Disappointed with John Deeres build your own calculator

[charleyfarmall]

Robert,
Ask the dealer if they will temporarily change you to a different wheel/ tire combination. Even if it' R4's. That's a relatively cheap and free thing to do and might make the difference. It wouldn't be the worst thing if you had to change to a different tire, even a bias ply. If that was all it took you might actually like the machine and feel better about having bought it. Don't throw the baby out with the bath water as my Dad would always say!

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I talked with the Kubota guy today and he told me the lowest tire pressure I can lower to and see if it helps. He also explained that the way they mount the cab may be the problem and that the bucking could be the cab and not the tractor but there is no way I can see that from sitting inside it. If the tire pressure doesn't fix the problem and it is actually the cab mounts then they have a way to try and change that. He also told me there is a plastic sleeve that can slide over the 3pt lift levers that will help with the noise of metal vibrating against metal. So there are a few things I can try.

I will keep the idea of changing the tires in hopes that it helps. One thing the Kubota guy did tell me is that the rear tires are the flat tread European design and he wasn't sure if we could still get that style for the fronts as the front tires are standard ag tires which are more rounded. He said on very hard ground the front tires could be my problem since the lugs will bounce more then the flat treads on the back because it rides mainly on the center ridge on the fronts. I can reduce the pressure but reducing the pressure will lead to more wear on the tires. So its going to be interesting to see if I can get it figured out and running smooth.

 

[aczlan]

Might be worth mounting a tripod/camera to your RTV and having your daughter follow you in it so that she can stop the RTV and make a stable video from to show what exactly is bouncing.

Aaron Z

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I haven't bought the RTV yet. Had the deal all set but just haven't pulled the trigger. Been too busy with the rest of the farm to even think about it till you just mentioned it

 

[aczlan]

I haven't bought the RTV yet. Had the deal all set but just haven't pulled the trigger. Been too busy with the rest of the farm to even think about it till you just mentioned it

Ah, I thought I had read a post where you said that she was having fun driving the RTV around... My bad.

Aaron Z

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Ah, I thought I had read a post where you said that she was having fun driving the RTV around... My bad.

Aaron Z

I did write something similar to that, just that it was more in line of "she was having fun driving my friends RTV around"

 

[aczlan]

I did write something similar to that, just that it was more in line of "she was having fun driving my friends RTV around"

That makes sense... Good luck on finding the root cause. Sounds like having someone watch while it is happening will be the only way to fully diagnose it...

Aaron Z

 

[Verticaltrx]

We have a standard M9540 Kubota and I can understand some of your troubles. It seems to ride rougher than most other tractors in that size class I have used. I attribute this to two things, first is the light weight. It's no secret that Kubota's are lighter weight than most comparably sized Deere's. Further compounding the problem is that most Kubota's are very light on the back end. (in your case I'd try adding more weight to the rear and take some off the front). Also, on ours the radial tires are just something I have never gotten used to. They are supposed to ride smoother but to me they ride terribly. I think this is due to the flat tread profile and square corners. If you get on any kind of a crown the square edges of the tread are hitting and it shakes the whole tractor, very annoying trying to drive down a gravel road. With that said, overall we a pleased with the tractor. At the time we got it the 5000 series Deere offerings were slim in that size and the 6000 series was a bit too much money, so the M9540 Kubota fit the bill well.

As for the Deere build you own calculator, I agree. The function of it is terrible, it's not user friendly and by the time you add up all the 'contact dealer' options you don't really know what the price is anyways. My general rule of thumb is to take 15% off the MSRP given on the web (for Deere or Kubota), but then you also have to figure in various rebates and price packages which can make a big difference.

 

[Zebrafive]

Hard to believe factory wheels would be out of round, but worth checking. Really sounds like the tires. Or front to rear ballasting.
As posted earlier a video from outside might be a big help. Can you get someone to drive it down the road and someone to drive you alongside so you can video?
Possibly the easiest checks you could do would be vary inflation. Try dropping down the the fronts to remove the crown. Try airing up the rears to get rid of the "flat". Not suggesting that you run this way, just for testing. If you find a solution maybe you can then get the dealer or Kubota to swap you different tires. I would also contact the tire manufacture and ask about cure for bouncing.

If you can get the dealer to swap different wheels and tires that's worth a try too. Can you find your model on a dealer's lot and then test drive it? Seems if Kubota can't fix it they would have to buy it back.

I have not been able to get JD's build your own to load. I was using Windows Explorer 9. Switching to Google Chrome and JD's build your own loads.

 

[dmrp6510]

The problem with this thread is the owner is unhappy with the kabota tractor most Mfg are going to put msrp on there website its not the Mfg job to talk price that's your and the dealers job you don't go to gm and pay what the sticker said so buying and not going to the deer dealer is your fault not deer.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

The problem with this thread is the owner is unhappy with the kabota tractor most Mfg are going to put msrp on there website its not the Mfg job to talk price that's your and the dealers job you don't go to gm and pay what the sticker said so buying and not going to the deer dealer is your fault not deer.

As I tried explaining, my issue was when you compare the msrp price on both machines and one is $10k higher then the other then you start assuming actual dealer price is going to be considerably higher as well.

I know I'm at fault by not talking to the dealer originally but comparing msrps led me to believe the Deere unit was out of my price range and if I thought that I wasn't going to waste the dealers time. These calculators are suppose to help the customer get a rough idea on price. In my case it pushed me away and if the msrp was more in line with the kubota msrp then I wouldn't have been scared off. But msrp wise deere was $10k higher then kubotas msrp, actual price though put deere within $2k.

 

[Lyrch75]

Wrong. All other manufactures' site developed MSRP are 15-18% above "market value", JD's site has no rhyme or reason at how much above market value they are. IF they are going to be that inaccurate, it would be wiser to simply use the "build it" feature to show how you can equip it, but leave the pricing blank.

The problem with this thread is the owner is unhappy with the kabota tractor most Mfg are going to put msrp on there website its not the Mfg job to talk price that's your and the dealers job you don't go to gm and pay what the sticker said so buying and not going to the deer dealer is your fault not deer.

 

[BleedGreen]

Wrong. All other manufactures' site developed MSRP are 15-18% above "market value", JD's site has no rhyme or reason at how much above market value they are. IF they are going to be that inaccurate, it would be wiser to simply use the "build it" feature to show how you can equip it, but leave the pricing blank.

As you stated... "Wrong". JD has absolute "rhyme and reason" in regards to pricing online. The MSRP percentage is the same on the Vineyard tractors as the rest of the comparably sized units - unfortunately for the OP what he didnt know (and would never have known without visiting / talking to a dealer) is that there are significant cash bonuses available on the specialty tractors... Currently they are 8K - yes, eight thousand dollars - without using low rate financing, or 3K with 0%/60 or 0%/72 with no cash bonus. That certainly throws everything out of whack when comparing to other machines. I have many other problems with the system, just not with the pricing...

 

[ctlguy]

Wrong. All other manufactures' site developed MSRP are 15-18% above "market value", JD's site has no rhyme or reason at how much above market value they are. IF they are going to be that inaccurate, it would be wiser to simply use the "build it" feature to show how you can equip it, but leave the pricing blank.

Margins are built relating to market value to a certain extent (only if the market will bear more margin), but the nuts and bolts of it is based on real dollars. There will be products where the mfg will make different margins throughout their product lines. Deere and many other companies simply have too much product to make that kind of an assumption. Most likely the "all others" you are referring to are probably makeing a higher margin than you really realize, they have you trained to believe that a specific percentage off of retail gives you x margin deal and this is not accurate.

 

[Zebrafive]

As you stated... "Wrong". JD has absolute "rhyme and reason" in regards to pricing online. The MSRP percentage is the same on the Vineyard tractors as the rest of the comparably sized units - unfortunately for the OP what he didnt know (and would never have known without visiting / talking to a dealer) is that there are significant cash bonuses available on the specialty tractors... Currently they are 8K - yes, eight thousand dollars - without using low rate financing, or 3K with 0%/60 or 0%/72 with no cash bonus. That certainly throws everything out of whack when comparing to other machines. I have many other problems with the system, just not with the pricing...

So he could walk in a JD dealer and get say 15% of MSRP, PLUS another $8,000 off? Too bad the "build your own" does not have a current offers "button" you could put a zip code and then have current offers shown! like this $8,000 off.

 

[jenkinsph]

Back to the tractor problems. watching the video gave me the impression that something big is loose, I would investigate the cab mountings fully, the look at the hitch frame mountings. If it were an out of round wheel I think yu could sense this as the problem. Just a hunch but you can have two opposing mounts that are still good carrying the weight of the cab and then have the other two mounts bad or pulled loose from one and it is hammering this loose mount or corner. This would be more like a 4 leg stool with one short leg. The bouncing seems to be too irregular to be an issue with the outboard weight I originally mentioned.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Back to the tractor problems. watching the video gave me the impression that something big is loose, I would investigate the cab mountings fully, the look at the hitch frame mountings. If it were an out of round wheel I think yu could sense this as the problem. Just a hunch but you can have two opposing mounts that are still good carrying the weight of the cab and then have the other two mounts bad or pulled loose from one and it is hammering this loose mount or corner. This would be more like a 4 leg stool with one short leg. The bouncing seems to be too irregular to be an issue with the outboard weight I originally mentioned.

I'm going to try and see if my father can film me. It will be a couple days though as I need to get the grapes sprayed first. Almost done with haying, have a 6 acre field left of my own to do and possibly another small field for the winery next door but am waiting for another window in the weather. Been very busy here.

I did drop the pressure to 16 psi in the front and 21 in the rear today but I won't know if that did any good till I unhook the sprayer since I don't notice the problem as much with the sprayer hooked to it.

 

[jenkinsph]

You should be able to rock the cab by hand on all four corners to see if one of them is loose.

 

[vtsnowedin]

In another thread called "should I fill my tires" there is a link on the next to last page (today) to a Michilan site that discusse tire hop and what to do about it. Might be of some help.
Here is the link.
http://www.clemson.edu/cafls/safes/...rojects/brannon_setzler_michelin_ag_tires.pdf

 

[lwalsh]

From watching the video I would suspect the tires are flexing different amounts depending on the rotation position. I would try a test of airing the rears up to max pressure to try to eliminate the flex and see if its better.