JD990 Questions

[tarscraper]

I am a current owner of a Kubota B7500 and I am jumping ship to Deere. I need a larger more powerful tractor. A friend of mine has a 990 he loves. He let me take her out for a spin this morning. I really like this tractor alot. I know its old school technology in alot of ways but that appeals to me. Anyway...

I am glad they now come with the 300CX loader. Anyone out there have this loader option? Is it much stronger than the old 430 option?

I noticed the use the 8B for the backhoe. How does this compare to the newer 447/448's? Any issues I need to know about?

My friend spun his rear tires around so that he could get a wider more stable stance. It added about 8" or so of width to each side. Seems like a good idea to me. Any problems with doing this?

If anyone wants to talk up the 990 go for it. I would love to read it. I did see one or two great reviews for this machine already. I am looking forward to placing my order after the holidays! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[BGL990]

I wrote a review of it some time ago, which you may have seen. I'm on a pocket PC right now, so can't bring up another window to find the URL, but just look for my (BGL990) posts. Everything I said still holds. I love the machine, haven't had any trouble with it, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it. As for the loader, I have the 430 and do sometimes wish for more capacity, which the 300CX should provide. Having said that, the 430 isn't really wimpy - it's that "if some is good, more is better" always applies to loader capacity IMHO.

Buy it, save a bunch of money over a hydro (non-essential frills, again IMHO), and enjoy your 'old school' machine for the next 40 or 50 years /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Turkflyer]

Good tractor. Very reliable.

 

[klm]

I too am a big fan of the 990 for the same reasons. I have an 870 now that I absolutely love and looks to me like the 990 is every bit of a 870 and more. I would be intrested in what you have to pay for that combo if you don't mind.

 

[art990]

I have a fairly new 990 (less than 15 hours on it). I moved up from an older Kubota L245DT (25 HP) and I love the 990. I was already used to a no frills tractor with the Kubota, so the 990 was a luxury to me with power steering, and ease of attachments to the 3 pt hitch.
I have the 300cx FEL with a 73" heavy duty bucket that works better than expected. Most of my use so far have been with an 84"rear Rankin blade and the FEL for snow removal. I did switch to the wider tire stance so I could put chains on the rear. I also mounted front and rear worklights and strobes on the ROPS for working in the dark.
I have a block heater installed by the dealer and have found that I have no start up problems at -10. I plug it in for about 4-6 hours and it starts right off. I use the hand throttle for keeping the rpms up during really cold weather use.
The only complaint I have is the controll for the FEL. As I operate the machine my leg tends to push the lever out to the side which dumps the bucket. I wish I could move the lever a few inches to the right so I could eliminate this problem. I may look into removing the lever and bending it to cure that problem. Other than that I love my 990! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[tarscraper]

Good information!!! Thanks!!! I did notice that my leg also pushed the bucket control...but then again I noticed that on my friends 2210. Maybe its a sign from the tractor god telling me to lose a few lbs.!!! Glad to hear someone else swapped the rear tires around for stability. Seems like its an ok thing to do.

I will have a quote from the dealer on Thursday and I will post it here. I have done alot of research on all the Deere CUT's and it looks like everyone is happy with there 990's (and 770's). I don't find many 990's forsale from private parties. I also noticed that I don't see many 990 owners pining away for a "bigger" or "newer" tractor. Maybe its just the nature of the 990 buyer or that 40HP is really satisfying. I want to keep this one for many many years.

I am looking forward to getting that quote. I don't expect a big discount. I hear that these tractors are made on smaller margins for the dealer. A few $$ would make me happy.

 

[tarscraper]

I got my quote. I am ordering my 990 tomorrow. I am not sure if I can swing the backhoe at this point but maybe.

Anything else I should be looking for????? I need chains. Loaded tires.

990, R4 tires, block heater, 300 cx loader, hood guard, 73" bucket, 8b backhoe, 18" bucket, and power beyond kit.

29,683 list
-1688 discount
________
$27,995

 

[BGL990]

Of course now that you've pulled the trigger, you are obligated to post lots of pictures. Delivery day, action shots, etc.

I think there was some fine print when you signed on to TBN stating this as a cardinal rule, not to be broken ...

/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[JDFANATIC]

tarscraper,

I think that price is high, but I've also seen that the NH dealers discount very little compared to the rest of the U.S. Maybe it's that "Live Free or Die" thinking. In some cases I wonder if you could buy the tractor in a state that charges sales tax and still come out ahead. Of course, having a local dealer to service the tractor has its advantages. Let us know what you decide. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[gizmo]

I just looked at a 990 set up with the 300cx loader at my local dealer. It looks much nicer than the 430 that I have. I wish I had known that loader was coming out when I bought mine.

I have the 8B backhoe on mine and so far it has been worth every penny. The only down side with it compared to the 448 is the install procedure. You have to be really well aligned and on level (preferably concrete) ground. And of course the 448 is a stronger machine.

Overall, I am really satisfied with the tractor's performance, built like a tank, no frills, it just goes. I also like the metal panels over the plastic on the other machines.

I would suggest that if you are going to dig up stumps that you get the 12" bucket.