Go BottomJD 4400 differental lock
 | Chainsaw
Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 10 Ohio Valley 
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2003-09-30 65200
Has anyone here had problems with there differental locks on the 4000 series ?
I have had my rebuilt twice and the last time it cost me $1900 and it has 200 hours on the rebuild and it is starting to fail again.I guess I am going to have to live with the problem this time because I am not going to spend anymore money on it.
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 | Chief
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 4297 Southwest MiddleTennessee 
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2003-09-30 65202
I have not had any problems out of mine on my 4410 but then again I have not used it much. How exactly is yours failing? ....
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 | kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 5764 NW Oregon
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2003-09-30 65203
Like Chief, I haven't had any trouble on my 4310 but I haven't used it a lot either. I'm curious - how many hours did you have on it when it failed the first time? ....
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| TomG
Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 5406 Upper Ottawa Valley
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2003-10-01 65210
I don't know how it's used. I don't use mine much and would figure I needed more ballast, smaller bites with implements or different tires if I used it regularly. When I do use it, I drop the engine rpm to near idle speeds before engaging it and I don't steer when it's engaged. It's very hard on locks to engage them if one tire is spinning fast and the other is on a high traction surface. ....
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| Chainsaw
Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 10 Ohio Valley
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2003-10-01 65235
It is failing the fact that when you push the pedal down it does not engage very often,sometimes the gears rake when it is trying to engage,I looked at the previous set that was replaced and the gears were worn on the edge.I used the differental lock a lot the 1st time it failed and I paid for it myself,when I got the tractor back I was conscious not to abuse it and not use it anymore than absolutely nessecary.
The 1st time it failed it probably had 200 to 300 hours on it(I would have to look at my paperwork to be sure).
I use my tractor to do a lot of log skidding and back blading.I admit I use it pretty hard a times. It has performed well in all other aspects,other than the rear wheel bolts want to come loose on occasion,I started using the the red thread locktite and hopefully it will work. ....
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| TomG
Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 5406 Upper Ottawa Valley
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2003-10-02 65277
Ya never know who you're responding to on these posts and other people read them as well so I threw in the basics. What you're describing doesn't sound right. Maybe it's a matter of design but these things are there to be used and they sure should last longer. I don't think this short of life for a diff lock has been mentioned here on any tractor.
The lock on my Ford is more like dogs than gears. Engaging it is sort of like fitting pegs into a pegboard. It won't engage unless the differential is rotating and sometimes it does miss engagement for a revolution or so. There is a clunking until it engages and I imagine it does wear the pegs every time it passes over the holes in the plate. I suppose eventually there'd be enough tilt on the ends to force the pegs out of the engagement rather than in.
If that's what's happening I don't suppose that lengthening the linkage would help and besides it likely isn't adjustable anyway. I suppose the wear would be greater if disengagement didn't kick the pegs clear of the plate and that might be something to check. ....
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| Chainsaw
Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 10 Ohio Valley
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2003-10-02 65310
I emailed the dealer that made the repair and John Deere and that is as far as it went.
It even had a small leak underneath where they put it back together(2nd time it has come back that way).
The last time they had it they got some of the wiring to the lights messed up and said the lights were not working when the tractor arrived and they billed me for correcting that( I new they were working when the tractor left my place,they always had worked,who would think you needed to verify to the dealer the lights were in fact working before they dissasembled the machine?)
Another thing they did not get right was a switch on the left side of the tractor underneath the tractor that tells the PTO to run(a interlock)it came unplugged when I was breushogging and I had to get the tractor to the house and remove the seat etc and reach down to the plug and push it back in place to snap it back in before I could use the tractor again.It took about 3 hours for me to find the plug/remove the seat etc.
I have never been obnoxious or rude with the dealer,never had words,I was just lost in the shuffle. I found another dealer I like and will give them my business when I need something.
I have nothing against John Deere as a company,I will probably always have a John Deere, a matter of fact I just bought a new John Deere lawnmower this summer at another dealer. :) ....
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| Chief
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 4297 Southwest MiddleTennessee
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2003-10-03 65461
While I was out this evening on the tractor I tried my differential lock and noticed that it does not want to engage when I initially step on the engagement lever at a stop. I creep the the tractor along slowly and tried it a few times and it engaged. It would then stay engaged when I went in a straight line and I had to manually pull up on the lever for it to disengage. The manual says to depress one turn brake and then the other if it does not disengage on its own. I have never use the diff. lock out of need but just to check that it worked. I am wondering if mine is functioning properly as well. Anybody else tried theirs recently? Does this sound normal? I am thinking the problem is operator head space and timing. ;-) ....
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| Chainsaw
Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 10 Ohio Valley
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2003-10-03 65464
I have had my tractor a little over 3 years now and have put over 700 hours on it,and it is amazing what I can do with the tractor,I have been pulling some big timber out of my woods and loading 20' logs on my trailer,I can pick the ends of the logs up with my 4 in 1 loader and put one end on of the log on the trailer and go around to the other end and pick the other end of the log up and slide the log onto the trailer.
I can pick up a 20" log with a chain on my Imatch and lift the end of the log off the ground and bring them out of some deep hollows. The tractor is like a compact skidder. ....
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| kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 5764 NW Oregon
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2003-10-03 65479
Chief, the few times I've used my differential lock was when the rear tires were lost traction. I've stopped, stepped on the diff lock, and punched the pedal and it caught and started working. Being that the tires lost traction it's very likely that they spun some before it locked. I think it's supposed to stay locked until you stop - you didn't say whether you stopped or not. The diff lock is probably not a very sophisticated mechanism since the manual makes a point of documenting how to release it if it doesn't release on it's own. ....
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| Chief
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 4297 Southwest MiddleTennessee
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2003-10-03 65486
As I recall, I did not come to a full stop. I will try that next time. Good point! ....
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| TomG
Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 5406 Upper Ottawa Valley
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2003-10-04 65514
Most locks will engage when a tractor is stopped only if things are exactly lined up. Usually the lock and plate have to rotate some before it can engage. It's normal if it doesn't engage a revolution or so of the diff ring gear, but it's not normal if it misses the engagment points too often.
When the lock is engaged, there's pressure on the mechanism as long as the tires have unequal traction and that pressure can prevent the lock from disengaging. Tapping the brakes in effect equalizes the traction, which takes pressure off the lock and allows it to release. I guess there's no way around that given the design so the manual description just comes out sounding peculiar.
The perhaps obvious comment I mentioned on the 'nice site' thread is that reducing draft is an alternative to using the diff lock and engaging the lock under low draft conditions is probably easier on it. Reducing ground speed or raising the 3ph are ways of doing reducing draft. The obvious thing is that a person probably doesn't want to raise the 3ph when skidding logs up a hill.
....
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