350C steering clutch repair

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Brucie
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350C steering clutch repair

Post by Brucie » Thu Oct 10, 2019 11:26 am

Got a guy selling a 350C who says it needs repair on right steering clutch. I can't find a John Deere parts store here in NW Oregon much less someone who knows anything about these? He claims it only has 3K hours on it and clutch is going??? Is this really lemon yellow instead of JD green?

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Lavoy
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Re: 350C steering clutch repair

Post by Lavoy » Fri Oct 11, 2019 12:49 pm

Do you mean c as in crawler, or C as in series? Doubt a C series need clutches, but possible. If it is a straight or B model, I stock all of the steering clutch components. Nothing wrong with the crawler itself in general, might be bad operator or owner, that is normally what causes the most problems.
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Jim B
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Re: 350C steering clutch repair

Post by Jim B » Fri Oct 11, 2019 5:27 pm

To expand on Lavoy’s point of “Do you mean c as in crawler, or C as in series?” The first thing to do is to check the serial number to be sure it is a true 350C. Many straight 350s and 350B’s seem to end up with 350 C decals after paint jobs. I would want to do a good bit more checking if the serial number tag is missing from the front panel of the battery box, which is where the tags were for the 350C and 350D series. (If the serial number tag is on the right side of the panel, below the seat, it is a straight 350 or 350B series.) The first post on the FAQ board is by Stan Disbrow and lists the 350 serial number by years and the series.

An early 350C could be 44-45 years old. Is the seller the original purchaser so he can say for certain the hourmeter was never replaced? It is not uncommon for hourmeters to stop working and be replaced.

Things happen and a clutch could fail at 3K hours, but again are you sure the hours are correct? A 350C would have wet steering clutches, which is why Lavoy said he doubted a C series needed clutches. The straight 350s and most of the 350Bs had dry steering clutches and were more likely to have issues and failures. Major differences in the parts so you need to be sure which model it is.

Since the 440IC and 440ICD models (introduced about 60 years ago) the John Deere crawlers have been yellow, with few exceptions. Yellow is now the color of most construction equipment, and used by about all manufacturers, including JD. I believe, like most manufacturers they have changed the shade(s) and name(s) of their yellow some over time.

Are you looking to purchase a crawler for your own use and considering this one to purchase?

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Jason37756
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Re: 350C steering clutch repair

Post by Jason37756 » Fri Oct 11, 2019 8:35 pm

3,000 hours would be awesome, but I learned along time ago not to trust the guage...5 hours with the wrong operator can be the same wear as 5000 for another operator.

Run that seriel number to confirm the dozer or pop the seat out and look for two square covers or square openings where the covers should be. This will let us know what model the dozer is.

Jason

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Lavoy
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Re: 350C steering clutch repair

Post by Lavoy » Wed Oct 16, 2019 9:28 pm

I would be extremely suspicious of low hour claims, the hour meter is 40 years old now, it could have died 15 years ago.
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