removing track on 350 dozer

I have a bad back and need to take the master pin out so I can remove the final drive. Is there a tool that doesn't cost an arm and a leg, that I can get that will assist in this project?
Thanks in advance.
Jim

Simple answer is "no." I assume you are talking about a Deere 350? If a 350 or 350B with original tracks - the master-pins fit fairly loose with headed
master-pins and a snap-ring. If they've been replaced, or a 350C or newer with headless pins - those d*mn things are tight. I worked in three Deere shops
(even one in Newburgh) and we never used a special tool. Just a lot of heat on the link and two guys. One holding a large pin with a handle attached, and the
other with a large mall/hammer.

Find the master pin, if it's a drive in pin,
it should have an indent machined into the
center of the pin on each side. A 350 should
come out pretty easy, they're small. Put the
master pins half way down the sprocket, and
take the pad off the link above the master
pin. Don't take the pad off the links that
the master pin is driven into, or it will
just spread the links when you try to drive
it out. Once you take the pad off, hit dead
square on the end of the master pin with
just a sledge until it is flush with the
edge of the link (they are usually sticking
out a 1/16 or 1/8"). That little bit will
get it started moving so much easier before
driving it out with the tool such as JDEM
suggested, which I call a "pin hammer".
Basically an L shaped stout piece of rod,
just smaller than the OD of the master pin,
maybe 10-12" long, welded onto a handle of
sorts, probably 30-36" long. I usually
welded the handle about 2" in from the edge
of the pin driving portion, so you didn't
crack your welds beating on the end of the
pin. Then to drive it out, I had an 8 pound
sledge with the handle cut off to about 2'
long. Hold the pin hammer in one hand, swing
with the other hand. A little heat around
the ends of the pin bosses where the master
pin is driven in will help. Much easier with
2 people, but I took hundreds of tracks off
by myself out in the field, as I was the
only one that could help myself. Could
usually take off a PC400 excavator track by
myself using that method, but takes a little
more pounding than a 350 dozer track. Oh,
watch for chips/flecks of metal from the pin
and pin hammer when beating on it, wear your
safety glasses! If I had a dollar for every
bit that ended up in my arms...

Ross

Thanks Ross, now to get my Grandson-in-law up here to help.
Jim

pin should come out pretty easy ?? not any I ever drove out....heat will be your friend

I saved these pictures from the internet.

I would like to have a 350 or 450 jd.how do
they compare to the case dozens the same
size

Not to sound like a wiseguy but did you ever come across Paul Tuetel of Orange County Chopper fame? I think they are down near there.

I did UC work for 10 years. Them small ones come out easy as long as someone didn't weld them in or swell the end driving it in. Like I said, if you think a 350 or one of them little dozers has hard to drive out pins, try a PC400 sized excavator by yourself. Them ones are about 2 1/2" in diameter and 12" long, with about an 1 1/2" of pin boss on each side of the link to drive it out of. Those are hard ones to get out. Even took a track off a couple PC750's, but had help with those.

Ross

Now that is a pretty fancy tool, looks like it'd be very handy!

I ran the 350's and 450's for years, the 350 is big enough to make you wish you had a 450,..the case dozers are way faster then the deere's but don't seem to be as tough

The ones on my A/C M were welded. I had to grind the weld first. Just find a large pin a little smaller than the master pin. What I found useful is backing the master pin rail up with a heavy piece of metal. If you are good with a hammer and hit the punch a few good wacks it should start moving. I am not a good shot it took more tries than normal. I have a tractor with all the pins welded. I will never turn those bushings. Stan

I"ve heard of using an air hammer with the concrete tip....

we welded a piece of round stock on a steel bar for a handle and we would drive them out with a sledge hammer. I
know this dont help your back any at all but you could get somebody else to swing the sledge hammer it would help

(quoted from post at 17:24:35 02/12/17) we welded a piece of round stock on a steel bar for a handle and we would drive them out with a sledge hammer. I
know this dont help your back any at all but you could get somebody else to swing the sledge hammer it would help

Click to expand...

Thanks Ditchwitch I'm gonna have to get help.
Jim

JD, you right, as always.lol. When we drove our pins out of the OC 46, we drilled a hole into a 1 inch plate, and tacked a coupling on it,and used a pin to drive out the old ones.. Everything on the Cletrac, we photographed and put it on disk, We didn't use any heat on it at all. knowing what we know now, we would have used a propane torch we finally bought from Harbor freight with the push button ignitor, it is used with a 20 # propane tank and a 6 ft hose.

Talk about heat, we melted the ice off our Mt Fujiyama driveway we have ( over 100 ft long), so we could pull up our outside wood furnace with our 92 F150 4x4 on a trailer,had to make sure we made it one time. It took the less than 1/4 tank of fuel to melt the ice off the driveway. The furnace weighs 2160 Lbs,plus the weight of the trailer, had to get it close to the garage so we could unload it with the loader.Got it unloaded and set on 2 skids and tarped for the rest of the winter, have to start buying parts for the furnace, i.e. 2 pumps, insulated lines and heat exchangers, one for house and one for garage.
Had a 75 plow truck,I bent the mount on it by hitting a stump.Used a torch like we bought and within 10 minutes it was glowing red and easier to bend back. My Son in law liked it so much he bought one for himself to un-thaw his well pipe. He said it only took 5 minutes.

It's surprising the little Oliver lifted the furnace with hydraulics and set it on the skid. The guy we bought it off of used a JD 4020 to load it up on the trailer, he had skid forks on his tractor and a low front tire. We have 4 pallet jack forks outside of the garage, one set for us the other for my Son in Law, to use on bucket.He bought him a smaller JD tractor MFWD .
I am sure heat would be of great assistance, although we didn't have it at that time.

We're trying to get our system with a conveyor to load wood on the truck to make it easier, thats a spring job.

I have say with all honesty, without family or good friends, it would be dang near impossible to complete projects that makes life more comfortable for us.

You and Adirondack Case Guy posts have been a great help to us, so keep posting,you are loaded with a unbelievable amount of information.

Warmest Regards,
LOU

Yeah, and easy/cheap to make. It's on my list of things to do.

the way I did it too.

I chained a bottle jack to the track on my 420 John
Deere to press the pin out

Nope. I only lived in Orange County for a short time in the late 70s. Chester NY in a black-dirt lettuce farming area. Never heard of the chopper-guy at the time. When I first heard of Orange County Choppers I assumed it was California. Was quite surprised to find out it was NY.

Well on this subject i have had first hand experience on . Like one guy said a piece of bar and a welded handle because being hit with a sledge in full swing really hurts ( don't ask) a rail Road spike hammer as we called the B & O's and a sledge . Now depending on just how tight that master is in will dictate on how easy or how hard it will come out . In my younger days i have seen where two BIG guys swing 20 pounders never moved the master till two rosebuds were applied . Then came the day the Boss added a new tool to my company truck it was a portable OTC track pin press that worked off the 100 ton portapower . Just remove one pad each side of the master and stand back and step on the pedal. On larger dozers there were times we would max out the 100 ton and still have to add a little heat .