JD 430 54" plow questions

JD430JIM · Dec 8, 2009

I am new to the forum and hope that someone can help. I have a 1986 or so John Deere 430. I just bought a 54" plow which seems to work great the questions I have are the following.

1) The plow only lifts up about 3 inches off the ground but when I push the plow down I can get the front tires about 6-8 inches off the ground. I switch the connectors thinking I had it backward but no luck. Did I do something wrong? Suggestions?

2) The hydraulic level closest to the hood seems to have a lock when you push it forward to hold the plow in the down position with pressure. Is this normal and how should I use it? I don't want to break the hydraulic system and have never used it before.

3) One other thing worth noting is that I contacted JD before I bought this used plow and could not get the two top pins on each side to fit correctly. I ended up having to grind the hole about a half an inch bigger.

Any thoughts?

Diamondpilot · Dec 9, 2009

JD430JIM said:
I am new to the forum and hope that someone can help. I have a 1986 or so John Deere 430. I just bought a 54" plow which seems to work great the questions I have are the following.

1) The plow only lifts up about 3 inches off the ground but when I push the plow down I can get the front tires about 6-8 inches off the ground. I switch the connectors thinking I had it backward but no luck. Did I do something wrong? Suggestions?

2) The hydraulic level closest to the hood seems to have a lock when you push it forward to hold the plow in the down position with pressure. Is this normal and how should I use it? I don't want to break the hydraulic system and have never used it before.

3) One other thing worth noting is that I contacted JD before I bought this used plow and could not get the two top pins on each side to fit correctly. I ended up having to grind the hole about a half an inch bigger.

Any thoughts?

1. I would think there is a adjustment to allow the plow to lift more. Do you have a manual? If not maybe go to the JD dealer and see what you can find out.

2. From the way I read it I think you have a float position. This allows the plow to do just that, float. No hydraulic pressure holding it up or down. This detent would be what 99% of us would use while plowing.

3. Not sure? Maybe its not 100% the right plow for your rig. Sounds like its working so sometimes you have to do these things. It could also be the issue with your lift. Maybe the plow actually needs to be mounted up 4-5 inches on your tractor. This would give you more lift and take care of issue 1.

Chris

JD430JIM · Dec 9, 2009

Thanks for the reply.

I bought a manual for it last night but I was hoping someone else has had experience with the 420 or 430 with the 54" plow.

The float you refer to make sense I just wanted to make sure I did not hit anything.

Jim

GreenTime · Dec 12, 2009

I have the same setup and in the float position mine only lifts about 3" off the ground also. In the fixed position (by inserting the 3/4" dia pin in the lift linkage) it lifts twice as high. Call me at 701-662-3433 if you have any questions. Paul