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Greetings Ken.
I have a Yuchai 306R that I purchased new in ’05, and currently have over 700 hours on it. What type of advice are you seeking, operating or maintenance? Are you planning on getting the shuttle clutch or the front end loader attachment? Do you have any experience with tracked machines? I think there are at least four other active members here that have the Yuchai dozers. Glad to have you aboard.
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Thanks for responding Bob. I have been stalking your posts for some time. That is one of the reasons I am going the Nortrac route. I have looked at dozens of used small dozers and have found none that I would sink good money into. I like the Nortrac 2 year parts and labor warranty. I do have experience with tracked machines. I would not call myself an expert on any of them, but do have many hours in the seat of tanks, crawlers, dozers, track loaders, etc. I am and electrical contractor/electronics mechanic and have a small farm, so I am familiar with many types of equipment. I would love a shuttle clutch, but Nortrac does not offer that. So I guess one leg will get a good workout. I checked with Keno tractors, because their Yuchai dozers come with one, but they don’t expect to get any new dozers in for sale this year. (Didn’t say why) I don’t need the FEL I have 2 LS tractors that fill that bill. What I was looking for primarily is, the do’s and don’ts. I know this is a smaller dozer and will be good for what it is designed to be used for. I would rather not find out something through the school of hard knocks that the machine should not do, when someone has already graduated that school and could share that valuable information before I have to pay admission. As far as maintenance goes, it looks pretty straight forward, but if anyone has any tips that go the extra mile and help take care of the machine better, I want to learn. I am a person who is very particular when it comes to maintenance. Knowledge is king. I like to be able to get onto one of my pieces of equipment and know that it is ready to work. Thanks, Ken
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Well, first of all I would want to be assured that a good pre-delivery service was performed, all oils changed over from the Chinese shipping oils, the cooling system was flushed and refilled with a suitable coolant, steering clutch/brakes are adjusted properly. When you take delivery remove the large plugs under the steering clutch compartment (these are die cast with an external hex) and inspect for oil – there shouldn’t be any. Don’t assume the machine has been greased – six shots in each track adjuster spring (these tracks are not adjusted with a grease gun), four shots in all the track rollers and the two idlers, two shots in the swing frame pivots and the equalizer trunnion up front underneath the radiator, and all of the dozer blade zerks. One shot for the drive clutch release bearing. You may find that you will have to replace a lot of grease zerks so a good supply of metric zerks will come in handy. The left steering clutch cross shaft has no provisions to grease it so a generous application of penetrating oil should be applied at service intervals. The engine air cleaner will require more frequent inspections due to it’s location – the fan will blow dust directly into it.
Hope this will help.
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Here is another resource. https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Chinese_Tractor_Maintenance/Dozer#Modifications
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This is the best place to get the Murphy gauges that I know of.
http://shopping.murcal.com/Catalog/Murphy
The 20 series are 2″ and the 25 series are 2-1/2″. If you use the 20 series you will have to make “washers” so the gauges will fill the panel hole. If you use the 25 series you will have to enlarge the panel holes.
Another worthy add-on is to fit a furnace filter or filter media to the front of the radiator. This will keep the radiator clean. The bug catcher they install on it doesn’t do much.
Another thing you must do when new is to take track pitch measurements. This is important to determine pin and link wear: When the track is tight on top, measure the pin center-to-center distance over four links (there are no bushings, so each track section counts as a link). Take this measurement about every 500 hours, or every 300 hours if operating in sandy conditions (this is why I opted for rubber tracks). Do this for both tracks.
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Well the dozer was delivered last night. That is a story in itself. Drove it up to the house and parked it until I can mess with it this evening. Although it looks as if they attempted to service it, I found a few zerks that had no grease, so going to go through the whole dozer tonight and grease as Bob has recommended. One track is banjo tight and the other sags more than an inch, so will adjust those to the 2/3 to 1 inch recommended adjustment. Steering clutches work well, but the right one is tighter than the left. Don’t understand that since free is the same on both pedals. Need to do the recommended break in and make a determination from there on whether the steering clutches need further adjustment. Runs good and not too loud. Don’t really like where the exhaust pipe exits by the cab. In a good wind I could see having to breath exhaust. Have any of you dozer owners extended the exhaust pipe to above the operator compartment. Anyway looking forward to using it some this weekend. Will keep everyone informed on what I find out. :good:
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Everyone was right. The Chinglish owners manual is a treat to decipher.
Hahaha. Yes. That’s why previous experience is desirable.
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Bob thanks for the info. My equalizer trunnion does not have a zerk would you recommend drilling and installing one? Also where do you grease the adjusting spring? No zerk there either. Thanks ken
There are two trunnions, front and rear, and unless Yuchai has changed it there should be a zerk on the front trunnion. A couple of owners had the forward trunnion bearing bushing walk out on them. Perhaps this is a new style bushing that doesn’t require greasing.
The track tensioner spring zerk is located on the front of the spring housing. It’s right next to the idler shaft locknut. Kinda hard to see. I removed the small straight zerk and installed a 45° zerk. Much easier to service.
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Well, finally got to try out the dozer last night. Wasn’t the best experience. I have a couple of issues that need to be corrected by the warranty. First when the dozer loads down while pushing dirt the tracks quit spinning the engine sounds like it is loading, but doesn’t bog down. The whole dozer comes to a stop but RPM’s don’t drop. Think there might be grease or oil on clutch or they did not adjust it correctly when putting it together. Free play looks roughly right, so worried about oil. I was nowhere near the point it should have quit moving. (I went and got my 4 wheel 33 hp tractor to push the load just in case it was me. It pushed it fine.) Secondly, the dozer will steer if you are on a hard gravel surface, but if you get into the dirt or sand it will not turn or will turn if you pump the steering pedal. If you push either pedal lightly or heavy the tracks quit moving and you sit still. Engine still hums along like it has no load on it. Right pedal is much firmer than left. When you use parking brake only left pedal moves. (This might be normal) Hopefully I can get someone out soon to get it going. Bob; the nortac dozer does not have the big plugs under the steering clutches. just a 10mm bolt and jam nut for inspection. I guess I will stick a pipe cleaner or something up in there to make sure there is no oil. I have faith all will be well and this purchase will work out. It looks like a solid machine when the gremlins are worked out. At least it’s under warranty! 🙁
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Well, finally got to try out the dozer last night. Wasn’t the best experience. I have a couple of issues that need to be corrected by the warranty. First when the dozer loads down while pushing dirt the tracks quit spinning the engine sounds like it is loading, but doesn’t bog down. The whole dozer comes to a stop but RPM’s don’t drop. Think there might be grease or oil on clutch or they did not adjust it correctly when putting it together. Free play looks roughly right, so worried about oil. I was nowhere near the point it should have quit moving. (I went and got my 4 wheel 33 hp tractor to push the load just in case it was me. It pushed it fine.) Secondly, the dozer will steer if you are on a hard gravel surface, but if you get into the dirt or sand it will not turn or will turn if you pump the steering pedal. If you push either pedal lightly or heavy the tracks quit moving and you sit still. Engine still hums along like it has no load on it. Right pedal is much firmer than left. When you use parking brake only left pedal moves. (This might be normal) Hopefully I can get someone out soon to get it going. Bob; the nortac dozer does not have the big plugs under the steering clutches. just a 10mm bolt and jam nut for inspection. I guess I will stick a pipe cleaner or something up in there to make sure there is no oil. I have faith all will be well and this purchase will work out. It looks like a solid machine when the gremlins are worked out. At least it’s under warranty!
Definitely main clutch is slipping. What gear configuration are you using to dig? I use 2L at around 1,800 r/m.
When in soft material like sand, loose clay and uncompacted gravel, don’t attempt tight turns as this side-loads the tracks, fills them with material, and is carried up and over and drops down in front of the sprockets and idlers. Dirt isn’t much of a problem but large rocks can make you throw a track. These machines don’t have swing frame covers like other dozers, and their rock guards are wanting.
The bolt and locknut under the steering compartment is for adjusting the brake bands. There should be two more on the backside. If you remove them, count the turns and put them back exactly as before.
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Thanks Bob. I use 2L or 1L depending on what I’m doing. I also run 1800-1900 rpm. I pretty much stay in Low range. Have no reason to get there too fast. Plus I don’t like the jarring ride. Good idea on the parking brake. It really does not serve much purpose. I do not have many rocks around here. Mostly red clay and sand. If I don’t hear back from Nortrac soon, I will adjust the brakes/clutch myself. Should not have too. Paid good money to have it delivered in working order. Main clutch another issue. They will have to warranty it. Don’t feel like giving the labor to fix it myself. Especially in this 100 degree heat.
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Alright, the Nortrac warranty guy came out and checked dozer. Said that the main clutch was OK, the steering clutches were the problem. Apparently they were always somewhere between engaged and disengaged. He adjusted and we took it out for a tryout. Everything seems to work well. It now pushes like it should. Will give a workout this weekend and see if it is fixed for sure. Thanks for all the help and advice!!!
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I guess they were afraid of scratching the paint by pushing some load with it, what else could it be, besides it’s not my job to do that!
Ha! I doubt seriously if Northern Tool is a union shop. But it seems that one of those positions is open.
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Your right, I doubt they are a union shop. They should have done a more thorough job of testing my machine. I will say that their customer service is top notch though. Didn’t take them long to respond and their local contractor fixed the problem quickly. All seems well with my dozer. I will re-route one of my hydraulic lines though. They ran it between the steering clutch pedals. They put a plastic hose protector on the hose, but it will always wear. Moving now would probably be in my best interest. Also, have one hose that hangs pretty low and needs to be strapped up somewhere so it won’t catch on something. I will buy a couple of railroad ties this weekend and make a ramp so I can get under there more easily. My 53 year old figure is not what it used to be. I notice I always end up with a little extra dirt and grease on my belly. :bye:
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Yes, I had the same issues with hoses except mine were twofold because I have two extra hoses on each side that tee under the seat for the loader attachment. You are probably already aware of this, but hydraulic hoses must not be twisted. When tightening the fittings, always double wrench. I have seen instances where the fittings have loosened themselves and other instances where the fittings have failed because of the stress. I have a pair of RR tie ramps myself. Nothing fancy, just beveled a little on one end. It’s all you really need if you take it slow.
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Good little dozers just don’t park it in deep mud in winter so ground freezes..lol..major mistake..got 300 hrs on mine and only major break down was man made not machines fault…dug a 50 yd ditch in rock and graded road with mine yesterday….get rid of those Chinese gauges and put a hotter thermostat in it and enjoy
35xtd Dozer and hoe..1610d yanmar tractor
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Don’t have many hours on mine. Pushed some dirt and leftover tree piles from previous tree work. So far so good. I am planning on getting new gauges as well. Will; what type did you buy? Bob uses Murphy gauges. As far as Thermostat goes, my dozer seems to run plenty hot. If rain holds off this weekend hope to put a few hours on.
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I used sunpro mechanical gauges…I’ve done aloota work with mine saved me alotta time and money..next thing I do to it is gonna b to modify the brake pedals like Bob did..keeping them adjusted right is a chore..lol..bobs right on the money about unhooking the park brake
35xtd Dozer and hoe..1610d yanmar tractor
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Finally got the dozer out for a good day of work. Put a 3 pt tiller on it and tilled a 1/4 acre food plot. A little slow but worked great. Not much of a fan of the chain stabilizers. Had one a little too tight raised the lift and the bolt snapped. Took about 10 min with a welder for repair, so not such a bad deal. Cleared some small trees. All in all a good day. I have some pictures coming. My wife took them and needs to transfer to me so I can post. I think I’m going to like this little dozer. :good:
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Yeah, those chains aren’t in a parallelogram configuration. I relocated the mounting points to the same attachment bolts for the lifting arms. Used 1/4″ flat stock. You will have to remove the drawbar hitch if you do that mod, which wasn’t a problem for me because I use a quick hitch for everything that hangs on the back.
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What kind of quick hitch do you use Bob? I have been thinking about getting one for the dozer.
I have a Harbor Freight category 1 quick hitch. I don’t use the top hook that came with it, instead I use the optional link because I have a hydraulic top link for adjusting the angle of the hitch without getting out of the dozer.
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I have read with interest the posts about the Nortrac Dozer. I am thinking about purchasing one while free shipping is included. My concern is that I am not a mechanic and reading this posts about all of the things that need to be done to the Dozer, I am wondering if the dozer would be a wise investment for me. I am retired and live on 350 acres of mountain land in Northern SC. The only reason the dozer appeals to me is the compact size. I plan to use it totally for putting log roads and trails on my farm . I have alot of timber and want to log some of it for my use. I own a portable sawmill and a winch that is a 8000# 3ph that I would attach to the dozer. Any advise as to the purchase.
I also have found a 2005 Nortrac with only 40 hours for sale. Considerable savings over a new machine but wondered what the difference is between a dozer in 2005 and a new one. I would appreciate any help.
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can not beat a dozer for making roads and with a 3 point on the dozer you could get a backhoe attachment then put a thumb on the hoe and use it for loading logs on the mill. I have a jcb 214 backhoe with a thumb and load logs on my mill it works great much better than trying to use bucket forks. does your mill have hydro log loading system? if so it would not be as big a deal. I have 100 acres and I used a dozer to cut road around the edges of the property for ease of access for a fire break and some thru the middle also. My dozer was not Chinese so I can not give you much advise on that. other than I have also thought about getting one if the price was right. I have wet area where another pond I would like to cut in.
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I have a 2005 Yuchai (Yuchai is the only manufacturer for this dozer, although they are marketed under a lot of different brand names, including Nortrac). I have made many mods to mine, but primarily to upgrade it and to enhance performance. None of the mods I made were absolutely necessary. They are fine little dozers and can do very good work, but a lot depends on the operator’s ability, experience, and how well they are maintained. I have over 700 hours on mine with no problems that I haven’t asked for. They aren’t suitable for notch dozing because their rock guards are a poor design and there are no swing frame covers.
I would be happy to answer any question.
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Bob, Thanks for you reply. Three questions. The Nortrac Dozers that were sold in 2005 list a 30 hp diesel and the newer 35 XTD list a 35 hp diesel. Are these engines made by the same company in China. Since Yuchai makes these dozers, is there any siginificant difference between a 2005 and a 2016 as far as operating the dozer, In other words, are the newer ones improved ? What do you mean by notch dozing? Is using the 6 way blade to cut a trail around the side of a steep place considered notch dozing? Thanks again and I will look forward to hearing from you.
Mendel
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Bob, Thanks for you reply. Three questions. The Nortrac Dozers that were sold in 2005 list a 30 hp diesel and the newer 35 XTD list a 35 hp diesel. Are these engines made by the same company in China.
The engine change was necessary to meet EPA requirements. These engines are not made by Yuchai.
Since Yuchai makes these dozers, is there any siginificant difference between a 2005 and a 2016 as far as operating the dozer, In other words, are the newer ones improved ?
They are basically the same but have refined hydraulic controls, and some minor aesthetic changes.
What do you mean by notch dozing? Is using the 6 way blade to cut a trail around the side of a steep place considered notch dozing?
There are some similarities in that you will be crowding the bank and the tracks will be more subject to rocks and dirt falling into the swing frame. See the pic.
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Bob,
Thanks again for your help. I am going to try to purchase the 2006 Nortrac Dozer with only 40 hours instead of the new one. Hopefully, I can learn to operate it to grade the trails and roads as well as pulling out logs. I am sure that when I get it sometime in the near future, I will need some more help on making sure I am keeping it in good shape mechanically. I will probably want to replace gauges like it talked about in another post.
Mendel
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Dan,
I found a couple of Nortrac Dozers that are for sale. The one with 40 hours was purchased new by a gentleman who only put 28 hours on it. It stayed in a shed and not out in the weather. The present owner purchase it about a couple of years ago and has put 12 to 15 hours on it. He tells me that there is nothing wrong with it and he has kept in covered shed. He has changed oil in engine and it has a new battery. He also has manuals and spare parts that came with dozer. He lives several hundred miles from where I live so I will have to take his word plus look at pictures. If I can trade for it, I will save about 50% of what the new one costs so it appears to be somewhat of a decent deal. The man that owns it says He hates to sell but he needs the money for other things. It has metal tracks. I wish that it had rubber tracks. I do not think Nortrac offers the rubber tracks as an option. I do not know about clutch. I will ask about that.
Mendel
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Sounds good.
Here is a link to my dozer Facebook page. You might find it informative. Leave a comment if you like.
https://www.facebook.com/yuchaidozer
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The “C” model is older. Some had the flat hood, and some had a fiberglass hood and front end. The later “E” models had the rounded steel hood. Mine is an “E” model. Sometimes the suffix can be “S” for steel tracks or “R” for rubber tracks. The more current models will have some extra bling like headlight guards and rubber diamond plate, and upgraded hydraulics. As far as I know, all of the pre 2015 models will have the Jiang Dong TY395E 30 HP engines. The basic chassis and running gear has remained unchanged for many years. Retail dealers such as Northern Tool and Eastwind have added extra features though and may add additional or proprietary model numbers.
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Being that’s a Nortrac # I wonder if “C” is for California emissions and “E” is for Everyone else.
Hahaha. That would be too easy.
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I do not think either of these machines have been anywhere than the Northeast. They were purchased new from Nortrac. The 2005 is the NB3500C and the 2012 is the NB3500E. Thanks for the information.
The engine in the 2015 and up models will be a Laidong 4L22 series four cylinder 35 HP engine. This change was necessary to comply with the EPA Tier 4 emissions requirement. Those models prior will have the Jiang Dong TY395E 30 HP 3 cylinder engines.
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