New Owner---JD 1070

[Sethro]

Wow. I've waited years for the opportunity to purchase a tractor. I really want a newer tractor with a hydro transmission, but my budget just doesn't support that. I've got just over 8 acres with about 5.5 of those in dense forest, along with a small stream and small pond. Maybe 0.5 acres in unmaintained grass...but it won't be unmaintained much longer as I also got a Woods 5ft brush cutter.

The tractor seems to run very well, even considering I believe it to have over 10,000 hours...I think it's a 1993 model year. It was used at a golf course for pulling a Lastec rough mower its entire life...that's been its only use since they bought it new. Ironically, I've spent hundreds of hours behind the wheel of a JD 1070 when I worked at a golf course throughout most of the 90's.

It needs lots of TLC, and I'm going to have to research the MFWD as it currently isn't functioning. Anyone have any experience troubleshooting the MFWD? Maybe it's just in the linkage as the lever isn't doing anything but going up and down at the moment...not engaging anything. I don't think it's been washed in a couple of years but luckily it has been stored inside most, if not all, of its life on a cement floor and acutally has very little rust.

I'm hoping to find a used loader, as that is really what I want a tractor for. I think the loader on the one at the golf course I worked at was a model 420. I know the model 80 also fits, any others? I just couldn't pass up this opportunity so hopefully a loader will surface some day. Hopefully I'll be able to tackle some of the issues in the near future and document them here. For now I need to change all fluids/filters and give it a good degreasing bath. I know everyone loves pics, so here are a couple right after I got it home.

 

[irwin]

Welcome and good luck with that old work horse.

First things first Sethro... get yourself a owners manual and parts manual... once you're set up with information you can do some trouble shooting on the mfwd..

The loader might be harder to find then you think unless you go aftermarket.. There are a couple loader manufacturers out there that can fix you right up with a brand new unit.

Front-End Tractor Loaders by Westendorf: Front-End Loaders by Westendorf: loader for tractor, shade canopy, wagons, manure & landscaping equipment.

Koyker Manufacturing - Loaders

 

[Bob77064]

Welcome

 

[MIKE R]

Welcome to the forum. 10000 hours is not alot on a golf course tractor. They never see the work most of us put on our machines.

 

[mikehaugen]

welcome sethro

can't tell you much about the mfwd, as mine as 2wd. The loader you need is a 440 or an 80. They are both quick attach to the tractor, but the 440 I believe has quick attach bucket. I have an 80. I bought mine from a tractor boneyard in Indiana for $300 but the bucket was shot and had a lot of play in the pins. I am in the process of making and welding new bushings and pins for it.

The operator manual can be had for a reasonable price from ebay, the parts diagrams are on www.jdparts.com, and I have a pdf of repair manual (I think from ebay).

 

[Sethro]

Thanks for the warm welcomes and encouragement gentlemen. A tractor boneyard is exactly what I had in mind in regards to finding a loader for this tractor. A new one would be nice, but I just couldn't justify the cost. The tractor came with the operator's manual and parts manual, and another member already sent me a PDF of the tech manual...so I'm set as far as manuals go. I was looking at the tech manual a bit, and there is some great info on fixing some of the problems it has...main issues being sloppy steering and no MFWD. For the price I paid for the tractor I can afford to to fix the issues it has.

 

[Sethro]

Well, I was able to look at the MFWD as I pulled the tractor out to pressure wash it this morning. The diagnosis was pretty easy as to why it doesn't work...there is no drive shaft to the front axle. Hopefully the tractor was "high centered" at some point and the shaft was bent and simply removed instead of fixing it.

 

[stsutter]

Hey - very cool that you just bought a JD 1070 MFWD compact tractor; I just bought one as well - in early Nov 2012! Isn't this an outstanding forum? I don't do on-line social site stuff very much, but this site is so excellent and is so chock-full of smart, helpful people; I just had to join. I'm near Pottstown, PA.

So my 1070 is a model year 1990, SN 2828. Mine was abused a bit, and I have a lot of work to do on it, but I am very enthusiastic about getting it to look like new. Yours has better sheet metal than mine. I have to take some photos and introduce myself properly on this site, etc. ....... after Thanksgiving!
Mine has just under 1400 hrs. My MFWD shaft is present and seems to work - but to be honest, I'm still learning to drive this beast. I had a Ford 8N for 25 years on my gentlemen's farm, quite a bit more meek and gentle of a tractor; and I never had a front end loader before! (I have the 80 loader on my 1070). This 40 HP diesel JD machine is so much more powerful than the old, compression-failing 8N! (Although I LOVED my 8N (what a WONDERFUL machine), it just wore out and needs a new owner to re-build the engine).

I am changing all fluids too on my 1070. I bought a lot of filters and parts from allmowerparts.com, in Florida. Seem to be a good source with discount prices and free shipping.
My current issue is with the front MFWD axle oil level - in that the dip-sticks are not showing the proper gear lube levels. Showing way too low. I already found out from this excellent forum that there might be some sort of miss-print regarding the 1070 front MFWD gear lube capacity. I've put more than 4 - 1qt bottles in and the levels are not showing up on the dipsticks. Now starting to leak a little out of the MFWD attachment point/ cover tube - at the axle. Maybe there's a seal there I have to replace?
Anyway, I look forward to hearing about your JD 1070 restoration. Most comments I read say this model is a very good JD and many owners think it was one of the better built JD compact tractors.
Best of luck and will be talking to you this winter!

 

[Verticaltrx]

Not sure if it'd be worth it or not, but I'd bet the 300CX (or whatever the model is) loader for a 4005 would come very close to fitting.

 

[mikehaugen]

Well, I was able to look at the MFWD as I pulled the tractor out to pressure wash it this morning. The diagnosis was pretty easy as to why it doesn't work...there is no drive shaft to the front axle. Hopefully the tractor was "high centered" at some point and the shaft was bent and simply removed instead of fixing it.

in case you are wondering, the boneyard I went to was McGrew tractors in New Paris, IN. I think they have another location in PA. They post some of their stuff on Ebay- that's how I found the loader. While I was there I bought a set of rear rims with crappy tires for 300. I couldn't find them anywhere else and wanted them so I could have a set of r-1's for the rear since the turfs suck with 2wd. It was about a 5 hour drive for me, but they will ship. I'm not sure where you are from but I can't imagine it's that far from me.