JacobRussell
Active Member
Hey all -
I'm a landowner looking at potentially buying a machine to clear and level forested land, lay in a drive, drag timber around, etc. on a budget. Ideally I'd like to buy a machine, get good use out of it for a year or so without major work on the machine, and then make the call to sell it or keep long term.
http://dropshare.artisandm.com/531-front-quarter.jpg
I looked today at a 951c at a good price ($5k) that for the most part is in reasonable good shape. I had an equipment inspector run through everything with me, and we came up with a list of maintenance issues, larger issues, and potential dealbreakers. I'm looking for feedback on the issues we found to see if any are bigger warning signs, and most importantly any advice on the two larger dealbreakers to see if it'll still fit my needs. I'll work from bigger issues down the list -
Dealbreaker - There's a delay in movement when going into 2nd or 3rd gear in both forward and reverse. In 1st the machine moves immediately as expected, but when moving into 2nd or 3rd it sits for 3-5 seconds and then starts rolling. In 3rd it also seems sluggish once it starts moving. During that delay there's no sound, grinding, etc., it just sits. The movement of the shifter stick seems fine, as far as I can tell. I'm not sure how the transmission works on these machines, so I have no idea what could cause an issue like that. Is this a common issue? Is there some sort of relatively simple fix? If not, opening up the transmission to repair/replace larger parts will be a dealbreaker for me on this machine.
Potential Dealbreaker - The drive sprocket teeth on both sides are quite worn - this was pointed out to me both by the dealer and the inspector. The track pins are also worn. What I want to gauge is how much life this has left - can I get a year of moderate use out of what's left on this sprocket? At the end of that, what kind of cost / effort am I looking at to repair or replace the sprocket? From what I've seen, the more common choice is to re-weld a new sprocket rim on instead of replacing the whole sprocket due to ease of replacement. Photos here -
http://dropshare.artisandm.com/531-sprocket-teeth-right.jpg
http://dropshare.artisandm.com/531-track-pins-right.jpg
http://dropshare.artisandm.com/531-idler-left.jpg
Other concerns I'd like feedback on, but seem less severe given my needs -
So, hopefully that provides enough information! What I'm hoping to get is feedback on specifically the transmission / gear issue, and if this machine looks like it's in shape to be a performer for a year before needing any major maintenance. If I need to replace some track bolts, injectors, oil change, etc. that's no big deal. It's the big stuff that I'm trying to avoid as much as reasonably possible with a machine this age. I also have a video if it running here -
Edit - looks like image embeds don't work so I added links to the images.
I'm a landowner looking at potentially buying a machine to clear and level forested land, lay in a drive, drag timber around, etc. on a budget. Ideally I'd like to buy a machine, get good use out of it for a year or so without major work on the machine, and then make the call to sell it or keep long term.
http://dropshare.artisandm.com/531-front-quarter.jpg
I looked today at a 951c at a good price ($5k) that for the most part is in reasonable good shape. I had an equipment inspector run through everything with me, and we came up with a list of maintenance issues, larger issues, and potential dealbreakers. I'm looking for feedback on the issues we found to see if any are bigger warning signs, and most importantly any advice on the two larger dealbreakers to see if it'll still fit my needs. I'll work from bigger issues down the list -
Dealbreaker - There's a delay in movement when going into 2nd or 3rd gear in both forward and reverse. In 1st the machine moves immediately as expected, but when moving into 2nd or 3rd it sits for 3-5 seconds and then starts rolling. In 3rd it also seems sluggish once it starts moving. During that delay there's no sound, grinding, etc., it just sits. The movement of the shifter stick seems fine, as far as I can tell. I'm not sure how the transmission works on these machines, so I have no idea what could cause an issue like that. Is this a common issue? Is there some sort of relatively simple fix? If not, opening up the transmission to repair/replace larger parts will be a dealbreaker for me on this machine.
Potential Dealbreaker - The drive sprocket teeth on both sides are quite worn - this was pointed out to me both by the dealer and the inspector. The track pins are also worn. What I want to gauge is how much life this has left - can I get a year of moderate use out of what's left on this sprocket? At the end of that, what kind of cost / effort am I looking at to repair or replace the sprocket? From what I've seen, the more common choice is to re-weld a new sprocket rim on instead of replacing the whole sprocket due to ease of replacement. Photos here -
http://dropshare.artisandm.com/531-sprocket-teeth-right.jpg
http://dropshare.artisandm.com/531-track-pins-right.jpg
http://dropshare.artisandm.com/531-idler-left.jpg
Other concerns I'd like feedback on, but seem less severe given my needs -
- Blow-by described by my equipment inspector as moderate, not terrible.
- Mild leaks from 2 hydraulic cylinders.
- Moderate oil leak somewhere in the transmission area. Wasn't actively dripping but clearly there.
- Apparent diesel leak near the feed into the engine (hose or connector presumably).
- Lot's of side play in the upper bucket arms (not sure the correct name, but not the main lift arms), but according to my inspector they didn't have enough slop to worry about them snapping.
- Quite worn track plates - none worn through, but not a lot of ridging left on the plates.
- Loose plates / track bolts (every ~5th track piece on average).
- White smoke from exhaust after engine warmed up for ~10 minutes or so, along with an occasional miss from the engine correlating with this. Inspector thought maybe an injector issue.
So, hopefully that provides enough information! What I'm hoping to get is feedback on specifically the transmission / gear issue, and if this machine looks like it's in shape to be a performer for a year before needing any major maintenance. If I need to replace some track bolts, injectors, oil change, etc. that's no big deal. It's the big stuff that I'm trying to avoid as much as reasonably possible with a machine this age. I also have a video if it running here -
Edit - looks like image embeds don't work so I added links to the images.