JD350B -1971 to 74 User Report

[Smokerr]

This is a user report not comparing the rest of the 350 lineup. It occurred to me that in those comparisons what is missed is how did a given model work? In this case I had 4 years around a JD350B. I was not the main operator but I ran it some and I loved it.

So, the background was I worked on the State Campground building crew. That would be contracted out now but back then, contractors who knew campground builds were non existent. They farmed one job out and it was messed up, required a full time on site inspector.

This was the 2nd or 3rd year for the crew and my first. We had oil lease money and it was decided to gear up a crew decently. So we got geared up. The JD350B with its own trailer was determined to fit the bill (we put that trailer to good use on top of hauling the Dozer).

The JD350B with a 4 in 1 bucket, a backhoe that also had an auger motor you could swap out (campgrounds need lots and lots of holes! It had the reverser setup, so was easy to run back and forth was the center piece of the new gear up.

Being new I was not involved in the selection, they sure got it right. Sure a bigger model would have been a help in some cases (pun) but day in day out, that setup was perfect. Usually if we needed bigger, we needed a lot bigger and we could and did borrow a D-6 or 8 from The Local Department of Highways. Most of the time we were withing 10 miles of one. If not it was figured out in advance.

Our 350B came with the diesel engine. They had not ordered it that way, they wanted gas as we kept a 55 gallon drum gas for the Cement mixer engine, chain saws and generator (and a few gallons for the Pickup or Dump ruck if they got low and needed to get to a gas station or Dept of Highways for full fill up). The owner aspect was odd. We paid for it but technically it was Dept of Highway equipment, but given we had full use of it during our building season. Our best guess was that they were going all diesel and changed the order from a gas engine to a diesel. So I could not say how a gas engine would have done. The diesel was perfectly balanced power for the machine. We did have to get a 55 gallon drum of diesel on site. A bit annoying as a separate hand pump but once we had he drum and pump, easy enough to manage and we had to manage the 55 gallon drum of gasoline anyway.

What I can say is that little diesel was great. It started fine even o the coldest days and we pushed into some temps into the low teens in the fall a couple of times. At times the work was more than the machine could do but it was size not so much power. Generally they had a Road Contractor put in the roads, so we did not always clear much. Always some. If we did clear we borrowed a big dozer and then finished up with the JD350. We did load dump trucks with overburden and haul it out and at times we loaded our own gravel for haul back in. The blade was used to push the gravel in place and for camping spots, a tend pad got dirt and pushed flat.

We had outhouses to put in, so the Backhole was key there. We put in 4 holers so it was a good 15 feet by 8 feet hole for each one. We put in Picneic shelters that were 30 ft by 20 feet so that pad had to be cleared. Camprounds need lots of posts so the auger atachment was used a lot.

Worst job was built atop a flat glacier morriane (the glaizen was still adtive up the valley a couple of miles). You could not drill a hole in t hat stuff, if the auge did not get kicked out of line you just stirred rock up in a whole and with no fines, pull it out and you had stirred up rock.

It did not ake long to figure out that we were NOT going to line the edges of the pulloffs with Posts (per spec). Foremand decided only on Post out front with the spot number on it. What they worked out was that they litterly dug out a hole with the backhoe. Two of us would put the Post in, prop it up with rocks while the operaor was turning the JD around and scooping up a bucket of rocks (normaly for bucket work the backhold was popped off, very nice setup to get on and off so you did not have to carry it when you did not need it). Then the operaor carefully dumped some rock back in, we would level the post again, more rock and then when solid, we put a 5 gallon bucket over hte post and he would genly drop rock over it and we repated the level part if needed.

The JD350B was liteeraly the Swiss Army knife of the operation. It did not awlays run all day long but it was used pretty much every day. Bucket was handy to carry things around in, load up with sand bags for the cement operations. The trailer was used to carry all the posts and bumpers and outshoud and pcinic shelfter parts (we had a cenrtal storege area).

We never had the JD fail to run or work. Never broke down. I read about wet and dry clutch and what was better. I guess ours would be a dry clutch, did not matter. Never an issue. We hsut down for winter, could not build anyting with the groud hard and snow and low temps). Dept of Highway actualy owned it (we paid for it) so the first winter they used it on the salty sand pile in Anchorge. Rusty, not greased up right, ran like a top despite the abuse (they did change the oil!)

The next year the Forman worked out to park it at a remote Dept of Highwya station and they claimed they used it on their sand pile (only if theor own loader was down).

The 3rd year they build another crfew with another JD350B and those guys never had any issues either. They just ran and ran.

The only issue we had was the hydlaiic hose hookup between the Dozer and the backhoe. Hoses were as short as possible to fit in between and no kinks, so not a lot of room when we backuped up to atache the backhole. If we did not get them clicked in right, one of them would blow apart. It was pretty funny as you wold be going from point A to point B in the pickup and see a trail of oil on the road. Ok, divert, follow that trail becaUs we knew Earl was at the end stopped. We kept 10 gallons of hurali oil on hand for that! Jack up the backhole, getg to the hoses, reseat the blown one, good to go. No matter how ahrd we tried, hooking them up, pulling and twisigtn with the space we had, it would still not click in right though it was almost there. We got a lot better at it but we never stopped it entirely.

The best comment I read said that the dry or wet was not better or worse, they had different aspects to deal with. In our case, our was mostly parked all winter long, no issues come spring though the local Dpet of Highway had used and moved it some. They were good about firing it up inteh spring before we got going and moving it arond, geting it greased up. I suspect they changed the oil as soon as we dropped it off, we were not setup to do oil changes so we ran it for the season on the same oil. We kept oil on hand to top it up but I do not remmber it used much oil either.

Our puller truck was a dump truck. The JD350 was easy enough for it to haul with an 8 yard truck. Good thing as for the first two years we did not have our own dump truck, we got a summer loaner from Dept of Highways. That was always a junker that had been rolled doing winter plowing. Engine ran on 6 or 7 cylinders most of the time (same truck the first two years). We got our own dump truck the 3rd year with a Detroit Diesel in it. Probably a 6V53. Anything bigger than the JD350B would have needed a bigger truck (or a heavier one with a bigger engine) and an 8 yard was all we normally needed.

Kind of funny was the 2nd year myh boss got tired of the Dodge and its random missing on one or two cyliners (moving from on job to the next was a trial). So he rented a 10 yard dump truck and the local Dept of Highways figured out what the firing issue was and had it running like a Swiss watch. We need it as it was a 10% grade for 4 miles out of that location pulling the JD and the dump truck full of cement mixer, wheel barrows and random stuff, She pulled that hill on on anohter 300 miles fine. Then threw a rod though the block lightly loaded on the flat hauling materials into the next job. I think that is when they went with a new dump truck for our crew (and the forming new crew). While we had great relations with the local DOH, central in Anchroage just gave us the worst junk they had. We did not blame them, beggers and all that, but we had a window to build in and we need reliable.

How the JD350B compared to the others over more years I could not say. But for that 4 years with ours and the two years the other crew had theirs, totally reliable with never an issue. Not a broken hose, not a leak one out of anything. I love that size dozer to this day. No way I could have one but great memories of that JD350B.

 

[kfgoeckner]

I have a 350c and also love it. It has impressed alot of people with what it could do. It's very fuel efficient. I wish Deere made a 350J.

 

[Smokerr]

I don't think they even make dozers on that size now.

Over the years I have worked a lot of jobs. Sometimes something like the JD350 was the perfect balance.

I surveyed and a firm called Wild (Swiss) made an instrument called a T-16. Wow. I think it was the first general purpose direct reading instrument. Non of that verier stuff like George Washington and vernier calipers used. I learned to read them but what a pain (you had to have a magnify glass). the T-16 was listed as a One Minute Gun (Instrument, we called em guns, operator was the rear gunner). It was so sharp you could read it acualy down to about 10 seconds. Remarkable accuracy, easy to use and setup was a breeze (one you leaned how to use the optical plummet).

I wound up working in a mechanics shop later in life. They had an electric forklift they had specked for their new bui9ld out along with the bandsaw, welder etc. I thought it was a waste. Day in day out we used it regularly, not for load lifts but motors and gear boxes etc. Rrigh size and basically a mobile hoist for anything.

 

[psimmer]

I was hired at the State of Michigan as a wildland firefighter in March of 1978. We had a fleet of JD 350B's, including one at my station. These were equipped with 6 way blades, as well as a "fire plow" on the back. These fire plows were custom made by our agency, and were basically a large V type plow for putting fire/containment lines. These were direct mounted to the rear of the dozer. I spent many hours fighting wildfire with this unit. Later on, when JD quit making the 350 series, the State worked our an arrangement with JD to upgrade these to 350D specs. They spent a ton of money on them doing that, but it allowed us to use the same single axle transport units. We referred to these as tiltbeds, commonly known now as a roll back truck. I will say I always felt that 350B was underpowered while the flames were chasing you. In fact, later we also got a 1978 Case 350 at our station, as we had two located there, and the Case replaced an older Cletrac gas powered unit. I will say, I preferred the Case. It seemed much more nimble to get around in the woods than the JD. It weighed about a ton less, and just seemed to perform better. Others didn't like the Case models, as they were equipped with a torque converter transmission. Some said they wouldn't even spin the tracks. They were not a direct lock up transmission like the JD was. Now the replacement units are either JD or Cats with enclosed cabs. I never got the chance to use an enclosed cab model, as they came after I retired. I can only imagine the difference in operating one in a wildfire situation with the flames licking at you!

 

[Smokerr]

Great report on a different than normal application. Yea I could see want all the go pup you could get in that application.

For our use power was not the big driver. The only time we lacked ooomph for our application was clearing overburden. At a guess, 50% more go pup would have done better.

That said, we generally did not use it for that. We borrowed the equivalent of a D-6/7/8 from Dept of Highways if we were doing the clearing (most of the time that was contracted out as was the basic road bed for the campground).

Our operator would break open the road with the bigger machine, then park it while we cleared out the piles. For that the JD350 did fine. Mostly the bucket but the Clamp came in handy for a log or pile of brush. We only had the one 8 yard Dump Truck to haul with so the JD kept up with that fine. Pits were usually some miles away.

Ours had the Auto Reverse lever (Earl called it a Johnson Bar, forget what JD called it). That was a big aspect for us as a lot of back and forth loading piles and the short push of a pile dozing.

Maneuvering was not that important. It was at least decent and that was all we needed.

We would have taken less power and other features for reliability. It worked or a lot of our work came to a halt. We had about 5 months to get our work done for the year. While it was a State Job, we worked 6x10s. They ran the operation like a Private firm. I never worked any job that hard. I was the designated laborer, so if it needed muscle, I was the guy who did it. I got help at times but a lot of times I was the only guy doing the grunt (the other guys were building out houses or putting in camping spots etc. Happy days when they started to double up the crew to build out the new one. I had a partner for the 2nd years. Good thing was it was the hardest job we ever did.

As we were stand alone, the State had no equipment like it. We would have had to get a separate backhoe, a loader and a dozer to do what the JD did.

DOH did not have tracked loaders, Cat 966 size, our spaces generally did not allow that kind of size. Smaller was better.
Not sure agile is the right word but getting into narrower build areas, narrow and smaller worked. A D-6 could clear the main road ok but a camping spot pull off was narrower.

As there was noting that could do it all the bias to the JD350 for day in day out was ideal.

The fun part (not) was the battle I had with the crew over the Diesel. My dad was a diesel mechanic, so I knew diesels. They were expecting a Gas engine dozer. The JD arrived shortly after we got into our first campground. The JD had come up the Ferry system as our Campground build was on the route (Haines Alaska). Ergo, in those days Ferry Ops said no more than 1/4 tank of fuel. We now know that is the worst way to go.

So, our Truck is sent off to get the JD and trailer, all sparkly new pulling in and the Foreman wants to get it off the Trailer and we could not unload and block the Main Campground road, so it was like a quarter mile trundle for it from our open area.

Frank looks at me (yep, I am the goffer), go get 5 gallons of gas, we need to be sure its got enough in it to get to the storage areas and gas pump. Uhhh Frank, that is not a gas engine! Ok, full stop, they had ordered a gas engine JD, but it clearly was a diesel (steel lines, no plugs, no distributor)

Now the crew was mostly sharp, but they were not engine guys, even our operator was not, he was a very good operator, but he just knew how to turn em on. Mechanics did engine stuff and we had no mechanic (I was the closest they had......)

So Frank is annoyed, its a gas engine and we need gas, go get the gas. Frank, if you put gas in that you are going to blow the engine up! Keep in mind this was my first year, I was getting there but not fully accepted nor did they really know my background. Earl was not willing to say as he did not know, the other good guy was not an equipment guy let alone engines. So it was me vs 4 outright they knew better or neutral (our Truck driver should have known but he was not sharp at all, kind of a sour old grump).

So I am pointing out the diesel features (fuel cap not colored). Earl is starting to hesitate, ahhh Frank, he may be right, it for sure does not have spark plugs, it may be a diesel though I now we did not order one.

Finally Emil (number 2 guy on the crew) who has not been saying much of anything as he is the quieter type, climbs up, opens the fuel cap and sniffs it. Frank he says, I do not know what diesel smells like but it sure is not gasoline in the tank.!

That was all I needed. We kept talking about it, I kept pointing out steel lines going into the block, injector pump vs a distributor , no spark wires or plugs. Frank opens up the book and reads it can be gas or diesel and the pictures of the diesel and it was, this is nuts but its a diesel. Yea, you got to guess DOH changed it because technically it was their equipment and they had gone to all diesel (I think their new Dump/Plow Trucks were all being ordered as diesel as well, but the odler stuff was still gasl).

So Frank says, get the pickup, get to the fuel distributor, get a 55 gallon drum, fill it up with diesel, get a pump on our account at the Hardware store and get it back here so we can unload it.

Phew, I can do that! Now at the time there was a lot of political effort to contract out the campgrounds and get rid of the State Crew (we were worth 3x what any contractor could do, the crew knew the work, specs and standards and one job farmed out as a test had failed terribly (combination of the inspector being a lazy idiot and the contractor cutting conrers because they knew he was an idiot). Not all worked that way but even a good contractor did not know how to assemble picnic tables, how to assemble the pre cut out outhouse package or the Picnic Shelter build. While not equipment guys, the crew all had a building background and we could assemble that stuff (they did and I just did what they told me).

No JD stuff in the State at the time. No dealers, it was all Cat. DOH had to send their people to schools and build up their own parts for the equipment they got. So, probably a month at best to get a new eneinge and then DOH would have had to work on the JD they had no epxience with. Probably could do it, they did have to adjust to each mfg as IH or Allis Chalmrers were the low bidders for Dozers, Hughs as I recall for loaders. Maybe 6 weeks while we scrambled for even an rig with an auger. Try to find a backhole during the consrujaion season. DOH could loan us a dozer but the rest of their euqipmn was out doing post winter repairs on culvers, rock slides, washouts and the like.

So, Phew. Dodged that bullet. The Construction director would never have lived it down. You keep talking about how good your crew is and they don't know a gas from a diesel? It might have been enough to kill the build crew (latter we went to two and rescued several jobs, the State got a good deal out of us.