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jdemaris
05-23-2004 07:47:06
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Re: Re: JD 350c Landscaping - seen it. in reply to Anthony, 05-22-2004 20:20:52
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Before I say anything else, keep in mind where my perspective comes from. I worked for Deere dealers since 350s first came out. We had lots of rental machines that got severely abused. Also, we sold many small crawlers to loggers who didn't want to spend the extra bucks for a 450. Also, I live in an area that's full of shale and hardpan which does a number on small crawlers. So, most 350s I saw had problems, i.e. I rarely saw the good ones. I've worked on 350s that came from sandy soiled areas and they held up MUCH better. Now, that being said, we had many brand new 350s that seized up from bad isolators with less than 500 hours on them. It was, and is, a poor setup but I supect many problems were from poor assembly at the factory. I once had to go to New York City to fix two brand new 350Cs that were on the rooftop of a skycraper - both with seized isolators. They were craned up to the top in pieces and reassembled there - and used for snow removal. So, needless to say we couldn't bring them back to the dealership for repair. Had to do it there. Bad or good, a 350C with the spring loaded isolator will make noise/rattling upon shutdown.
As far as the price goes - I think $14,000 is high, but I'm cheap. I am well aware that a brand new machine can crap out just as well as an old one. So, I'd rather buy one that appears to be in moderately good shape and pay a fair but not high price for it. Paying top dollar for a babied machine does not guarantee trouble free use. I often come across 350Cs in reasonably good shape with 6-way blades in the $9,000 - $11,000 price range. I also see them with asking prices in the $14,000 range, but I'd never pay it. There are many state agencies that want small U.S. built crawlers and it seems no one makes them anymore. Deere has offered a "certified relife" program, where you turn in a 350C or 450C, give them $60,000 - $70,000 and they will update and refurbish your crawler, put a new serial number on it, and sell it back to you. If you turn in a 350C, it will get a bigger engine (179 c.i.), and also the new style isolator. So, I guess when compared to Deere's $60,000 - $14,000 seems cheap. As far as using the reverser in the 350C, it is designed so . . . you can run the machine at full throttle in second gear, and shift from forward to reverse without touching the clucth pedal. It should change directions smoothly (no jerking) but firmly. I have one, but choose to slow down and use the clutch - in an attempt to extend the life of the isolator. Since it consists of big springs, every time you change directions at high throttle, the springs are getting stretched and subsequently worn.
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