Hello All: I am new to tracks loaders but have a farm and decided I can't live without one to clear acreage. Have spent the last year or so keeping my eye out for one that I am comfortable with. I am looking at what is being sold as a 1971 JD450 track loader w/ ripper. It appears to have a rebuilt engine which runs great and the machine was mostly refurbished a few years ago. Not clear yet if this age is accurate and am waiting for the s/n to research it better. The seller says it is a JD450 with 70hp but from what I find it should be a JD450B and 65hp. The only mechanical concern I have is the steering. It has the hand controls and I had to pull them pretty far back to get it to turn. The right stick was most difficult and took 2 hands. The seller says this is adjustable but I need to make sure since I understand these things can be costly. I have read about wet and dry steering but don't have a clue what that means to me or what this machine has...or if it even matters to me. Can anyone tell me if indeed the steering linkage is adjustable or could this be signs that steering clutches need to be replaced? Thanks, Tom
I owned a 450 for years. Good little machine- about 8 ton. The clutches are adjustable as well as the brakes and it is important to keep them adjusted if you want to have easy steering. Mine didn't have "power steering" which some later models did. I never needed power steering because I totally rebuilt my steering clutches and brakes- making them as good as new. Get someone that knows about the adjusting procedure and have them look at that loader for you. It's not that hard to adjust once you know how. A lot of "standing on your head" to do the clutches.... brakes are a piece of cake. If your clutches have oil on them or are infact wore out, you can be looking at a few dollars woth of parts and some labor--- not something that I would want a novice to tackle. Anyone that knows about a 450 could look at it and tell what it needs pretty quickly. Hope this helps.
I owned a straight jd450 (not a B,C) dozer as did a friend of mine. Those are dry clutches. There was always something going on with them. They would freeze so they didn't want to release , if oil leaked in there the would slip and they needed adjustment frequently. As Dirt farmer said they're tricky to adjust, my buddy never could do his I had to. Most of the ones I saw needed new clutches or some work in there that's when they were sold. That's when I sold mine. Mine also kept breaking the bolts that go through the frame to the bell housing. I rigged the clutch adjusters and those bolts a few times to keep her going. All that being said I used it for a long long time. It's a nice dozer with high maintenance. Before I bought that one I have it looked at and adjusted. Someone that knows them can tell how much adjustment is left, if they're sticking etc etc. good luck Randy
I appreciate the advice. The seller said the steering was adjustable but I wanted to make sure this wasn't one of those things that can cost as much as the machine. It appears the machine was completely rebuilt, well maintained and other than that steering issue is in better shape than most I have seen. Next I will need to get used to running it without such a good visual on the bucket....I'm thinking about attaching some type of flag to the bucket but assume after hours of running it I'll get used to knowing what position it is in. Thanks again guys, Tom
There should be a bucket position thing on the right cylender. It's simply a notched piece of pipe with a rod in it. One notch is to "dig" and the end of the pipe is to "level". At least that's what mine had and it worked. Do get somebody to look at those clutches for you. I think three bolts on each side under the seat and you'll know what's going on with them. If they aren't oil soaked and nothing is absolutely worn out or junk, you should be fine.
My father just sold a 450 with bad clutches. He had adjusted it down over the years, but in the end it was doing the same thing you described. We priced out clutches at about 800 a set (2 sets). The mechanic we asked, a family friend, wanted 500 to replace ours, so I imagine it would be higher just to hire someone. What I am getting at is that if all it needed was an adjustment, wouldnt they have done that before they tried to sell it?
Thanks for that info Dirtfarmer and I'll be sure to check that out. I did wonder if there wasn't some means to guage it since I have never heard anyone complain about it. I've been in construction for over 30 years but this was the first track loader I ever operated since that was always left to the pros and I can't ever recall operators offering joy rides. That is a good point Matthew. The steering did work but just not to my satisfaction especially after reading so many posts about the steering on those models and almost all either saying they had been replaced or stating they need steering clutches replaced. The seller said his mechanic asked him each time he serviced it if he wanted it adjusted but he said he declined. I will definately discuss this with the seller and may even ask him if his mechanic will adjust before I agree to buy it or maybe make an offer figuring I'll have them replaced. The left side worked fine and mainly it was the right side.
Yeah, that's a common problem with them breaking the bolts that go into the bell housing. Tighten them every time you think of it and don't let them run loose. Locktite would be a good thing there.
Matthew: You said you priced out clutches at about $800 a set or for 2 sets? so I assume these are available still new from JD or are they an aftermarket. Can you tell me where I could acquire these parts? Parts availability in general for a 42 year old machine concerns me but expect this machine is so manual and there seemed to be so many built that I am ok...is that true? If I get the machine I will definately get the parts manual for it which I see being sold on Ebay and am hoping some common parts are common between the 450 B,C,D machines. Thanks,
I'am sorry, the way I wrote it is a little confusing. A better way to put it would be $800 a side, for a total of $1600. I am not sure if you could just replace one side or not, as I am far from a mechanic. The kit was for our loader, included clutches, brake bands, everything you needed to do a side, and I found it on ebay. Remember that was just parts, not labor. As far as parts availability, I would call a Deere parts shop and ask them about parts availability. I noticed you are in Ga, where at? I live in douglasville. I hope it works out for you.
I don't like butting in but I have had my 450 apart from one end to the other lol. You CAN do just one side but while you have the fuel tank and operators station off, I'd sure go ahead and check both sides. You can get by with way fewer parts than John Deere will tell you if you know some good machine shops. The steering clutches are basically like a clucth in a car. It's always tough to work on something when you haven't never been into one but your 450 wasn't put together by rocket scientists so you'll be ok.
I did some research for the steering clutch parts and I understand you were saying per side if they needed complete replacement. Looks like complete the $800 is about right per side + labor. I live in the Gordon area pretty much in the center of the state. You are not butting in and I see after looking through years of posts here, JDcrawler, YTmag etc how basic these are but my problem is I want the equipment to clear some farmland where the clearing is the objective and not the hobby of working on the machine. The last thing I need is to get out in the wilderness beyond truck access and lose steering or breakdown. The seller of this peice is asking top dollar for what it is so I am contemplating if it is best to spend more for a newer model or see what it would take to get this one where repairs are secondary to doing the clearing. Unfortunately for me my price range puts me in either rebuilt antiques or heavily used tired equipment
Why don't you tell the seller your very interested, but quite concerned about the steering clutches. Ask the seller to have the clutches adjusted, see what he says, and go from there...
Ok, early last week I sent the seller a request for the serial number so I could confirm what this is he is selling. It is listed as a 1971 JD 450 with 72HP which didn't make sense since everything I read says 65HP. Unfortunately the machine is over 2 hours away so I don't have easy access. I received the answer today that it says Model 7450 with the serial number 242. Researching this it looks like the serial numbers on these 450's are 5 or 6 digits so now I am even more confused. Anyone have a clue if this model 7450 with a s/n 242 relates to a specific John Deere track Loader? I haven't even gotten to the steering concern yet and see no sense until I can at least confirm what it is. It was painted when the previous owner rebuilt most of it so there are no markings that can be sure as original. Thanks,
I own a 1978 JD 450C that has a turbo and the manual says 75hp. Some of the B models had turbos most not. There is a jdcrawler.net site that has lots of info on the older machines.
The search is finally over. The project expanded to 35 acres with quite a bit of grading so today I bought a 1996 455G in excellent condition. So much for the budget but it seemed less risky than the potential of working more on the tractor than on the project. So, at middle age (and then some) I acquired my first track loader. I guess some guys go for the sports car but I can't play in the woods with one of those.
congrats on the new toy, im contemplating almost the same thing. My grandfather has a 450b that I need to remove about 600yds of material from a bank. Should be fun but its going to be a big project! We love pictures of ppl doing work while we sit at the computer drinking our coffee!