Nortrac Dozer

[mike45tx]

I am looking at a Nortrac NB 3500 dozer and need any and all advice.This machine is 03 or 04 model,150 hrs on the hour meter.Alternator is not working, fuel leak on fuel filter,lower links on 3pt need to be replaced, the rotary cylinders have been removed and both front corners (bumper?) have been welded with flat bar added, the cylinders were put on wrong sides and have wore the paint on the side cowling's, also appears that there's no bushings in the cylinder ends, alot of play when the blade is down.I would be using this little dozer to maintain 2 dry creeks,dig a small tank and cut several sendero's. The brush here is scrub brush and small trees.One concern that I have is if the hour meter has been changed out,the numbers on the tachometer are all white.Is there any way to tell wear (hours) by the tracks? Number of links in original tracks? The owner is asking $7000 or best offer.

Thanks
Mike

 

[20 20]

I own a nortrac along with a couple others here, together we should be able to give some advice. 7,000 might be on the high side with all the problems you listed(?) How is everything else on the machine? How many hrs does it read? You can get parts from Northern Tool, circle G, Tytan and some other places. I doubt you'll be able to tell the hrs from the shape of the track. Also watch out for rocks wedging into the track(inside) I'm on my 3rd axle. I'm trying to come up with some sort of better rock guard. The last rock wedged all the way at the rear and snapped the drive shaft(axle) like a twig. IMO these machines are very handy and have lots of power for their size.

 

[Bob Rooks]

FYI, Nortrac is a re-badged Yuchai.
The tracks on these don't have chains or rails. The shoe is all one piece except for the pin. Normally you can guesstimate the hours on the tracks by measuring pin to pin but I doubt there was any baseline taken when it was new so forget that. From what you describe, the machine does not reflect responsible ownership. Are there service records available? If not, my offer would be $4,000 or walk away. Want pictures and action shots?
https://www.facebook.com/yuchaidozer

20 20, It appears that the track frame guards from an old JD350 or Case will fit. I am pursuing this.

 

[mike45tx]

The rest of the machine seems to be in decent shape,a little surface rust here and there. The engine is clean on the left side while the right is gunked up from filter changes and no cleanup. The seat is about 75%.The hour meter reads 151 hrs. I was told that when you ran out of track adjustment you ran the adjusters back and removed a link of track and readjusted, that's why I was wondering if anyone knew how many links there was on a new machine, but I don't know if this is true.

Mike

 

[mike45tx]

Also the welding on the front has me wondering what happened, the owner said one side cracked, so he welded up both sides. No service records.

Mike

 

[Bob Rooks]

I was told that when you ran out of track adjustment you ran the adjusters back and removed a link of track and readjusted, that's why I was wondering if anyone knew how many links there was on a new machine, but I don't know if this is true.

This is true. However, I don't know how many pads there are - I have rubber tracks. Might try calling a dealer.

 

[Bob Rooks]

Also the welding on the front has me wondering what happened, the owner said one side cracked, so he welded up both sides. No service records.

The welding has me wondering too. Did he just not want to fix it or was he incapable?

 

[mike45tx]

The front cracked on one side, I would call it the front bumper, it wraps around the front under the radiator. I don't know if traveling in high gear on rough roads would cause this or not. Also is the bottom shoe on the blade replaceable? This one looks new, with 151 hrs showing on the meter this looks new as well as the ridges on the track links, squared off no angle wear, if this makes any sense.

Mike

 

[Bob Rooks]

Mike,
Yes, the cutting edges on the dozer blade are replaceable. They can also be flipped over to get a new edge. Do them all at the same time if you do.

Not sure what you are calling the "front bumper". The wishbone that goes from the track frame trunnions to the dozer blade?

Trust me, you won't be traveling in high gear on a rough road. I can do high gear on a paved road with the rubber tracks with no problem. The rubber tracked models have an extra carrier roller which really smoothes out the ride and gives more tractive effort.

 

[mike45tx]

I'll try to post a picture of the front welding.The blade actually pivots off of this, the welds are on the corners.

Mike

 

[mike45tx]

Here are the pictures, the first shows the welds.Could the tachometer with hour meter be original? The bezel appears a little different from the other gauges.

 

[Bob Rooks]

The tach appears to be OEM, looks just like mine. The tach can still function perfectly for r/m, but the hour meter can be bad. One way to check is to turn on the key switch and wait to se if the meter advances.
What I find disturbing is the scuff marks high up on the engine screens and sheet metal. This suggests gross abuse, pushing at a hard angle with the blade raised, which is probably attributable to the wishbone failure. One must remember that these are not a Cat D8, and must be operated accordingly. From what I can see the track shoes look good.

Nice pics. :thumbsup:

As for the alternator, the OEM has only a 14 amp output. Most likely it has a bad voltage regulator, or there is a bad connection to the field. I upgraded my alternator to a 78 amp Delco 12Si since I run an electric winch. Not hard to do.

 

[Rich Waugh]

From the looks of the welding on the wishbone, you can expect another problem in the same area again in the future. You can't weld a stressed joint like that without proper pre- and post-heating and correctly designed gussets. All that welding has accomplished is to shift the failure point a few millimeters away at this point. Not a total failure - it can be done right the next time and be just fine. Just be aware that whoever did that job wasn't a real welder or heavy equipment repair person.

I agree with Bob, it looks as though the machine was abused a bit, though not grossly. Probably owned by someone not familiar with the limits of a small dozer who tried to to do too much with it.

 

[Bob Rooks]

I'll raise $1,000. :thumbsup:

 

[20 20]

I would still say 7K is too high, it does look like it was pushed pretty hard. The hrs could be correct that looks OEM. How well did it run? Were there any issue's with turning?

One thing I learned early on when running a dozer get yourself lined up to make straight passes, trying to turn while making passes(pushing a load) IMO is a no no. I also agree with the others, some times folks buy a dozer and feel it is invincible no matter the size. These machines are strong and can do a boat load of work but just keep in mind, baby steps. I have pushed mine further then what it should have been, usually when I was tired or in a hurry, trust me it does not pay.

Bob I did check out the deere rock guards and think you may be onto something. For now I have taken my inner guards and added another 10". I'm still waiting on parts so once everything is back together I'll see how it works.

 

[Bob Rooks]

I'll raise $1,000. :thumbsup:

That meant $5,000, but since the owner can't produce any evidence of preventive maintenance, like when was the oil & filter changed last, coolant drained and flushed, who prepped the dozer from new, etc., that knocks it back down to $4,000. I know I feel more secure buying equipment that has a PM track record. Responsible ownership.

 

[Bob Rooks]

Bob I did check out the deere rock guards and think you may be onto something. For now I have taken my inner guards and added another 10". I'm still waiting on parts so once everything is back together I'll see how it works.

The main thing here is to prevent rocks from falling down through the track frames and onto the tracks. These rocks are carried up the backside of the track, around the sprocket, and fall through the track frames.

 

[20 20]

The main thing here is to prevent rocks from falling down through the track frames and onto the tracks. These rocks are carried up the backside of the track, around the sprocket, and fall through the track frames.

The rocks that I'm having issue's with are not falling through they're much to big. What happened was the rock got caught between the sprocket and final trans housing. It wedged it hard enough to break all 8 bolts of the trans housing pan and break the axle. It more or less road on the inside of the track and just came around. I do see what you're writting about the falling rocks, so far those have not been a major issue.

 

[mike45tx]

The engine fired right up,no smoke,it sounded good. I don't believe the owner used the compression release. He ran it for a short time, it turned on a dime.I think the scuff marks on the engine cowling came from the front cylinders, he must have removed them to do the welding and it appears he has them crossed.Looking at the first picture they are turned in, should be turned out.There is alot of slop on these cylinders, like the bushings weren't put back in, I presume bushings are used,are they available? I sure appreciate all ya'lls time and advice on this. Also this machine was supposedly bought new from N/T by the father in law, now the son in law has it, one family ownership, several users.

Mike

 

[20 20]

There is alot of slop on these cylinders, like the bushings weren't put back in, I presume bushings are used,are they available?

Mike45tx, I have the manual infront of me (but don't have my glasses) from what I can see there are NO bushing just the pins. My manual is for a newer machine but I don't believe they are all that different. I have made bushing for worn out cylinders so it can be done if your'e trying to sqeeze out that extra amount of life left.

While they had it running did the cylinders hit the cowling?