Sasquatch wrote:

Nice D2! You don't find them in any better condition than that, I bet with just a bit of cleaning that original paint would be shining almost like new again. Sheet metal all there, undercarriage with tons of life left, drawbar looks good, brake pedals like cheese graters - looks like a very well cared for machine. Some guys put tons of money and even more time into getting them back to this condition...lol

Neil wrote:

Mark, is it the pinion bearing or the bevel gear bearings that are loose? I think you said the "other" steering lever moves. If so, then the bevel gear bearings are loose. I did mine a couple of years ago. It's a bit newer than yours but I think you have the same arrangement, which is that there are shims behind the bearing cages that you can use to adjust preload. Regardless of the condition of the bearings, I would replace them because they're relatively inexpensive, particularly compared to the time it would take you to go back in there to swap them out later. The pinion bearing design was upgraded in a later series run than mine, which means your pinion is the same as mine, which is a regular roller bearing. Later models in the 5U series had conical bearings which are better suited to the load imposed by the pinion/bevel gear arrangement. So, if you have to pull the pinion out (you don't if you're just replacing the bevel gear bearings), then replace that bearing too. You'll want to go through the appropriate preload, contact point, and backlash adjustment procedure for that gear set

Delta wrote:

I thought that only the J series D2s did not have top rollers; Didn't all the D2 U series tractors have top rollers?
BTW.. That's a nice tractor!

Neil wrote:

Other thing to know about the bearing cages is that they do not come with a forcing screw thread, which is a big miss on Cat's part. You could try drilling the flange and threading it. Might have to mess with it a bit to get the tap started. The flange is only maybe 5/16 thick so you wouldn't have to drill much. I tapped mine out from the inside of the bevel shaft compartment because I wanted to see what it looked like apart before drilling any holes. In any case, whatever way you get it out, you can certainly drill forcing screw holes afterwards, and add some oversize holes in the shims where the forcing screw would go. One hole on each side diametrically opposite.
Bearings were Bower. They were good ones that's for sure, but I replaced them anyway because they were stained, and I replace all bearings if I don't know the history (which means every single bearing on my 5U has been replaced except a little tiny one on the end of the governor shaft). You'll need a pair of new seals too. Mine were Chicago Rawhide (CR) and super solid construction.
Nut locks 2B1738 qty 8, seals 4B3675 qty 2, cup 1B3978 qty 2, cone 1B3890 qty 2 - I picked up the cones from Florin. I had to put Speedisleeves on the seal surfaces 99175 SKF Speedi-Sleeve 1.75, in case you need to replace any of that stuff, although do check your parts catalog in case you have different numbers