compact tractors

[jayrus544]

I"m looking into buying a compact tractor. some where around 40-45 hp. been looking at the 4500 and 4510 maybe 4700 or 4710 my question is there any difference between the two other than the year.

 

[Jim Plunkett]

Yes 8 or 9 hp, the 4500-4510 has a 2.0 liter engine & the 4700-4710 have a 2.2 liter engine. The 4700 & 4710 run a couple hundred rpm's faster & have more flow on the hydraulic systems. I put 4000 hr's on a 4600 with no problems except tie rod ends also have a 4700 tie rod end problems on it also. My 4710 has alot better design on the steering and have not had any problems with it.

 

[alabamafrog]

I love my 4700, I bought it last year with 1600 hrs and now she is around 1750. My main trouble is the hydrostat will not stop by itself, I have to play with the forward and reverse pedals to get it to stop. Other than that it seems to be a really handy little tractor. I do have one tie rod end that has some slack in it and the starter does grind sometimes instead of turning the engine and I have had to tap on the fuel shut off solenoid a time or two to get her to start. (Oh, and Deere wants like $700 for a new starter!). But I still love the little critter.
Mine has the 460 loader and a 3pt backhoe, very powerful for its size and real fun to operate. http://s273.photobucket.com/albums/jj235/alabamafrog/Tractors/4700/

 

[Mike M]

I'd get a JD service manual on it as they may have a trouble shooting chart on that hydro pedal. Also call a dealer and have them check for a service bulletin or campain on that hydro. They likely had trouble with more then just yours and as a saftey issue they may just have some info and /or help for you.

 

[alabamafrog]

After working on it several times and going through my operators manual setup I finally gave up and actually loaded the tractor and took it to my local Dealer. They were no help at all and the service department guys said they didn’t have a clue what was wrong or how to fix it but if I insisted they would tear it all apart and figure it out but it would be very costly. One of the guys actually said he didn’t know anything about anything but lawnmowers and lawnmower pedal stuff was different than that. I didn’t want to pay for their on the job training so I just gave up and learned to drive it the way it is.
Some of yall might have a good dealer but mine really sucks, both parts and service.

I also tried to ask them about my power beyond SVC system and my backhoe hookups, but they just stood there and looked at it for a while and said they had never seen anything like it or heard of power beyond, they said it must be some aftermarket thing from another company. I told them it was a John Deere option from the dealer, they just shrugged their shoulders.
The head guy tried to go look up stuff on the computer and he printed out the pages from the service manual that was for my hydro pedals and how to adjust them so I guess they were some help, but not much. I then drove to another city that has a dealer and didn’t get any help from them either. I then noticed it was the same company that owns both dealers.

 

[Jim Plunkett]

What do you need to know about the powerbeyond

 

[F-I-T]

I just installed the correct PBY kit on my 4310. Pretty straight forward. First owner tried to use a 4510 kit on it, and things just did not line up the best. I have a 4310 with 447 hoe and 420 loader.

I have an 855 that had the creeps, and it has an eccentric that you adjust to equalize the pedal movement, located on the frame behind the right wheel. Had to remove some of the linkage and cleaned, and cleaned, and scraped out dried up old hard grease, and that was that.

On my 4310, it uses eHydro, so it utilizes feed back to the system, so the only thing that the service manual says to check is for broken return springs or debris trapped under the pedals.

What exactly is your dealer telling might be the problem? There are several points where some grease will really help. Just a bit of binding on the pedals will cause a ton of issues. Lay under it, remove some of the linkage and, point by point, determine if it is free and correct as the pilots say. I bet you just have some binding or stiff pivots that need cleaned and greased.

 

[alabamafrog]

As for the creeping, I can’t give details because the dealer does not have a clue as to what’s wrong. I think it may be something internal, I have taken all of the linkages apart and actually operated it by the stem sticking out the side of the tractor case and it still creeps when returned to the same position, only way to stop tire movement is to go past center slightly in the opposite direction in either direction. All of the linkages are spotless clean and lubed.

As for the power beyond, it just doesn’t “feel” right, my hoe does not seem to work any faster plugged into it or not. My Hoe has 3 hoses so I assume 2 are pressure and 1 is return but it just doesn’t feel right. Also I have to hook a bungee to the fender hydro handle for the hoe to work and unhook and center the handle for the loader to work. Also seems like the motor has a load on it anytime the hoe is connected even if not in use. I’ve worked on heavy equipment and industrial hydraulics for many years so I am experienced with hydraulics but my tractor and hoe just doesn’t “feel” right.
There are several pics of the tractor connections and hoe valves in my pics link; http://s273.photobucket.com/albums/jj235/alabamafrog/Tractors/4700/

 

[Jim Plunkett]

In your picture it is not hooked up to the power beyond, they are the hose that is plugged into the coupler to the left. The female coupler on the tractor is the pressure and the hose with the male fitting is the return, the male fitting down low on the right side is also a return. The book for your backhoe might show how it needs to be hosed up or the valve block might be marked like pressure,in or out ,tank something like that . I don't have a backhoe run laser systems or a log splitter off of mime, FIT has a hoe i think maybe he can send you a picture of the correct hookup

 

[Jim Plunkett]

PS There should not be a load on the engine. The power beyond circuit has to be complete, oil going all the way through it for other functions to work.

 

[alabamafrog]

Yea, my Hoe is not a JD, it’s some other brand and appears much older than the tractor. I think it may have closed center valves, it only has 3 hoses, and it seems to work best like I got it hooked up now, if I try to unhook the short PBY hose and hook the back hoe in there the motor really bogs like the hydro is dead heading. I could probably figure out how to fix it right by messing with the hoe valves but its not been a priority since I figured out I can hook it up with the PBY looped together and everything works, its just slower and weaker. I think the best idea is just trying to find a high GPM PTO pump and building a tank and making the hoe hydraulics completely separate from the tractor, I really don’t like the thought of the old hoe contaminating and over heating the same fluid the hydrostat uses. I just haven’t gotten around to it yet.
I really like the tractor and hoe and loader, it’s just got a few bugs I thought the original poster might be interested in.

 

[alabamafrog]

Oh, and jayrus544, I also thought since your looking to buy you might like to know that I got my rig like it sits for $14,500 on eBay last year. I had to make an 800 mile round trip to get it too.

 

[Handsome Jim]

I did not that a 40 -50 hp tractor was compact

 

[Handsome Jim]

I did not that a 40 -50 hp tractor was compact

 

[alabamafrog]

Jim, when are you going to get done pumping up you post count?
Its really irritating having to read through all the new posts you make with nothing in them. I would have privately emailed you instead of posting this publicly but, surprise, your profile info is empty.