1974 450 Transmission Trouble

Glenn5564 · Post by **Glenn5564** » Tue Sep 18, 2012 7:56 am

Found a case for $1200 still weighing my options. Trying to figure out how to load pictures on this site.

vestor_guy · Post by **vestor_guy** » Tue Sep 18, 2012 10:50 am

You mentioned that the crawler only moves in low forward. A transmission case is likely only the first of many parts needed. Be really careful.

I still say you should cut your losses and move on. Without see photos we cannot tell but odds are the rest of the tractor has problems.

Tigerhaze · Post by **Tigerhaze** » Tue Sep 18, 2012 12:32 pm

Hi Glenn-

Vestor is pointing out something important- the HLR is already having shifting issues so it is possible you are looking at a full rebuild. They can be done but are time consuming and potentially costly, and there are not many shops out there with experience in rebuilding HLRs in case it gets over your head. That has always been my worry for my 2010s with HLR (knock on wood)

I admire your tenacity on this project and I don't think anyone is trying to discourage you from taking this on if you have the time, money, and desire to do so. We just want to help you be informed of the scope of this undertaking when there may be other crawlers out there in better shape.

If you really like the straight 450 dozers, another option may be to buy the same model in better condition and use the crawler you already have as a donor (parts) machine. I have done that with my 2010 crawler loaders and has worked out well, especially for small but expensive casting parts.

However you may not have the money to do so- and if that is the case it should be a warning flag to you as based on your descriptions of the crawler you have you could easily double or triple your original investment fixing this crawler up.

You may be able to make your investment back if you part out, but that is a lot of time and work to take apart and then find buyers for all the parts.

If you decide to sell the crawler, you could part out part of it that is easy to remove such as undercarriage and scrap the rest. Although I personally hate to see old crawlers scrapped, many of us don't have the option to take the time to fully part out.

Again this board is all about helping others to repair these older crawlers so if you decide repair of the current crawler is the way you want to go, you have a lot of experience on this board for advice and a good parts supplier in Lavoy.

P.S. I think many of us would like to see photos as previously mentioned- we may be able to point out other things of interest that you may not have noticed.

Paul Buhler · Post by **Paul Buhler** » Tue Sep 18, 2012 3:52 pm

Trying to figure out how to load pictures on this site.

One way is to open a free Photobucket account, upload pictures to it then click on "image code" which will copy the picture, then you can paste it into your post here directly. It will have the

tags already in place before and at the end of the link.
You can preview your post to see if you were successful.

I did this to load the picture shown. I just replaced the usual brackets

Tigerhaze · Post by **Tigerhaze** » Wed Sep 19, 2012 9:39 am

If you still can't figure out to link photos after reading Paul's post, there is a step by step explanation with pictures in this thread:

http://www.jdcrawlers.com/messageboard/ ... php?t=3690

Glenn5564 · Post by **Glenn5564** » Wed Sep 19, 2012 4:29 pm

Thanks all for the wisdom and opinions thats what I was hoping for when I joined. I learned long ago to listen and its done me well thru the years. I still havent made up my mind yet . Question of the day... When the guy was driving it everything was working and he heard a pop (guessing Trans case) and after a minute of still operating it he lost everything but low first Is it possible the trans is low of fluid and thats why it only works in low foward?? Does anyone know what a full rebuild costs for a hlr?
THX
Pictures on link below.. Not great with computers.

http://s1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/glenn5564/

My buddy didnt take the pictures needed but heres some to admire until I can get over there to take more.

P S The previos owner put all new hoses except one, one front track idler wheel, and one track roller. He also gave me a extra new track roller.

vestor_guy · Post by **vestor_guy** » Wed Sep 19, 2012 5:50 pm

The loss of transmission fluid would cause the HLR to cease working. That could be why it quit.

The tractor looks pretty rough. You need some detailed pictures of the track and chain. Also check if the pins and bushing have been rotated.

The homemade canopy is an unsafe item to have on the tractor.

You also need to clean the undercarrige and see if the track adjustors work and the condition of the front crossbar.

From these pictures, I would still not put any more money in that tractor.

BTW, transmission cases just do not crack without some sort of extra stress on the case. I would look for other real problems going on inside that transmission.

The guy you bought it from already decided to bail on this tractor and he probably knows more about it than you do.

77 Ford · Post by **77 Ford** » Thu Sep 20, 2012 6:54 am

My guess is the pop you heard was the tracks , they are very loose. I see a fair amount of room left in the adjusters. For home personnel use I don't see anything that scares me too much, I for one would want a factory cage though.

From the position of the shifter it certainly looks like a straight 450 earlier than your seller indicated. I'd guess mid late 60's.

If it were me and could put the money in it, I'd at least tear it down and see if I could find out what the real problem was then decide to fix/part/scrap. If you don't have the ability to work on it or the money to fix it as a worst case transmission hlr issue I'd get out of it now.

But that's just my opinion and there are alot smarter guys than me on here.

vestor_guy · Post by **vestor_guy** » Thu Sep 20, 2012 9:51 am

77Ford, He was relating what the seller told him. Heard a POP and soon the HLR quite working. You are practically sitting on the transmission case so I think he indeed may have heard it crack.

As far as the tracks being loose, I don't think the one showing is loose enough to bind and pop.

He stated that one front idler was replaced so that means it had propablly previouusly been shedding a track. The front rollers on a loader are the first to fail so maybe the extra roller was for the other side that never got split.

Transmission cases don't just crack. Something was binding to cause the problem.

Glenn5564 · Post by **Glenn5564** » Tue Oct 02, 2012 8:27 pm

The first three pages are the new pictures.
http://s1078.photobucket.com/albums/w495/glenn5564/

Let me know what yall think. I think I might try to fix it I have located a used trans (that works but I'll go thru it to check for weak spots)for $1250 shipped to my house.
Thanks again to all that have shared their opinion and wisdom.
Hope this message finds y'all well!!!

77 Ford · Post by **77 Ford** » Wed Oct 03, 2012 6:53 am

I don't know how much use you'll get out of that under carriage. It's beyond me that the tracks still stay on. The chains are work down where the bottom rollers are riding on the pin bosses.

I'd make sure you have enough in your budget for a rebuild on that pretty soon.

smokydiesel · Post by **smokydiesel** » Wed Oct 03, 2012 7:22 am

Are both the frame rails broken where they attach to the Steering clutch housing? Sure looks like it. I'm thinking you would be better off scrapping it out and cutting your loses. Not trying to be negative but who knows what else you will find wrong once you get into replacing the trans case.

vestor_guy · Post by **vestor_guy** » Wed Oct 03, 2012 8:20 am

From the photos, the transmission case is only a small part of what is wrong with that crawler.

The left track is not going to stay on for long. The track tensioner tube is broken, the rails are worn out and the rear sprockets are knife points.

The frame is cracked and for the price of fixing all that, there are just much much better tractors available let alone all the labor involved.

You should not put ANY money in that crawler and get what you can out of it. Look for a "C" model next time.

smokydiesel · Post by **smokydiesel** » Mon Oct 08, 2012 5:00 am

Just curious if you made any progress in your decision????

Glenn5564 · Post by **Glenn5564** » Wed Oct 31, 2012 9:52 pm

Sorry for the delay on response, I,ve been out of pocket.
Yes Ive decided to attempt to replace the transmission I bought one that seems to be in good shape still looking for someone to come by and let me know if anything needs be fixed on it. I,m not very good at giving up when I havent even gotten started. Ill give it a try and see if I can make it work if not at least I tried. If I cant get it going Ill part it out then take it to the scrrap yard. I sure wish Id never bought it but I got it now and gotta give it a shot I just wish I knew what to look for internally so I could get moving forward. Thanks again to all who took the time to respond I didnt ignore any of your opinions I just felt led to continue on trying.
Hope this message finds y,all well !!!
All opinions and suggestions are still appreciated.

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1974 450 Transmission Trouble

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