I just purchased an M475A trencher. It is probably from the early 1990's. It has a John Deere diesel engine. I cannot find any manual at the Vermeer site. It even seems that I can't even figure out how to drive the thing! It is a 4x4 machine. When I turn the steering wheel to the left, both the front AND the left wheels turn left. Same with turning right. Someone said that the machine was in "crab mode". If this is so, how do you get it OUT of "crab mode" and into something like "normal mode"? Getting the machine off the transport trailer into my yard was something of an ordeal. It also doesn't have brakes - they seem to hit a hard stop when applying them. A service manual would probably help with this. So, does anyone have a lead to manuals for this thing, or even a simple tutorial on the operation?
I called Vermeer and they are going to send me the manuals! The person that I talked to also was kind enough to scan the manuals and send them to me the same day! The weird steering behavior seems to have gone away, but so far, I haven't been able to determine how it got in that state to begin with. It appears that the master brake cylinder is frozen. I'll remove and rebuild the cylinder. With the manuals, I have identified all the controls and I was even able to dig a trench!
So, reading thru the manual, I found the reason for the squirrely steering. There is a foot valve that allows only the front axle steering, as opposed to center articulation steering. It was stuck in the articulating position, thus the weird directional movements. It's amazing what you can learn actually having a manual to read. All is now well, except for the brakes - the master cylinder was rusted shut and was empty of fluid. The caliper is fine, but I am rebuilding it too. I'm trying to source a rebuild kit for the MC and am having some luck.