John Deere 850B dozer?

[roadrunner]

What is this machine like?I m looking at buying one but have never been around one.How are the Trans/Hydrostatic like?Are they strong pushers or weak or lots of problems?Is it pedal steer?What is any problems you have had with these machines?

I am fairly new to the Dozer game so I would appreciate any input!!Thanks!!


roadrunner....

 

[farm_boy]

roadrunner,

I can't speak much to the tractor, but this might help you out with more info on the machine specs. It appears that pedal steering was standard and lever steering was an option, so the tractor that you are looking at could have either.

Good luck!

 

[ok dirt witcher]

I have a 850b and a 850c and the C is by far a better machine, but if you can buy the B cheap and the trany's and U/C is good it would make you a decent machine.

 

[oldirt]

if it is a b and they give it to you, r&ring the hydro will make you think they charged too much. then getting both sides in sync will try your patience. When you poke a stick through your radiator because the hard screen was not you will be wonder why they didn't do that differently. When you go to sell it it, the money it demands will not make you happy.

When they are right, they are really nice to run, and their cab is quite nice.

My opinion is based on what I have seen. I don't blame anyone for trying something different, this is how competetion works, and it is good for everyone.

 

[roadrunner]

Thanks for the feedback guys!I sort of lied about it bieng a B model it is just a straight 850.(my appologies!):Banghead

I am thinking the C model is better than the B, and the B model is better than the A.
Am I right ?

roadrunner...

 

[EddieWalker]

I have a Case 1550 dozer and it has the same Sundstrand hydraulic pumps in it as the 850 Deere. I don't know what model 850 they were used in, but it is hydrostatic drive.

When I lost control of one of my pumps, I was told by Case that they no longer support those pumps and that a retrofit, new, replacement pump would cost $25,000. I called Deere and they pretty much said the same thing, but were not as helpful about it. I might be that I have a Case dozer, but they would never confirm that it's the same pump, but never got back to me on the price of a replacement pump. Later, when I had it in the shop for a rebuild, the guys at the shop called Deere to see if they had a few parts that they couldn't find. Same story, Deere no longer carried those parts and you had to buy an upgrade, replacement pump. They machined those parts themselves after failing to find them for sale anywhere.

Like already mentioned, one of the biggest complaints about the drive of the pumps is keeping them adjusted so they track evenly. On my Case, it either does fine, or you have to give it a little more pressure on one side or the other to keep it going straight. I use my dozer on my land, so it's not that big a deal. I just deal with it. They have allot of power and I'm pleased with it overall, just not excited about Case and their lack of support for this dozer. Hopefully your local Deere dealer will be more helpful then what I experienced.

When the pump started to fail, the first thing that I noticed was that it stopped responding to what direction I wanted to go. I would push forward, then try to go backwards, only to have it sort of turn on my first and do it's own thing. That quickly went from very annoying, to totally losing all forward control. I had to back it up from the area I was clearing, to my work shop. I pulled the pump and drive motor out myself and brought them to the shop to have them rebuilt. Cost to rebuild the pump was $2K and the drive motor was another grand. They said they would not warrantee the pump unless they went through the drive motor to make sure it was clean of debris. Installing it again was ALLOT harder then taking it out. Not something that I ever want to do again, but for a $22,000 savings in buying a replacement unit to having it rebuilt, I guess it's kind of a no brainer.

Good luck,
Eddie

 

[oldirt]

eddie, I hope you spent about a day purging all your lines, coolers, reliefs, control valves, filters, housings, etc, or you will be doing it all over again before you can recharge your bank account. Good luck, I think the case is a nice tractor too, I just can't figure out why they couldn't have used a ps transmission which can sustain a ton of crap and keep on going. Must have been cheaper to obtain components for the assy. line this way.

I don't see how they can rebuild a pump that has had enough wear on the housing to leak so bad it wouldn't work. I usually junk every one I have ever taken off because it looks so bad. Last one was a trans. pump and the supplier (not cat) sold me a new one and didn't want the old one for a core for the same reason.

 

[D6RXW_GPS]

The company I work for had 2 850's. It seem's to me that for LGP work they were great, would handle most anything soft and mushy. Didn't have reversible fan and no EROP's so when the thermometer dropped below 50 it became very cold. I had to run in a windchill once that was below zero and spent 90 % of the day thawing out in the foremans truck! I don't know if it was because most of our mechanics hated to work on them but reverse was ssslllloooowwwww. The local JD dealer didn't seem to have any answers for it either. Didn't work to bad pushing peas up the slope in cell finishing, Pushed alot up and gravity gave a boost going down.

 

[D6RXW_GPS]

One more thing. It is a huge pain in the hindquarters to shovel tracks out on this machine. Worked stripping out a cattail marsh once and by the time the stems and muck got entwined in the UC the last hour and a half of the day was spent on my knees in the peet muck cleaning the damn tracks.
No one was smilin' more than me and the mechanics to see these machines go to auction!!

 

[EddieWalker]

eddie, I hope you spent about a day purging all your lines, coolers, reliefs, control valves, filters, housings, etc, or you will be doing it all over again before you can recharge your bank account. Good luck,

I did this about four years ago, so I don't remember exactly how long it took to put it all back together. I replaced the filters and soaked the hoses in diesel, then I filled them with clean diesel and blew them out with my air hose. I did the same with the hard lines that didn't come off. I drained all the fluid and put in new hydraulic oil.

I didn't touch the other side track pump and motor, or the pump for the blade. I also didn't do anything with the housings and control valves. It's had a few thousand hours on it since then, plus I rebuilt the engine two years ago. So far, no problems.

Eddie

 

[oldirt]

Good deal..

you are a lucky man. (I would also say if you were really lucky it wouldn't have happened!) Usually when a hydro system takes a crap, it scours out everything the oil touches. You must have torn it down before the unintentional aggregrate had bypassed the filter!! Where did you get the parts, case or aftermarket? Does the 1550 use a 8.3 cummins? Or is it a 5.9? Anyhow, you must have done a very good job here.

Hope you have recieved rain lately if you are in the dry area of texas. The north end is sure parched.

 

[North Texan]

Most of my dozer time has come in a 1984 JD 750B (narrow guage). I have no complaints with the hydrostats and much prefer that to a powershift machine. It is very easy to ease forward or backward, especially when doing winch work, without any bouncing or jarring whatsoever. There's not a bump there like upshifting or downshifting with a powershift.

On this particular machine, I wish JD had made a larger radiator. Pushing dirt, it does fine. Start grubbing mesquite trees or pushing a lot of brush, and it will eventually start to run hot. I also wish the hydraulic cylinders were mounted a little further forward like they are on the newer models.

 

[JD750B]

I have a 750B as well. It is a nice nimble machine and has served me well around the farm. I would not us it for sustained heavy pushing (it lacks the weight anyway), but for general clearing, small ponds (5-10,000 cu-yards) it works well. I was able to locate a fresh set of pumps and motors on ebay a year or two ago for a song. So now they reside on the shelf for when I need them. Tracking can be an issue, but so far it has not been on mine.

 

[ILLICEMAN]

A lettle off subject.i now have a d5h. It is a good dozer but i am looking at the new p51 series that kom. Makes.any takes on this. Thanks jim

 

[OneWelder]

Try to rent it for a day or two- a lot of the hydro- problems do not show up until the oil is good and hot- 2-3 hrs of pushing

 

[flash]

case850b

I have a Case850B dozer which has a problem driving forward or reverse. We have reconditioned pump and still no improvement.Machine will not move when cold, then when warm 80% until transmission housing becomes hot then reverting to little movement. Can it be the pump or has debris blocked oil flow into transmission. What tests can be carried out to source problem. Case dealer seems to have no idea.
looking forward to comments, cheers flash

 

[KY Jim]

The Pedal Steer sucks, annoying as Hell, no decelerator. If I hadn't run Cases a lot I'd say No I CAN'T run it. But then, I HATE pedal steer, wouldn't take one if you GAVE it to me. JMO.
KY Jim

 

[j.havel]

What is this machine like?I m looking at buying one but have never been around one.How are the Trans/Hydrostatic like?Are they strong pushers or weak or lots of problems?Is it pedal steer?What is any problems you have had with these machines?

I am fairly new to the Dozer game so I would appreciate any input!!Thanks!!


roadrunner....

Im not to sure about that model but i got an 850c and i have no complaints about them. The only thing is they get a litlle spendy when it comes time to fix, like anything else.

 

[Deeretime]

hey could you show some picks of that dozer for me cause my old 850 went to saskatchewan

 

[JGamble]

Roadrunner,

Ah yes, the 850 series. The Marine Corps has gotten a variant called the 850 MCT, which has the benefits of both. We have the joystick steer/hydro tranny. This is the "new" replacement from our old 1980's D7G's. I am still a fan of the old school, but BOY!!! I got the A/C, cup holder, and whatnot. Not to mention all the digital crap that a nerd could have a *** dream over. I can comprehend most of it, but still, I miss all of my 5 guages in the 7. The blade controls are probably the best thing I worked with in a long time, it mimicks CATS fingertip controls (pilot driven). Way better for featherin and small adjustments. I would agree with most other posts here, rent one for a week or a weekend, and try out what you wanna put $$$$ into. Good luck and God Speed.

Semper Fi,
Sgt G