Uncle's JD 4230

[bindian]

Hey, can one of Y'all see if a pipe wrench does, indeed, fit into the space and turn the hyd. pump coupling over?

 

[coast40]

An old time diesel mechanic used WD40 as a starting fluid on a diesel for me. He didn't use ether.

 

[RBsingl]

An old time diesel mechanic used WD40 as a starting fluid on a diesel for me. He didn't use ether.

WD-40 is effectively a blend of very light petroleum distillates more flammable than diesel and not as volatile as gasoline or ether so it is a safer alternative than ether but not as effective for a hard starting diesel in cold weather. As I recall, for a brief period GM was recommending it as a fairly safe starting fluid for their DD designed 6.2L (Detroit Diesel was part of GM back then) and they were also recommending blending a small amount of gasoline into the tank in extremely cold weather when #1 diesel wasn't available. Those were very different times and I definitely wouldn't blend gasoline into the fuel for any modern diesel with their very picky injection systems.

WD-40 is very useful but people can create issues for themselves when they aren't aware of its flammability. A water well driller friend told me about a customer who tried to fix a balky pressure switch by spraying WD-40 heavily inside and then putting the plastic cover back on the Square D switch. When he turned the breaker on, the pump came on as desired but when the tank hit the desired pressure the switch opened the 240V line to the pump and the arcing contacts ignited the WD-40 vapor launching the cover and creating a hole in the ceiling above I was at a ham radio event near Chicago years ago and there was a poor little heavily melted Radio Shack shortwave receiver sitting on a table with a sign reading "ask me what happened." The owner told me he was working on another project and accidentally knocked an aerosol can of WD-40 on the floor and it jammed the nozzle in the dispense position. It went rolling across the basement as a self-propelled can of WD-40 until it went by spraying the gas water heater and turned into a self-propelled flame thrower and it came to a halt against the radio flaming it badly in the process.

So its flammability can be a good or bad thing depending upon the circumstances!

Rodger

 

[Gord Baker]

I attended a cousin's funeral last week, in the Texas Panhandle. After the service, we drove out to Grandpa, then my Uncle's, now my cousin's farm. It broke my heart what I saw. The farm house my Dad was raised in needs to be tore down. The brick house my Uncle built in the 1980s needs to be gutted and redone, because of vandals. But what really broke my heart was seeing the 1973 JD 4230, bought new, sitting in it's shed, the roof blown off around it and hadn't moved in 12-13 years. I waited a day after getting back home to talk to my cousin. We agreed I could have it for $5,000. Grandpa had a D Model I wanted, but Uncle Woody (yes, that was his name) traded it in on the 4230. Sentimental value, to me, is priceless. Only problem it is 580 miles from me. Question I have, should I put a new battery in, check fluids for ugly colors and smells, hit it with some either, after cleaning or replacing the air filter...............and try to crank it up to drive it onto my trailer? Or, since it hasn't ran in 12 or more years, just get it to roll and winch it onto my trailer?View attachment 3555800View attachment 3555801View attachment 3555802View attachment 3555803View attachment 3555804

Trailer it. Worry free. There will be lots to fix.

 

[POGuy]

I would winch it on the trailer, take it home and methodically go over everything from the convenience of my house assuming home is closer to the parts house for supplies. Getting in a hurry because of driving distance issues could get way more expensive or turn a very fixable tractor into a salvage sale.

 

[bindian]

That is my original plan. I think I will stick with it. Now I gotta dig the winch out and make sure it is up to snuff.

 

[bindian]

I tested winching my tractor on the trailer yesterday.

Which got me to thinking again, the JD has no front bracket to pull from.

Do you think I can run a chain under the tractor and hooking it to the drawbar? Pulling forward. I want to load the tractor facing forward, so the rear axle will be over my trailer axles.

 

[RBsingl]

It would be nice if the tires would hold a little air to make the roll more easily but the front axle center section is very beefy on this vintage and it should be a safe winch point for any tractor that hasn't partially buried itself in the ground.

Since you want the tractor facing forward on your tractor, it will be far easier to guide onto your trailer pulling from the front.

Rodger

 

[LouNY]

Most of the newer really large tractors have tow cables attached to the rear drawbar.
But for winching or even towing or pulling that tractor the front axle is substantial enough.

 

[LHF2019]

No issue pulling from front axle.