Used 450 B for 6,500

[Hope Valley Farm]

looking at a john deere450B dozer.It steers good on one side and steers good on both sides in reverse.I tried adjusting the brake.The bolt seems easy to turn.It does seem to work a little better but goes back to steering poorly.Is that an expensive repair and what do I need to do to repair it. Is it likely that the adjusting bolt for the steering brake is stripped? Everything else is in good condition I'm just concerned that the repair may cost more than the actual dozer is worth. Would the repair be under 1,000 or can I fix it myself.

 

[Storm56]

Hard to say. Doubt the bolt is stripped. I used to have a 450B and adjusted the brakes/clutches a few times before I had everything replaced. There is a procedure but I cannot recall all the steps from memory. If the machine has to come apart, those clutch/brake assemblies are burried in the bowels of the machine and require spitting the tracks, removing the cage, fuel tank, hydraulic tank, etc to get at things. It is not a small job. I had mine done about 4 years ago and it was just about a $3,000 job to do both sides with parts and labor. A bit more than I had time for and to be honest I did not want to tear it all apart, then put it back together only to find that I missed a small step or something and then have to tear it apart again!