Worth saving a JD 4010

[August Lewis]

I got an old 4010 and was looking for some honest opinions on fixing or selling. 2 and 5 gear setting is shot and will not engage. I like the tractor but was wondering if I should upgrade or fix the problem. 1 and 3 also give me trouble but i can eventually get it to stay in gear. looking for someone right now to give me a quote on fixing it I am new to the tractor world just bought some land and using it for round bales. just looking for some opinions on what my options might be.

 

[DeltaRed]

Fix it.Unless the engine and everything else is shot....4010 is a decent tractor

 

[Anonymous-0]

I think I would let the estimated repair cost sway my decision. Could have a usable tractor or a never ending money pit. Might get the trans fixed and then the weep holes start leaking and then you find the block counter-bores need to be bored and re-sleeved which is $1000 and it goes on and on. I think anyone that runs used tractors has been in your situation a time or two.

 

[John A.]

August, IMHO...The reason 4010s/4020s still bring big money is this simple reason. Go buy a ragged out tractor for $4500 or so put $15K to 20K into a Total Restoration You will have a 90 HP tractor that will last for a 20 yrs if given reasonable care. You and your Son can wrench on. Little to No plastic crap a real tractor Not a no name R.O.C. POS!
Abilene Machine @ Abilene Ks have Long blocks ready to go.
That old Straight 8 speed tranny is just about as bullet proof as any. Not terribly handy for loader work but will serve you well. IMO $3K to $5K should have it in perfect shape. $1K in New Rear rubber. $200 in Airplane tire/wheel combos for the front. We can buy Wheel Wts for less than $100 a pair, so Six on each rear corner, ( 3 inside, 3 outside)
You can't buy a 80/90 Hp tractor for That Money!!! and have a local Store front to go get Parts/Service when you need it.
If you do the above!! Go head and send it to the Paint shop! Get the Dents pulled out and Paint it, Decals everything! You will treat it like a new tractor instead of a rebuilt tractor!!!
B-I-L has a 4010 Dsl it is the handiest tractor on his place. Every job where a 150+++ HP tractor is too Big and Clumsy.
Get a Quote from your local JD Dealer so you have an Idea of what JD Shop Time is worth!
OBTW,, a Koyker 565 loader should fit quite nicely and handle Round bales very well.
Hope this helps!
Later,
John A.

 

[larryanderson]

50 year old tractors can cost more than their initial cost[$6000} fixing the motor or transmission.You could update to later model with a heavier front end cheaper than rebuilding.Some of the less popular tractors like 2840s are pretty reasonable and if used properly can give you good service.Your tractor if diesel will bring about $30/$40 per H.P.for salvage.Several other brands are much cheaper than JD and also work fine.Hydraulics and shifting have really advanced in 50 years.
I see in ads where you can buy a 50H.P. Kubota FWD w/loader/mower/trailer /and box scraper for $25K that would be a nice acerage tractor

 

[Tx Jim]

(quoted from post at 06:16:57 06/06/13) You could update to later model with a heavier front end cheaper than rebuilding.Some of the less popular tractors like 2840s are pretty reasonable and if used properly can give you good service.

IMHO I'd repair a 4010 before I'd buy a 2840. More than likely the top shaft in the trans will need repaired to the tune of $1500 plus your labor. If you consider repairing 4010 check pto operation before attmpting trans repair.

 

[rrlund]

I bought a 3010 about 18 years or so ago that seemed to be OK. Truth is,I'd have been SO far ahead if I'd have hauled that tractor right to the parts yard instead of ever bringing it home. If it could go wrong,it did. I paid $3000 for it,within two years I'd put another $7500 in to it. Like I said,it ran and seemed to be alright. You already know your 4010 needs work. Bail out. Get rid of it.

 

[John B.]

I've been reading the posts below.

I would think that parts are now readily available today yet but what about 10-15 years from now. You could fix it up right now and have it last another 30 yrs but you may not be able to find parts in the future is what I'm trying to say.

 

[Tech 7]

Three kinds of people in the world with regard to 4xxx series JDs....Those that have them, those that don't, those that kick themselves for ever parting with one.

 

[mkirsch]

(quoted from post at 04:27:09 06/06/13) I bought a 3010 about 18 years or so ago that seemed to be OK. Truth is,I'd have been SO far ahead if I'd have hauled that tractor right to the parts yard instead of ever bringing it home. If it could go wrong,it did. I paid $3000 for it,within two years I'd put another $7500 in to it. Like I said,it ran and seemed to be alright. You already know your 4010 needs work. Bail out. Get rid of it.

Yeah, but when you were done you had a reliable 65HP chore tractor that could do the work of an 85HP modern equivalent, for $10,500.

Where are you going to get that kind of tractor for that kind of money, even 18 years ago?

 

[Tx Jim]

(quoted from post at 07:57:15 06/06/13) You could fix it up right now and have it last another 30 yrs but you may not be able to find parts in the future is what I'm trying to say.

The same could have stated about JD A's & B's 20 years ago that one can still get most of the parts for today.

 

[NY 986]

Let's try this again. I was ready to post when the thunderstorm blocked my signal. We have a 4010 diesel that was bought new and has been a good tractor. Regardless of brand expensive parts and shop time are a fact of life. I know of plenty of instances where a tractor needed expensive repair work close to what its revised value would have been and because the tractor was in good condition otherwise the owner did it. No, these were not Deere's but an 806 and a Ford 8000 to mention a couple. What would change my mind is if the expected bill was greater than 8 to 10 thousand dollars to completely square up the 4010 or a known to be in good shape tractor with power shift such as a 4020 were available to purchase.

 

[rrlund]

No,when I was done,I had a tractor that wouldn't stop if the PTO was engaged and the steering would,over a short period of time,quit turning to the right. I'd have to switch the lines so it turned left when I turned the steering wheel right and vice versa,then turn it back and forth til it went all the way. I had some hoses made up to replace the steel lines and put a small pair of couplers on them so I could do it quick and not loose oil.

I traded it off to a jockey for a 1600 Oliver gas that needed an overhaul. I've been doing the happy dance every since. NOW I have a reliable old tractor that hasn't been a minutes trouble.

I would imagine that worthless 3010 is either sitting out behind somebody's barn or scattered out over a lot of shelves at Worthington Salvage.

 

[August Lewis]

thanks for all of the advice. i do like the tractor as i am a simple person who does not need all the bells and whistles of the new tractor. i enjoy vintage items and like how they function as original.

 

[rockyridgefarm]

I was in your exact same spot three years ago. I bought what I thought was a solid 4010 from a dealer for $5900. NEARLY everything that could go wrong has gone wrong. Brakes disintegrated and it plugged up the valves under the dash, shelled out the hydraulic pump. Engine also developed a bad miss very shortly after purchase. Put in a different engine, changed out the light duty schwartz wide front, new hydraulic pump, new clutch, rebuilt remote valves, brakes, new rear rims, etc, etc. I have $20K in a tractor that isn't worth any more'n I paid for it. One thing I haven't had any trouble with (knocking on wood) is the transmission. My wife wants me to sell it, even for a loss. I told her I'm so far in, I gotta be buried with this thing.

After buying this tractor, I have come to the conclusion that a cheap tractor that needs some work is tempting, but to be avoided. I'd rather pay a little too much for a known sound machine with a known history.

My advice - don't go down the path I went. Trade it, sell it, park it, part it, whatever, and buy a sound tractor from a reputable seller (that doesn't only mean a Deere dealership). If you like the 4010, buy another one. If you really like THIS 4010, take it to a reputable repair shop and have them look it over from nose to drawbar. Have them put in writing everything that looks worn or about to fail and estimated prices to fix anticipated problems. Pay them to do this (If you're lucky, you'll live next to JDseller or Larryanderson, or Tim S). Once you look at the list, it may make your decision for you. I wish I had.

 

[NY 986]

Easier said than done as far as finding a reputable machine from a
reputable seller. You can buy any make machine from that era and
it could be gold or a ticking time bomb in terms of needed repairs.
I am looking at adding a couple of tractors over the next few years
and I have very few candidates that fit in terms of knowing the
owner (or the legacy of the operation) or tractor. If a professional
honest mechanic is brought in to do the work and his overall
assessment is accurate that tractor should be square for many years
to come once he gets done with it.

 

[caterpillar guy]

Can buy that so- called good tractor and have a money pit too. Have seen it many times. Me I go for the cheap tractor and fix it if needed. My brother bought an old 856 diesel for about 3000.00 put a hydraulic pump front axle tube and a few o-rings in it and resealed the hydraulic valves. Did all the work ourselves. Might have a 1000.00 in it been a good old tractor. Does everything work on it? All but lights don't work after dark anyway.

 

[rrlund]

Go to an auction where everything is beat right in to the ground and buy the only tractor there that still runs and moves under it's own power. If it survived somebody like that,it'll last forever.