Case 350 Blues

gobrian1978

New User
New to the site and looking for some advice and direction.

My brother in law and I recently purchased a 1974 Case 350 highlift. Thought was a really nice machine by the way it looked and less then 260 hours and supposedly a full set of manuals but now two months into owning I've had a streak of back luck.

1: Dealer can't find the manuals now and appears that they aren't willing to make good on their word so this starts the chaos.

2: We were running the machine when there was a loud pop from under it. When we tried to turn right the lever was completely limp. The entire linkage has disappeared no where to be found on the machine or the ground. Can't even find with a metal detector. I was able to look up the linkage online but can't seem to find one to purchase.

3: Think I also had the brake come apart in the rear end as well because the lever just flops but again no manual so not real keen on pulling the cover and running blind.

4: Now it is stranded in the bottom of what was to be a pond as the right final drive spins inside of the drive sprocket. We were able to remove the nut and I know for sure that the shaft is ruined not positive on the sproket.

5: Decided to reverse the track tensioners and remove the track so as to get a better look on the final drive situation but can't find out how to accomplish this correctly. We pulled the grease fitting and applied pressure by pushing a 6x6 against the track with the bucket however no grease came out only the spring compresses. So I'll admit totally lost on that with no book or online help.

6: Tried to take the main link out of the track making slack by above method but the pin will not come out. so did a little more research and it appears I may have SALT tracks. How in the world do you get this to unscrew if I read correctly that this is some sort of bolt?

Any insite help or direction would be greatly appreciated. Also if anyone knows where we can get a good set of books that isn't going to break the bank to purchase it would be greatly appreciated.
 
Hey gobrian, My manual for a 1973 Case 350 does not say anything about SALT tracks, but that the master link pin should be pressed or driven from the outside of the tracks to the inside.(Master pin has a dimple on outside end)I have replaced the tracks on my machine and used this method.
 
On the brighter side, those machines aren't too hard to work on and there are a lot of aftermarket parts available. To replace the sprocket & shaft gets pretty expensive, but at least the parts are all available as aftermarket. If you want a quick fix, you could weld the sprocket to the shaft. Yes a crude repair, but I've seen it done many times. The linkage you are missing is pretty simple and is also the same as a 310 case. If you take the back cover off you can see the band and internal linkage. Back cover comes off easy, just need to drain oil and replace gasket or use silicone when you put it back on. You can search ebay for manuals, although they aren't cheap and you'll find parts there as well.
 
The only reason I thought that maybe it was SALT tracks was because it had a slit running through the pin on the outside and there was mention of this buried somewhere in the forums but haven't been able to locate since. All of the rest of the pins have and indention in the center. That pin with the slit you can lightly hit with a hammer and it will move 1/4" or so but that was it. Tried using a sledge hammer and a piece of round stock for a punch but still wouldn't move any farther so figured maybe I ought to look into it farther.
 

Sounds good thanks for the info I'll look into 310 parts as well. You're right about the drive parts being a little pricey but I know how my luck goes if I weld the shaft to the sprocket I'll probably end up with a huge mess. If I knew for sure that the right linkage was the same as the left I would just take the left off and have a local machine shop whip me a couple up.
 

If anyone else has ideals or info please feel free to comment as I will take all I can get. Thanks to those whom have already replied.
 
Where did you buy it from, a dealer? Also curious
what you paid, only because if you paid a premium
for a supposed low hour machine, you shouldn't
have the problems you described. You had to know
the 260 hours wasn't correct but if it was
advertised and sold as being in good running
condition, you may have some recourse. Just
because a bill of sale may say as is, doesn't
always protect the seller. If there were obvious
major problems the seller knew about but
advertised the machine in good working condition,
it could be classified as fraud. This is where the
price paid comes into play. If you paid say $1500,
you're probably out of luck. If you paid $8000 for
a good running machine, the seller may have some
serious explaining to do... before a judge.

SALT tracks have oil around the pin, non SALT
don't but either way they need 20 tons or more
pressure to push out. You may be thinking about
split master links but those can be either way as
well. They are very noticeable as the 4 pad bolts
also hold the master link together. Most smaller
crawlers don't have split master links or SALT
tracks.
 
(quoted from post at 19:39:29 07/16/13) I do have a part manual for the Case 350 for sale. [email protected]


You can absolutely trust this man if you decide to purchase from him. He's been more than 100% with me several times, I highly endorse him, he won;t do you wrong like your dealer did.
 

Brakes are the same for both sides, kinda common to brake them as most pull thinking they are clutch packs. I have a couple left if needed. Also, bands are about 150 on ebay. Typically that is what snaps, just the top part of the band. Not a bad job replacing them, just drop the drawbar for easier access.

any questions feel free to ask
 
price paid was 5,500 with 80" tooth bucket, 72" blade, and a set of log forks. It was also supposed to come with a full set of manuals that never showed up. It was purchased from a tractor dealer. We called them about parts and they said they don't normally deal in dozer parts....
 
I will definitely keep that in mind for sure. Really like the service manual they promised us but it is what it is. Nice to know there is a place we can fall back to.
 
I may have to get ahold of you on that. We finally got the pressure off the tensioner and the master pin out. The master link pin is trashed. There was a slight bend in it and a ton of burrs but finally got the track apart. The drive sprocket is completely trashed as the spline section is gone and rounded completely. Right now just trying to find and find the best price on a new sprocket so that we can get back on dry land as right now it's sitting in several inches of water now that we have got rain and it's broke down in the bottom of a pond we were building. Once we get it operable again we are going to tackle the brakes and steering linkage. I'll keep posted on status.
 
I think if it was mine I'd weld the thing up at least it would move then . You have nothing to lose the parts are junk now. If you could get the parts out tack weld them then drill a hole parallel with the shaft(where the shaft and splines come together) and put a pin thru it weld it solid then. Good luck.
 

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