Is the John Deere 990 for me?

[AKfish]

That's a good deal! 220 hours is 3 oil changes... unless he worked the snot out of it and slacked on the maintainance that tractor has got years and years of trouble free work ahead of it.

If you're pretty close friends - then you should have a pretty good assessment of how he takes care of things. The best deals on used equipment come about from friends that upgrade, sellout or get divorced! You know the history of the machine (kinds of work) and how the previous owner managed the machine.

My guess (as other's have more or less said as well) is that he's likely got around $27K, maybe $28K into the package if every implement was purchased new and depending upon make/model. But, if it's all OEM John Deere - he's cuttin' more than $10K off what he paid.

I'd be a bit leery of expecting the 990 to handle heavy rock work (or any CUT for that matter...) the buckets and teeth will suffer right from the start unless you reinforce and harden everything and even then you'll have to measure each chore carefully before jumpin' in there and rippin' stuff up!!

The hoe is reasonably easy to take off and install - once you've done it several time. One of the keys is to locate the hoe on a firm, level spot and use good wood blocking. Makes it a snap to back straight into the hoe, hook up the hydraulics and raise, lower and release the pins and off you go!

AKfish

 

[browns40]

Sounds like a great deal on a really solid machine, and I don't want to darken the deal any...

The only drawbacks I have ever heard regarding the 990 (or 790, Kubota 3400, etc.--any "entry-level" machine) has to do with lifting capacities at the 3pt hitch, volume of hydraulic flow, and strictly gear drivetrain options.

And just how much of a drawback lower lift capabilities, and likewise the gear drive are really depend on your intentions for the machine.

At any rate, at that price, with those attachments, and your desire for a machine, it would be hard to not jump on that deal! I do expect though, like the pick-up market, you may see a number of good machines in the coming days, for a really reasonable price.

 

[N80]

The lift capacity of the 3pt hitch on the 990, Kubota 3400 and the 4400, which is quite close to the 990, are indeed low compared to higher end tractors of about the same hp. But, not tons lower and in a practical sense the limitations are minimal. It will handle any standard duty 6' mower, but you might have to shop to find a medium duty that is light enough, or go to a 5 footer. But it can handle a 6 or 7 foot heavy duty pull type mower (I've done it with my 4400, no problem.) It will handle a standard 8' lift disk with no problem. A heavy duty disk is probably out of the question. But my disk is right at 800 pounds and has performed better than I thought it would even in clay.

Those are the only limitations I can think of. There may be others but none of them have kept me from doing anything I wanted to do.

The volume of hydraulic flow, as far as I can tell is pretty much the same issue as the 3pt hitch capacity and the FEL capacity. The Kubota LA703 loader (on the 4400) specs out better than the 300CX (?) loader that comes on many of the 990s but I think there is an option for a loader closer to the 703. You'll have to see which one is one the 990 you're looking at. I have found my loader capacity to be plenty. I have a sneaking suspicion if it had been anymore I probably would have broken something by now. And with a full bucket of gravel, even with loaded tires and a box blade on the rear, it gets a tad tippy.

As for the gear tranny, well, in part that's why a machine like the 990 or the 4400DT are affordable. And frankly, it was part of the appeal when I was in the market. I absolutely demanded a gear drive tractor. A synchronized tranny would be nice....but also more expensive. I've never felt limited by the gear tranny (but I've never spent any real time on an HST either). And, now that I've discovered the joys of a disk and a two bottom plow, I wouldn't trade a gear tranny for anything else.

As far as heavy rock work, I agree. These machines are much tougher than I ever expected, but rocks are rough on anything. As mentioned, use your head, go slow and above all, ballast correctly.

 

[Mech]

The lift capacity of the 3pt hitch on the 990, Kubota 3400 and the 4400, which is quite close to the 990, are indeed low compared to higher end tractors of about the same hp. But, not tons lower and in a practical sense the limitations are minimal.

I agree. I have a 790 and have no problem lifting my 5' box blade or as much as the tractor will handle with the FEL. I did put shims in to increase the hydraulic pressure. I suspect you can do that that on the 990 if you need to. The only down side to the 790 is the non-syncro gear transmission. I think the 990 is syncronized.

 

[N80]

I think the 990 is syncronized.

I did not think this was correct and I did not notice it when I was comparing the 990 and the Kubota L4400 when I was shopping but the 990 does indeed have a "partially" synchronized tranny. Not sure exactly when that means, but probably that you can shift on the go in higher gears. Not as nice as full synchro, but still a nice touch over the 4400.

 

[AKfish]

I don't know the specs for the Kubota 4400 but I was in the market for a 990 for several years before I bought a JD970 with FEL and 8A backhoe.

The 300CX FEL for the 990 is rated just shy of 1,600 lbs. (and there are a considerable number of opinions regarding who/how the specifications are measured-estimated for the various makes). The 300X FEL is several hundred pounds less than the CX ~1,200, I believe. The 3pt rating is just over 2,000lbs@24 inches on the lift arms.

As N80 mentioned, the capacities of the FEL and the 3pt are not so widely different from the top-end machines that in the real world; most of us would actually notice or care. If I wanted to pick up an implement that weighed a ton or more and had ideas about marching across my pasture with it -- I'd realize in fast order that I bought the wrong machine for my stated purposes... I should have bought a big Ag machine or didn't fully recognize the real work that needed to be done!

I believe that the partially synchro tranny is for loader work and the snychro gears are 1st and reverse (in any of the 3 ranges) so you can shift from 1st to reverse on the go without stopping.

AKfish

 

[JiminGa]

yep, AKfish you are correct on the syncro on the 990, I thought about trading up to that machine and looked closely at it and talked in detail with the dealer about it...ended up looking at the 5103 for more capacity, still haven't inked the deal tho....gotta get a new mower to go with the 5103 since I'd be trading the 2305 and am in no big hurry to drop another 15k just yet.

 

[Mech]

I don't have a 990, but a 790 and it is certainly not synronized in any gear. This is what the 990 online manual says:

"Gear shift lever (A) provides three forward speeds: 1, 2, and 3, N (neutral), and one reverse speed, R. Forward speeds may be changed while tractor is in motion if clutch pedal is depressed. Stop tractor and depress clutch before changing direction. "

 

[N80]

That sounds fully sycnchronized to me, but the specs call it 'partial'.

Someone here must have a 990 that could tell us for sure. Its a popular tractor.

Maybe the OP will tell us. I hope he has bought this thing by now. This deal is more tractor (plus stuff) than you can get for $16k anywhere else.

 

[Mech]

You have to stop to change ranges, so it is syncronized between the three gears but if you want to go to reverse or to go from 1st to 4th you have to stop. Still a huge improvement over the 790 but not necessarily great for FEL work were you are going between forward and reverse directions.