Purchasing 350B crawler/loader w/backhoe attachment

Scottyb · Post by **Scottyb** » Tue Dec 10, 2013 9:38 pm

I am reading your post about how it will move but appears to be under a big load. Perhaps your drag problem is tracks to tight, or, brakes adjustment wrong. It could be an easier problem that you have missed. Sounds like the park brake is on. Is the brake pedal coming all the way back to the top?
As the guys have pointed out, you could have reverser problems or something else seriously wrong, however, when I started out with my first crawler (350BB) more than once the brake was accidentally locked partially on and I did not always catch on right away what was happening. Same symptoms you are describing.
I hope it turns out to be a minor problem.

Tigerhaze · Post by **Tigerhaze** » Tue Dec 10, 2013 10:47 pm

Although i can't speak to the 350 manuals, much of what is covered in the crawler's operator manual is usually in the technical/service manual so if you have that you probably are OK. However with the backhoe attachment (at least the Model 50) the operator and parts manual are in one book.

As for the isolator, the upgrade modification to the solid isolator used in the later 350s is generally NLA (no longer available) as far as I know. I believe parts are still available to repair the spring type isolator so you may have to do that if it is determined that is the cause of the rattling sound.

GRWeldon · Post by **GRWeldon** » Wed Dec 11, 2013 6:47 am

Thank you Possum. I'll check the tech manual and see what is involved in checking the reverser pressure

GRWeldon · Post by **GRWeldon** » Fri Dec 13, 2013 8:33 am

Scottyb wrote:I am reading your post about how it will move but appears to be under a big load. Perhaps your drag problem is tracks to tight, or, brakes adjustment wrong. It could be an easier problem that you have missed. Sounds like the park brake is on. Is the brake pedal coming all the way back to the top?

Scotty, somehow I missed your post when reading yesterday. I wasn't even aware that there IS a parking brake. Where is it and how do I make sure it is disengaged? I know, sounds like a completely idiot question but I really don't know!

DrLoch · Post by **DrLoch** » Fri Dec 13, 2013 8:51 am

It's down by the brake pedal, it's a little latch that you would swing up that holds the brake pedal down and the brakes on. You need to press down on the brake pedal to swing it out and off.

DrLoch · Post by **DrLoch** » Sat Dec 14, 2013 6:39 am

If you haven't figured out where the parking brake is look further down this post, there is a good explanation of where it is. http://www.jdcrawlers.com/messageboard/ ... um.php?f=8

Scottyb · Post by **Scottyb** » Sat Dec 14, 2013 9:46 am

I am wondering how you are making out. On the 4th gear, my 350b almost needs a downhill grade to get moving and that is without the backhoe. And, if it is moving along in 4th and i come to an uphill grade it is going to slow down until I drop down a gear or, make it over the hill before it bogs down. So, do not expect too much from that gear. Third should be better than you describe. 6 seconds is a lot of slippage on the reverser clutches and cant be good for it. The bad rollers you have could be causing a lot of drag if they are seized or hard turning.
I recommend you get the operators manual. very few dollars and it has a lot of good information for the first time owner. As well if you are ever going to let someone else drive it, they should spent 15 min. reading over. The service manual is not giving you all the safety tips or driving pointers. buy it on line from deere and print it. A heads up for when you take off the hoe. You must connect the hydraulic hoses to each other as the fluid moves all the time through them. Otherwise, it will not start, and could damage the pump as, in this system the fluid circulates constantly unless diverted by a valve. Lots of guys have rebuilt starters when the issue was the hoses were apart. I had a branch rub the connection and popped it open when logging, took a long worried while before I caught the problem! I thought I had seized somthing bad, big celebration when it was a simple fix!
Scott

GRWeldon · Post by **GRWeldon** » Tue Dec 17, 2013 7:04 am

Scotty, I'm doing pretty well. I haven't yet done anything to the machine except use it. I do all of the work in 1st gear (I've found it!) and when moving from place-to-place I use second gear. I've ordered injectors, they came in last night. Last week I did order an operators manual. Should be here soon.

Still can't find any dipstick behind the shifter, must be under the seat? The reverser shows full on the dipstick. Waiting for the operators manual. Is the procedure for adjusting steering clutches in the operators or tech manual?

I think this thing needs a bigger engine! I regularly bog down the engine almost to the point of stalling when using the hydraulics to try to pull up small pine stumps (4" or so) with the loader. Some are pretty stubborn. Stubborn enough that the loader will pull the rear off the ground!

Other than the things we've talked about, I think this is the perfect machine for the needs I have. I thought I wanted a regular backhoe but I think I would have been disappointed with one that I could have afforded. The 350B is just the ticket!

I'll keep y'all posted on what happens as I try to fix things!

Merry Christmas...
Glen

Post by **Lavoy** » Tue Dec 17, 2013 8:53 am

Seems short on power, that are not usually that bad. See how it acts with the new injectors, if no change, might be timing or pump issue. My brother has a B model, and it will run pretty easily on flat ground in 4th (no hills where we live).
Lavoy

Tigerhaze · Post by **Tigerhaze** » Tue Dec 17, 2013 10:46 am

GRWeldon wrote:I think this thing needs a bigger engine! I regularly bog down the engine almost to the point of stalling when using the hydraulics to try to pull up small pine stumps (4" or so) with the loader. Some are pretty stubborn. Stubborn enough that the loader will pull the rear off the ground!

Glen, I thought I would mention a couple of things. First it has been mentioned by others on here that the 350 loaders are somewhat underpowered for their size from the factory when compared to the 350 dozers. I'm not discounting that your engine may also have issues, but didn't want you to get unrealistic expectations on its power in a loader frame.

Second, tree stumps are deceivingly strong and can be very resistant to uprooting by a loader. Granted you are talking about very small evergreens with shallow root systems that sholdn't be too much of a problem. However I can tell you that with my 2010 crawler loader that even 4 inch hardwood stumps cannot always be simply uprooted unless the ground is soft. I have picked the rear of my 2010 loader off of the ground trying to pry out stumps in the past.

The best technique for removing stumps is to either push the tree over intact by leveraging higher up on the trunk, or to dig around all sides of the rootball before you try to remove the stump. The hoe attachments for these crawlers are handy for doing this.

Scottyb · Post by **Scottyb** » Tue Dec 17, 2013 1:38 pm

GR, well at least you are getting work done with it. I really like my 350bb, for its size it has ample useable power, and on mine the hydraulics have little effect on the engine rpm no matter what I am lifting. As you see, lift too much and it simply lifts the rear in the air. the same with the winch, pull too much and it does a wheelie and little change to the rpm. I have never had to adjust or fix the governor on a diesel, but on my gas skid steers they are totally gutless if the gov. is not set properly.
My operators manual is not at home here now however, I think I recall that the steering clutch adjustments are in both the tech and operators manuals.
As far as the transmission dipstick, on mine, near your left heel when sitting in the seat (between your feet) is the short PTO lever, and it is curved with the dipstick knob in the inside of the curve. Unscrew then check the oil level when just dropped in the hole, without the threads turned in. (loose)
The transmission are bad for getting water in them if parked outside. The clutch/brake adjustment covers are on the flat top of the tranny under the seat and, even though I used new gasket material and greased them up last year, my oil was milky after the summer and I had to change it this fall. I used silicone this last time. Hopefully it will work better.

GRWeldon · Post by **GRWeldon** » Tue Dec 17, 2013 2:42 pm

Scotty, is it possible that I don't have a PTO? I haven't seen a lever nor have I seen any output shaft on the rear. I haven't crawled on the ground to check but it's not visible standing...

Tigerhaze · Post by **Tigerhaze** » Tue Dec 17, 2013 6:07 pm

Read these threads:

http://www.jdcrawlers.com/messageboard/ ... ht=350+pto

http://www.jdcrawlers.com/messageboard/ ... ht=350+pto

http://www.jdcrawlers.com/messageboard/ ... ht=350+pto

GRWeldon · Post by **GRWeldon** » Tue Dec 17, 2013 8:17 pm

Thank you Tigerhaze. Useful information.

I looked tonight before reading this post. I do have a little lever. I'm assuming that pushed to the right where it wraps around the shifter exit is disengaged?

I had a bad thing happen tonight. I got high-ended on a stump and when trying to get un-stuck, the reverser stopped reversing. With the reverser in the forward position the tracks move forward. If I put it in the reverse gear, the machine will go backward with the reverser in forward.

What I'm saying is that the reverser will no longer reverse... Don't know what causes this, will have to investigate. On the bright side of things, I saw the underside of the machine for the first time today as I was pushing up the front end with the loader trying to get unstuck. Pretty beefy plate on the bottom, eh?

jtrichard · Post by **jtrichard** » Tue Dec 17, 2013 10:55 pm

I think this thing needs a bigger engine! I regularly bog down the engine almost to the point of stalling when using the hydraulics to try to pull up small pine stumps (4" or so) with the loader. Some are pretty stubborn. Stubborn enough that the loader will pull the rear off the ground!

your lifting the rear off the ground with the hoe on it still? if so i dont think you need any more power

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