1970 350 crawler won't go forward

[cmorhard]

I am looking at a 1970 350 crawler that is being offered at a "bargain" price. The diesel engine cranks and runs (no hours given, but radiator looks new), the hydraulics are in good shape with no apparent leakage, the tracks are good, the undercarriage is about 70%, and it backs up nicely. The bad news is when you shift to forward, the transmission grinds and the crawler won't go forward. The fellow that owns it now bought it a couple of months ago and ran it a month before it would not engage without grinding. He said a buddy "knowledgeable" came and looked at it and said it was a transmission problem and would take $2,000-$5,000 to fix it. I know that my description isn't much to work on, but would like some perspectives on this situation. We are looking for something inexpensive to move dirt, move trees and brush after cutting, and just general farm use.

[original possum]

Make sure you have a source for a transmission before you jump on it. Sounds like it spun out the bearing on the lower shaft and probably shelled out the ring gear and pinion, too. Been there.

[cmorhard]

I appreciate the advice. Still looking for someone that could do it. Haven't sourced any parts yet, but will start looking.

[Jim B]

If you add your general location to your profile, someone reading this might have an idea of a person or place you might check with for assistance.
Jim

[Lavoy]

If you are hiring someone to do the work, and it is an internal trans problem, you will definitely be on the high side or the estimate. I have some availability of internals, but not all. Plus, it takes a lot of labor to just remove the trans, then you have tear down after that.
Lavoy

[cmorhard]

I live near Atlanta, just over the border in Alabama. If anyone knows an expert in this area, please let me know.