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SE ND | Hey guys, just browsing the local tractors for sale and found a 91' Caterpillar 65B for sale, 60% tracks 4400hrs, foam filled idlers, excellent condition.
My question is what're they worth? Is it something worth looking at? We are using an 8450 JD 4wd on a 42' 1850 air drill with a 787 cart. We would also put it on a 24' chisel plow running fairly deep. We would be gaining 60 engine horse, is the hp difference more noticeable when going to tracks? We have rolling hills with fairly light ground. Would we be happy going to this model? I've read the C series is better but they are more expensive and higher hours. Would one pull a 24 row corn planter? Thanks guys! |
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Northern CA | I have a C series that I bought last year with 4107 hours for $42, with every little thing fixed that the Cat dealer found wrong with it, i.e. Loose armrest, remote rubber plug missing, exhaust bolt broken, etc. The C series has no more tire and the brakes are better. I don't know what your budget is, but I have seen many B series Cats with 12,000 plus hours still working here in Ca. For that matter, I have seen them around 25-30k hours and have been rebuilt once or maybe twice. If it's in your budget, it can be a dependable machine. If the brakes fail, and are important to you, I hear it is costly. |
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SE ND | This one is advertised for $22500, does the B series still have the brakes on the outside? |
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Northern CA | Do some searches with "Cat 65" and maybe narrow it down with my name as well, and I think you will find out. I think, emphasizing think, the B brakes were internal, hence the cost |
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cropsey, il 61731 | The A and B models have the outboard brakes and most don't work. The parking brake might though. The undercarriage used the "tires" like you noticed but also have a bushing type bearing system on the mid rollers. I don't think the bushings or the outboard brakes were designed to be used in dirty environments :-).
The C models (though I can't say early models are not like B's or vice versa) fixed a lot of issues - steel front idler wheel (no flats), ball bearing mid rollers and inboard brakes. There were other improvements, but an important one was rear end lubrication was improved which could be a problem.
I had an early 65A 10 years ago that I bought for $12K and it ran pretty nice. I swapped the 24" HD worn belts for 35" because they were cheap, but a couple tires on it, chased mid rollers down the road a few times, had no brakes and I finally sold it as scrap for, thankfully, $8000 after the rear end broke and I no longer had the heart to work on it anymore. It also filled the rear end with hydraulic oil from the steering motor (bad seal) every couple weeks and I had to drain it.
Recently my best spring tillage operator (my wife) noted that the old steigers are just too rough riding and the 8630 JD had no power and I can never have another 8630. So to smooth out the ride I started looking for cats again and found a 6000hr 75C at a JD dealer complete with no brakes and a missing grill for $15K. So far I've put a starter on it. The C seems to be a big improvement though my steering motor may be getting weak. My brake pedal is locked solid so maybe it's rusted from no use or just another strange cat brake issue (it's not like brake systems are a brand new thing, but must be for cat). Anyway, mission accomplished, great ride, lots and lots of power to the ground - pulls 30' landoll tilloll at any speed I want (probably road gear).
Everything is going down in price and with cat service and support being usually farther away than typical brands and at usually much higher cost, older cats are not high value machines. I would hold out for C model for about the same or less than the current deal you are working on if you intend to keep it a long time. Maybe wait a little. There are used parts available in CA where a lot of them ended up. |
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| A and B brakes are terrible, but easy to get at externally. The C-D and E brakes are internal and work well until the brake pedal linkage gets rusty in the control box outside the cab and sticks. This causes the brakes to drag and eventually get smoked. They are expensive and labor intensive to fix. |
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east central NE. | We had to pump the brakes a lot on a 75 D to get them to work ,It was like the master cylinder did not put out enough oil to push the big piston on the brakes. Mine did use oil and some used brake fluid. I ended up putting a electric hydralic pump on that goes on with the brake light. With some valves , hoses and 1100 lb. relieve valve I have real good brakes. The tractor dosen't get the use it used to but has been a real good tractor with about the only expense was the brake deal and a set of tracks. |
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| I bought a 65c-6500 hrs, 25-30% tracks, pretty clean, some new parts here and there, needs odds and ends to be perfect , 11500$. End of december |
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Northern CA | Thanks for correcting me. I had the cost part correct with the brakes, but the location wrong. |
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Cat 65B questions
