350 track removal

[Bruski]

Hi All,
I have a JD 350 track loader. I am replacing the steering clutches. The right track had a master pin however I cannot find one on the left side. Is this common? Any suggestions as to how to get the track apart? I tried heating one of the links and pounding out one of the pins but with no success. Also I am looking for a PTO shaft assembly if anyone knows where I could find one.
Thanks, Bruski

[hugo]

hi

Om my dozer, i also could not find the master pins. So i took al the tension from te tracks by letting out all the grease and with some help i got them of without splitting the track. it is a lot of work and we had a mini excavator to help! lift the tracktor and pull back the frond idler as far as you can.
we tyed a beam to the track and lifted it a bit and pulled it to te side.
Keep fiddling on the track, rollers, idler and sprocket. be aware of your hands and feet, when it koms off it is heavy stuff.

If you find a master pin it will be a lot easyer!

Good luck
hugo

[RANDY Fay]

just a thought--older jd tracks had headed track pins with snap rings
newer tracks with sealed bushing have only a small drill mark in center of pin
no head or snap ring-- maybe sealed track on one side if you find one with drill mark in center that is master pin have fun Randy

[Tigerhaze]

Hi Bruski-

I frequently visit another site with crawler discussions in which some former JD equipment mechanics give their advice. I know that a couple of them have stated that it was common practice in their shops to weld in the master pin on worn tracks because their clients would have difficulty with the retaining clips coming off on the older master pins or the master pins slippping out of worn bushings with the newer master pins. Obviously that defeats the purpose of the master pins which is to allow easy disconnection/reconnection of the tracks.

You may want to take a closer look and see if that is the case. As others stated, the master pin usually has a small dimple which can be hard to see but it should be fairly obvious is somebody has welded it to the link.

Keeping the track whole and slipping it off is an option but the track can be pretty heavy and unwieldy and maybe be difficult to slip back over if your undercarriage is pretty new.

I have some pictures in the "Show and Tell" of my troubles with slipping tracks on and off; however my 2010 uses the older rectangular head master pin.

[digitup2]

Check on both sides the master should show up .Some times you need to look real closely.Digitup.

[Lavoy]

Digitup,
Not the right post, but wanted to catch you. We should be able to make your old account work, contact me.
Lavoy

[wwattson]

Well, now I don't have to ask why there were two digitups and they both seemed pretty smart

[digitup2]

Well I bet one has a higher IQ then the other !!Sounds good Lavoy .look for a pin with a dimple or a centerd drill mark some of the tracks from fifteen years ago had a real rounded outer area and most stick out just enough to hit things as the chains and other pins will rattle along different .Or the cast link will have surfice of the pin hole open.It some times takes a close eye I realy hate the Hitachi chains on the Dozers and excavators .These were made about 1989 when Deere industrial went on strike It takes every thing you got to move the master pin on them.Digitup.