Hi y'all. First time posting, but if I get this thing I'll probably be on here a lot. There is a 1972 Case 450 dozer for sale about 10 miles from my farm in WV. I would really like to purchase it for around the property instead of constantly sinking money into having someone come out and do the work for me. The owner recently died and the son is selling it for more than I think its worth ($9k). Its pretty beat up but the undercarrage looks decent to my untrained eyes and he says it runs strong. He did say that the idlers are worn but he has new ones to go with the dozer. It also comes with a winch that is not attached. I took a bunch of pictures of it so if someone with a trained eye wants to see a different angle I can email them the pic or pics. No hour gauge, so I have no idea how many hours are on it. It used to have a 6-way blade, but the hydraulic lines and tilt cylinder are gone. Don't know how hard it would be to make it 6-way again. A small section of track is missing off of the starboard track. So what is the value on a machine in this shape running? Thanks for any feedback.
Here are a couple of pictures of the dozer in question.
If you are able to, I would suggest operating the dozer for 15-20 minutes, moving it around, turning it, making it work in a pile some & check the various temps & for leaks etc., once you get off & it is still warm. The little 450 Case tractors are nice to run & very nimble once you get used to them, especially for lighter work. I think the were one of the first if not the first to come out the "power to both tracks" feature when turning, which was a real advantage when pushing & turning at the same time. Being minus the tilt cylinder will be quite crippling though & having that working again would be a big bonus. Did they block the blade from tilting or will it just flop back & forth? Not of much use at all if it is not fixed in place. Not sure about pricing in your area, but in ours it would likely bring $6-8K with no tilt, if it was in good operating cond. otherwise.
There is a block keeping the blade from tilting. Looks like a tilt cylinder can be had for about $700. I will definetly run it before I purchase. That was the price range I was considering. Thanks. Any idea how hard it is to change out the rollars for a home mechanic? I assume the idlers and rollars are the same.
Agree, run it around and get it heated up and see what if anything starts to show up. If they won't let you run it for a while, walk away. Looks like it's had a 5 gallon overhaul
I was wondering what was up with the bucket. Trying to keep water out of the engine compartment I assume.
Keeping the rain out of the air breather, but that is not a stock air intake.
I would plan on measuring track pitch and rail height, maybe if you raise it with blade down pressure you can inspect the rollers. From the little I can see in the photos it looks like the undercarriage is about 10% (90% shot). It would probably be fine for the work you want to do with it but it certainly affects the value.
Looks not too bad. I would get it for $8 grand. Would definitely want to operate first and do a full mechanical inspection.
Curious to know what you saw in the pics to determine that? Thanks.
A 5-gallon overhaul is the fresh paint.
Grousers are well worn but the spacing at the heel/toe of the pads does not appear excessive, I too would measure the rails, go from the edge of a pin in one link to the same edge on the fourth link away, that will give a good average for each pin/bushing wear when divided by four, also inspect the bushings you can see for wear through or if they have wear all around as if they have been previously turned. Can have either 5.875 or 6.0 rails on it dependent if a straight 450 or if newer as a B or other series.. Sprocket as can see does not appear too worn but a lift and inspect on the bottom rollers is well advised, check for side play, frozen bearing, flat spotting of roller faces and flange conditions. This is typical measurement directions they state across four pins but is actually across four links: http://www.tpub.com/basae/145.htm
$4,500 would be the tops I would pay . I have bought 450's in that age range for $5,000 and under in good operating condition , work ready , he is asking too much ! My opinion ............
Well I finally got hold of the seller again and made him an offer of $6k. He seemed to take offense at the offer and wouldn't even counter offer. In fact he wouldn't even take my name and number in case he changed his mind. I guess good luck to him getting the 9K he wants. Back to the grind of searching again. If any of you come across a good deal on a dozer in or around WV, please IM me with the information.
I'm curious also..... It doesnt look horrible to me but I'm no undercarriage expert.
The pictures could be better, Iam just guessing. It looks like the track adjustment is nearly all the way out. I think I see flat spots on the pin bosses bringing rail height in to question. Too bad there is not a photo of wear marks on the sprockets. When someone is asking that much money it is always better to measure and use the % in price negotiation. To do otherwise is to participate in undercarriage denial.
Ended up going with a John Deere 450B crawler dozer with six way blade. The undercarriage was rebuilt recently (except for the tracks themselves) so it is at probably 90%. It runs strong. I did start getting some left side steering problems after I used it a bit so I think I need to do the steering clutch/brake adjustments on it. The exterior needs some TLC, just some surface rust here and there that needs sanded/painted. A couple of hoses probably will need replaced at the end of this season. A big learning curve on it for me right now. I got it for a bit less than the Case was going for, but also had to have it hauled a lot further. Here is a picture:
Even though I like Case 450 better than the 450 John Deere , you got the best buy for your money . Nice looking Dozer . Looks better than the 450 Case which was much over priced .
"Big learning curve?" You are off to a good start. You made the decent looking cut next to the garage and the garage is still standing. You will do fine. Just take your time. There is a lot of little tricks that come natural after a while. Like turning when you can when the middle of the inside track is on a hump with the machine weight in the middle of the track instead of being supported from both ends. Pivots easier and less stress and wear on the tracks. Have fun and be safe. Looks like you need to build a buddy seat for your assistant.
Yeah, I had about two to three inches of clearance when I made that cut. Took it slow. I haven't given my boy a ride yet. Don't know if I trust a 3 year old on a moving dozer if he's not strapped down.
Only thing I can see wrong with undercarriage is idler bushings gone out, rails look tall, sprockets meaty, grousers worn, with full rock gaurds if chains were sloppy bottom of pads would have wear grooves in em. Idlers probably went bad from running tracks to tight.
Nice deere, at that age I would put the helper on my lap in an open and flat spot, put his hands on the levers and he'll take it from there, best damb place a kid can grow up instead of the tv/video/computer crap today.
Congrats ! You did better with the Deere for sure. I had my boys in between my legs from a very young age. Let them grab hold of the levers and hang on they will. It's natural and they will thank you for it one day as all 3 of my boys did....take your time with it,be extra careful and listen to the little voice in your head when it talks to you while operating in varied terrain...As the bubble in your butt becomes calibrated your level of workmanship on the little Deere will increase. Now go and burn a bunch of diesel and enjoy your new toy...
Ouch. That is not what I wanted to hear.
Nevermind my previous post, you were referring to the Case and not the John Deere.
I put my little boy on my lap in a JD trackloader one time, he thought it was the coolist thing ever, until i crossed a dry creek. The Nose-over going down unnerved him a little, but the climb out was even worse. All he could see was blue sky out of the windshield, he started reaching for something to grab onto, but there wasn't a thing in reach (it was pedal-steer and nothing but gauges on the dash). He still loved the ride, but wanted me to stay on FLAT ground. Good luck with your JD, and your Buddy!
Thanks! I'll get him on it next chance we get. Unfortunately there is not a lot of flat area to run it on as you can tell by the picture.