Any Advice About a John Deere 450E Bulldozer

Mountain_d · July 05, 2022, 06:19:32 PM

There is a JD 450E (1985) dozer for sale near me. Six way blade. Anyone with experience with this machine, anything I should know before I consider buying it? Do they have any know general problems? I plan do use it to do site prep to rip up beech regeneration and then the area can be tree planted to white pine. Plus the usual road , trail work.
Mountain.

GAB · July 05, 2022, 08:10:51 PM

Check the track pins and bushings, and the drive sprockets for wear.
GAB

BargeMonkey · July 05, 2022, 09:26:14 PM

Blade C-frame and the track frames. Condition is everything with a C-D-E, price and hours. Do you plan to keep it forever ? Mount attachments?

Mountain_d · July 06, 2022, 06:10:46 AM

I plan to keep it about 10 years. I would like to add a winch to the back. I wonder how hard it would be to find a winch to fit it? Does anyone know the model(s) of winch that would fit? A six way blade would be handy but I wonder if it is strong enough for doing forestry site prep? Would a regular blade set up be better or could a six way work if I was careful? I may add a root rake / teeth to the blade for site prep.

scsmith42 · July 06, 2022, 07:24:48 AM

Most 6 way blades will be a bit weak for forestry prep. A straight blade would be better, as would a larger dozer.

I have hundreds of hours on a 450b and 550c. Both a little small for stumping, IMO.

BargeMonkey · July 06, 2022, 09:59:08 AM

As long as your not an animal all the time a 6 way will work, it's slow. Those little dozers aren't meant for high volume stumping. 450E is low-mid 60s hp, move it behind a 1 ton in the dark. Don't quote me, I've only touched a couple on that generation dozer but they took a 3315 winch, unless you could find a direct take off that you knew 100% fit, shaft and cables, I see them for sale sometimes but I would be careful. 3315-3325 winch in their day worked, they suck, bands and fittings. 4000 winch is close to bulletproof especially for the average guy. My biggest gripe with a C-D-E, and I had a 550B at one point which was about an E, is they suck to work on. Deere needs to bring back the G series, I would hunt around but it would have to be stupid cheap. I picked up this other 450G with 5800hrs, undercarriage was done, paint and cosmetics are fair with the 4000 winch for 28k. The other G we have with the cargo winch has almost 12k HARD frame hours and I would take that dozer to hell and back, how I feel about a G series. 😆

Mountain_d · July 06, 2022, 03:38:22 PM

BarkMonkey, all good information on the winch and abilities. How big a hardwood stump could a 450E rip out without too much trouble? With the forestry site prep, I would leave the bigger stumps in place and work around them but would hope to move the 6 and 8 inch stumps (hardwood). What do you think? They are asking $25k Canadian for this machine. Hour metre was replaced but looks like maybe 8000 hr ? machine judging by pedals and seat. Maybe I would be better to get a machine with a winch rather than trying to add one later? I assume it would be wise to have a winch for forestry site prep work to get one's self unstuck. From what you are saying, I may be better to look for a 550G?
Mountain

Mountain_d · July 06, 2022, 03:41:24 PM

Quote from: scsmith42 on July 06, 2022, 07:24:48 AM
Most 6 way blades will be a bit weak for forestry prep. A straight blade would be better, as would a larger dozer.

I have hundreds of hours on a 450b and 550c. Both a little small for stumping, IMO.

What size of hardwood stumps could a 450E with 6 way rip out without too much trouble? 6, 8, 10 inch?

EricR · July 07, 2022, 01:05:56 PM

It's a little different but I have a 455d trackloader. I am sometimes surprised but usually disappointed in the size of stump I can pop out easily or size tree I can push over and that's pushing higher up then a dozer can. I will say I am self taught on it. Maybe I just don't know what I'm doing

tacks Y · July 07, 2022, 08:39:41 PM

6 or 8 for sure, but some are tougher than others. The tilt will help being able to drop a corner. Check the tilt for slop should drop a corner and lift the front, the 6 way is more wear points.

Corley5 · July 07, 2022, 10:26:27 PM

Once upon a time I pushed out some pretty big aspen stumps, 16-20" diam., with a 350 JD with a six-way blade. Work around the stump cutting roots and then a push. The biggest required a ramp on both sides to get to the stump and push it out on. Not fast or real efficient but with some finesse a lot can be accomplished ;) ;D

barbender · July 08, 2022, 12:02:55 AM

A 6 way is nice. If you're the kind of guy that could break an anvil with a rubber ball, I'd shy away though. A 450 is small for production woods road building, the outfit I worked for had 2 700 Deere's and even those are light for that kind of work. For real road work the D6's came out. However, for making roads for your own crew, a 450 can do most everything you need if you use your head. Like Corley said, use the corner of the blade to cut roots and then push on the tree as high as you can. You have to do that even with the big dozers on bigger trees.

Walnut Beast · July 08, 2022, 04:11:12 AM

The John Deere units will have more problems with hydraulic leaks than a CAT. That's a fact ( from my friend that lives in a Dozer) And his comparison and experience is from thousands of hours in both makes. Currently his two 850 Deere dozers sit and his preferred CAT D6 has 30k plus hours and he has had many other Dozers. All fixed blade units like the guys told you about fixed blades

Mountain_d · July 08, 2022, 06:55:44 AM

I drove up to look at the 450E. It was in good shape. One thing I noticed is if you got the transmission between gears, it would grind when trying to get it back into any gear. The only way to get it back in gear was to turn it off, put in gear, then start it again. I had the clutch all the way to the floor. It would shift ok if you went direct from one gear to the next without hesitating, but if you let it get between gears, then would get the grind. Shuttle worked fine. The linkage on the gear shift was a little stiff and could use some oil. Maybe that would help? Is this gear shift grind the nature of this machine or is that indicating a problem? If a problem, how serious to fix? Maybe something with the clutch? I am still thinking it over on this machine but also looking at others.
Mountain

tacks Y · July 08, 2022, 07:28:56 AM

I run an older Int TD8E and just love the power shift. That shifting problem would scare me, maybe the syncronizers are going bad ?

chevytaHOE5674 · July 08, 2022, 08:21:26 AM

For a time I had a D3B (roughly the size of a 450). It was a fantastic machine and I cleared a lot of fenceline with it. But anything over a 6" hardwood trees took some work to get out, heck even some huge clumps of tag alder could put up a fight. I took down plenty of 18" hardwood trees with it but they were very time consuming and hard on the machine. Cutting roads and clearing landings would be a very slow tedious project.

Having said that I now do the same fenceline clearing with an almost equal weight skid steer and find it easier because I can push up high to get trees moving.

Someday I'll buck up and get an excavator to make stumping and clearing much easier.

PoginyHill · July 08, 2022, 08:46:40 AM

Even my midi excavator makes quick work of most stumps. Then I can level roads off rather easily with my tiny Case 310 or the blade on the excavator.

scsmith42 · July 08, 2022, 10:08:17 AM

Quote from: Mountain_d on July 08, 2022, 06:55:44 AM
One thing I noticed is if you got the transmission between gears, it would grind when trying to get it back into any gear. The only way to get it back in gear was to turn it off, put in gear, then start it again. I had the clutch all the way to the floor. It would shift ok if you went direct from one gear to the next without hesitating, but if you let it get between gears, then would get the grind. Shuttle worked fine.
Mountain

I'd be very concerned about this. Transmission rebuilds are not inexpensive.

snowstorm · July 08, 2022, 06:16:10 PM

there is nothing wrong with the trans in that 450. i have had a 450 c for 35yrs thats way they are. there are no sicros in that trans. its a 2 sp power shift with 4 sp manual. pushing the clutch half way relives oil all the way releases the dry engine clutch . and why would anyone want a outside blade on a 450. it will be worth a lot less. how big a stump will it root out i have done 36" pine should you no it all depends on how much you want to repair cause you will break something

johndozer · July 26, 2022, 03:12:03 PM

Pushed lots of 12 inch+ fire killed aspen over with my 450C. Pine was tougher but 8-10 inch buts were not too bad if you could push at max blade height. 450c was prone to breaking bolts that went through side fromes into bell housing then failing side frame to steering clutch housing so check these areas over. Try not to do much heavy pushing outboard of hydraulics on the 6 way blade. Pushing on the middle of the blade is best

barbender · July 26, 2022, 04:11:36 PM

Angling the blade and cutting the roots on 2 or 3 sides can make life WAAAY easier.

AndyVT · July 31, 2022, 10:57:00 AM

I have had my 450C w/6 way blade and winch for about a month and have the same between shift gear grind.
I leave it in 2nd most of the time and use the shuttle except when pushing over trees and stumping then I use 1st gear.
I use it on my 50 acre woodlot for access road building and logging.
It is the perfect size for my scale of work. Just have to know it's limits and not abuse it.

BurkettvilleBob · August 01, 2022, 04:13:22 PM

I agree with the others, my 450c does the same thing if you don't shift it right. I think it would be just fine for the work you want to do.

I can't remember what winch is on it, 3325 maybe? I've never had any problems with it, works better than the 3315 on my skidder.