Asking $13k w/ 72" MMM and 430 FEL. 1500 hours or so. And turf tires, which I'm a little worried about given the hills I've got. I may have to hold out for something with R4s. I got to a take a ride down one of my hills on a rented 3520 one dewey morning - I'd been up and down that hill several times the previous afternoon but with the dew it was just a little too slippery and the 3520 slid to the bottom. Scary, with my wife driving past on the driveway at the foot of the hill!
Going to look at a 4300 this week
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Asking $13k w/ 72" MMM and 430 FEL. 1500 hours or so. And turf tires, which I'm a little worried about given the hills I've got. I may have to hold out for something with R4s. I got to a take a ride down one of my hills on a rented 3520 one dewey morning - I'd been up and down that hill several times the previous afternoon but with the dew it was just a little too slippery and the 3520 slid to the bottom. Scary, with my wife driving past on the driveway at the foot of the hill!
mjncad
Super Member
Tim:
I have a 2001 4200 with about 675 hours, and it's been a good rig for me.
DFKRUG is the absolute expert in my opinion on the 4200 - 4400 series tractors.
I learned from Dave that the rear axle housings are cast aluminum, so take a look at the 3PH mounting ears.
I had the battery issue with acid corroding the hydraulic system radiator to the point of failure, which was fixed under warranty on mine. The biggest problem was the Deere batteries of the time leaking acid. Newer Deere batteries are sealed units...finally. The battery is an odd size which means you go to Deere for a battery, or you fabricate new mounting brackets for a common size unit.
Check out the linkages for smooth operation. If this is a HST unit, finding neutral can be tough, and is the nature of the beast.
I like the plastic hood and fenders because they won't rust.
The rockshaft filter mentioned earlier is under the seat on early models and above the PTO guard on later models. It's a sintered bronze unit in a black metal housing about 3" - 4" long by about 1.5" in diameter. If you buy the rig, take it apart, clean it, and assemble it back in the right direction per the manual.
As others have said, the loader masts can get wobbly with age at the mounting tube attached to the frame. DFKRUG shows how to remedy that in his 4300 rebuild. Do a search, and you'll learn more about this series of tractors than you imagine.
If you buy it, buy the shop manual on CD from JD online or via your dealer. It's half the cost of the paper version and you can print out what you need.
I have a 2001 4200 with about 675 hours, and it's been a good rig for me.
DFKRUG is the absolute expert in my opinion on the 4200 - 4400 series tractors.
I learned from Dave that the rear axle housings are cast aluminum, so take a look at the 3PH mounting ears.
I had the battery issue with acid corroding the hydraulic system radiator to the point of failure, which was fixed under warranty on mine. The biggest problem was the Deere batteries of the time leaking acid. Newer Deere batteries are sealed units...finally. The battery is an odd size which means you go to Deere for a battery, or you fabricate new mounting brackets for a common size unit.
Check out the linkages for smooth operation. If this is a HST unit, finding neutral can be tough, and is the nature of the beast.
I like the plastic hood and fenders because they won't rust.
The rockshaft filter mentioned earlier is under the seat on early models and above the PTO guard on later models. It's a sintered bronze unit in a black metal housing about 3" - 4" long by about 1.5" in diameter. If you buy the rig, take it apart, clean it, and assemble it back in the right direction per the manual.
As others have said, the loader masts can get wobbly with age at the mounting tube attached to the frame. DFKRUG shows how to remedy that in his 4300 rebuild. Do a search, and you'll learn more about this series of tractors than you imagine.
If you buy it, buy the shop manual on CD from JD online or via your dealer. It's half the cost of the paper version and you can print out what you need.
Verticaltrx
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I don't know exactly what the break was, in fact I think they redesigned the front axle at least twice in the first few years. You can learn a lot by looking at the JD parts website, the diagrams will show the seals and which axles they fit. There are at least three 'models' of axles they tried: A20BZ103-1, S20BZ105-1, S20BZ109-1. Not sure which is the newest.
Once they got to the 4x10 series they had worked out a few of these bugs, but also introduced E-hydro, which is a whole 'nother ball of wax.
Well, I really appreciate everyone's input. I thought I had it all figured out but there is always more to learn.
I thought hard about some of the issues that folks have mentioned with the 4300s -- the ones that I was looking at were all '99s and I got concerned about whether they had the right updates or not. Any new version of a machine is going to have some teething problems in the first couple years, whether it's cars, trucks, or tractors.... I decided I'd be better off going to the next iteration of JD's mid-size CUT, to a 4310 or 4410.
I also thought harder about the tires and loader and so on, and figured that with my hills and tree work I'd better find something with R4s rather than turf tires, and a heavier 430 loader rather than a 420.
So, I just arranged to buy an '03 4310 with the 430 FEL, a 60" 7-iron deck, and an MX-5 cutter, subject to my final look-see. The tractor's got about 700 hours and looks like it's in great shape, at least from the pictures. I'll go pick up it up next week.
Tim
I thought hard about some of the issues that folks have mentioned with the 4300s -- the ones that I was looking at were all '99s and I got concerned about whether they had the right updates or not. Any new version of a machine is going to have some teething problems in the first couple years, whether it's cars, trucks, or tractors.... I decided I'd be better off going to the next iteration of JD's mid-size CUT, to a 4310 or 4410.
I also thought harder about the tires and loader and so on, and figured that with my hills and tree work I'd better find something with R4s rather than turf tires, and a heavier 430 loader rather than a 420.
So, I just arranged to buy an '03 4310 with the 430 FEL, a 60" 7-iron deck, and an MX-5 cutter, subject to my final look-see. The tractor's got about 700 hours and looks like it's in great shape, at least from the pictures. I'll go pick up it up next week.
Tim
dfkrug
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Sounds like a good one....I hope the price is good, too. Condition is
everything.
The turf tires on the other unit are a non-starter for your conditions.
Changing to AGs or INDs will require a wheel change, too.
My 2000 4300 not only had the early front axle, the HST control pedals
were totally different from my 2001.
dfkrug
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Agreed. The E-hydro also went to an electrical, vs mechanical control of
the PTO. There have been some issues with the E-hydro....the owner
will need to stay on top of electrical gremlins, and certainly get the
service manual.
RoyJackson
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Good luck, Tim!!!
You should be somewhere in the neighborhood of $15K with that tractor.
This one has R-4's?
dfkrug
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Yeah, I forgot about that. I am very happy with how tight that FEL was
after my repairs. My 2001 FEL is sitting here now, and it is much worse
than the other one. The good news is it is easily fixable. I will do
a thread when I get to it. In the photo you can see how the locator
tab is worn almost halfway thru. This as well as the surface wear on the
square tubing makes the FEL extra wobbly.
The 420 FEL has wimpy cylinder rods (25mm) that bend easily, too. The
430's are thicker, as I recall.
