I have a 1976 John Deere 550 dozer, and I'm having an issue with the left side steering brake. The clutch seems to disengage properly, but when I pull the left steering lever, the track doesn’t stop, making it difficult to make a hard left turn. I’ve noticed the left steering lever doesn’t pull back as far as the right side (which works fine), so I think something might be frozen or bound up on the left side. Has anyone experienced this issue or know what might be causing it? Also, does anyone know where I can find a detailed service manual for the brakes? I have the TM1108 manual, but Section 10 for brake servicing says "Not Used." Thanks for any suggestions or advice!
Welcome to HEF buckshotlee . The steering clutch and brake details will be in section 2 of the TM1108 manual. Has the left side braking performance been getting worse over time or a new issue. The 550 has wet steering clutch housings so I suspect there won’t be anything seized.
I just purchased it and figured out I had a problem after the fact. I will look closely at Section 2. Thank you.
Sounds like your steering clutch is not disengaging and it is driving through the brake. First thing I would do is check the adjustments. Go to section 90, page 9020-8. That page is where the adjustments are found for the steering brake and clutch.
Update for everyone. It is for sure a wet clutch and the clutch is okay. I was able to pull both steer levers back to the disengage point and both tracks slow to a stop. Now if I pull the right side back all the way while the track is rolling to stop it quickly, it will stop quickly. When I do the same thing to the left side, I hit that frozen point and at that point the track slows to a stop just like it did when I only pull back far enough to disengage the clutch. I will update this post late with pictures of what I find once I get into the clutch house so see exactly is causing the brake to be frozen.
Drain the oil from the left side steering clutch housing , let us know what you find.