John Deere Green - Ain't what it was

[Cowpuncher]

For so many years, a John Deere tractor was a paragon of reliability and simple and cheap to keep going.

When we sold our ranch, we bought a John Deere compact tractor with a loader and rotary snow plow so we could hang around our place a few more years.

After about 2 1/2 years, it has about 85 hours on it. Last week, I noticed the parking brakes no longer works. Then, a warning light came on saying the fuel was low when, in fact, it was full.

The whole digital system is overridden by the low fuel warning so ground speed, etc, etc, no longer work.

Called the dealer where I bought the tractor (new). Of course, it is out of warranty which was 24 months and they said they had been having trouble with the fuel sending unit on compact tractors.

He advised the new sending unit would be $171. Also, to change it the operators side rear tire must be removed, the fuel tank drained and removed to get the sending unit installed - a c ouple of hours at $90 per.

Add that to the service charge for coming out 20 miles and we are talking $6-700 to fix fuel guage.

I have never owned a JD tractor with a reliable fuel guage, but that was easy to work with. This thing disables the entire computer display.

What the heck were they thinking?

 

[per]

I participated in a focus group several years ago. It turned out to be Cat when they were entering the farm market. One of the discussions was about how we would like the platform set up. I wanted mechanical linkages, mechanical gages and everything as simple and crescent wrench and pliers fixable as possible. The majority of the group wanted electronic clusters, joystick operation and electric over hydraulic systems. I lost out in the discussion. You got what the majority wanted.

 

[Big Muddy rancher]

I once bought a Romanian built Universal Tractor because it was built with linkages and levers versus electronics. Problem was it was a piece of junk that i couldn't keep working. :?

 

[gcreekrch]

I once bought a Romanian built Universal Tractor because it was built with linkages and levers versus electronics. Problem was it was a piece of junk that i couldn't keep working. :?

Bin dere, dun dat. I like the idea of manual controls if they are built from something other than pot-metal and chewing gum wrappers.

 

[WYO HEELER]

Well there are other options for tractor needs, however these type of problems with John Deere tractors are minor compared to the problems you have with the other tractors. :wink:

 

[RSL]

Blasphemer!!! Actually the new tractors (any brand) are difficult to service at the farm level and all are electronic (in all sizes). I doubt any other brand would do better or worse. I think nowadays the issue really boils down to which local dealer gives the most affordable/best service and has timely parts available.
If it makes you feel any better we have done an engine and a radiator on our JD in the last 14 months. A 4240 with 15000+ hours on it and limited electronics...
I promise I won't tell my little man about your post. He would probably hunt you down just to give you a piece of his mind... :lol:

 

[Larrry]

JOB SECURITY

 

[the_jersey_lilly_2000]

Now ya'll understand why we own old tractors LOL (The kabota belongs to FIL was MIL idea to buy new)

All the old stuff..ya can pull out the tools and repair right where it sits in the pasture where it broke down most of the time. And if it's somethin a lil more major...ya drag it to a shade tree...and go to work there.

 

[burnt]

I went to service my fairly new N.H. loader tractor and discovered that I will need to buy the "right" tool for taking out the oil plug! It appears to be about a 1/2" hex wrench.

 

[Denny]

I run a pair of Belarus tractors all though crude they are user friendly as far as home mechanics go. I also have that Lovely 250 John Deere Skidloader thats had more money thrown at it than a Vegas stripper.Piece of crap in my book.

 

[Silver]

I run a pair of Belarus tractors all though crude they are user friendly as far as home mechanics go. I also have that Lovely 250 John Deere Skidloader thats had more money thrown at it than a Vegas stripper.Piece of crap in my book.

Our luck was only average with the Belarus. Engine would run forever I think, but the big trick is keeping fluids in the little devil: transmission, engine, coolant, hydraulics, power steering, front end, etc. Not to mention the tires that rot away quicker than you can order them from Hungary or where ever the oddball expensive little devils come from. We still have ours parked in the corner and we are trying to decide if it's worth putting a new reverse gear in it. The tractor has 6500 hrs on it.
But all in all when you figure the dollars per hour to run them including the purchase price you probably cant beat a Belarus. Now if you can apply a dollar value to sanity..... that may change the equation.

 

[floyd]

Can you say Made in China? because that is your problem.

 

[Cowpuncher]

Actually, the best fuel guage I ever had was on a John Deere 620 2-banger. Take the fuel cap off, use a stick and see how much fuel it had. When it was empty, it quit!!

CP

 

[Liveoak]

Actually, the best fuel guage I ever had was on a John Deere 620 2-banger. Take the fuel cap off, use a stick and see how much fuel it had. When it was empty, it quit!!

CP

LOL!!! My grandfather had one like that. Was that the "Johnny Popper"? I recall him puting a stick in the tank too! Never could figure it out because he had a fuel gauge right there near the steering wheel. I've got a Kubota 62 pto hp and have never had a problem with it so far and after 6 years. I understand most JD's are built out of the US now too though.

 

[Silver]

I've run cats most of my life and only recently have they had fuel gauges. If you needed to know how much fuel you had you took the fuel cap off and pulled the dipstick. I'm kinda partial to a working gauge now though :wink:

 

[tta stockdogs]

We use a JD 50 and a B for raking, hook up 2 rakes to each one-do about 500-600 acres a year..they just keep right on putting along-have a tire tool I use for helping folding the tedder-that's my gas gauge, stick it in and see how many inches are left.

 

[allen57]

I went to service my fairly new N.H. loader tractor and discovered that I will need to buy the "right" tool for taking out the oil plug! It appears to be about a 1/2" hex wrench.

You sure it isn't about a 12 or 13mm?

 

[burnt]

I went to service my fairly new N.H. loader tractor and discovered that I will need to buy the "right" tool for taking out the oil plug! It appears to be about a 1/2" hex wrench.

You sure it isn't about a 12 or 13mm?

I dunno. I might just try to weld a short chunk of 1/2 inch square stock into it.


O.K. I just said that to make all you real wrench benders squirm! I guess I'll have to find out what it is cuz the oil needs changing. NOW.

 

[Cedarcreek]

I went to service my fairly new N.H. loader tractor and discovered that I will need to buy the "right" tool for taking out the oil plug! It appears to be about a 1/2" hex wrench.

You sure it isn't about a 12 or 13mm?

I'll bet its metric too, everything around here we've gotten it the last 10 years with hex drain plugs needed a metric wrench.

 

[Trinity man]

Now ya'll understand why we own old tractors LOL (The kabota belongs to FIL was MIL idea to buy new)

All the old stuff..ya can pull out the tools and repair right where it sits in the pasture where it broke down most of the time. And if it's somethin a lil more major...ya drag it to a shade tree...and go to work there.

Thats all we got are the older type tractor and they are nice to work on after seeing the new ones out. The guy at JD told me when I overhaul our 4020 that I was years better in repair it than getting a new one. Now I believe it for sure. The crazy thing is the JD dealer around here has to order everything I need, then they say it will be a week before they can get it in. That suck when you are in the hay field.