JD 550 nightmare!!!

[john_bud]

As you probably know by now oil samples are very common and a good idea to perform. Everything is hinging on the oil samples. If they come back
with good results, I'm the proud new owner of 1983 JD550 dozer, if it comes back bad results I will see to it that the machine is brought back to its original tube free state...........whatever that may entail.

I was paying the mechanic for the tests, but I am not the type of person make him suffer just bc he made a mistake after all we are all human. He will be compensated. He wont make as much as he would normally, but I'll definitely take care of him.

Just wanted to say that it is a breath of fresh air to hear a person actually take responsibility for their actions and do the right thing. And do it because it's "right" and not because they were caught and forced to!

It sounds like you are the type of person that I could shake hands on a deal with and sleep well knowing that was better than ink on paper!

You are becoming a rare find...sad to say


Hopefully, the mechanic can get a scope in there and fish it out.
jb

 

[Scooby074]

Hey scooby, is that an l35 your on in your avatar?

Nope, i wish it was a L35 but its just a little B21.

Glad your going to work it out with the mechanic. I wasnt saying you should stiff him or anything like that, just that it changes things abit when ones getting paid. Good luck with your purchase, sounds like you have my luck, im terrified whats going to go wrong when i find a "good" deal.

 

[archeryantny]

Hey john thank you very much for the nice complement. When it comes down to it the only thing you really have is your word. A lawyer will tell you that a verbal agreement is only as good as the paper its written on. I say if it wasn't for lawyers you wouldn't need lawyers Thanks again.

Scoob
B21 is an awesome machine, all the public utility companies around me use them.

I got an update on the situation. So today I took of work and met up with the owner of the dozer. I got a mirror and small LED snake light, I was able to probe around but I wasn't able to see where the tube was stuck......strike 2. After i tried for a half hour with that, I gave up but i was still determined to at least try and get a location on the tube. I was able to get my hands on a brand new "snap on" bore scope. Technology is truly amazing.
The transmission is very tight so it was very hard to get the right angles to get a good look around but I did like what I saw. Although I didn't see the tube I did notice that the gears, bearings and splines that I did see looked to be in great shape. All the splines looked sharp and I didn't see an overwhelming amount of wear. If there is a silver lining I guess that was it.
The owner seems to be in good spirits and appreciates my efforts. I made sure he knew that I would see this matter resolved whether or not I purchased the machine.

 

[WilliamBos]

Keep us posted. People like you are a private sellers dream. Hope this cloud does have a silver lining for you.

 

[archeryantny]

For those of you that are interested I snapped a few pictures of the JD 550 for your viewing pleasure, enjoy. I will keep you all posted as this all gets sorted out.

 

[JoelD]

Super sorry for your situation.

As a former dozer owner I understand the interest.

They are strong, fun machines to operate.

However, they are not for the faint of wallet.

Good that you are doing your homework.

Good luck with sorting this all out, a great story to tell the youngins one day.

Joel

 

[Scooby074]

I dont think you'll have any problem getting $9K worth of work out of it. If everything checks out, it looks like a good one.

 

[AKfish]

Interesting read... Glad to hear that you're on firm ground - ethically.

The machine looks to be in good shape. Track wear/drive gear - good to go; lot's of hours left.

One thought - if you have to split the machine and fish out that nasty, plastic worm - and you decide to buy the machine; have your mechanic buddy replace the steering clutch packs and the main drive clutch, etc.

(You're in the neighborhood... and maybe your mechanic will do you a favor after watching his back!)

Best of luck.

AKfish

 

[archeryantny]

I dont think you'll have any problem getting $9K worth of work out of it. If everything checks out, it looks like a good one.

I'm pretty confident in it as well. For a homeowner machine, I cant imagine why, (with the right maintenance and adjustments) this machine wont serve me for the years to come.
I appreciate your input, but this situation still stinks, I wouldn't wish it on anyone. Its hanging over me like a black cloud. These days feel like weeks I just can't wait till its all over. I wish I was a tad more mechanically inclined because the problem would already have been resolved, I feel like my hands are tied waiting on the mechanic. If it was only me in the scenario I wouldn't mind the wait because its not my trade, but the problem is that the seller is most affected. He can't show the machine, he's turning away potential buyers; what a mess.

One thought - if you have to split the machine and fish out that nasty, plastic worm - and you decide to buy the machine; have your mechanic buddy replace the steering clutch packs and the main drive clutch, etc.

Very good advice!!!! I will definitely mention that to him, I appreciate the help.

 

[john_bud]

Actually, It's a great way to "hold" a machine until your oil results come back!


(sorry - thought some humor was needed!)

jb

 

[arrow]

Before I went crazy pulling apart a bulldozer, I would contct Caterpillar and learn from a mechanic there as to how much of a real problem a piece of plastic poses for a bulldozer transmission. I know a bit about car transmissions but I would hesitate to give advice on a bulldozer trannies as I never pulled one apart. This may not be a first time experience for a company such as they. They might know of a heating trick that melts the plastic or at least give an overview as to how serious a problem it is or isn't.

Of all the skidders I've driven, a bulldozer was my favorite tool for skidding out trees for a variety of reasons just so long as the cycle had relatively short runs. I absolutely love the things.

 

[crazymike]

No offence, but I wouldn't even waste my time getting oil samples on a $9000 dozer. Oil samples are great when you are buying $110,000 machine. I get them done on my new equipment as part of their service. But if I was going to buy a machine for $9000, I wouldn't bother.

Those old dozers run forever. Just pulling the dipstick tells you enough. Run through the ranges, check your brakes and you're good to go. The amount of hours you would put on it is nothing. We had a dresser that run 14 hours a day for 20+ years without a hitch. Old machines are hard to kill, and when they die they are simple to rebuild.

Before I went crazy pulling apart a bulldozer, I would contct Caterpillar and learn from a mechanic there as to how much of a real problem a piece of plastic poses for a bulldozer transmission. I know a bit about car transmissions but I would hesitate to give advice on a bulldozer trannies as I never pulled one apart. This may not be a first time experience for a company such as they. They might know of a heating trick that melts the plastic or at least give an overview as to how serious a problem it is or isn't.

Of all the skidders I've driven, a bulldozer was my favorite tool for skidding out trees for a variety of reasons just so long as the cycle had relatively short runs. I absolutely love the things.

Don't leave the piece of plastic in there. It will get ground up and get in everything. It could potentially damage seals, etc...

If the guy is **** enough to get oil samples done on a $10,000 machine, then he doesn't want contaminates in his transmission.

Personally I would just buy it. If it lasts you 6 months you already saved over renting.

 

[archeryantny]

crazymike

Default Re: JD 550 nightmare!!!
No offence, but I wouldn't even waste my time getting oil samples on a $9000 dozer. Oil samples are great when you are buying $110,000 machine. I get them done on my new equipment as part of their service. But if I was going to buy a machine for $9000, I wouldn't bother.

Those old dozers run forever. Just pulling the dipstick tells you enough. Run through the ranges, check your brakes and you're good to go. The amount of hours you would put on it is nothing. We had a dresser that run 14 hours a day for 20+ years without a hitch. Old machines are hard to kill, and when they die they are simple to rebuild.

Hey johnny come lately, where were you on Sunday when I was on my way to get oil samples. lol No offense taken, and thank you very much for your advice. I figured oil samples would be cheap insurance against any major problems and would also buy me some piece of mind. I feel the same way about those old machines and i don't see how it wouldn't do the random tasks I have planned.

 

[crazymike]

Hey johnny come lately, where were you on Sunday when I was on my way to get oil samples. lol No offense taken, and thank you very much for your advice. I figured oil samples would be cheap insurance against any major problems and would also buy me some piece of mind. I feel the same way about those old machines and i don't see how it wouldn't do the random tasks I have planned.

The way I look at it, if I was going to sell a machine that I hadn't serviced in 20 years, I would probably change the oil quick before I dropped it in the trader anyways.

i find when I'm being extra careful in life, is exactly when I hit myself in the thumb with a hammer or miss the last step and go flying

 

[Sniggle]

I apologize for my curiosity, but I was wondering if you have a update?

 

[archeryantny]

Sorry i haven't posted lately been kinda busy trying to straighten out this whole debacle. Tomorrow is the day of truth. We were scheduled for "extraction" on this past Monday, but we were hit with a blizzard, so that put things off. This situations sucks in plain English.

I spoke with my mechanic today and he received the results of the oil tests. They came back less than stellar. I do not have the results in front of me right now, but I will get them and post them tomorrow. Heres the short and sweet. They weren't able to get an accurate reading from the trans oil test due to the fact that there was too much contamination from water and coolant. He did not like the fact that there was coolant present in the oil. Engine oil was very high in silicon and copper. Hydraulic oil was fine.

As of today he is urging me to not buy it and by the results of the tests he could see very costly repairs needing to be done in the future. I will keep you guys posted on what comes next. This has been a week from heck and I am confused to say the least.

 

[Scooby074]

Pretty rotten that the tests came back so negative, I have to wonder about that "rebuild" that was done not long ago. Its much better to know now then after you bought it, and It paid to do your homework in this case. Hopefully you can get the tube out without too much cost/effort and move on.

 

[EddieWalker]

Interesting that there was engine coolant in the transmission. I'd have looked in the radiator to see what was in there. If it's going one way, then it should be going the other way. Water might just be condensation from sitting for a long time, but the coolant part has me perplexed.

Have you gone to the JD dealer and asked their mechanics about that tube or any ideas on how to get it out?

Did you post over at Heavy Equipment Forums - Powered by vBulletin

Is there a drain plug at the bottom of the transmission? Do you have to remove the plates to get to it? Maybe talking to a mechanic for Deere will tell you about an access panel? My Case and New Holland dealers are very good about making copies of their service manuals for me when I'm working on a certain part of my equipment. It's been very helpful just to see how it goes together from the diagrams. Maybe something like that might help?

Good luck,
Eddie

 

[archeryantny]

The coolant problem is most likely coming from the transmission cooling system. My mechanic said that this machine had a cooling system for the transmission and that it has obviously leaked. Eddie your probably right about the water but, I cant believe that there was actually too much water That they couldn't make an accurate reading.

I have contacted Jesco, a local JD dealer by me, and they were very nice and very, very helpful. I was on the phone with a gentleman from there for quite a while going over what exactly will get screwed up if the tube is left in there. He explained in very good detail the complexities of the trans and how there can't be any foreign objects for it to properly function and lubricate itself.
The guy basically reiterated what everyone on TBN said, "its gotta come out"

There is a drain and a screen at the bottom of the transmission that was removed to try and access the tube. We will remove them again today along with an access panel where the fill tube is on the top end of the trans. The only problem is that there is huge filter with big 1" lines that have to be removed in order to access the panel. I'll keep you guys posted.

 

[EddieWalker]

I have some of those big hydraulic lines on my dozer and they are a real bear to remove. It's tight and you can only get a wrench on them to turn just a tiny amount. For me, it's a test of endurance. How long can I stay in that position to turn the threads until I cramp up. It's all about pain and endurance!!! LOL

Good luck, it's good to hear that there are ways to get into the transmission without having to take it out.

I didn't know about the cooling system for the transmission. I wonder how long the machine has been sitting and if the coolant getting into it is something new? Probably not worth buying it and taking the chance. But for the price, a new transmission might still be a bargain if the rest of the machine is good. Just the thought of pulling it out is overwhelming, but like anything, take it one step at a time and eventually it gets done.

Good luck,
Eddie