Deere 450 c Steering Brake Adjustment

[Timberland]

Hello, Just purchased a 1980 ish 450c with a weak steering to the left. Upon pulling the steering clutch cover I noticed the rubber line inside the case has a bad spot. Hopefully changing this will fix steering problem. My questions are related to adjusting the brake band. I have a technical manual but am having a ruff time following it so here are a few questions. Question 1: To adjust brakes the manual says to pull steering lever back 5 inches but gives no location where to measure this from? Break pedal is measured at 2.5 inches. A bit easier to figure this one out. Question 2: At 5 inches of steering lever movement ,brake adjusting nut should be tightened so brakes start to pick up. By this do they mean brake linkage barley starts moving or should it start pinching brake band and putting light pressure on brake drum? I'm at a bit of a loss for this process as without the top cover in place there is nothing to keep the top brake band plate or everything else brake related from moving all around when steering lever is pulled back for adjustment. I'm probably over complicating all this but hopefully with some input from someone who has done this before I may only have to pull it apart once. I searched other posts but was unable find anything addressing these questions.

Also, on topic of transmission / steering clutches sharing same sump. Upon inspection my machine doesn't have the lines inside the steering housing that the tech manual mentions for changing to shared sump. So assuming I have a shared sump how does shred sump work? When I went to drain the transmission and clutches I had to pull the the drain plugs on both steering and transmission to remove all the oil from all 3. When I fill them will I need to fill all 3 separate or will dumping oil in trans fill all 3?

Thanks to all who take the time to share there experience and knowledge base to those of us who love to learn. It's appreciated!

 

[mg2361]

Welcome to HEF Timberland!

To adjust brakes the manual says to pull steering lever back 5 inches but gives no location where to measure this from?

Basically measured from the dash to the lever handle.

should it start pinching brake band and putting light pressure on brake drum?

Yes. What I do is adjust the brake band with the levers at rest. I measure the lever travel to where you start to feel resistance in the lever. I adjust first, then check lever travel (repeat if necessary) until I feel resistance at 5 inches.

I'm at a bit of a loss for this process as without the top cover in place there is nothing to keep the top brake band plate or everything else brake related from moving

Top cover has to be installed to make adjustments.

My memory escapes me on the oil. I seem to remember some had a hole to connect the two compartments for filling, but the spec manual shows a separate capacity for the steering clutch. So to play it safe, fill it separately.

 

[77Ford]

If you do not have the common sump fill them all separately. If you have it tore down and can do the conversion, the service manual tells you how to do it. If I ever open mine up, I will do them. You will always have to drain all 3 separately, the common sump connection is fairly high.

 

[Timberland]

Thanks for the comments mg2361 and 77Ford. I got everything adjusted and working pretty well. When steering the dozer sometimes it steers as it should (very light pull turns dozer) and sometimes it takes a pretty hard pull to get it to turn. This happens on both sides but little more on right lever. It also seems to take a pretty heavy pull on levers almost always when turning in reverse.
I had both steering clutch covers off and everything looked pretty good inside other than left side had a ruptured high pressure clutch hose inside which I replaced. This machine has some very aggressive grousers on it, could this cause it to turn harder than what appears as normal? I'm comparing the turn lever pull to a Dresser TD7E I use to own and a Deere 430c I have ran a lot.

 

[mg2361]

There are 2 spools under your seat. Maybe they are borderline on adjustment. If they are not adjusted correctly, then the clutch could still be getting some pressure when the brake applies, making steering more difficult.

 

[Timberland]

Update, I put everything back together and ran the dozer for awhile as I had some work to complete before bad weather hit. I have now decided to tear into the steering again. I found the common sump hole between the steering boxes and rear differential. They are factory installed. So as I thought my machine is later model believed to 1980. As high as the sump holes are I figure if you drain the steering box you need to refill them through the fill holes by the sprockets (not the differential fill under the seat) or you will never get oil in them.

Aside from this I pulled the steering vales under the seat, inspected them, took some measurements relating to how far valve needs to move before relief occurs (roughly 3/4-7/8 in forward movement), put in new seals, reinstalled and made minor adjustments. Won't know the results till next summers good weather.

Lastly I pulled the brake bands to replace them. After searching the web and not liking the prices I saw I found a guy in Eugene, OR to rebuild them for me. Man he did exceptional work. Very impressed. The old bands were glued on, he drilled and riveted mine, cross cut the material for oil flow and installed new tips at the end. And did this for 30-40% cheaper than the lower cost ones on the web. If anyone is interested pm me and I will provide a contact. Here's to a flawless install and a well functioning machine when completed. Thanks everyone.

 

[Welder Dave]

Good brake and clutch shops can save you a lot money. I seem to recall on a particular machine there was a better aftermarket brake lining than the OEM provided. I think it was for a JD but can't remember the model.