New to me JD 430, 60” deck…

[LukeL]

The foot pedal is a fun little project. I’ve done it on a 430 as well.

John Deere 300 series conversion to foot pedal controled...

Hi everyone- first time poster here but long time reader. I posted this over on MTF but I thought the readers over here might be interested in this as well. I did this project a couple months ago, just as an experiment and for fun. I'm actually quite happy with the way it turned out. The pedal...

www.wfmachines.com

 

[rmrufener]

I bought it from Hartville Hardware, same # as yours- TY15863, my packing slip says genuine JD OEM seat. It was a metal pan and had the proper Deere emblem embossed in the vinyl( landing one). I think it was $107.... this seat is close to steering wheel like the one I took off. I have to swing my leg high to clear, and steering wheel is still close to stomach, even with seat all the way back in slots. I'm looking at doing the Superstrut mod to get the seat back farther. These tractors were not made for comfort or convenience. I don't know how people can operate the loaders on these, they must have an extra arm or two.... if someone came up with a foot pedal conversion for the 430 that would be awesome....

Interesting. The TY15863 I got was a plastic pan. I saw an OEM advertised for $208, but was hoping to get by for less. My old one is tight to get a leg through, but I can do it. With the new one I had no chance. Maybe I'll check with Hartville and see what they have.
Thanks for responding, and I don't think I mentioned in my other post, but your restore looks fantastic. When do you want to start on mine?

 

[jaydee325]

A buddy of mine bought one of these brand new in the mid to late 80's. He was the envy of the shop!

Tractordata shows this tractor produced 1984 - 1992. Listed for $9500 in 1992. That inflates to a little over $20,000 today!

One thing that bugged him though was that the mower deck would leave a stripe down the middle because the center blade didn't provide a complete cut in heavier grass. Must have been a common complaint as Deere came out with a kit that replaced the center blade pully that sped the center blade up. So, if you see the same issue, check that out.

 

[dieselbob69]

Did this mod today. Makes it MUCH easier to get on/off the tractor. 2’ strut section from Lowes for $9, cut in half, and a 5 pack of 1/2” spring nuts for under $5. I used 1/2” x 1” long bolts with flat washers to fasten seat base to struts…View attachment 781356

 

[dieselbob69]

Also put these tie rod covers on. Saw a video on YouTube from Foxcan Farms about using Mcmaster Carr tie rod ends, and his son designed and 3D printed the covers. I bought a set when he listed them on eBay, but install didn’t go well. They made them better and install went smooth today

 

[Richard001]

View attachment 781347Did this mod today. Makes it MUCH easier to get on/off the tractor. 2’ strut section from Lowes for $9, cut in half, and a 5 pack of 1/2” spring nuts for under $5. I used 1/2” x 1” long bolts with flat washers to fasten seat base to struts…View attachment 781356

Did adding the extra height to the seat make it uncomfortable when reaching for the steering wheel ?

 

[dieselbob69]

Did adding the extra height to the seat make it uncomfortable when reaching for the steering wheel ?

No, just the brake pedals. Might switch it back to normal because some people are saying it’ll crack the fender pan around bolt holes. Almost got the deck done, need to get a set of blades with correct center bore.Think I’m gonna sell it anyway

 

[dieselbob69]

Finished the deck up last week, got some Gator blades with correct bore, but were a little thinner than blades that were on there. I added a washer so I could tighten blades up. I ordered a 2” chrome muffler that was 12” long, so I took 24” straight pipe off. I’d post video, but can’t figure it out. Guess I’ll order the correct seat for it that’s around $208 plus tax- the AM102953 for the non-flip adjustable seat base. The TY15863 isn’t correct, as the front bolt holes are 7” from front, not 5” like original. Once I get new seat I’ll see if I still need to keep the strut risers on that I added to get clearance….

 

[dieselbob69]

well, here it all finished except for putting a new neutral switch in. Got the correct seat on, took the strut risers off. Put the deck on pallet and put tarp on it for now. Probably should put it on tractor, don’t think we’ll be getting any measurable snow…

 

[two_bit_score]

Nice!