JD450B what to do..... sell off as parts?

[srshaw3]

You can probably do a passable job after the first 40 hours of operation- it really just takes a lot of practice to get good at the eye/hand coordination you need with the steering levers and loader/blade hydraulics to get good results without a lot of rework and backblading. I now have several hundred hours of seat time in my 2010 and while my results are much better now it still doesn't compare to a seasoned operator.

As for finish work, I don't even like doing it with the crawler. I rough in my grades with the crawler and then finish grade with my Bobcats , my 8N tractor with 3 point angled straight blade, and vibratory roller compactor. Some people don't have those options but it does make for a

I drive a car on road courses, and we call this "seat time"
100 hours might take a year for me....
Fortunately I think there is quite a bit of rough work to do; grading the road so it is easily passable with passenger vehicles, digging the septic system hole, digging a house cellar hole, etc.

[vestor_guy]

I am a litle late for this topic but here are my thoughts.

I have owned 3 JD 450's , one 450 crawler loader, 2 JD 550 dozers, one of which I completely rebuilt, one 450C loader with backhoe, three 450C dozers, one 450B dozer and a 750 dozer.

The crossmember on the 450, B and early C were always a problem. The clutches on the 450 and 450B seemed to almost always collect water and need adjusted/worked on.

I am retired now and still have two 450C's, one dozer and one loader and a 410C backhoe.

If you are wanting to do grading work, a doze r6/way will work best. The bucket is difficult to grade with, just a lot more work. If you want to dig a basement, the loader is what you want.

My suggestions. If you want to use a backhoe, get a FWD backhoe. I do a lot of grading with my 410C. The 450C with a backhoe tears up a lot of ground moving it where you want to dig. The fact is that I can use my 410C backhoe and do almost everything I can with the crawlers. If you also notice, the skid steers have put JD out of the small crawler business.

Also, when you own a piece of older equipment, be prepared to work on it yourself or don't own it. A good quote that is very applicable is "If you pay a mechanic to fix your old car, you are just paying the mechanic to drive a new one."

Also, the learning curve on moving dirt is not easy. If you have small jobs like you are talking about, pay someone to do it. A lot of people think they can buy something, use it for their job and resell it. The key is that it has to be running with no problems and you have to hope it does not breakdown while you own it. If you are willing to take the risk, adept at learning a new skill, can fix small problems, then it might work out but buying a dead machine to begin with is foolish.

[srshaw3]

I want a piece of equipment to upgrade a logging "road" to a driveway, to also dig a foundation hole, to dig a septic system, to dig drainage for the driveway, to prepare a clearing to be used for cultivation. I think the JD450B with backhoe is a reasonable compromise for all the above. I was guided in my decision process by someone with a JD350B that understood my intent.

I understand about old cars. I own a number, I have done everything that can be done to them, and have also had others work on them. The cost of repair is less an issue than the quality of work, and I would suggest I have brought my cars to some of those recognized as the best in the area.

I am sure it is a learned skill. Spending $25k on site preparation as well as whatever it would cost to do a 1/3+ mile driveway makes doing it myself very cost effective to own the equipment.

As the land is rough, and I can envision improving other logging roads on it, the 450B could be around for many years.

[digitup2]

Yes three hours should be enough for even a worse case scenario.But watch him and make sure you have every thing in writing .Or tell him out right that he has lost a lot of your trust by not being above board and professional as he should be in this position .I have told my local dealership several times If you are professionals than dam well act like it .the last mechanic that tried to BS me got told in front of his manager and boss [Act like a pro or ask questions but don't try that again ]I know that buying new equipment from them helps but tell them -DON'T TREAT ME LIKE A FOOL!!.Digitup.

[srshaw3]

Yes three hours should be enough for even a worse case scenario.But watch him and make sure you have every thing in writing .Or tell him out right that he has lost a lot of your trust by not being above board and professional as he should be in this position .I have told my local dealership several times If you are professionals than dam well act like it .the last mechanic that tried to BS me got told in front of his manager and boss [Act like a pro or ask questions but don't try that again ]I know that buying new equipment from them helps but tell them -DON'T TREAT ME LIKE A FOOL!!.Digitup.

I presume you meant 3 days, not 3 hours. Time will tell how this works out.

[digitup2]

they better have it apart fixed and together in 3 Days but yes 3 hours for the hydraulics if they know what they are doing .If they can handle a wrench at all hydraulics and even a pump replacement is less than that .The nice thing about hydraulics is it is nearly all on the outside of the 450 B dozer or easy to get at .Remember if the pressure is down check the pump for flow and the return screens and filters .Digitup.

[vestor_guy]

You never fully explained why someone said you needed new steering clutches. One side or both? Is it a clutch issue or a brake issue? Please elaborate.

RE the hydraulics being weak. The crawlers pumps are open circuit continuous gear pumps. If all functions of the hydraulics are weak, then the source of the problem could indicate a worn hydraulic pump or something wrong with the relief valve. You either have a 15, 23 or 30 GPM pump. I think the backhoe version has a 30. If the pump has never been replaced, the pump would be a likely suspect. They are only about $500 and I could replace one in about about two hours.

The easiest way to trouble shoot a weak hydraulic pump it to check the time required to raise the bucket both empty and full of material. If the full bucket is substantially longer to raise, even double the time, the pump is badly worn. If the empty bucket raises very slow at high engine RPM, then you may have a relief valve stuck open.

My bet would be the hydraulic pump.

[vestor_guy]

Back in 1980, one of the fellows at work knew I had a 450 dozer and he wanted to sell me his 450 crawler loader. He said it was locked in second gear and didn't have much power. The JD dealer had made a service call and claimed the transmission needed to be rebuilt, cost $4500 to get it running again. He priced it at $8500 minus the $4500 repair bill. He just wanted rid of it.

I said I would come out and look at it for him but he just wanted to sell it. He had purchased it to make roads in his avacoda orchard but he said all that he ever did was move holes to another place. He obviously never learned how to move dirt.

We made an appointment to see the tractor. I got there on time but he had not arrived yet. I waited for about 20 minutes and finally fired up the tractor to see what it did. After working with it a bit, I thought it was just a clutch adjustment. I could shut it off and change gears. The engine was pretty weak and could hardly move the tractor in 3rd gear.

When he finally got there, I was about to tell him that it probably didn't need the transmission fixed when he very curtly said, "Well, are you going to buy it or not?" I said "sure" and wrote him a check.

I moved it home, adjusted the clutch and did an engine overhaul. It was a strong tractor and worked great. I used it for about a year, cleaned out one pond and dug another, dug a basement for a neighbor, got offered $13,500 and I sold the tractor. The moral of this story is "be nice to people". This guy irritated most everyone at work and I was no exception. He even irritated me the day I bought the tractor when I was going to save him some money and volunteer to adjust the clutch. The funny part was that for years afterwards when I would see him, he would ask me how that tractor was doing. I would reply, "Its doing just fine Al."

[kedorland]

I moved it home, adjusted the clutch and did an engine overhaul. It was a strong tractor and worked great. I used it for about a year, cleaned out one pond and dug another, dug a basement for a neighbor, got offered $13,500 and I sold the tractor. The moral of this story is "be nice to people". This guy irritated most everyone at work and I was no exception. He even irritated me the day I bought the tractor when I was going to save him some money and volunteer to adjust the clutch. The funny part was that for years afterwards when I would see him, he would ask me how that tractor was doing. I would reply, "Its doing just fine Al."

So true.

Kevin from Iowa

[b13150]

I debated for 6 months to to do my clutch job or hire it out. It took a very good dozer mechanic 26 hrs at 25$ an hr to do just one side. You just never know how long it will take untill you start. His estimate was 15 hr at most. I took to him on a Friday and I was using it by the next Friday. I see it, Money Well Spent.

[srshaw3]

Well, I had the work done, by the dealer, and am generally satisfied. While it ended up costing more then orginally quoted, there was additional work done, and it was clear that the dozer had not been used in a while or well maintained. It nows steers well, and I finally used it a bit.

The backhoe issue was a blown o-ring in the manifold as I recall, and it now works well also.

I had it delivered to my property yesterday, drove it up to my clearing and started learning how to use it a bit. Clearly it will take a while, but I had reasonable success with the backhoe digging out a stump, while the loader will take some learning to move dirt as a blade would.

I did end up blowing a hose to the loader, one that is used to curl the bucket (if that is the right term). Now I am wondering whether I should attempt to change that myself, abd whether I should expect other hoses to go, so should replace the other loader hoses preventatively. It isn't local to where I live so that plays quite a bit into how to approach the hose issue. I will do some searches next, but if anyone can advise whether changing the hose is just unbolting the old an bolting in the new, that would be helpful (perhaps it must be bled too?).

[srshaw3]

I got the hose off, wow that was simple.
Suggestions on where to get a replacement?
I am wondering if it is cheaper to have it rebuilt by someone like this company, local to where I am tomorrow: http://www.mcgillhose.com/site/cfs.htm

[digitup2]

This outfit should be able to do the job tell them what it dose and what it is for make sure it is the same length and things should go fine.This is a lot more hose than a farm tractor would have and should have twice the wire windings in it this is refereed to as double braided hose all high pressure hydraulic hoses on that crawler are this way originally Also don't worry about bleeding the system just cycle the loader bucket several times and go back to work .Digitup.