I’m going to travel half a day to go look at a “nice” 850 Deere Dozer that might be part of a trade deal for a classic car. the owner says it has a fuel lift pump failing so it won’t stay running. He’s changed out filters and fuel supply is good. He’s got a big company of diesel equipment so I will put some faith in that. I’ve got 450’s and Cats but never been around an 850. I guess I’m wanting to know aside of regular dozer wear and tear I thought I would ask the community - is there any known issues that I should be looking for and checking out?
Any letter following the 850 indicating the actual model ?
I believe it's just a straight 850
The guy first said it was a 700, so I thought it was fairly newer model, but now says its an 850. I'll have to drive about 50 miles then 28 miles up a logging road to get to the lodge where it sets. Hate to drive all the way and overlook something that should be known.
An 850 straight (built 1978-1985) will have minor to major oil leaks at the rear hydrostatic transmissions. If you don’t see any puddles under the rear of the machine, remove the 12x12 inch plate at the back and have a peek inside. Low hydrostatic transmission power is a potential issue that usually doesn’t appear until the transmission is warmed up. Minor to major miss tracking will also be a potential issue when cold and or warmed up. To repair the issues I listed gets very expensive in a hurry , so I would wait until the machine was in running condition before I invested any travel time to go check it out.
Thanks Diesel Dave, that's exactly the kind of input I need to know. I may end up being the repair man and person who gets it going. I am going to study the pump and fuel system stuff before I go too much farther. When I brought up algae in the fuel from sitting he gave me a blank stare.