350B reverser- decisions, decisions!

Jeffs · Post by **Jeffs** » Sat Jan 12, 2013 1:33 pm

Does anybody know how many hours it takes to change a reverser? I found a rebuilt reverser for 2800.00 and was thinking if the hours weren't to bad I'd just pay to have it changed too. Their rate is 55 bucks an hour. Trucking's about a 4 hr. ride one way. Probably not a bad rate but i'm really not sure which way to go, rebuild mine, do the work myself or pay for this rebuilt one and pay someone else to do it. What would some of you do??? Should I try and part out this machine to get my money back?? Thanks for any advice. Jeff

mikeintn · Post by **mikeintn** » Sat Jan 12, 2013 4:09 pm

Jeff that all depends on alot of thing, how good is the rest of the 350, do you have the tools, a place to do the work, time to do it, and able to, how bad is the reverser in yours, proberly wont know until its taken apart.

With all that said, if the rest of it was good and I had need for it, I would take the reverser out myself take it apart and see what I had, then go from there, which everway I could by the best, but thats me.

If I had the money [ but I dont

] I would just let someone else do it

Good luck. Mike

LeonardL · Post by **LeonardL** » Sat Jan 12, 2013 6:06 pm

You are looking at a minimum of thirty hours for a swap out. That is start to finish. That's if you don't run into any issues. To be safe on budget, I would figure forty hours start to finish. And yes, it can be done quicker than that but I have pulled a ton of these things and know exactly what the sequence is and what tools I need.
Mike is right in that you need to assess your machine and decide if it is worth investing the money to bring it back to life. Your biggest expense is your undercarriage. So look it over and do some pricing on what it is going to need.
Mike is also spot on with you doing your own work. Again there are a lot of things to consider before you tackle your own machine.
I'm a mechanic so there is no other option. I would take it apart and see what is going on first and then see what my best options are.
If you do the rebuilt, make sure there is some sort of warranty with it that is worth having. Unless you know who rebuilt the reverser, then I would want to check them out. Make sure they are on the up and up. This thing may be nothing more than a coat of paint.
If you have all the necessary things in place to do the work your self and if you have the mechanical ability, then go for it! The biggest issue is getting the reverser out of the machine and then back in. The actual overhaul is not that difficult. Or you could just do the swap out with the rebuilt.

Jeffs · Post by **Jeffs** » Sat Jan 12, 2013 8:25 pm

Thanks guy's for your input.
I have a weird situation, were right in the middle of building our house. I have tools but most everythings in storage. My pole barn's bought but not up yet so I'd have to work out in the elements. I wanted to start by giving this thing a good bath and try changing the reverser fluid and filter to see if that might do the trick but after reading and searching on here, don't think thats going to do it. Today I noticed it's going to need both track adjusters. I never caught it before but they clamped the adjusters with 3 muffler clamps per side. Two bottom rollers, a starter (shot), rock guard for right side sprocket, tensioner spring cover, steer clutches on both sides, radiator and of course the reverser. The rails, pads and sprockets are honestly in great shape. Motor runs strong. Tranny??? Seem's alright. Goes thru all the gears. I do like the thought of knowing what I have when it's all done and what's been done but it's time or money. Usually don't have one or the other these day's. LOL! Thanks! Jeff

Scottyb · Post by **Scottyb** » Sat Jan 12, 2013 11:24 pm

Jeff, you have a parts machine (or you need one). Look for another one that needs the good parts you have to make one complete. Run an ad in your own area and see what comes from it. There is lots of 350's still out there.

Scott

Jeffs · Post by **Jeffs** » Mon Jan 14, 2013 3:29 pm

Scottyb,
Your are definitely correct that this turned into a parts machine, at best. I wish i would have listeened to everyone before taking the plunge but i already started the buy before researching. I would of liked to have backed out but the lady was really counting on the deal to get through tough times. Now it'll put me in tuff times-lol!! Like an idiot, i'm going to have a reverser put in. 3900.00 installed with a warranty. Plus i'm keeping mine and will have that rebuilt down the line. I'll either keep it for a spare or sell it to re-coop some of my money. I think these machines hold their value pretty well but i could be completely wrong about that too. I seen these go for 13-15k.
Why do i always fall in love with the money pits-lol! Thanks! Jeff

Scottyb · Post by **Scottyb** » Mon Jan 14, 2013 9:24 pm

Jeffs, is there still time to get out of it?

what about.....

" they clamped the adjusters with 3 muffler clamps per side. Two bottom rollers, a starter (shot), rock guard for right side sprocket, tensioner spring cover, steer clutches on both sides, radiator and of course the reverser"

????????

OK, if you are going to do this, would it be OK if I start a Poole on this board where the winner guesses how much you are going to spend, to get this crawler working?

Thats probably a little out of line, sorry.

Jeff you seem able and willing to get the work done for you, and, if you fixed all the things that are needed, the 350b is a nice crawler. I paid way too much for mine, it was my first crawler, but it got the job done on time. Soon after though, I bought a nicer one for less than half the price. It you take your time you could really save some money.

Scott

mikeintn · Post by **mikeintn** » Mon Jan 14, 2013 9:44 pm

If you need a radiator I have one.

MattE · Post by **MattE** » Thu Jan 17, 2013 3:12 pm

Mike,

How much do you want for the radiator?

Matt

Paul Buhler · Post by **Paul Buhler** » Thu Jan 17, 2013 5:30 pm

Hi: In another life, I had a 350 reverser go bad. I pulled the engine and the reverser on the side of a work road using a tripod and chain fall. It took time and patience, but I was able to do it pretty well and in a day - didn't break anything except some skinned knuckles. I put the reverser in my truck and took it to the JD dealer who rebuilt it and then sent a road mechanic to help me reinstall it. I thought this was a good compromise - this route saved me some money, gave me a guarantee, and piece of mind knowing that the person actually doing the install had done a few before- this meant that the bolts were torqued to spec, and the reassembly was done in the correct order, and if there was a problem I had some support in place.
The machine worked well for me (about a year more) until I traded it for a new 450c.
It sounds like you've joined the money pit crowd - been there done that - can you park your machine until you have more time and money to make this project fun again? Work on it as time allows doing what you can afford and one day you'll have a machine you can use reliably. Best wishes. Leonard and others have shared their experience and I think good thoughts as well. Paul

mikeintn · Post by **mikeintn** » Thu Jan 17, 2013 8:06 pm

Matt I'll take 200, takes what I gave for it, sold a dozer didnt ever use it.

Jeffs · Post by **Jeffs** » Thu Jan 17, 2013 9:30 pm

Scottyb wrote:Jeffs, is there still time to get out of it?

what about.....

" they clamped the adjusters with 3 muffler clamps per side. Two bottom rollers, a starter (shot), rock guard for right side sprocket, tensioner spring cover, steer clutches on both sides, radiator and of course the reverser"

????????

OK, if you are going to do this, would it be OK if I start a Poole on this board where the winner guesses how much you are going to spend, to get this crawler working?

Thats probably a little out of line, sorry.

Jeff you seem able and willing to get the work done for you, and, if you fixed all the things that are needed, the 350b is a nice crawler. I paid way too much for mine, it was my first crawler, but it got the job done on time. Soon after though, I bought a nicer one for less than half the price. It you take your time you could really save some money.

Scott

Stottyb, Let's do it! I'll say i'm going to wind up spending 6k just to get it moving. Jeff

Jeffs · Post by **Jeffs** » Thu Jan 17, 2013 9:32 pm

mikeintn wrote:If you need a radiator I have one.

Mikeintn,
if you still have it available please pm me with a price. Either way i appreciate your help!!! Jeff

Jeffs · Post by **Jeffs** » Thu Jan 17, 2013 9:38 pm

Paul Buhler wrote:Hi: In another life, I had a 350 reverser go bad. I pulled the engine and the reverser on the side of a work road using a tripod and chain fall. It took time and patience, but I was able to do it pretty well and in a day - didn't break anything except some skinned knuckles. I put the reverser in my truck and took it to the JD dealer who rebuilt it and then sent a road mechanic to help me reinstall it. I thought this was a good compromise - this route saved me some money, gave me a guarantee, and piece of mind knowing that the person actually doing the install had done a few before- this meant that the bolts were torqued to spec, and the reassembly was done in the correct order, and if there was a problem I had some support in place.
The machine worked well for me (about a year more) until I traded it for a new 450c.
It sounds like you've joined the money pit crowd - been there done that - can you park your machine until you have more time and money to make this project fun again? Work on it as time allows doing what you can afford and one day you'll have a machine you can use reliably. Best wishes. Leonard and others have shared their experience and I think good thoughts as well. Paul

Paul, Thanks for the advice! I was leaning towards fixin it myself but i just don't have the time or place to do it. Plus, now we have a running bet on how much i'll be spending! lol!! Do you think these machines hold value? Is it to small for most projects? Jeff

Scottyb · Post by **Scottyb** » Fri Jan 18, 2013 1:32 am

Jeff, I find my 350b loader very usefull. It is small enough to be hauled around behind my 3500 chev truck, and big enough to be able to get some serious work done. I like that it turns around on a dime as I work on my trails in the forest a lot, using the winch for clean up and selective logging.

If you can get yours moving for 6000 you could end up spending less than me when you get everything working. I paid twice that much for my 350b. It came with a backhoe however and that adds some value. Mine just needed a minor tune up from sitting and gave me a few hundred hours of running with little required maintenance so far. I think they hold value as long as they are kept in good running condition. I paid a few thousand more for a complete winch and log arch, worth every penny to me as my forest is large old growth spruce, birch, and aspen

Is yours a loader or dozer?

Scott

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350B reverser- decisions, decisions!

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