Power Beyond for John Deere 4300?

   / Power Beyond for John Deere 4300? #1  

reasley

Silver Member
Joined
Jun 26, 2007
Messages
109
Good evening--

New member to what is a wonderful site.

Question: I have a 2000 model John Deere 4300 and want to add power beyond. I have looked at John Deere's parts site and they want what seems to be a hefty $290 for a power beyond kit. Are there alternatives to the Deere kit and, if so, what are they and who sells them or the parts?

Or, is this the type of thing that I shoujld simply purchase the factory accessory kit?

Thanks in advance for any help!
 
   / Power Beyond for John Deere 4300? #2  
Welcome to TBN:D

Although the kit may sound pricey, it's really not when you consider the hard lines, brackets, couplers, fittings and hardware that you get. To do it yourself would probably end up costing the same and certainly not going to look as good as the JD kit.

If you have ever done any hydraulic projects before, you know that nothing is cheap in the hydraulic world. If you don't know it, you'll find out!

What do you plan to use the PB for?
 
   / Power Beyond for John Deere 4300?
  • Thread Starter
#3  
Thanks for the quick reply, Kenny!

Good advice, I'm sure, on the factory kit -- I just wanted to make sure that it was the best alternative from someone who has more experience than me.

99% of the time, I'll be using it for a post driver (that has not been purchased yet). Of course, as is the case with any tool, I am sure that I will find other uses for it!

I know or, more precisely, have been told that I can simply use longer lines and disconnect the FEL to feed the driver from those outlets, but I want to be able to use forks on the front to hold posts while I am using the driver.
 
   / Power Beyond for John Deere 4300? #4  
I do not think you will be happy at all using the front DSCV couplings. The PB is the best choice.

The PB will also run a logsplitter or a backhoe quite nicely:D
 
   / Power Beyond for John Deere 4300? #5  
Reasley,
If that 4300 is new to you please be sure to check the battery and make sure it is not throwing acid fumes back on the radiator. Do a search here also to learn more on that subject.
I got my 4300 a little over a year ago. I really like it. I plan to add PB this fall also. It will be one of the first steps in adding a TNT.
Would anyone be able to post the instructions to install the factory kit so we can see what is involved?
I have also been looking at adding additional SCV valves. Adding a factory 3rd or 4th and 5th SCV does not seem doable anymore. The kits are not available and the individual parts are way to expensive. I will most likely go with the Prince valves.
Regards, James
 
   / Power Beyond for John Deere 4300? #6  
JamesH said:
Reasley,
If that 4300 is new to you please be sure to check the battery and make sure it is not throwing acid fumes back on the radiator. Do a search here also to learn more on that subject.

Regards, James

This applies to the 4200 too, as I found out the hard way one day mowing weeds for a neighbor. It was quite disconcerting to see hydraulic oil spewing out everywhere and the smoke from the oil hitting the hot exhaust pipe. I suspect this battery problem applies to all 4000 series tractors made in the early 2000's.
 
   / Power Beyond for John Deere 4300?
  • Thread Starter
#7  
Yes, thanks for the battery reminder -- before I purchased the tractor, I did a lot of archival search on this site and found out quickly that the battery/battery area in proximity to the radiator and oil cooler was a potential problem.

It really ticks me off to see a manufacturer who has apparently deliberately designed a product (or portions of the product) to fail. My tractor, when purchased, had the John Deere "Hibernator" battery with the individual vent caps, and my plan was to put an Optima in its place. Unfortunately, no room. [That area is a *very* tight fit.] So, I went by Autozone on my way to TSC to see if Autozone might have a drop-in replacement. Their book indicates that they have a drop-in battery for the tractor, but it is *not* the same battery type and will not fit without modification. [I had the old battery on the trailer and checked them side-by-side. TSC's battery, on the other hand, was the exact size replacement.

The other deliberate poor design on the tractor is the inadequate structural design of the plastic hood that should have been made of another material, and carries the princely sum of $250 for the bare-bones replacement (no gas cap, no decals, etc.). JD really did it to the consumer on this one. On top of this, to get the tractor back to where it should have been when it rolled off of the factory floor requires the purchase of the ExtraArmor kit for what, $650?

[Note on the plastic hood: The hood is too weak structurally to overcome the friction resistance and *will* crack in the hinge mount areas if the hood hinges and "up-retaining" linkage are not well-lubed. Again, a terrible, terrible design flaw and completely antithetical to the JD rugged history.]

Having said all of the above, I love the tractor except for those two design flaws.
 
   / Power Beyond for John Deere 4300? #8  
Excuse the question from a Kubota owner... what is adding power beyond to a JD 4300?

Does the loader not have a power beyond output port? Is this what you are referring to or something else?
 
   / Power Beyond for John Deere 4300? #9  
canoetrpr said:
Excuse the question from a Kubota owner... what is adding power beyond to a JD 4300?

Does the loader not have a power beyond output port? Is this what you are referring to or something else?

The SCV valve (loader valve) on the JD's is "built in" to the transmission case, it's part of the tractor. Whereas on the Kub's, it comes on the loader mast as part of the loader.

The power beyond on the JD's is a "kit" that includes hard lines, hardware, couplers and brackets to bring hydraulic oil to the rear of the machine. It's a very clean setup that looks very nice.

With the Kub's, it seems as though it up to the dealer to figure out how to extend the power beyond with hoses from the FEL valve all the way to the rear of the machine? The loader valve almost looks like an afterthought on some models the way it's mounted.
 
   / Power Beyond for John Deere 4300? #10  
Interesting...

This applies only to JDs that don't have a rear hydraulic block out of the factory then?
 
 
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