The 1F2297 bushings are $227.13 from Cat but not sure on availability. They are bronze material with internal grooves.

"Neil" wrote:

I'm sure I can find a couple over here but thanks for the offer Gary. I have a 4U back end I bought from Ron Meeder, which, if the sprockets are the same, would probably work. If I'm extra lucky, I might even have good percentage left in them. I'm betting those $50 bushings might be a lot more affordable than Cat. Could you let me know your source and the dimensions please.

I found a website called Bronzebushings.com. I just got a rough measurement for inside and outside to see what was available. I found 3 3/8 x 2 7/8 x 4 inches for $47. I would get an exact measurement but I think this is going to be a close match.

Did a repair on the bell housing where the engine side panel bolts to. I purchased new side panels from another club member.
Had one roller that was really worn on the flange area so I built it up and ground it down. I was able to clamp the the roller down and get it to turn with the grinder wheel which did a pretty good job of smoothing out the weld.

I've been doing a lot of reading on the old Caterpillar literature on reclaiming and refurbishing undercarriage parts. After I had the sprocket gauge made it was pretty clear I had some work to do on my sprockets. My friend with the welding shop had some tooling already made to press the weld in shells for the sprockets. I gave him a template made out of a strip of scrap steel that I pounded out in the sprocket. The match isn't exact but with a couple of tack welds and some persuasion it should work just like the Cat documents say it will. This will save a ton of welding time. I read somewhere while doing my research that these shells can be replaced up to 4 times before the pins and bushings are needing attention. I am confident I will never wear these out.

Yes ,the Cat literature says to heat the shells and form them with a hammer. After making my template with cold steel and a hammer while holding it with a pair of pliers I dont feel like it's going to be a problem. If I have to a c clamp or a big pair of pliers should hold the shell in place.

Dad and i made shell out of pipe, been in there for 20 years or more. Cat only gets 5 to 10 hours a years so a cheap solution

-yes a cheap solution for the sprocket, mostly time involved:clap2:

-what about wear on the bushing...any cheap fixes, ideas there to refurbish?

"kittylover123" wrote:

-yes a cheap solution for the sprocket, mostly time involved:clap2:

-what about wear on the bushing...any cheap fixes, ideas there to refurbish?

Buy a parts tractor with decent tracks