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What you PROBABLY..I repaet PROBABLY have ther is What John Deere calls a "Power-Beyond" Hyd. option.

This consists of two rear couplers, one male, the other female. There is no contol valve plumbed within the circuit, but there is a relief valve.

There is oil flowing to the couplers at all times, when the engine is running.

It is used for Back-hoes, log splitters, hyd motors, etc.

It's was a fairly expensive option on 855/955's, because of the plumbing and shop time required to install. This was a field intalled option only.

You can use this circiut for cylander operation if you instal a control valve.

JD 855 rear hydraulic outlet question
John Deere Tractors
Replies 14 Post by MRETHICS

3 Pt Splitter or stand alone
Operating and Attachments
Replies 6 Post by MRETHICS

$The Art of Gradeing for Dummies, hmmmmmmm. I bet it would sell. Seriously, I sell lots of CUT's to first time buyers, and get lot's of aftersupper calls on just that subject. The first thing one must have, is patience. It will almost always take longer than you think. The other secrets, are harder to convey to the masses. It involves what you want the finished product to look like, and what you have to work with. But you must be able to visualize what it should look like when you are done. The dirt to be moved should be thought of in "layers". A "layer" is how much you can practically peel of with the equipment at hand, or a fraction of that on the finish grade. And make sure you keep speed as high as possible, but not so high as your equipment will bounce or chatter. As an example, pull out a pen and paper. Take the pen, and draw a line on the paper, from side to side. Go the length of the entire paper(at least 7"), press as hard as you can, and move the pen as slow as you can, and do not support your elbow. Next, make the same line, only move the pen swiftly, and pressing lightly, still leaving your elbow off the table. Notice how the line that you used light pressure and swift speed has curves in it that are more broad and gentle, compaired to the line you pressed hard and moved slowly. When gradeing, little bumps and dips, are sometimes very hard to deal with, and will even intensify as you make subsequent passes. You must keep in mind that the layer you peeled off, and moved, could look at least 2/3 thicker before it is compacted. In flat lands, always use the horizon as a referance. In hills, you must learn the lay of the land. Gradeing is sculpting...with a tractor..... How cool is that???? Pretty cool in my book. $ Rear Blade choice
Operating and Attachments
Replies 14 Post by MRETHICS

No need for that. The trans. part on the tractor in question is aluminium. I will confirm it.

But, I do know that aluminium, lb for lb, is stronger than steel.

As for a CUT that is totally american, man......I can't think of any. Not since the days of the John Deere "L" or the IH "cub". Say what we want about those Japs, but there is some good stuff comeing from that island. That is not to say that there is all bad stuff made here in N. America.

I guess we should get a 4310 and drop a tree on it, before I sell another one.

Imagine if you will:

"Durn!!!.....missed again!!!." "Hey Ralph, park it over by that Weeping Willow and let's try it again" "Man...look how many rings are on that oak stump we just cut, 'bet that tree was here when God was just a boy!"

This whole topic reminds me of the the story of a local man who was trimming a tree and dropped a large limb on his house. His rafters, sheeting and shingles must have been sub-standard also. Not to mention the chainsaw was from Italy.

In the imortal words of Homer Simpson..........."Dooolt!!!!!!!"

you get what you pay for
Kubota Tractors
Replies 51 Post by MRETHICS

Hey TomG, The fast break comment was exactly what I said when I drove up and wittnesses the latest in my x-files.

But, they were more stable that I thought, the basketballs are almost flat, and conform to the piece in wich they are supporting, they will only let the imp. move 3 or 4 in. (7.5 cm. to 10.1 cm. approx. to people who live within the metric system.

But in your case Tom........hey!!!!!!free wood!!!!

The basketball guy is a time management freak, in his case, he has to be. With the cost of labor being what it is, and the fact that when seeding, there are only so many hours in a day, he makes every minute count.

ballast box
Operating and Attachments
Replies 12 Post by MRETHICS

Mark,

I suspect the BX22 is a bit shorter, or at least has a lower center of gravity than the 4100. I haven't seen them both side to side yet.

As an old hand at driving everything with wheels, I will agree that to me the 4100 is not as stable as I would like it to be. But I've driven alot worse.

I've never been a big liq. ballast fan. For a whole bunch of reasons, however sometimes we have little choice but to use the slop.

I've driven enough tractors over the years to say that liquid ballast is not as stable as Iron on the wheels.
The liquid takes up too much air space, and the tire can not flex as much as a totally air filled caseing, therefore, making things a little less stable. A little bump on the high side will feel a little bigger with liquid. This may account for some of the feeling of instability, but probably not all of it.

Side-Hill Operaion
Parts and Repair
Replies 28 Post by MRETHICS

Whoa....hope I caught you in time......

You didn't specify what KIND of lumber. White Oak? Yellow Pine???

It makes a big difference.

Also, that lumber needs to be seasoned. It should be at least 1 year old.....the longer the better.

The old timers around these parts used to season it two years.

There are several old barns in my area that were built with lumber (usually white oak) that was from a woods on the farm that the barn was built. A man around here had made a portable saw mill and would set up in your woods and saw the lumber to your order. he died just a few years ago at the ripe old age of 97.

He could sit at your table, and tell you how many board feet was used on any barn you mentioned. (I must ad here, that there was no one left alive who could dispute him). He could also tell you about barns built in haste, and how much he'ed warned the farmer. You can then drive to the barn and see how crooked and twisted the timbers became within just 2 to 3 years from it's build date. the crooked barns are still standing, and whenevr someone trys to tear one down, it's evident how strong they are....but they are still crooked and twisted.

Rough cut lumber
Barns Pole Barns
Replies 8 Post by MRETHICS

I was thinking about this problem again llast night. (yes...I have a life, but the conversation reminded me that I needed to fill my grill tank. And when I refilled it, that reminded me of the topic at hand.)<br>
<br>
Another phenomina that could have happened is as follows:<br>
<br>
If your valves are mounted on the bulkhead (domed ends of a tank) the vapor fitting your regulator is screwed into has a pipe attached to the inside. This pipe, is turned upward and ends short of the top of the tank, letting only vapor into the valve. Sometimes, during the filling process, liquid is splashed into the pipe, or if it is overfilled, liquid will completely fill this pipe.<br>
<br>
This puts liquid propane into the vapor system, which, as it gets to your regulator, and hits the orifice, and needle, has the cooling effect already described in previous posts. <br>
<br>
Now, believe it or not, there sometimes is a small amount of water in propane. This is usually caused by condensation due to temp. differences between product temps inside tanks and lines, verses the ambient outside air. <br>
<br>
Most suppliers ad Methonal to the L.P. as a way to disperse the water, and also as a sort of anti freeze. <br>
<br>
So, if liquid found it's way into the vapor system, and started the cooling effect, and there was enough moisture in the propane, the innards of the regulator could literaly ice up.<br>
<br>
This ususally happens when the truck tank is pumped almost empty, because his pump gets liquid from the bottom of his tank, where , due to the fact that water is HEAVIER than propane, the water is sucked into his pump when there is little propane above it. If your tank is almost full when this happens, there is a sudden surge in the liquid line filling your tank, and splash!!!! some water lands in your vapor line leading to the valve your regulator is hooked up to.<br>
<br>
at any rate, when water frezzes, it expands, this could alter the accuricy of your regulator. <br>
<br>
I'd still ask for a new one.

Propane regulator
Just For Fun Off Topic
Replies 16 Post by MRETHICS

Big Ed,
The MMM deck for the 855/955 is the same deck, however, you will need to purchase #BM16948 attaching parts bundle from your John Deere dealer.

List price is $314.00 US please keep this in mind when negotiating a price.

60 quot MMM for 955 - work on 855
Mowers Field and Finish
Replies 2 Post by MRETHICS

Myself, in your shoes, I'd get the X595.

If you are getting a loader, then go with the 4010/410loader
The 45 loader for the x series you would never be happy with.

Decision Time X595 vs 4010 vs 4110
John Deere Tractors
Replies 23 Post by MRETHICS

very good very good......Mark and Tom. Very good explainations and a major effort. Well done!

And within your posts, lies my lifetime problem with draft controls.

If the tractors attitude is changeing due to un even ground and the draft control is used to maintain plow depth...wellll....cool...I like it.

But if it raises the plow in a hard spot in the field...well.....nutts!!....That was the main purpose I chose to plow that field in the first place.....to break up compaction in the rootzone of the soil structure. If I cannot do that...why am I out there? Practiceing converting diesel fuel to noise?

I'm not trying to be sarcastic. Over ther years, I've watched as my neighbors were pulling larger plows on the same tractor as ours, and bragging how much better thier's pulled. Explainng to them what was actually happening never worked.

It became so frustrating, and we were the butt of a few coffeshop jokes, I snuck over to the neighbors and disabled the draft control on his 4020 Deere in the middle of the night. The field he was currently plowing was flat as a pancake so it would do no harm.

He fought it for a couple hours, finally he dropped to a lower gear.

I stopped at the fence and talked with him mid morning and shared a cup of coffee from my thermous.

"Ground sure is hard this spring" was his only comment.

I let him off the hook before he called his dealer to complain about the sudden loss of power.

He didn't speak to me for quite a while, but I did notice overnight his plow was a bottom shorter the next day...same size as ours...what a coincidence!

3 PH Position control vs draft control
Operating and Attachments
Replies 28 Post by MRETHICS

Kinda busy right now so this will be short and to the point.

If you have a loader on that 4110....Rear ballast is important for saftey.

If you live in a cold climate....use anti-gel in the fuel when temps start to drop below 20 F.

Wear out the operators manual, the pages should be dog eared if used properly.

REALLY Basic operating info
John Deere Tractors
Replies 15 Post by MRETHICS

3/10's of a mile......hmmmm 'bout 1500 feet more or less

if your drive is 10 ft wide, and you use a 47" snowblower on a Deere X585 that would take about 3 passes, 20' would take 5 or 6..

Plus...the x585 is small enough you may be able to use it on your sidewalks...

maybe that helps with your perspective

you are not compareing apples to apples with the models and brands you specified.

The Deere 4115 would be more in line with the Kubota 2400

Just my thoughts

New Tractor Snowblower To Buy
Snowblowers / Snow Plows
Replies 12 Post by MRETHICS

Just had a few more thoughts on the subject..

The most logical way to attack this problem is to follow the flow of power......

start with the drive...The end that hooks to the motor.
Check for worn gears, drive couplers etc.....

Next, spin the cable by hand...on the tractor...does it feel free? Spin it with a varibale speed drill while hooked to the tach head...does it function properly??

Last, if the first two items check out..yup...it's the tach head. But just for the heck of it, try spraying some kind of solvent inside the light socket in the tach head. I would try Stoddard Solvent. Maybe that will clean things up enough to get things working again...

Besides...if it is the head..what have you got to lose??

JD 650 tachometer troubles
John Deere Tractors
Replies 13 Post by MRETHICS

Good answers Art........ket me add a little more.

Due to the fact that hyd. systems have a much greater volume of fluid to handle...alot more....the filter medium must be large enough to handle greater amounts of forign matter and still maintain enough flow to allow the system to work....

also, service intervals on hyd filters are usually much longer.

A general question about hydraulic filters
Parts and Repair
Replies 3 Post by MRETHICS

I've been around this world for a while now, seen lots of tractors.........I have never heard of a confirmed bad filter problem about any brand of filter. Iv'e heard rumers, and witness personally accusations of disatsified customers of many filter brands.....But never have seen evidence that supported the accusations or the rumors.<br>
<br>
I was involved in a case involveing a Baldwin brand air filter on a J D engine. And accusations were made, as the selling dealer of the tractor, we were caught in the middle.<br>
Thank God we have a few Techs in our shop with cool heads, and the nack for solveing mysteries....turns out, the cust. performs all his own P.M. and the tech on the overhaul job found part of an old seal stuck to the inside of the air filter canister that prevented a good seal......problem solved.....he even had the presence of mine to leave the old seal parts in tact until the cust..and Baldwin's folks to see it.<br>
<br>
No bad filter.........just bad home service.....

Oil Filters
Yanmar Tractors
Replies 22 Post by MRETHICS

That's a good idea murph, I'm headed to the shop to turn the guys on to it.

Several times each winter, we get service calls on tractors already gelled and a long ways from the shed. It takes alot of time to load 'em up and haul 'em in here. That would be just the ticket.....

Fire up the generator on the service truck, wrap the blanket around the tank and fuel lines and components...and plug it in....

The cup of coffee you mentioned could be partaken waiting inside the warm cab of the service truck for a few minutes..

Once things are warmed up a bit, add some anti gell, start the engine and let it circulate through the fuel return to the tank...and then back home..

This would save time(money for the cust)..and time for us..... also save the cust. trans. costs to our shop.

Why didn't we think of that???????????

Hats off to ya Murph!!!

Block Heater Do I Need One
Kubota Tractors
Replies 25 Post by MRETHICS

TomG,<br>
Most Oil Companies, Eng. and equip. Mfgrs will provide this service, for a small charge of course, usually $10 US or under. I am useing Shaeffer Brand products, and they provide sample kits with each barrel....no charge. <br>
<br>
At first I was sceptical...kinda like putting the fox in charge of the henhouse, so I divided each sample and sent a sample into J.D. as well. After a few tests that produced almost excact results, I decided it was safe to reley on the Oil Co. at at a price I could live with (free).<br>
<br>
You can learn very little from one test. Unless of course there is an extreme problem( such as a high silicate number, as I read in my above post). <br>
<br>
A base line must be established. What you are looking for is trends.<br>
<br>
In the cases of everything in my fleet of farm equipment, after a years worth of analysis, it apearred that I had been draining oil that was well within paremeters. I was changeing too soon. <br>
<br>
I increased my drain intervals in 10% increments. And would maintain those intervals for 3 drains. Then after 3 consecutive similar samples, I would increase the interval another 10%...and so on. Until I reached the threshold. As it turns out, viscosity breakdown was the limiting factor, in every engine in my fleet. Wear metals and other contamination levels were still well within acceptable levels when viscosity became to low.<br>
<br>
Those results tell us three things fo sure, <br>
No. 1) My Engine was wearing just like it should.<br>
<br>
No. 2) Filtration was doing it's job superbly<br>
<br>
No. 3) I could use a heavier weight oil.<br>
( I chose to remain with 15w40 instead of <br>
switching to a 30w due to possible cold starting<br>
problems)<br>
<br>
With that baseline, on the few instances I expeirinced a high level in one or more columns, I was able to diagnose the fatiged component, before said component failed. or caused subsequent damage. Another example, <br>
<br>
A high fuel dilution level on a John Deere 404 eng. in a 4020 Could be caused by three things things.<br>
<br>
No. 1) Fuel transfer pump leaking fuel into lube<br>
system due to a failed seal or diaphram.<br>
<br>
No. 2) Injection pump drive seal failure<br>
<br>
No. 3) Partialy plugged injection nozel<br>
<br>
It turned out to be No. 2. and, The sample picked up the fuel long before my nose would have.<br>
<br>
The longer I sampled, the more I learned.<br>
<br>
In the case of my compact, my drain intervals actually decreased, due to condensation from low usage, and normal ambiant temp changes expeirienced in my area.<br>
<br>
But overall, I used less oil and filters per year on my farm.<br>
<br>
As far as increased fuel economy, I dunno. It's hard to compare fuel usage in my farm operation. Conditions change from year to year and sometimes they change dureing the same season. A field I plowed two years ago, may pull harder this next year due to several factors I won't get into right now. <br>
<br>
Hope you find this interesting enough to read all the way through it.<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>

JD Manuals
John Deere Tractors
Replies 8 Post by MRETHICS

I just got back in from the back lot. I tried the afformentioned test, but were have no 4100's left so I used a 4110. It passed. It climbed the curb.

Then, I went and got a bucket of sand. It still worked..oh...it whinned some...but it still worked.

I have no idea if mine was a standard curb....but it is the only curb we have here.

New Holland vs Deere-what model and price
New Holland Tractors
Replies 26 Post by MRETHICS

I have no idea what people see in those old "N" Fords. But TomG is right, thier value seems to be holding for various reasons.

I will atest to their reliabilty, they were a good tractor in their day. They are extremly outdated. Just like old 2 cyl. Deeres

No Live PTO, poor hydraulics, no power steering. The list goes on.

I know that money is always an issue, but follow my logic here.

If you can afford to purchase 80 acres (In my home state of Indiana, that would cost at least $120,000), you can afford something nicer for yourself.

You should be able to find something used with FEL, live PTO, good hyd capacity, all for a price below $7500.

I seldom comment on people's financial situations. But this time I had to speak up. I have taken so many of those old Fords in on trade because people were disappointed with them after they used them.

Yanmar Ford 8N
Yanmar Tractors
Replies 9 Post by MRETHICS