Buying Advice John Deere 4720 temperature gauge problem

   / John Deere 4720 temperature gauge problem #1  

NebraskaKen

New member
Joined
Jun 26, 2007
Messages
8
Location
Nebraska
Tractor
John Deere 4720 CAB, John Deere X728SE, John Deere LT180
Just took delivery of a new John Deere 4720 cab tractor. Nice tractor although it came from the factory with two issues. 1. the temperature gauge in the instrument panel shows a consistent hot temperature reading, very close to the red zone. After thorough testing by the dealer, indicating that the motor is not really running hot, and the dealer noting that other 4720's have the same issue, the official response was "just run it and don't worry." Still, it's disconcerting to view the gauge always running so close to the red line.

The second issue was that the tractor came from the factory with low freon in the AC system, resulting in cab comfort that fell far short of JD's brochure claims.

I find no fault in the engineering of this super tractor, but factory quality control seems to be very weak. How do these tractors escape the factory with such basic quality control problems? The dealer acknowledges that the quality control on JD's compact tractors is not nearly at the level of their larger AG tractors.

Before you purchase one of the 4000 20 series John Deere tractors, you might want to further research these issues with your dealer and avoid some surprises. JD sells them at a premium price and buyers have a legitimate right to expect more.
 
   / John Deere 4720 temperature gauge problem #2  
My fathers is a 2010 model. It has zero issues so far. 200 hours. That ac will run you out of the cab. Unless the screen gets covered with debris. I'm sorry you're having problems. I would not live with that gauge. Make them fix it or put another one on it.
 
   / John Deere 4720 temperature gauge problem #3  
Sounds like a dealer problem to me, both items should have been checked and fixed by the dealer before it was ever delivered to you. You need to start out right with the dealer and get both of these issues resolved. A temperature guage that reads improperly is useless, an ac system that is low from the factory might be a leaking system. Adding freon might be the proper fix but I have my doubts.
 
   / John Deere 4720 temperature gauge problem #4  
I agree with Steve. The dealer's response "just run it and don't worry" isn't right. If there is an engine problem down the road and you are expecting Deere to take care of the repair don't be surprised if the dealer's "just run it" response changes a bit. He just might not recall making that statement. These types of comments would worry me about their service department. I wonder how many other times they ignore a problem and let the customer fix it later. I would be looking for a new dealer to service my tractor.
 
   / John Deere 4720 temperature gauge problem #5  
Time to have a talk with the dealer. Explain that you want the gauge and AC fixed. If he starts a song and dance routine call the 1-800 number for John Deere listed in your owners manual. Give them the date and time you talked to the dealer and the song and dance routine he used. I bet the tractor will be fixed, if not by the selling dealer another dealer.
 
   / John Deere 4720 temperature gauge problem
  • Thread Starter
#6  
Time to have a talk with the dealer. Explain that you want the gauge and AC fixed. If he starts a song and dance routine call the 1-800 number for John Deere listed in your owners manual. Give them the date and time you talked to the dealer and the song and dance routine he used. I bet the tractor will be fixed, if not by the selling dealer another dealer.

Following is the official response to my query from John Deere's customer service department:

Per our discussion earlier today it is normal for the temperature gauge to read above the 1/2 mark, this is considered normal operation for your 4720. There are some tests your dealer can perform to ensure your unit is operating properly, but I believe you said the dealer has done these test and stated your unit is working as designed. If that is not the case please let me know I will give your dealer a call.

Thank you,
Kimberly
Customer Advisor


Needless to say I am very dissapointed in JD's customer service and this trite response. Take a look at the attached photo of the temp gauge. Does this look "NORMAL" to anyone?
 

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   / John Deere 4720 temperature gauge problem #7  
Looks normal to me, from your description in the first post I expected to see a higher visual reading. The response from Deere seemed alright too
 
   / John Deere 4720 temperature gauge problem #8  
I have a 4520 that runs in the same temperature range on the gauge. Same dealer response as they gave you. I used a IR thermometer to check various temperatures, particularly looking for hot spots. Found no problems, so I have "just been running it."
 
   / John Deere 4720 temperature gauge problem #9  
I was thinking it was pegged. That's where my fathers 4720 runs at. Now that that's outta the way, what's up with the ac?
 
   / John Deere 4720 temperature gauge problem #10  
Same here; my 4520 runs the same way. My dealer told me upfront that this would happen. I believe he stated that the PowerTech engine needs to run hotter for the Interim Tier IV emissions control and it will not harm the engine.
 
 
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