I saw something really sad today !

[LeonardL]

When returning from deer hunting today, my son and I passed one of our local scrap recyclers. My son was driving and he pointed to one of the scrap yards flat bed trucks. Sitting in a very sad, worn out looking position was a 1967 John Deere Straight 350. This JD 350 was once a Missouri Department of Conservation, Forestry division fire suppression dozer.
I knew this machine well as it was one of the very first JD 350s I ever worked on. In her day she was the pride of the fleet, with a gas engine and P.T.O. No reverser and no power steering. The P.T.O. was the only option they would buy back then.
They were bought without factory ROPS and the MDC would build there own with a cone shaped fire cage once Deere would deliver the machines. The only other thing that set them apart was the forest green paint scheme that was special ordered.
One of our operators once said, "It takes a man to run that thing all night on a fire!" He was referring to the steering and the constant clutching the machine to shift gears.
I called the scrap yards owner as soon as I got home and he wouldn't even consider selling it to me. I'm going to try and get a picture of it before he does the unthinkable to it and scrap it out.
It's just sad! It's like loosing one of my kids! She looks so pitiful sitting on that truck.
The machine was sold at the MDC auction in the early 1980s and was replaced by a JD 350C. I know the man that bought the machine and helped him maintain it for several years until he sold it. I didn't see it again until today.
Anyway... Sorry to cry on you guys shoulder but... well it's just sad...

[Tigerhaze]

I think all of us get a little sad seeing one of these machines scrapped- with the lack of some parts it seems like the proper disposition for these old crawlers should be as a parts machine to help others.

However others without a crawler passion see scrapping as a convienent way to turn some rusting metal into quick cash (which is then shipped overseas as feedstock to come back to us as cheap inferior Chinese-made products!)

[JWB Contracting]

It does get hard to let them go after you have owned them a couple of times.

We bought a 350 6 way dozer machine in pieces about 10 years ago and ended up buying it back 2 years ago. We fixed the track frames and put on a real good set of used undercarriage and ended up selling it last week. Hope the new owner is happy, nice little crawler.

Just bought back a 350C widepad 6 way dozer machine with a bad reverser. We sold it originally back in 2006 when widepads were in high demand for tramping down / freezing muskeg. Came back with new undercarriage and new paint. I think we will put it back in the fleet (case hoe attachment will be going back on it) Also included in the deal was a narrow pad 350C 6 way dozer machine with a limb riser canopy and winch - engine is out and in pieces. I am going to have a hard time parting with it once we get it back together.

My dad has been buying, fixing and reselling deeres since the early 70's. In that time we have went thru many nice onces, would really of liked to keep some of the low hour / mint machines but our sheds are already over filled with a fairly good assortment of green and yellow crawlers. Also, too many non-runners not in sheds that we won't even get to in the next few years. It is however a good feeling when you sell a decent cat and the you know the customer is happy. We do end up geting alot of them back in trade if the new owner is not able to fix them when they do finally give trouble - none of them last forever.

[tjdub]

I called the scrap yards owner as soon as I got home and he wouldn't even consider selling it to me.

I've never known a scrapper to turn down more profit. I would call back and tell him to name his price. If he won't give you a price, tell him "Fine, I'll just have to spend this lotto money on something else, then!" and then hang up on him.

[digitup2]

I swear some times there is some kind of scrapers oath that they don't like getting caught selling what they just took in the yard to the public.I hauled a load of smashed cast pipe into one scraper in Cambridge Ont instead of to my local guy.while there some nut case drove in with an older28 horse Kubota tractor and drives it on the scale.the scrap yard refused it because of the tires and fuel .So I quickly swapped him scrap weight off my scale weight for the tractor and took it back to the shop .I got lucky and you just wonder what people throw out but I trade my scrap pile with the local scrap yard for interesting stuff usually 2 tons of my scrap too a ton of his So what I am getting at is if the dollars go there direction then they will see the light .If you got some scrap then try that if you got some greenback then try that but go right to the boss.I find scrap yard help is fairly neanderthal at best of times [I say sorry to all those in advance that work at a scrap yard but have you got hair on your knuckles? No!! well there you go!] keep trying for it scrap prices just won't go up for three months any way .Digitup.

[LeonardL]

You are so right about a lot of the scrap yard mentality! This guy is the definition of Grunt Stupid! I called him again this morning to ask if I could come by and take a picture of the machine. I explained how I had worked on and with this machine. His response was beyond Neanderthal! It was nothing less than ignorant paranoia! His answer was and I quote... " OH HAILLLL NO! YOU AINT TAKIN NOOOOOO PICTURES IN MY YARD!!!" Okay... so maybe he is a cave man. This guy doesn't even reach the basic red neck level when it comes to intelligence. He gives the rest of us hillbillies a bad reputation! So I asked him what he had to hide and he hung up on me. So... Well... this morning is off to a rip roaring start. And it's raining on the last day of deer season! I may drive by later and see if the truck and dozer are still out front and I will take a picture from the highway. Hey! Caveman! Zoom lens!! Thanks guys!

[Tigerhaze]

So I asked him what he had to hide and he hung up on me. So... Well... this morning is off to a rip roaring start.

As you probably know there has been a lot of high profile issues here in MO with the methheads stealing copper out of AC units and homes or catalytic convertors off of the bottoms of parked cars and then selling at scrap yards. He probably thinks you are doing some investigative reporting for a media outlet under the guise of looking at the crawler, since that happens all the time on TV now. I would guess at this point that he is sufficiently worried that he won't do a deal on it.

However you would think he would have heard of you though, being that you have been in the Salem area for so long.

[andregrondin]

Hi !

Just go in the yard with an aluminium pipe , try to sell him the pipe
and take the pic ,

[LeonardL]

The aluminum pipe is a good idea only I'm thinking of something besides trying to sell it to him. As far as him knowing who I am... There is an irony here, where I used to work is directly across the highway from his yard! And that is probably the problem in a nut shell. He knows me and also knows where I used to work. There have been some issues with him at the MDCs auctions. As for the Meth heads? Well he does fit the profile. If I do get a picture I will post it here.

[Patrick]

Our local yard is real easy to deal with. I saw a guy swap some scrap for an Allis WC. Half an hour sooner and I would have done the same. It was a nice looking tracter but looked like it had been sitting for a long time. the tires were dry rotted right off. I ran into the guy at a gas station and asked him about it and he told me he got it running. Where I live you get finger printed and a copy of your drivers licencess taken when you sell scrap. Is this just in my area in Michigan or do you guys have to dothe same

[LeonardL]

It hasn't come to that yet but if people don't stop stealing all the copper and trying to sell it, it most likely will.

[CatD8RII]

You would think it would be worth more in parts than in raw scrap. Whats a 350 dozer weigh, at most only 11000 lbs or so. At least it would be nice to see it go to a salvage guy so it could help out some other dozers in the future, and even seeing that is painful enough.

[MarkW]

If they scrap yard owner is an idiot, there is not much a person can do I'm afraid. Me, I like to find something they will want and offer to swap and always toss a few bucks of cash in as well. Cast aluminum works well, just make sure you've taken all the ferrous out of it.

Leonard, I hope you still have time to get a deer. I was pretty fortunate and bagged a 13 pointer on Sunday.

[digitup2]

I know what it's like I found my first 450B several years ago and all the money in the world wouldn't buy it right now .All the old Deere metal I collect and I couldn't bring it back into the herd It's still close but not mine I watch it close it isn't going any where .I got my first 490 John Deere excavator back two months ago .I got it new in 84 and traded it in 89 on a 490D I was so glad to get that back I took it straight into the shop and replaced some windows in the cab I know I will never sell it either .It's too bad you couldn't swap some scrap for it or get someone else too at this point.There is just no reasoning with stupidity though I never get time to hunt any more for a deer up in this neck of the woods all you got to do is run a float & truck down a back road she came out and ran beside me then caught the front corner of the back deck this just spun her enough to brake her neck .I strapped her on and went home my hunting done for this year .Digitup.