once and put a starter solenoid on it twice (lesson learned - only buy Standard brand solenoids), and that's about it. The starter is an Delco/Remy, the injection pump is a Stanadyne, if it came to buying specific parts for the hydraulic drive motors or the John Deere engine, I may have issues finding them - but I haven't had to do that with this machine. It is old enough (1970?) that some of its brothers and sisters are being scrapped now. Of course if you have the chance to get a machine with a hydraulic thumb, get that one... this one has a stiff thumb that was added to it at some point, it helps, but I really wish I had added hydraulics to it at some point. I even have an extra valve block from a 690B that I picked up at one point. If I could do it again, I would probably buy a 690B or later... there's a big difference between the 690A undercarriage (which is chain driven and threaded-rod tensioned, like an old crane undercarriage) and the 690B and newer (maybe 1974 and newer?), which are directly driven and tensioned with grease, like most modern machines... but I bought this machine for $10k about 15 years ago, and it has worked well and owes me nothing.
Any thoughts on where or how to get new slack adjusters
New ones for a 690A like this one? I imagine you'd have to fabricate them or have them made for you. It's a long shot, but you might be able to find NOS ones somewhere. You might be able to find used ones in a scrap yard somewhere, but this type is so old (50+ years) that most of the non-running ones have been scrapped and melted down by now. If you're talking about a 690B or newer with hydraulic (grease) adjusters, you might have better luck... it seems like there were more of those made, and since they are slightly newer, there seem to be a few parts here & there...
Will you make any more videos?
Can we get a new starlink video update now that starlink has added more sats. You mentioned outrages around 15 seconds. Has it got better?
Yes, I am working on a Starlink update video... coming soon.
@@normnelson just seen they added more sats. I did see their goals are 10gbps
Yeah, they are adding satellites all the time. It will continue to improve for a while.