There's a decent looking 350B out on the roadside in rural Wisconsin. I frequently drive by it. Now am thinking about purchasing it. I am a true novice with dozers.... can any of you more experienced fellas give me some things to worry about?
The ad says it only has 2800 hours, but it is a 1971 vintage.
Thanks in advance,
Mike
Possible JD350B Purchase
Possible JD350B Purchase
The good things in life: A happy Wife, dogs, pick-up trucks, a good-fitting shotgun, good card games, friends... and old farm equipment.
Welcome to the fun and endless spending of crawlers..if you are a novice you might want to find a friend that knows about undercarriages and can help you.Look for cracks and welds and probably stay up all night reading all the great posts about the 350s..All in all they are enjoyable and good luck, you found a great site for help.
scampr 440icd, 350B, 47 Farmall H, 55 Farmall cub and ashamed to have a Kabota too
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howardjohn
- 40C crawler
- Posts: 14
- Joined: Thu Jul 26, 2012 12:59 am
- Location: new jersey
some friendly advice
Hello Mike, this is a great site for info and opinions. I am in a similar position as you looking out for a crawler. What I have learned about the 350b is that first it uses dry clutches which require a lot of service and attention. Most but not all of the machines I have looked at have had problems with there steering clutches. It seems worse when a machine has sat for a long time and when the machine is stored outside. Second what are you going to do with the 350b? A 350b is only 40 hp. It may sound like a lot and the machine looks big but it is a small crawler and may take you longer than what you thought to do some of your projects. Finally I am not sure if it is a crawler loader or dozer but check the tracks not only for condition but also to see if they are the correct grouser style. I have seen a lot of dozer cleats on loaders which as I have learned is harder on the undercarrisge for a loader. I myself have made the decision not to buy a b machine because of the dry steering clutcjes. Instead I am looking for a c which has wet clutches. Since my service skills on crawlers are new and honestly I do not want to spend more time servicing my equipment than using it. Good luck Howard
I agree with Ken.If a dry clutch system is working good and taken care of and not abandoned for months outside, with regular exercise they are a good system. I have a buddy that has had a 430C since the 70s and keeps it dry and doesnt use it much and has never had the finals off. Keeping the clutches dry and used occasionally and i have no fears at all.The fear of getting in my 450C scares me a lot more than in the 440 for sure.
scampr 440icd, 350B, 47 Farmall H, 55 Farmall cub and ashamed to have a Kabota too
We have probably a dozen or more dry clutch crawlers, and the only time we have had clutch trouble is if water has gotten into the clutch housing. Some of these crawlers run only once a year, and still no trouble. I suppose my climate might be drier than some, and we don't leave them outside.
Lavoy
Lavoy
Parts and restoration for antique and late model John Deere crawlers.
Owner and moderator www.jdcrawlers.com
Owner and moderator www.jdcrawlers.com
Wet clutch/brake systems main advantage over dry are extended service life. It would probably be safe to assume most of use don't put enough hours on our crawlers to notice the difference.
And, if you run dirty oil long enough, your service life wont be great either!
While it is true that dry systems are somewhat more susceptible to getting "stuck" when let sitting for a while, the wet systems are not immune to it either.
On the 350C, the oil level in the steering clutch housing does not fill up the entire housing, if a machine builds enough condensation, the brake linkage/adjuster etc can become rusted and stick, my loader was this way when i bought it. The linkage counts on "splash" lubrication from the brake drum turning during operation.
And, if you run dirty oil long enough, your service life wont be great either!While it is true that dry systems are somewhat more susceptible to getting "stuck" when let sitting for a while, the wet systems are not immune to it either.
On the 350C, the oil level in the steering clutch housing does not fill up the entire housing, if a machine builds enough condensation, the brake linkage/adjuster etc can become rusted and stick, my loader was this way when i bought it. The linkage counts on "splash" lubrication from the brake drum turning during operation.
I agree with most every thing already said. But... I'm going to throw my dog in this hunt anyway! 
The two biggest issues with the dry clutches is 1, Sitting unused and 2, Moisture. I know of two 350Bs that have never had a set of clutches put in them! Amazing stuff!! However the key here is the guys that own them take care of their machines. They keep them covered either by a Tarp or when they are home they're in a machine shed. Yes, you do have to adjust them occasionally. Wet clutches and brakes, even with the automatic brake adjusters will require adjusting once in a while. They tend to "Run Up" on the brake bands and ruin not only the bands but the drums as well. Then all that ground up metal gets inside the clutch packs and ruins the clutch discs. And as CatD8RII already stated they can stick just as easily as the dry clutches. Again from sitting unused! If you let water build up in a wet system they will freeze in winter and until you thaw them out, you aren't going anywhere!
Dry systems have been around a lot longer than the wet systems and have served us well. There is nothing wrong with them and it is usually when someone has either abused them or neglected them that issues occur.
My suggestion would be to run the machine and see how the clutches function. See if the owner will let you dig with it or push against something to see how well everything engages. Make several turns in both directions to see how the steering brakes are working. Ask the owner to remove the clutch covers so you can see the inside of the clutch housings. If they are full of moisture and look nasty then negotiate the price accordingly.
The good thing with Dry clutches is you can clean them with just really hot water and some bleach. Take the plugs out of the bottom of the clutch housing and wash away. Then you can dry them with compressed air and either a heat lamp or a cheap blow dryer aimed down in the housing. They're really pretty forgiving.
So... I wouldn't be afraid of buying either a Straight 350 or a 350B. As Ken has pointed out, they're usually cheaper to buy than the Cs and Ds and they will serve you just as well. Another point brought out was to make sure you are buying what you need. A 350 is not meant for anything real major. You can do a lot of work with one as long as you don't try to do too much. Work that a 450, 550 or 650 ought to be doing shouldn't be done with a 350. So don't expect too much out of it. Just because it has tracks doesn't mean you can push or dig through anything and everything. Know the limits before you buy.
That's my 2 cents worth! Hope it helps!
The two biggest issues with the dry clutches is 1, Sitting unused and 2, Moisture. I know of two 350Bs that have never had a set of clutches put in them! Amazing stuff!! However the key here is the guys that own them take care of their machines. They keep them covered either by a Tarp or when they are home they're in a machine shed. Yes, you do have to adjust them occasionally. Wet clutches and brakes, even with the automatic brake adjusters will require adjusting once in a while. They tend to "Run Up" on the brake bands and ruin not only the bands but the drums as well. Then all that ground up metal gets inside the clutch packs and ruins the clutch discs. And as CatD8RII already stated they can stick just as easily as the dry clutches. Again from sitting unused! If you let water build up in a wet system they will freeze in winter and until you thaw them out, you aren't going anywhere!Dry systems have been around a lot longer than the wet systems and have served us well. There is nothing wrong with them and it is usually when someone has either abused them or neglected them that issues occur.
My suggestion would be to run the machine and see how the clutches function. See if the owner will let you dig with it or push against something to see how well everything engages. Make several turns in both directions to see how the steering brakes are working. Ask the owner to remove the clutch covers so you can see the inside of the clutch housings. If they are full of moisture and look nasty then negotiate the price accordingly.
The good thing with Dry clutches is you can clean them with just really hot water and some bleach. Take the plugs out of the bottom of the clutch housing and wash away. Then you can dry them with compressed air and either a heat lamp or a cheap blow dryer aimed down in the housing. They're really pretty forgiving.
So... I wouldn't be afraid of buying either a Straight 350 or a 350B. As Ken has pointed out, they're usually cheaper to buy than the Cs and Ds and they will serve you just as well. Another point brought out was to make sure you are buying what you need. A 350 is not meant for anything real major. You can do a lot of work with one as long as you don't try to do too much. Work that a 450, 550 or 650 ought to be doing shouldn't be done with a 350. So don't expect too much out of it. Just because it has tracks doesn't mean you can push or dig through anything and everything. Know the limits before you buy.
That's my 2 cents worth! Hope it helps!
40 plus years working on JD 350s, 400Gs, 450s and other equipment both Ag and Construction.
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