TimberJack 208 Restoration

[adrtree]

I'm fairly new to this forum. I am buying this 1979 TimberJack 208 and we have begun tearing it down and I'm having almost every seal, part, hose and bearing rebuilt and we are going to paint it.
It belonged to an older guy im friends with who owned it since it was 3 years old. We went and put a starter in it and it cranked immediately after sitting for many years. It drives and operates great but its leaking here and there and most of the bearings, seals, and hoses needed replacing.
Nobody around here knows these machines anymore and most everyone comments that it looks like crap and its not worth fixing. I disagree..I think its worth it. 
I wanted to ask about the little rocker assembly on the right side of the dash that connects to a linkage and rod that extends and retracts against the rear of the machine right above the center....Its non functional now but What does it do?
If any of you guys have any resources you could tell me about for parts or information I would greatly appreciate it. I know very little about these kind of machines. Any companies out there that would have parts for this machine?

[Neilo]

The linkage you are talking about is the steer hydraulic lever centering function. It is to centre the steer lever (stopping further steering lock) before the frames hit together.

You will see the steer lever is pinned to the shaft. That linkage will rotate the shaft near full turning to push the lever back to centre and stop the hydraulic ram.

You can check it by steering to each side and see how it moves.

You can get the parts book from johndeertechinfo.com

Neilo

[coxy]

looks are not every thing  ;D if you don't want it you can send it over to me ill take it  :D :D 8) good luck with your restoration    you can get every part you need for that here in the US don't know how much the shipping would be   pics are nice from start to finish  :laugh: 

[Dave Shepard]

Looking forward to seeing it all painted up!

Here is the one that I run.

[adrtree]

looks are not every thing  ;D if you don't want it you can send it over to me ill take it  :D :D 8) good luck with your restoration    you can get every part you need for that here in the US don't know how much the shipping would be   pics are nice from start to finish  :laugh:

Yeah I figured its worth the restoration. I paid 6k for the skidder and I'll be spending maybe 3-4k on it. It came with an extra Hercules winch like the one thats on it and an extra set of hubs. The current hubs on it he says are from a 330?? but I think he means a 230.  I dont know if I paid too much for it but oh well doesnt really matter as long as Im happy with it.

[adrtree]

The linkage you are talking about is the steer hydraulic lever centering function. It is to centre the steer lever (stopping further steering lock) before the frames hit together.

You will see the steer lever is pinned to the shaft. That linkage will rotate the shaft near full turning to push the lever back to centre and stop the hydraulic ram.

You can check it by steering to each side and see how it moves.

You can get the parts book from johndeertechinfo.com

Neilo

Thanks, Neilo best I can tell the linkage ends at a rod that pushes up against the v angle above the center joint only on the back right of the machine though and only when its in a hard right hand turn. Looks like it limits the steering lever travel once the frame contacts the pushrod.  The end of the rod that contacts the frame is worn down though. Is this limiter absolutely necessary or can we skip it when we rebuild everything?

[adrtree]

Looking forward to seeing it all painted up!

Here is the one that I run.

Thanks reading your link theres alot of info on it very helpful.

[Neilo]

The steering limiter is not critical. Mine has had those rods lengthened as they do wear. Sounds like your left one is missing. Up to you if you make one or buy one, or leave it.

The Eaton planetaries could be from a 330. I have a 330 axle as a spare to my 230 skidder and they look identical. The code stamped on the pumkin is slightly different. If you give us the axle code and the cast part numbers off the planetary case, we might be able to tell.

[David-L]

Nice find, parts are easy to get and available. With those planetarys you will be set with that size rubber. worth every cent you spent IMO. can't wait to see the progress. Lots of good info and Timberjack mechanics on this site.

                                             David



 

[redneck]

Timberparts in susex NB. canada ship parts overseas.  Not sure what the shipping cost would be.
I have a 2 manuals that i can email you if you send me a message with your email address i think you would benefit from them.

[sandersen]

Excellent...glad you decided to keep one of the old TJ's alive...I'm doing the same thing with a 66 230c. 

[adrtree]

Guys I need the brake parts for the machine. Existing backing plate is bent and the internal brake parts were all missing. Below is a picture. Anyone know where I might locate these?
Also I took a picture of the plate the machine is a 208 GS. What does the GS stand for? Is it a 79? The only number I see looks like a 1976. Maybe one of you guys can tell  what it is by the numbers....


 



 

[Neilo]

The GS stands for a GM engine (G) and a standard transmission (S)

Nothing on the tag gives year. I can try and check against my books, but late 70s would be right.

I would straighten the backing plate and get the other parts. There may be a dealer for Aftermarket Parts near you.

Neilo

[Neilo]

I have checked my books and can't really pin the year down. The 900xxx serial no means it was built at the Tifton factory and some part pages dated 1976 list the 900001 numbers onwards. So I say 1976 or slightly latter.

[tantoy]

Nice purchase, I love old skidders. Is it a 3-53 or 4-53 Detroit. Keep up with pictures please!