Caterpillar 977k Track Loader sitting 12+ years. Will it Run and operate??? 

My grandfather had one of these for his excavation business. I learned to operate it when I was about 14/15 and I can't even begin to tell you how many hours I had in that seat. Thank you for getting this one running again. It reminds me of the greatest man I ever knew. I miss him every day.

You will ALWAYS need ether to cold start that old fella, my friend. Once warmed it will pop right off on half a turn without it, but on a cold start, it will need ether. It will also stumble, and bitch, and snort, like it's got air for the first few, be patient. The shift and the steering pedals are usually hydraulically boosted and don't want to move until running. When you idle, you shouldn't idle low enough that you don't hear the turbo hiss and see the exhaust swirl. This helps keep the top end clean. Put the hammer down hard when you bring up your rpm, blow the cobs out, keeps your combustion chambers and injectors clean. Give a good 20 minute warm up, most of the books say 30. This is a machine that loves a real operator. There are few machines you will get as much work out of, but it will work you. Trust me when I say, put an air ride seat on it. Buy a case of ether, and thanks for the memories.

i cant be the only one who gets an overwhelming sense of joy seeing these big, old machines brought back to life like this, right?

That valve breaking loose was one of the most satisfying things I've seen in a long time. Very pretty machine, nothing beats old iron build in a time where machines were ment to last and not thrown away after 10 years..

45 years ago when this Cat was new, the cordless impact wrench was the stuff of science fiction.

"Men don't grow up their toys just get more expensive"

Some amazing engineering from almost 50 years ago. Sliderules and brain power. Impressive. Your knowledge about these machines also impressive!

В далёкой молодости , при строительстве БАМа , мне доводилось работать с такой техникой , нужно отдать должное, погрузчик был очень хорош !

Whoa...! What a treat, 2 “Diesel Creek” videos in a week... Thank you sir...!

"Don't drop that socket in there..."

Im around equipment all day everyday yet here I am for 43 minutes lol. Now I need a play farm and some oldies

I know this is an older video but it's always a privilege to see you bring these machines back to life! 👍

I feel like all equipment should shoot out sparks when you make contact.

No Chinese rustable stainless steel or fully magnetic brass were put in those engines back in the 70's. lol. They were built properly back then.

I just bought a 1952 Adams road grader. Got it running and it needs some well needed TLC. In my internet browsing for potential information on it I have run across your channel. Thank you sir, lots of good information you provided. Nicely done. I have never posted anything on RU-vid but I’m debating on starting with this ole gal….🤔

The construction company I worked for in the 1970's had a 955K. What a machine! It always took a big shot of ether to get the old girl started if it was below 70 degrees though! Our machine had a clam shell bucket for removing broken up concrete since we were a paving contractor. "Larry" one of heavy equipment operators lived out in the country and his neighbor wanted a farm pond dug and offered him $10,000 to dig it, so one Friday night after the boss and the foremen had left he loaded it up on the company trailer, hauled it with a company dump truck out to his neighbor's farm and he and his two brothers took turns digging that pond using company diesel fuel. By Monday morning the Cat was back in the yard sitting in the same spot and looking like it did the previous Friday! "Larry" was $10,000 richer. The boss never knew it.

The way that filter mounts doesn't look like they wanted it changed very often 😂

I am just AMAZED at how you can repeatedly walk up to a diesel machine that's been sitting for years, and do a few basic checks like fuel, transmission fluid, air filter, etc. and get it to RUN ! Even when it has been overgrown with vines, trees, and now even Bees, they come to life under your skilled care. Congratulations on another successful recovery! Its a credit to your talents and the durability of the machines themselves. My personal interest lies with old tractors, I hope someone can claim those tractors as well, they look to be in decent shape at first glance.

Awesome. I have had two model trucks with those valvoline trailers since I was a young boy. Both are two feet long and the trailers and truck are both made from metal. Boy that brings back a lot of good memories of when I was boy and my late father who made a wooden toy shed for them to park in. Rip dad

Whatb a lovely sound, old Cats never dies. They grow old with style.

The smell of digital diesel in the morning….

"They definitely look like they've been here a while" The Interstate battery has Bobby Labonte's Pontiac on it and Pontiac left NASCAR in 2003 so...yeah.

The starter solenoids on these machines are very easy to rebuild. They have a large copper washer that will corrode and get lots of buildup on them from weak or undersized batteries. I just went through that ordeal with my 977L that had old car batteries in it. Just pop off the solenoid and take a file and sandpaper or a wire brush and clean the contacts and copper wire up real good. Best of luck with this machine, they are absolute beasts!

50 years ago, i operated a 977 OMG what a power she had... needed a skilled operator!!!

Hey Matt, I worked both the 955 and 977 during the seventies on demolition work, You do not replace those filters (much dinero) The mechanice used to just clean them out and refit.

Love that sweet turbo whistle on machines working hard.

Never seen Scotch-brite taped on to a cordless drill before. Learn something new every day.

The engine sounds like a purring cat, what a beaut.

A cool merch idea just came to me now that you have merch. A shirt that says “Contact” with a metal bar arching off the contacts of a starter. Could have a little Diesel Creek logo on the front and that large design on the back. Just an idea.

At least with Cat, you should be able to re-use the hydraulic fittings and just replace the hose and the crimp sleeve. It used to be easy to get parts for a Cat machine no matter how old they were but it seems that after the turn of the century, bean counters started running things and getting rid of old stock.

It just goes to show how much longer equipment last when its covered. Something so simple to do yet most people don’t. Beautiful machine sounds awesome!

G'day Matt,, The CAT looks like a nice bit of kit , it will fit on that low boy trailer just right . I hope this means that finally the restoration of that beautiful Autocar truck will start soon . If this aint the motivation you been waiting for ,, then i dont know what is ... Great episode Matt ,, maybe you can pull a double act & get Wes to help on the start of the Autocar restoration ... Would be a MEGA RU-vid hit , millions of views ....!!!! Say hi to Meatball Respect from Down Under

“Scotch Brite is your friend” - Precision Transmission. 2020.

James Condon, a RU-vid member, swears by the ultra-sound cleaner to really deep clean parts such as carb. parts. There's no limit what you can do with this machine

You can drain the trans oil- decant it for a few days then filter it back through some paint strainers. Oil does not go bad, it only gets contaminated.

I was waiting for a hydraulic failure. That is expected with a machine of that age. All in all, a good revival. Watching these revivals brings back memories (some good some bad).

Hey Matt every time that I go through my phone trying to find something to watch and you pop up I say there's my boy Matt I stop every thing just to watch your my friend love the show

I use to have a 977 track loader. We loaded our 20 yard trucks in our shale pit. Thhe old loader was one of our most used machine, she also put all the material through our grizzly, rock sorter.i will never forget the morrning i started heavy metal a common ocurance squirrels would come out from under the seat. They used it as a acorn storage shed. Well om tthis day as i thought they were all gone a rattelsnake came out trying to get away from heavy metal . As i wet my pants i let go and fell on my ass as the snake dicided to exit the same way as me . As it hit the ground i got back on the track. And where did the snake go ?back under the loader now to move it to see where it went . Lucky me it was on the ground and the loader had a shovel on it .the end! I always thougght of that day every time i started the old girl. Yup always looked under the seat.

Oh man it's been close to 40 years and I can get in that seat and run that thing like I did when I was a teenager

“I got a 977 ha ha ha ha”. Love it man. Congratulations, little jealousy over here no big deal. Make On Brother

Never ceases to amaze me the things that you can find in a junkyard and the only reason it's there, is a cheap solenoid. Gotta love that and feel pity for the previous owner at the same time.

All right my name is Dave Olive from Stroudsburg I enjoy watching you bring the old machines back to life that's all they needed some loving good job keep up the good work you guys are awesome

Compared to some of the other machines that you have revived the Cat’s engine sounds a lot smoother/nicer once you got it running. Less offensive to the ears.

That's normal on old cats, oil will look over full unless checked at warm idle. My old D7 is the same.

Oh boy hearing that turbo spool up makes me feel like a big kid!

My dad had one like that on loan from the cat dealer, for a month in 1971 I operated it loading dump trucks at 15 years old.

Matt, no matter how many times it happens, your victory cry when an engine fires up is so contagious and cool! Happy days! Keep rocking!

Brings back memories: running a scraper through a cut being pushed by tandem D-9's in Feb of 1975 = 46 years ago!

That is the equipment that built America and I would like to see that old equipment at work again

She's an ether baby. Thats why the cleaner cover was laying on the track since the last attempt. Great old track ! Was waiting for the forward hydraulic to blow when you first picked up the bucket ! Thats a long time to sit. She sounds SWEET !!! Congrats

That 977 cat fits you well, looks like another family member.....

New vocabulary words for me: “angry pixies” and “nut rounder”. I love this channel.

When it started, you put a big smile on my face! Wow!!!

19:30 Damn a old well crafted made vehicle can sit for 50 years with the right know how and a little bit of care will make it start like new

Love my Diesel Creek videos.

I am watching you from Serbia, great videos. I am glad to find you on RU-vid!😀

We had a 1976 977K at the city I spent my career at. We used it for tearing up streets and pushing off the municipal dump where we put concrete, asphalt and excavation spoils. That thing was a beast and was actually fun to operate.

She seems to be a good ole girl you'll be able to get her fixed up without too much trouble. Congrats on the new toy. Sounds like a damn good deal too. Well done Gentlemen.

I used to work on these when I was in theArmy back in the 70's I believe it's actually called a Traxcavator.

WHAT A BEAST ‼️ I'D SAY WELL WORTH SPENDING A FEW BUCKS ON SERVICING IT ‼️ GOOD LUCK ‼️👍👍. Vinny 🇺🇸

I was born in 1979 and that filter was literlly in that machine longer than ive been alive. Crazy

A mans knowledge on this machines will go a long way ! You can't hardly kill these machines !

Subscribed. I'm a Cat retiree and I enjoyed this greatly. TTL 997--it looks like it's equivalent to a D-4 or D-5 dozer, 70s era, pre-high drive.

Can't wait to see you use this thing. Make sure you put a cab on it if you're going to be knocking down barns. What are you doing with the barn wood? That stuff's solid gold!

One of my dads first big purchases for his business was a 977K. Which was quite the step up from the 1958 955 he started with. Direct electric start was a real life saver. A real workhorse that machine was. Eventually traded er in for a 963.

In the 70s I ran 977 track loader for the city of Columbus GA that was a good machine 👌

A 977 is a fine piece of equipment.

I reckon you need a pallet of yellow paint for various machines 😉 Perhaps a good time to negotiate a deal?

Used to run one of these when I worked for a railroad contractor. Had a massive winch to help clear derailed cars and locomotives. The 977 is a excellent piece of equipment if you're willing to sacrifice the surface you're working on.

no matter how annoying, your content is still worth watching, you are quite a character.

Wow, it's alive!!!!! Love the mouse running out just before you moved it forward 37:03!!!!!!! 😮😮😮😮😀😀😀😀😀

I've spent many an hour on the 977, and I can testify it is BAD ASS.

I came for the revivals, but I stayed for the bad ass guitar soundtrack. Music makes such a difference in videos and I think a lot of people overlook that.

Can we all say this man is living every little kids dream right now. Great content!

Man that thing sounds fantastic and doesn’t even smoke at idle. She’s cherry!

Ran one of those jewels in the early 80’s ,,, raw power!!!

Wow Matt, I know you're a big guy but you look so small sitting up on that behemoth. Nice machine, sounds powerful too!

I’m happy Diesel Creak uploaded today! And I’m a little bit early! 😄

I love the sound of the 977, my dad operated a 977, a smoker wh3n under heavy load, the only other sound as nice , is the 2 stroke Detroit Diesel BUTT THE 977 IS SO DANG THROATY, DEEP SOUNDING! THANKS FOR YOUR VIDEOS! MY B5OTHER IS 77 YRS OF AGE, IM 70 AND WE BOTH TALK ABOUT DAD, ILL SHARE YOUR VIDEOS WITH HIM, HE ESPECIALLY ENJOYS THE SOUNDS , HES COMPLETELY BLIND, SEES NOTHING, ILL LET HIM KNOW ABOUT YOU AND YOUR WORK!

Your attitude and demeanor are absolutely great, I thoroughly enjoy your videos.

"There are no big jobs, only small machines." R.G. LeTourneau. This particular 977K made a lot of formerly big jobs small. Very fun to watch. Most cellar holes dug for my Dad in the 1960s and 1970s were dug with machines like this.

Got so wrapped up watching this my coffee went cold !

Real field mechanics, doing a terrific work with common tools.😀

Matt, I love old equipment too, just like a lot of other people on here. But moderation in all things. You keep acquiring things and it seems like you don't get many of them finished. This just reminds me of my uncle who owned several acres in Northern California, several times. He kept acquiring cars to fix and sell but he ended up with several acres of cars that didn't run, and they had to keep moving, several times, to get away from all the junk cars. We know that you're very good at fixing things. I'm sure that at least some of us would like to see more of your projects in a finished/useable state. Love your videos Matt.

Nice work, Matt. Looking forward to seeing this one done… Cheers from Australia 🇦🇺

Always a pleasure seeing old machines being brought back to life.

I've been waiting for paper towels to show up. Now I see them on the table. Great.

I know you think the 977 is "monster". But Cat manufactured an ever larger loader, the 983. Now THAT was a beast. I believe Cat stopped making the 983 on the late 70's - early 80's.

I knew the lines were gonna blow...i was just waiting for it to happen

That thing sounds amazing. Seems like this old equipment was made to last forever.

Good to see the ole girl running again. A little maintenance and she should be ready for work. Cannot wait to see the next video.

Watching this video made me realize that I may well have missed my calling in life! I love this large old equipment!!!

Cycle the Glow Plugs a couple of times Matt. Never ever use "Start You Bastard" during glow plug operation.

Thats a nice cat.

i think every tree hugger cried when you revved it up luv the old iron

I love that when the engine started up the automatic captions said "[Music]". I can't help but agree, that's a sweet tune to hear.

Great video! Brought back some old memories. My family had an excavating business for years and years, starting about 1960. Tractors changed over the years, but started with several Cletracs (my grandfather was Experimental Engineer at Cleveland Tractor) and an Oliver OC-12 dozer and loader, and Oliver OC-96 loader, then Allis-Chalmers HD-11E and and HD-7G, then a Cat D-8H, a 977K, and a 977L. Other equipment included a Hein-Werner C-12 excavator (we just called them crawler backhoes back then), a WABCO self-loading scraper, and a Gallion grader. I still have the OC-12 dozer. I believe my cousin may still have some of the other equipment around his place.

I spent several years on the 977K and L in the seventies, very happy times, great to hear how well this is running after standing so long! really sweet when you rev it.

Cosmic ! Thanks for sharing , Great watching these old Girls waking up . Well Played Gentlemen !

37:02 a brave mouse exits the vessel to live another day. who knows how long he had made this loader his home but he is now forced off into the wild! he nearly misses a track squish but he knows better and runs away, quickly.