New Crawler Owner

[Boom-Boom]

Hi, new board member and new 350B owner here. This is a shot of my new toy right after being delivered.



Serial number has it built in '74. It is diesel, has a 6-way and ROPS. The engine starts and runs well. All the hydraulic blade functions work well. The reverser works well.

I'm a total newbie to crawlers so I don't have all the terminology down quite yet so I'll try to explain some of the problems it has the best I can. The most noticeable problem is it doesn't steer left very well. When I pull the left steering lever it only goes left a small amount. When driving it the first time I had to make really wide left turns or use the reverser with the right steering lever to point me left. I'm guessing the left steering clutch pack needs adjusting or service.

The next problem happened after about 2 hrs of pushing down thickets, brush, and small trees. Hot hydraulic fluid started bubbling up from a hole in the front of the floor board. I'm guessing it is hydraulic fluid, it was milky looking and very slippery and seemed to bubble more when I was operating the blade. Is this normal or is there a leak somewhere?

Where should I start looking for resolution to my 2 problems? I plan to download the service manual from johndeeretechinfo.com, but thought I'd start here.

Thanks in advance.

[mokyj]

I have a 350C and currently stuck back inthe woods with only right side drive.

I had problem with fluid like you describe. Check the two hard lines that go to the reverser oil cooler (under radiator). The two lines start on the side of the reverser (underneath your left foot.) I had one line that transitioned into a hose near the clutch pedal. Clamp was loose, shot a stream of hyd, fuild all over.

[Tigerhaze]

Hi Boom Boom-

Another thing to consider- my understanding is that the 350Bs, while having mechanical steering clutches, use hydraulic steering clutch assist. That may or may not be related to the other problem you described (leak of hydraulic fluid).

350Cs use "wet" (fully hydraulic) clutches, so hydraulic problems on a 350C are not totally comparble to a 350B.

[Boom-Boom]

I have downloaded the service manual from the john deere site and now I see the layout of the various hydraulic lines and steering components. I can see how Tigerhaze and mokyj's suggestions could explain the problems I'm seeing. So I'll start there next time I can get back out the to property.

Thanks for the feedback.