I see several Clark loaders for sale that look pretty decent but they mention no brakes. I dont know a single thing about brakes on them, what is the work/cost. I understand its model specific but this seems regular. Is it a deal breaker?
Well like you said model and age would be very important to know! Could be very basic straight air brakes, could be air over hydraulic with wheel cylinders like an old car but just bigger, could be air over hydraulic with wedge brakes, or wet multi-disc straight hydraulic or wet multi-disc air over hydraulic. To be totally honest I don't know if Clark used all those options or maybe even used something I have not thought of yet! There are also so many variables it would be hard to make a simple answer even if one knew exactly what type it might have. Well maintained and actively used machine brakes may be good for many years. Where a machine that was, as they would say about horses back in the day, "Rode hard and put up wet" and it has been parked for ten years. Well, that one might need thousands of dollars to get them working in a safe manner! Guess the best thing for someone not familiar with what ever particular machine you are looking at would be to find someone who is, like maybe a retired service tech from the dealer that sold that particular make and model. No idea what it would cost to have an experienced guy look over the machine in question but could be the best money spent even if they say "DON"T BUY IT!!!"
The bigger Clark log skidders had a disc, driveline style brake, that sat inside the back of the transfer case. They require transmission fluid in the master cylinder instead of brake fluid in case of leakage. They worked great but usually never got fixed after years of abuse because they were a project to get to. Not sure if a Clark loader used the same system.
I don't think the loaders used that system, skidders by their nature self destructed (with help from the operator) due to the environment. I'm also unsure the Ranger and Michigan engineers were ever successfully interbred. They appear to have hydraulic disk on the smaller models, air over hydraulic disk on the larger units. Here's a page with links to brochures: https://machine.market/specs/clark-michigan
Ok, better yet a 1979 International Dresser. Well maintained and works.let me get a model number.
Ok, interested in a 515B well taken care of. Nice tires and not too rusty.
Hough
Spent many hours working on a variety of Houghs, Dressers, IH's and the like!
All Payloaders! lol
Better check fluids pretty close on that machine. You might want samples on engine, hydraulic and transmission oils. Final drive and axle oils are common to each other. I don't know if there were any magnets on the level plugs on those. Hour meter has likely been changed multiple times. Center hitch is the killer. If you can feel the seat bucking when you pick up the bucket, run away.
^nice to bring a second set of eyeballs for that.
Yep got Pay for working on those loaders! 100's, 120's, 400's, 540's, 560'sand maybe one or two models I forgot about. Most common in our company were the 120's and 560's.