FunkeeMunkee
New member
- Joined
- Oct 6, 2020
- Messages
- 13
- Tractor
- John Deere 990
I have a 2004 JD 990. I am the second owner and have had it for about 13 years. I put about 2 hours a month on it mowing a 1 acre pasture and putting out (3) hay rolls every few weeks, it's total hours are 650+/_. About 7 years ago I had a mobile guy come out and replace something regarding the clutch, I want to say a pressure plate and throw out bearing? Fast forward to last week I started to notice that the transmission wasn't engaging until the clutch pedal was almost all the way up. I had it hauled to a local JD shop and it was able to get onto the trailer under it's own power but weakly.
The diagnostic summary reads "drive only engages in A range, on concrete, at idle, at the end of the clutch pedal range. In other ranges it would move but slip". This was my experience but I was able to get it to move in any gear range and it was more reliable in reverse. Furthermore they said "attempted to adjust clutch linkage however it appears to be at the end of it's adjustment" and "upon complete inspection anchor point for clutch pedal spring is almost rusted through". It's Florida...everything rusts.
The suggested solution is "split tractor, remove/replace clutch, throw out bearings and related components".
So far I am sorta of okay with the diagnostic summary, stuff breaks or wears out, but the estimated cost is almost $4,500.00 I feel is a little much when people I know are paying 1K less for larger, non JD tractors. I was able to get them to reissue an estimate that broke down the parts and the estimated hours to complete the job. I have few questions I hope some of you here might be able to answer.
1) Is $4K + a bit pricey for this job?
2) The estimated hours required is 17.5 hours at $105 per hour. Does this seem like alot of hours? It usally takes this shop to get your tractor back to you after 3 weeks have passed.
3) The clutch is priced at $1,744+, I am assuming this is direct from John Deere and sold as OEM, but wouldn't Yanmar parts also be considered OEM since my tractor has a Yanmar plate?. I see the same clutch offered from online sellers, as new aftermarket parts (though no aftermarket manufacturer name is listed in the ads) for a much as 1/3 the price. Is there a catch? Is there an issue buying New Aftermarket replacement for $500 +shipping? Is there an after market manufacturer that has a good reputation for quality parts?
I've already had a bad experience with this shop last July which could have cost me several hundred dollars more because they asked me if I wanted maintenance service on top of what I was having done, I said "I guess so but I only put about 50 hours on the tractor since it's last maintenance service" but with the caveat that I needed a new $ total first to determine if I really could afford it at that moment. The service manager forgot to call me back with a price and did the work without my approval. Imagine my surprise when they called me to tell me my tractor was ready but the bill was $600 more than the original $200. I ended up paying for the products and parts but not the service (which was most of the bill). Now I just feel like they are trying to squeeze some $ out of me knowing I have no tractor without the repair.
I have had a number of people recommend I take the tractor to another tractor shop I didn't realize was fairly close. They are a Kubota dealer but the service manager is willing to take a look at my tractor (they've never has a JD in their shop) to determine if it really is in need of a new clutch and do the repair so long as the difference between Kubota and JD clutches aren't too extreme. My luck JD requires soe crazy tool to remove one integeral part that they don't have because Murphy and his laws treat me that way often.
Thoughts? Suggestions?
Much appreciated.
The diagnostic summary reads "drive only engages in A range, on concrete, at idle, at the end of the clutch pedal range. In other ranges it would move but slip". This was my experience but I was able to get it to move in any gear range and it was more reliable in reverse. Furthermore they said "attempted to adjust clutch linkage however it appears to be at the end of it's adjustment" and "upon complete inspection anchor point for clutch pedal spring is almost rusted through". It's Florida...everything rusts.
The suggested solution is "split tractor, remove/replace clutch, throw out bearings and related components".
So far I am sorta of okay with the diagnostic summary, stuff breaks or wears out, but the estimated cost is almost $4,500.00 I feel is a little much when people I know are paying 1K less for larger, non JD tractors. I was able to get them to reissue an estimate that broke down the parts and the estimated hours to complete the job. I have few questions I hope some of you here might be able to answer.
1) Is $4K + a bit pricey for this job?
2) The estimated hours required is 17.5 hours at $105 per hour. Does this seem like alot of hours? It usally takes this shop to get your tractor back to you after 3 weeks have passed.
3) The clutch is priced at $1,744+, I am assuming this is direct from John Deere and sold as OEM, but wouldn't Yanmar parts also be considered OEM since my tractor has a Yanmar plate?. I see the same clutch offered from online sellers, as new aftermarket parts (though no aftermarket manufacturer name is listed in the ads) for a much as 1/3 the price. Is there a catch? Is there an issue buying New Aftermarket replacement for $500 +shipping? Is there an after market manufacturer that has a good reputation for quality parts?
I've already had a bad experience with this shop last July which could have cost me several hundred dollars more because they asked me if I wanted maintenance service on top of what I was having done, I said "I guess so but I only put about 50 hours on the tractor since it's last maintenance service" but with the caveat that I needed a new $ total first to determine if I really could afford it at that moment. The service manager forgot to call me back with a price and did the work without my approval. Imagine my surprise when they called me to tell me my tractor was ready but the bill was $600 more than the original $200. I ended up paying for the products and parts but not the service (which was most of the bill). Now I just feel like they are trying to squeeze some $ out of me knowing I have no tractor without the repair.
I have had a number of people recommend I take the tractor to another tractor shop I didn't realize was fairly close. They are a Kubota dealer but the service manager is willing to take a look at my tractor (they've never has a JD in their shop) to determine if it really is in need of a new clutch and do the repair so long as the difference between Kubota and JD clutches aren't too extreme. My luck JD requires soe crazy tool to remove one integeral part that they don't have because Murphy and his laws treat me that way often.
Thoughts? Suggestions?
Much appreciated.
