Maintaining A Caterpillar 301.7cr Mini Excavator

This video covers basic maintenance to a Cat 301.7CR. I found very little information online about maintaining these machines so this I'm documenting my process in hopes that it helps other owners/users. This is a long video, but I wanted to include as much information as possible. If you're looking for a process, skip to the chapter listed below.
Draining Oil 2:24
Changing Oil Filter 4:30
Replacement Oil Filter 5:30
Adding Oil 7:58
Topping Off Hydraulic Fluid 9:50
Removing Thumb 11:12
Thumb Shims/Washers 14:05
Welding Thumb 16:38
Adding Shims 33:58
Installing Thumb 36:30
Adding 45 Degree Zerk Fail 39:30
Squeaky V-belt/serpentine belt 40:00
Tiling Cab 40:45
Removing V-Belt 42:00
Installing & Tensioning V-belt 44:03
New Belt Test 49:00
Changing Inline Fuel Filter 49:11
Removing Fuel / Water Separator 52:33
Priming Fuel Line 54:24
Most of these processes should also apply to all Next Gen Caterpillar mini excavators from 301.5, 301.7CR, 301.8 and 302CR excavators.

[@brooksmarshall]

A tip for welding, your travel speed looks a little fast and inconsistent at times. Try moving the stick a little slower, more uniformly. Don't get in a rush. This will let the weld puddle fill properly. Thats why some of your beads look like old coke bottles getting thinner and fatter and thinner again. Learn to watch the molten puddle of metal forming and move along only as fast as it takes to fill the puddle out. Since you're running off a 110v outlet this will also help you build better heat in your base metal which will in turn give you better weld penetration which is important in this application since your base metal is pretty thick for a 110v welder. Stick welding is tricky at first but very versatile and a great skill to have. You're doing good. Like any skill it just takes some practice.

[@PhilsWorld]

Thanks for the tips, it's hard to really focus on any one thing when I was mainly concerned about not loosing my arc. I really just need to fart around with it more. At the end of the day, knowing what to do is one thing, actually doing what you want to do is another.

[@brooksmarshall]

​@@PhilsWorld I understand it. There's a lot different stuff to focus on while stick welding. A lot of movements that other welding processes don't have. You'll get it. I love the videos, man. Keep it up!

[@alextroche9453]

👀👀 looking forward to some talaria content from you! the cardboard gave it away

[@PhilsWorld]

I figured someone would pick up on it :)

[@scottkarbach1214]

You can hold the welding rod to help being steady and slow but good job its always good to be able to service everything yourself

[@PhilsWorld]

I appreciate the tips. I started doing that towards the end, that definitely make a big difference. I've got a lot of farting around to do thats for sure. Moving the rod at a constant pace was surprisingly difficult, there were a bunch of other things i was focused on that id get distracted/impatient and move too fast a lot of the time.

[@DigAndRide]

first vid after 2 months...welcome back :D

[@PhilsWorld]

Don't expect any sort of constancy from me, that's not my thing :P

[@kimcoweld278]

Wish I was close enough to teach you how to weld. Might want to tune into Tips and Tricks welding on KZbin.

[@PhilsWorld]

I probably watched hours of tutorials from a bunch of different channels. But as with anything, nothing replaces experience. You can only learn so much from videos.

[@clint2627]

I enjoy watching other people do hard work while I sit on my ass drinking coffee and eating snacks 😁

[@PhilsWorld]

Haha, it's a lot more glamorous from the comforts of your couch. I'm very guilty of this too :P

[@Corum001]

😄👍✌

[@dirtjax6402]

Hi

[@PhilsWorld]

You are a man of many words 😁

[@dirtjax6402]

Yes 👍

[@timgarland5949]

If you feel yourself getting frustrated, try to remember that even the KZbin phenom, Andrew Camarata, mostly learned by doing. Your advantage is that you will actually read the manual. Well done and keep up the good work! (By the way, wouldn't it be nice if your alternator belt came with a derailleur of some sort?

[@MichaelRei99]

Phil I enjoy watching you do mechanical stuff almost as much as watching you ride! Your skilz are many and varied!!

[@PhilsWorld]

There's a lot of stuff I can't really include on my main channel. While i love riding, my interests are all over the place. It's nice to have this channel to post other things loosely related to biking. There's a little overlap in audiences but I suspect that you aren't alone and that there are many people who prefer this kind of stuff over riding.

[@paulmcgonagle2998]

Phil what is the torpedo level on the grab bar for ?

[@PhilsWorld]

I used it to help level off when i was building jumps last year. I only used it for that one project and just left it on, but keep meaning to take it off.

[@seandunlap1743]

Reciprosander!

[@dubkidzz]

andrew camarata vibe

[@tom04gsxr]

Not sure on your exact model but some Cat equipment has a hinged radiator for access to service

[@paulmcgonagle2998]

Great Job Phil

[@vicdean7393]

@vicdean7393 1 hour ago We have a couple of 301.7 and some 302 for building trails. Just recently found out why we are bending and breaking thumb pins and cracked two thumbs exactly where you are welding your cracks. The thumb cylinder hydraulic pressure is the same as bucket cylinder pressure, so bucket can’t overcome thumb when curling while using thumb and bends pins, flexes thumb pin bore. I went down to Gregory Poole the CAT dealer here and they showed me how to hookup pressure gauge and adjust thumb valve pressure so it is slightly less than bucket pressure. Some more tips- if you want to save some money you could just adjusted fan/alternator belt tension instead of replacing belt, had to adjust belt on 5 of are CATS when they were new. You can also blow out air filter with compressed air a few times before replacing filter.

[@PhilsWorld]

Hey Vic thanks for sharing, its actually super helpful to hear that this isn't an isolated incident. My (awful) welding surprisingly held up for the year but at the end i noticed it was starting to crack again. Did they show you how exactly to adjust the pressure? Are you saying the noise is just from the belt slipping? The belt was relatively cheap and close to CATs recommended service interval. I just assumed that was the noise the belt makes when it's close to it's useful life. It would be nice if all i needed to do was tension it again as it started squeaking again and it seemed like i had just replaced it. If you happen to document any work on your 301/302 I'll definitely watch it. There's very limited videos on these machines.

[@Copenkind]

Yes they showed me how to set up and adjust thumb pressure. Yes, the belt noise is from lack of belt tension. On new belts they stretch a little after some use, you simply tension it some more. I kinda want to video some of my work but it is time consuming and I'm very busy with 11 excavators, 2 track dumps, 7 track barrows, 3 mini skid steers and numerous other pieces. I imagine it's time consuming for you too but you probably have more free time and getting some monetary return. And you're right, not many vids on these compact machines.

[@graemebean6607]

Thanks for the information Vic. I have a 2020 CAT 301.7 (purchased used with 360 hrs and presently has 495 hrs on it) and have the same bent thumb pin issue. I will consult with my local mechanic and see whether the pressure can be adjusted like your saying. Also wondering if any of you have had issue with the pin retaining bolt breaking off or gone missing? Have you also just left the bent pin without replacing? Mine is a minor bend like Phils example in the video.

[@vicdean7393]

@@graemebean6607 yes we’ve had pin retaining bolts break. I suspect because thumb bores are flexing (if thumb pressures have not been adjusted) which bites down on pin causing pin to spin as it’s moving putting a lot of pressure on retaining bolt. We’ve been running one of excavators that had the thumb pressure adjusted and have not bent the pin yet. And yes we are running one with bent pin but I adjusted thumb pressure lower than bucket.

[@essexape5337]

Phil to make welding easier and more controled , cut the rods in haif and strip the coating from the top of the bottom half of the now 2 rods to make 2 smaller rods which you can control better.

[@PhilsWorld]

That's a solid trick, those long rods can be really tough to wield around and my small motor control isn't the best.

[@Wannaridebikes]

I’m learning to weld slow and steady puddle it and move little and slow to fast will pop it wrong

[@NathanielHourt]

For disposable gloves, I've had a lot of luck with the Grease Monkey latex gloves. Specifically the latex; I haven't tried their nitrile ones. They're the best gloves I've found for not breaking. Lots of other gloves are thicker, but the Grease Monkey ones just don't break as much. HTH

[@clnfreakone8486]

Welding tip watch the puddle you are creating and manipulate that puddle … move pause move pause … move slower get comfortable… if you start getting out of position and uncomfortable stop and reposition… when tacking in metal tack both side then weld it out so it don’t pull and lift… another thing is hit it with a torch to preheat and burn off any grease that may be in metal it will help.:: over all you did fantastic for first time welding… I tell people I can’t tell you how to weld you have to weld for learn how to weld it’s the only way … pick up some scraps metal from junk yard or metal fabricator local and on a rainy day just run stringers

[@stevenkilleen8149]

Love that oil filter tool u got def oil the seal a lil keeps that from happening

[@jonathancook4022]

Top tip to avoid destroying DeWalt flex volt batteries- don’t weld near them, if some molten metal was to land on it, you could face a very hot lithium battery fire to deal with. I hope you take that criticism constructively!

[@PhilsWorld]

You are probably right. I don't think there was much splatter happening, but I do need a to come up with better welding setup if I start doing this more often.

[@vtjpd]

Thanks for the video! Newbie with a 301.8 looking to change my oil and wasn't sure how that valve worked. Seems an awfully small valve. Keep the mini-ex videos coming!

[@PhilsWorld]

Glad you found it helpful! I definitely hadn't seen that before and nobody was talking about it anywhere.

[@ryry8210]

Great video. Make sure the old oil filter gasket comes off with the old filter and isn't stuck to the housing. This is so the new filter gasket seals properly. It is also good to check new filters for metal shavings from the manufacturing process. One more tip would be to put a sharpie mark on the alternator and the bracket so they line back up after changing the belt.

[@PhilsWorld]

The sharpie idea is a great tip and thanks for the heads up, those are a few things I'll be doing in the future!

[@marcoa2222]

May I ask how much was Machine OTD when you purchased it? How you like it?

[@PhilsWorld]

It was in the 35k range at the time. This was early covid pricing and I think prices have gone up since. That included 2 buckets, a quick coupler, thumb, and aux plumbing. I don't know what this would cost today. At the time I had also looked at a Kabota, but the equivalent machine (u17), needed a thumb installed aftermarket and that brought it's cost roughly into the same range as the Caterpillar. I've been really happy with mine, and I'm impressed what I've been able to do with it. That being said, I also don't have much to compare it to. but I have found that Cat makes it fairly easy to maintain my stuff which is a huge plus for me.

[@marcoa2222]

@@PhilsWorld quick coupler is the using wrench to remove bucket or is it hydraulic quick coupler

[@PhilsWorld]

@@marcoa2222 With the wrench. Without it, I would need to remove the pins. There might be a hydraulic quick coupler for this machine, but I don't change buckets all that frequently so this was all I needed.