caterpiller steel?

Ironballs

Ironballs

Joined
Nov 18, 2006
Messages
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I have noticed a change to Caterpiller Steel from Spring steel. Does this mean HI bought a messed up Caterpiller tractor and are tearing it down into blades? Anyone know what the properties of this steel are and how it compares. Thanks.
 
I wonder if only steel from the blade is being used, or if they make use of the track cleats also.
 
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i'd think you'd need a few of these pounded together to make one kook
 
I'm interested in see what Ted finds out. My father has a Cat backhoe that he abuses daily, and a blade made out of the plow steel would be incredibly tough:thumbup: Color me interested:)

Jake
 
Yangdu is checking with the shop to verify the information she has. I'll let you all know as soon as I know.
 
I found this doing a little Googling:
Bulldozers and crawlers, characterized for their immense blade and versatile track, are comprised of many structural, hydraulic, and engine assemblies. The core body of the bulldozer, consisting of the mainframe and undercarriage, is primarily fabricated from low carbon structural steel plates and a giant casting. The cab contains many glass, rubber, and plastic components which enhance the ergonomic feel of the machine. Supplying the power for the dozer and its various systems, the engine contains many high strength steel parts, which endure high operating temperatures. The other necessary components, the blade, power train, and various systems components, are formed from structural and high carbon steel. The track, which is fashioned from many standard grade steel links, adds to the already tremendous weight of this mostly steel machine.
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A quick review of online Caterpillar spec sheets doesn't show any more specificity about the types of steel involved.
 
Its Great or throwing or flying kukris! Once its turned into a butterfly of course! ;)

Remeber thats what the kaudis for! :D

Spiral
 
OK, I'll bite. How do you know you are getting Cat steel? Are you guys receiving yellow blades:D Seriously though, how is this determined?
 
Track pins, blade edges, hydraulic cylinder rods, bearings and gears should all be high carbon steel. The rear ripper teeth should be as well, however the ripper teeth and blade edges are also usually high silicone content as well. Not sure how good a knife/khuk would be using the process that kami's use. The blade face (the largest part of the dozer blade) is usually made of a medium to low medium carbon content steel. The cylinder rods are usually high carbon and high chromium content, to resist rust and rock damage. The frame and belly pan, along with most of the structural parts of the dozer are usually fairly low carbon, forged and/or cast steel. The bearings, bearing races and gears are high carbon, but do the forges at the HI shop get to high enough temps for forge welding? Not sure they would be large enough for a decent sized khuk, otherwise. The engine block itself is usually a low grade cast steel/cast iron. The camshaft and crankshaft are high carbon, high grade steel, as are the valves. The pistons are aircraft, or higher, grade aluminum or cast iron, mostly aluminum, for faster heat disipation. The piston cylinders are high carbon steel. The final drive spline shaft for each side is also high carbon steel.
(Guess what industry I work in? If you say construction/mining equipment, you are right.)
 
IUKE12 said:
OK, I'll bite. How do you know you are getting Cat steel? Are you guys receiving yellow blades:D Seriously though, how is this determined?
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When you buy a Manix, how do you know that you're getting S30V? I mean, has anyone ever independantly verified this? I sure as hell haven't.

We take things as a matter of faith all the time. I see no reason not to believe what a well-regarded manufacturer tells me about their materials, as long as they've not given me a reason to mistrust them.

More importantly, does it work or not? If it's working like it should then they were probably honest. If not, and it's still working like it should, why worry about it? I do not personally care if it's made of meteoric unobtanium quenched in jackalope urine...as long as it works properly. ;)
 
I asked a steel expert (Achim Wirtz) on another forum which parts of Caterpillar machines could be used for knives, and his answer was: only the pins wich hold the links of the tracks together.
 
Caterpillar mentions DH-2 steel, which I've never heard of before. I've seen H7 referenced in other places and again, I'm not familiar with it. This is just for the blades.

"Caterpiller" is a bit of a generic term for tracked vehicles, though, much as "Xerox" is for copying machines. It could be anything. If indeed it's high carbon steel (.6-.99% carbon) and there aren't any weird alloying additives, it should be fine.

Anyone sent any emails to the manufacturers yet?
 
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