Paul 300 U
Member
Recap. Bought the 350 to use the loader on my
300. I knew it had issues but engine runs
well. After working on the steering etc
finally ran it and heard metal grinding and
leaking from the weep hole under the left
side. Pics w/ bore scope show trans pilot
bearings shot.
I decided to run it again to learn what else
might be wrong and whether it makes sense to
fix this tractor. I put my 5ft mower on and
ran it about 40 minutes. The good. PTO seems
ok (The handle mechanism doesn't work so I
have to manually engage/disengage). Rear
remote works fine. Engine starts easily, runs
evenly,no noise. The throttle, linkage and
choke had been disassembled so I still need
to adjust the idle. (Tach reconnected but not
working so no rpm info) I replaced the oil
gauge line and pressure at the gauge holds at
about 30+ when warm. T/a works when engaged
but handle is a a sloppy mess and pops out
and forward at every bump. Although I
reconnected, I'm not sure temp gauge is
working but no signs of overheating.
The bad.
1.Trans grinding due to the bad pilot bearing
as previously mentioned is definite.
2.Loader leaks down fairly quickly but the
tilt function on the bucket leaks the
fastest. No visible leaks in hoses. I did
previouslyreplace 2 hoses on bucket and had
one visibly leaking ram rebuilt.
3. Rear hydraulic cylinder has slow leak.
4. Remote handle for bucket tilt is very,very
sloppy.
5. There are 3 steel hydraulic lines on right
side of tractor below power p.s.cylinder.
Middle one leaked heavily at start. I tried
to tighten but it seemed very tight. Leak
slowed dramatically after a few minutes.
5. Difficult to shift regardless of t/a
position. Some gears worse than others.
6.As posted previously clutch is very high.
7. Leaking from weep hole occurs when I shut
tractor off. (or maybe that's when I
notice.). Previously diagnosed as seals in
trans.
8 I think I hear a second grinding noise in
the rear of the tractor when at idle. (should
I remove PTO cover to check with bore scope?)
The longer I used, the less responsive the
hydraulics became. At the end I could barely
get the bucket to tilt up although lifting
the entire bucket was still fair. Power
steering stopped working although tractor
steers rather easily when moving as though
p.s. was working.
Bottom line. Based on the opinions here I'm
trying to determine what some of the issues
are and how much money to invest to make it
functional. Based on the as above, and your
own experience would you consider this
tractor shot? I'm happy to do things like
brakes, rebuild carb etc. My local mechanic
has agreed to split and do the bearing for
what I consider a reasonable hourly rate.
With loader he figures 8 to 10 hours 5 to 6
without. He'd squeeze it in as here and
there.
I understand enough money can fix all
problems, I'd like to invest no more than an
additional $1000+-. I figure a decent 40 hp
old tractor w/ loader is a good deal at about
2500.00 all in. It will probably get less
than 100 hours a year useage. I'll look
forward to your questions and opinions.
Thanks as always for the help. Paul
300. I knew it had issues but engine runs
well. After working on the steering etc
finally ran it and heard metal grinding and
leaking from the weep hole under the left
side. Pics w/ bore scope show trans pilot
bearings shot.
I decided to run it again to learn what else
might be wrong and whether it makes sense to
fix this tractor. I put my 5ft mower on and
ran it about 40 minutes. The good. PTO seems
ok (The handle mechanism doesn't work so I
have to manually engage/disengage). Rear
remote works fine. Engine starts easily, runs
evenly,no noise. The throttle, linkage and
choke had been disassembled so I still need
to adjust the idle. (Tach reconnected but not
working so no rpm info) I replaced the oil
gauge line and pressure at the gauge holds at
about 30+ when warm. T/a works when engaged
but handle is a a sloppy mess and pops out
and forward at every bump. Although I
reconnected, I'm not sure temp gauge is
working but no signs of overheating.
The bad.
1.Trans grinding due to the bad pilot bearing
as previously mentioned is definite.
2.Loader leaks down fairly quickly but the
tilt function on the bucket leaks the
fastest. No visible leaks in hoses. I did
previouslyreplace 2 hoses on bucket and had
one visibly leaking ram rebuilt.
3. Rear hydraulic cylinder has slow leak.
4. Remote handle for bucket tilt is very,very
sloppy.
5. There are 3 steel hydraulic lines on right
side of tractor below power p.s.cylinder.
Middle one leaked heavily at start. I tried
to tighten but it seemed very tight. Leak
slowed dramatically after a few minutes.
5. Difficult to shift regardless of t/a
position. Some gears worse than others.
6.As posted previously clutch is very high.
7. Leaking from weep hole occurs when I shut
tractor off. (or maybe that's when I
notice.). Previously diagnosed as seals in
trans.
8 I think I hear a second grinding noise in
the rear of the tractor when at idle. (should
I remove PTO cover to check with bore scope?)
The longer I used, the less responsive the
hydraulics became. At the end I could barely
get the bucket to tilt up although lifting
the entire bucket was still fair. Power
steering stopped working although tractor
steers rather easily when moving as though
p.s. was working.
Bottom line. Based on the opinions here I'm
trying to determine what some of the issues
are and how much money to invest to make it
functional. Based on the as above, and your
own experience would you consider this
tractor shot? I'm happy to do things like
brakes, rebuild carb etc. My local mechanic
has agreed to split and do the bearing for
what I consider a reasonable hourly rate.
With loader he figures 8 to 10 hours 5 to 6
without. He'd squeeze it in as here and
there.
I understand enough money can fix all
problems, I'd like to invest no more than an
additional $1000+-. I figure a decent 40 hp
old tractor w/ loader is a good deal at about
2500.00 all in. It will probably get less
than 100 hours a year useage. I'll look
forward to your questions and opinions.
Thanks as always for the help. Paul
