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Today was another out-freaking-standing day!

Picked up my buddy Will at about 7 am; 35 or so degrees, which is frigid for south Texas! On site at about 9 am, sun was shining and it was warming up nicely! Ended up in the mid-70's by early afternoon; just a gorgeous south Texas "winter" day!

Worked on fluids first -- added another 5 gallons of diesel to the tank, then topped off the oil in the winch; turns out it was only a few quarts low. Next step was to add several quarts of 30W to the steering clutch booster.

At that point, our "tech advisor" Craig, showed up on site, with his lovely wife, Helen; they drove in from 2+ hours away. Craig has been running Cat dozers for 50+ years, so it was a huge help to have someone with his knowledge and experience as we tried to get the tractor moving.

Next, I managed to get the tractor started, but it wasn't as easy as I had expected. Anyway, I let it idle for 5-10 minutes to let everything warm up. After it was warm, I killed the engine, then started it up in Forward, 1st gear. I was half expecting it to jump, but it didn't do anything until I engaged the clutch, then it moved forward immediately and out of the hole that it had been sitting in for 10+ years which was a huge relief.

I didn't have much room to move forward, so I killed the engine and shifted into reverse, still in 1st gear (I wasn't able to shift while the engine was running because the clutch was still dragging).

Once I started the engine and started moving in reverse, I tried the steering brakes and clutches - both worked! I was able to steer without any problems. From there, I killed it again, put it in forward, 1st gear, and did a lap around the area (a few acres) where the dozer had been sitting. All went well, so I parked it for now, and topped off the engine oil (a few gallons low!) and the final drives (each took a few gallons of 90W).

I suspect I have culminated on this tractor. I did what I set out to do, did right by the old girl by getting her running and operating again, and now there's a decent chance that she'll get sold to someone who will put her back in service.

Will and I thought about making a stop at the Dusty Saddle Saloon on the way home, but I'm not a huge fan of women that chew Red Man, so we headed back to San Antonio!

Thanks again for all the input!

Scott