New to Board.... JD440 Opinion

[Nhebayer]

Good Day everybody,
I have a chance to buy a JD440 GAS that runs great... Looks to be in good condition, has a huge winch on the back that works well. Hydraulics are in great shape.. No major leaks at all. Blade looks good.
The bad news is... the Steering clutches are both stuck. From the info I got they are stuck from sitting around. I know its a big job to repair. Its not something I have done beforee, but with 20plus years as a mechanic I think I can handle the job.
My questions? I can buy this rig for $1000.00... it will drive on the trailer,, as long as it doesn't need to turn. LOL... Good price??
Any special tools for the steering clutches?
I know that no one can tell with out seeing the parts... but what can I expect to replace in the steering clutches? What is typical?
Last question... The winch and the log guide is working and in good shape.... I will never use it. What is a reasonable expectation on value?
Thank you for your help. I look forward to giving back info as I learn more.
Reaney in NH

[Lu47Dan]

Reaney , As described , if the undercarriage is in good shape and there are not any welds where they shouldn't be for $1000 I would definitely buy it .
As to the steering clutches you are looking at the minimum replacing all the fiber discs , the steel discs ( sometimes the steels can be saved), the throw out bearings and a few minor parts while you are in there . At the worst you are looking at rebuilding the both final drives , and rebuilding the clutches .
Expect the worst , hope for the best as the old saying goes .
Two things you need for sure is a Parts Manual and a Service Manual , you will also need a clutch setting gauge to properly set the clutches up . Take your time and use commonsense . Dan

[Lavoy]

That sounds like a bargain and a half to me, I would get it bought before someone else does.
Lavoy

[Nhebayer]

That sounds like a bargain and a half to me, I would get it bought before someone else does.
Lavoy

Thanks alot... It belongs to a friend... So no fears there. It looks like I will buy it. Just waiting for the Roads to clear ( Mud Season here)

I am very new to this type of equipment. What should I look for in the "under carriage"?
Are thier any PICS of examples I can look at?

I expect it to wiegh about 6500LBS with the blade... Is the correct?

Where is the best source for Service and Parts Manuals?

Sorry if these are stupid questions... It just like I tell my students... If you don't know ask... No such thing as stupid questions... only stupid answers. LOL

[Tigerhaze]

Last question... The winch and the log guide is working and in good shape.... I will never use it. What is a reasonable expectation on value?

It seems to me for your working weinch and logging arch that you should be able to get back the purchase cost of the crawler with some additional money to pay for the steering clutch parts you need

[440dozer]

i put the blade against a tree and hold one steering lever at a time while tracks are moving and 90% of the time the steering clutches will free up. something you might try before tearing into finals.

[Tigerhaze]

I am very new to this type of equipment. What should I look for in the "under carriage"?
Are thier any PICS of examples I can look at?

We have numerous discussions about undercarrige that you can read if you do a search. One of the best things is to go to the following- there are a number of useful weblinks:

http://www.jdcrawlers.com/messageboard/ ... php?t=1214

Especially look at the undercarriage document in PDF (the last weblink mentioned by Stan) that will really help your understanding of undercarriage and related wear.

As for pics, look through the "Show and Tell" section- some of our posts there are related to undercarriage and have pics.

One last thing- there are also a number of posts on this site about steering clutches. Typically for mechanical steering clutches (like on a 440) they are very much like an engine clutch for a car or truck (throwout bearing, pressure plate and disks); the difference is there are multiple fiber disks rather than one and they are sandwiched between thin metal disk facings or plates. The other main difference is the steering clutches are within the steering housing along with the brake band and drum.

The clutches and brakes act in tandem- the engagement of the steering clutch (partial pull of the steering lever) disengages drive to the track which allows a wide gradual turn to that side (due to the other driven track) and the brake band engagement (full pull of the steering lever) allows a more sharp turn than using the steering clutch alone.

Failure of the steering clutch and brake bands (other than wear and rust) is sometimes due to oil leakage onto the disks and plates from worn seals- mechanical clutches are supposed to be dry and no oil is supposed to be in the clutch housing but can seep from the final drive or the input shaft. If oil soaked, the clutch and brake bands could slip- generally they have to be replaced. If simply stuck from moisture, there is a chance to break them loose as described in the above post but is really dependent on how long they have been stuck and degree of rust. If significant rusting has occured, chances are low.

There is one special tool- it is a steering clutch adjustment tool used to obtain the correct finger height for the pressure plate. Lavoy on this site should have them available.