The 2,000 hour question

[Whitey]

I almost hate to ask this question......what is it about the 2,000 hour mark that makes people get rid of their tractors??? I am looking at a possible third tractor and it has 2,000 hours on the meter but it looks great! It is a JD 4400 with a 430 loader and 48 backhoe. I could never afford something like this brand new and if I upsize I will have to get rid of #2. Aside from the obvious noises and damage do I need to be concered? Anybody out there want to weigh in on this?

JD 770 / 70 FEL / 7 BH - 425 AWS / FMP

 

[kennyd]

If the price is right, and the seller can prove the maintenence history there should be no problems with having 2k hours on the clock.

 

[Whitey]

OK, I will go along with that. But what if you cannot access the records. Are these engines and operating systems designed in excess of say 3,500 hours or is that not a consideration for design.

 

[kennyd]

I think a well maintained, never overheated machine will be fine for 4k to 5k hours. If the unit was not a rental, and in good shape as you say, then you may be able to assume the previous owner took care of it mechanically as well as aesthetically.

If you take the serial # to your JD dealer they can lookup the history on it.

 

[Whitey]

Thanx Kennyd I will do that. That is a great idea.

 

[exiled]

Post the serial# in this forum and somebody could look it up for you. I dont think it'll show maintance records. I know it wont if the owner did their own maintance. The machine has to be a 98-01 model. I would rule out it being a rental. Unless it was at a small rental yard. My brother-in-laws rental yard clears 2000 hrs in 3 yrs. He has JD, yanmar, kioti, and kabota. Them lil JDs and yanmar tractors take the hours pretty good. Of course that 4400 has a yanmar engine in it. My brother in law retired a lil yanmar to his house to cut grass and what nots. At christmas I heard him say it had over 6000 hours on it. Nobody knows for sure how many is really on it. The clock "stuck" at 3075 hrs then just one day started backup. It kept time untell 6010 hours and quit again.