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Brad - About 10 years ago I looked at some "Bear Cat" PTO chippers made by Crary in North Dakota. They had models with up to 8 inch capacity (with a gearbox rated for 60 PTO HP). They all were as solid as a rock, but not a minor investment. The notes in my brochure say the 4 inch, 30 PTO HP model was going for a bit under $4,400 at the time. No idea what the 8 inch chipper was going for. Anything big enough to have a gearbox in the 40 to 60 HP range might be overkill except for commercial use.

Chippers again
Operating and Attachments
Replies 16 Post by Bernie Galgoci

I have a diesel automobile (Volkswagen) that came from the factory with a full synthetic 5W-40 oil in the crankcase. We've all heard the stories about not using synthetic oils until after the engine is broken in, but apparently VW doesn't believe any of it. VW also recommends changing the oil at 5,000 miles, 10,000 miles, and then every 10,000 miles thereafter, but mechanical paranoid that I am, I don't believe any of THAT. I can't let anything go 10,000 miles without an oil change. (Your paranoia level may vary.) Anyway, I plan on switching to a full synthetic the next time the diesel tractor is due for an oil change. I figure it can't hurt ... and it might help. But I just can't bring myself to extend the change intervals.

Synthetic Oil
Kubota Tractors
Replies 7 Post by Bernie Galgoci

PJ & dsg: I'm not the kind of guy who likes to spend time doing something just to appear "eccentric," but I have two tractors with loaders - one older; one newer - and I'm totally convinced that a painted, waxed loader bucket (the newer one) will shed a load of snow much better than an unpainted, not waxed, smooth metal but not rusty loader bucket (the older one). It's not 100% foolproof, but there have been times when after dumping a load, the older bucket would have more snow/slush stuck inside it than had just fallen out. Not very efficient. Under the same conditions, the waxed bucket might have a scoop-shovel-full stuck in the corners. I hope nobody waxes their loader bucket and then at the end of the winter looks back and feels like they wasted their time. But since the weather is being so nice here in Wisconsin right now, I'm going to "waste" another half hour of my time and wax my snow blade like dsg does. I'm convinced.

Paint question
Parts and Repair
Replies 6 Post by Bernie Galgoci

Verngil: Two years ago I purchased a similar set up - without the telescopic links but with a third SCV and an engine block heater - here in SW Wisconsin for $20,665. My dealer has always had "very competitive pricing." I guess like every other buyer, I would have liked to have had the price I paid a little lower, but at the time I also felt it was a fair deal - and I still feel it was fair. I don't know how you balance the things that push prices up over two years (product improvements, inflation) against the things that push prices down now (end of product cycle rebates, slow sales due to economic conditions or anticipation of the new models), but if those forces are now in balance, I'd say the price seems pretty fair. Hope this helps.

4400 430 loader price check
John Deere Tractors
Replies 6 Post by Bernie Galgoci

Todd: I have two tractors with loaders. One of them is a JD 3010 with a JD 48 loader. Since both the JD 48 and JD 148 loaders will fit on either a 3010 tractor or a 4020 tractor - at one level the 3010 [55 PTO HP and about 7000 lbs. with loader and rear ballast] is just a smaller cousin to the 4020 [90 PTO HP and about 11000 lbs. with loader and rear ballast]. Perhaps loaders even larger than the JD 148 will fit on a 4020, but even the smaller capacity JD 48 loader on the smaller 3010 is formidable. It can do a lot of work (or a lot of damage) very quickly, and if there's a pile of dirt or something big to be moved from point A to point B in a hurry, it's a good choice. (It also can move a ridiculous amount of snow.) But I also have a 30 HP JD 4400 with a JD 430 loader, and I have noticed that 90% of the time when there's loader work to be done, I pick the 4400/430 combo to do it with. (And it's not because the 4400 has a hydrostatic transmission, although HST is nice for loader work.) Maybe it comes down to the skill of the operator, but the smaller tractor/loader is more "delicate" than the larger tractor/loader, and I find that even though I may have to spend more time making trips with the smaller unit, I also spend less time "cleaning up" after myself with it. And when I couple that with the better (much better) manuverability of the smaller tractor, I sometimes think it takes me less time to do things with the 4400/430 combo than with the 3010/48 combo. As has been said, there are some things a big tractor/loader will do that a smaller tractor/loader can't, which is why I keep the 3010 around. But I can't say I've ever wished that the 3010 had 90 horsepower. However, I have wished it had FWD (or that it was a bulldozer). But since even WITH 90 HP the 4020 isn't going to be a bulldozer either, I might think that at 45 HP the Kioti will do most things you'd want a tractor/loader combo to do. And you get FWD. Gaining 45 HP but losing FWD wouldn't be a trade I'd willingly make in this case (especially since your 950 is 2WD). Unfortunately, money is always a consideration. That's why there's a 2WD 3010/48 combo rather than a 50 HP range FWD combo in my shed. Discounting inflation, ten years from now I will get back everything I paid for the 3010/48. This equipment has bottomed out price wise, and with a little care will hold its value. I'm not familiar with the Kioti and how well it holds its value, but if it's fairly new it's going to deperciate some - and just sitting in the shed it will be losing value. However, I will never get back the almost $2500 (just in PARTS) that my 3010 has needed over the past eight years. And the loader is begging for a new control valve, which sounds like about 450 bucks to me. Seems like the only thing that's certain is depreciation on the new ones and repairs on the old ones. I don't know where that equation balances out with a newer 45 HP Kioti and an older 90 HP 4020. But I do know that a machine just sitting in the shed most of the time because it's too big or too clumsy or it needs a new hydraulic pump or something isn't a bargain either, even if it isn't depreciating. I don't know what kinds of work you're planning on doing, but on 10 acres I think a 4020 would be like a bull in a china shop. It's only advantages would be it IS a good tractor and you most likely will, if you haven't paid too much to begin with, get all your money back if/when you decide to sell it. Personally, if I could swing the Kioti financially, I would be very tempted. Otherwise, I'd be looking for an older, cheaper combo in the 50 HP range. Just my two cents. Good luck!

JD4020
John Deere Tractors
Replies 9 Post by Bernie Galgoci

Sorry. Let me try that link again.

Loader for a JD 655 tractor
John Deere Tractors
Replies 7 Post by Bernie Galgoci

Tim: Last year at my local Deere dealer I picked up a "Product Information Handbook" entitled "4000 Series Tractors vs Competition." (When I was over at the dealer's place the other day, I noticed a few copies of the handbook sitting around, so hopefully you should still be able to find one at a dealer near you.) In the back of the handbook there is a section that deals with JD compact utility tractors no longer in production and includes compatibility charts for these tractors with then current (July 2000) and non-current JD attachments. The chart states that the JD60 loader (non-current) is the only current or non-current JD loader that fits the JD650 tractor.

Loader Inquiry
John Deere Tractors
Replies 11 Post by Bernie Galgoci

Jeff: All I can tell you is that some JD literature I have says the JD855 was/is compatible with the JD272 (i.e. a 72 inch) 3-point hitch mower. The literature says even a JD755, with 4 less PTO horsepower, could handle a six foot rear mower, so you should have no problem. However, since I've never had an 855, I can't give you a first hand opinion of how they perform. Anyway, have fun shopping.

Can 855 handle a rear mount 6 039 finish mower
John Deere Tractors
Replies 8 Post by Bernie Galgoci

Terry: My reference book says the lower hitch point spread for a Category 1 implement should be 27 inches. This is the width to the outside edges of the implement frame, not the width to the ends of the pins.

3PT hitch rubbing against the tires
Tractor Projects
Replies 11 Post by Bernie Galgoci

Tony: You'll have to pardon my gloom and doom outlook, but I'd be nervous that fresh copies of the same old pressure relief valves that failed will be installed. If JD doesn't think there's actually a problem with the valve's design or performance, your problem is probably declared a random "parts failure." You get a new set of valves that will fail again ... sooner or later. I hope your problem WAS just a random failure with a permanent fix. Of course, all of us with any JD HST will now be watching our tractors like a hawk for the symptoms you described. I know I will.

4700 HST - NO REVERSE-
John Deere Tractors
Replies 10 Post by Bernie Galgoci

Big Eddy: I spent a minute on your song ... and I'm glad I did. A fine job on your part!

The Orange and the Green
Tractor Projects
Replies 3 Post by Bernie Galgoci

Kevin: Between the end of harvest in the fall and planting time next spring farmers retire, farm properties change hands, and there are two to four farm equipment and machinery auctions a week within a 50 mile radius of where I live. Auctioneers go out of their way to say two things (IF THEY CAN) when advertising a farm auction: (1) "field ready" and (2) "always shedded." Well maintained machinery, not in need of repairs, and always stored under cover brings in the crowds and commands the highest prices. I trust your new "baby" will be well maintained mechanically. If at all possible, store it under cover.

tractor storage
John Deere Tractors
Replies 12 Post by Bernie Galgoci

Mark. On the tires your talking about, the first number is the nominal width (the section width) in inches; the second number is the diameter (in inches) of the rim that the tire will fit on. So, a 7.50-16 tire fits on a 16 inch rim and is nominally 7.5 inches wide when mounted. A 9.50-16 tire would be nominally 2 inches wider. I keep saying nominally because actual width varies by manufacturer, inflation pressure, load, etc.. Sometimes (but not always) the height of the sidewall changes as the width changes, and changing the height of the sidewall results in a change in the rolling circumference of the tire. Unfortunately, this information isn't printed on a tire. Assuming the correct sized tires are on the rear,changing the rolling circumference on the front can result in lead/lag problems between the front and rear axles when the front wheel drive is engaged, and alot of stress on the drivetrain components. The lead/lag issue has been discussed at length on the board and it sounds like you're aware of this problem. I'm sorry the Deere dealer was no help. Since each tire manufacturer has tables available which have the information you need (i.e. the difference, if any, in the rolling circumference of the two tire sizes in question), I'd start there. Hope this helps.

Tire Size Question
Parts and Repair
Replies 7 Post by Bernie Galgoci

gws. Kory 8 ton and 10 ton running gears without wheels, the only sizes they stock, go for $610 and $740, respectively, at the local Farm & Fleet. Figure wheels all around will cost another $100. My first guess is that 5 ton gear with wheels for $500 is in line with the above prices for new running gear. I have six wagons with gear in the 6 to 10 ton range that I use in my business (plant nursery). I paid between $125 and $400 for them at local farm auctions, and that's already with either wooden decks or hay racks and (obviously) wheels and tires. Around here (SW Wisconsin) you can get a very very good set of used running gear with good tires all around and a good deck for $350. (I'm always amazed that they sell so cheaply, considering that if you started to build a 10 ton wagon new from scratch, you could easily spend $1200 before you were done.) However, if there are no or few farm sales in your area and you need a wagon immediatly, you're forced to build it yourself. And the costs of even a small wagon add up quickly. Best of luck.

Kory 5 ton unning gears
Parts and Repair
Replies 2 Post by Bernie Galgoci

I hope the copyright police don't come looking for me, but I will give the direct quote for a rule of thumb given in a book I have that deals with farm machinery. I'm sure it assumes a gear, not hydrostatic, transmission tractor. Hope this helps.
"Different ways of rating tractor power and variations in the amount of power needed to simply move the tractor itself through different soil conditions make it difficult to size implements to fit tractors or to size tractors to implements. A rather simple system has been devised by Wendell Bowers, Agricultural Engineer, (Oklahoma State University) to estimate drawbar power under varying conditions if the maximum engine or PTO power are known. The factor 0.86 is used throughout the sequence below. The example given is a tractor with a maximum engine power of 86.5 kW [116 hp]."

a = max. engine power, 86.5 kW [116 hp]
b= max. PTO power = 0.86 x (a) = 74.4kW [100 hp]
c = max. drawbar power (concrete) = 0.86 x (b) = 64.0 kW [86 hp]
d = max. drawbar power (firm soil) = 0.86 x (c) = 55.0 kW [74 hp]
e = usable drawbar power (firm soil) = 0.86 x (d) = 47.3 kW [63.6 hp]
f = usable drawbar power (tilled soil) = 0.86 x (e) = 40.7 kW [55 hp]
g = usable drawbar power (soft soil) = 0.86 x (f) = 35 kW [47 hp]

Drawbar HP
Tractor Projects
Replies 17 Post by Bernie Galgoci

Keith - In my area [northern Grant County, SW Wisc.] corn/bean ground rents for between $50 and $100 per acre per year. Small (2-3acre) irregularly shaped fields with lots of "tree edge" are at the $50 end, reguardless of yield potential. Larger (10+ acres), more easily worked fields, with excellent yield potential get top dollar. Don't know about the rates on hay ground or pasture. Call the USDA Farm Service Agency office in your county. I'm sure someone there will give you ballpark figures for your area. Hope this helps.

Land lease
Parts and Repair
Replies 2 Post by Bernie Galgoci

Don. On pages 124-125 they do list rear blades for the 755-955 tractors, but you're right about the 4100 ... there's not a rear blade mentioned for it anywhere, even in some other sales literature for the 4x00 series tractors I looked through. I guess it's most likely that since Deere doesn't currently make a rear blade under 6-ft. they don't bother mentioning what size blade to use on the 4100. I can't imagine a 4100 having a problem with a 4 or 5-ft. blade. The JD670 had less horsepower than the 4100 and could handle a 5-ft. rear blade. But who knows?

5 Foot Rotary on JD 755
John Deere Tractors
Replies 8 Post by Bernie Galgoci

Dana: I don�t know about the JD 420 loader, but - taken from the loader manual - the JD 430 loader specifications on the 4300 tractor are: Breakout Force at Pivot Pin = 3299 lbf (14676N), Breakout Force 500mm Forward of Pivot Pin = 2417 lbf (10752N). I include the metric equivalents in case you are more familar with that system. Hope this helps with the decision.

Compare loaders
Parts and Repair
Replies 3 Post by Bernie Galgoci

Jeff: I have a 48 loader on a JD3010. The 3010 had both a new transmission pump and front pump installed last year. Until the hydraulic oil is slightly warmed (3 to 4 minutes at slow [1000 RPM] idle and 4 to 5 cycles of completely raising and lowering the loader boom), the loader will still "vibrate" on lifting. Even when the temperature is in the 80's outside, the loader exhibits these symptoms, but once the oil is a little warmed the loader behaves perfectly. "Jerky lift operation" is listed in the "trouble shooting" section of my 48 loader manual. The "Possible Causes" it lists are: (1) cold oil, (2) low oil supply or air in hydraulic system, and (3) poor oil circulation. The "Remedies" the manual gives for each of these possible causes are [in order]: (1) raise and lower the loader boom several times, (2) check loader and tractor for oil leaks or loose connections; check oil supply and fill with recommended oil, and (3) check oil filter in tractor hydraulic system. Run the loader through several cycles like Dave said and make sure you warm up the oil. If the loader's performance doesn't improve, Rick is right in saying you have to find out what's going on. It could be simple (plugged filter - $10 part) or it could be big money (worn pumps - $1000 parts). Hope it's a simple solution. [P.S. I have a skid steer that behaves the same way. Until the oil is warmed, it's like driving a rocking chair!]

48 loader vibrates
John Deere Tractors
Replies 5 Post by Bernie Galgoci

Dennis: If you do a search on the CTB for "cruise problems" it will take you to a post where I described a similar problem. Hope it will be some help.

JD 4400 information
John Deere Tractors
Replies 5 Post by Bernie Galgoci