Newly purchased John Deere 950 maintenance prior to use?

[anotherbrendan]

Hi folks. I'm new to tractors (and this forum), but I've already been enjoying reading the forum for a while!

After months of searching and debating, I just finally pulled the trigger and got a compact tractor - a John Deere 950 (an '86 from the serial number in the 27,000's) with a #8 subframe backhoe and a #75 front loader. It's in pretty good shape - ~1150 hours, starts and runs, shifts smooth and all gears work, clutch grabs well, goes in and out of 4WD, minimal rust, tight pins on the implements.

The seller told me it was used mostly for mowing with a PTO finish mower, but that's all he knew, or all he was willing to offer. So, I have no idea how long it sat unused or when any maintenance was last performed.

In general, I'm wondering what I should do as far as maintenance and checks before using it much. I was thinking at a minimum I would run:
The 10-hour and 50-hour maintenance lists (from the operator's manual that came with the tractor) which seem to be mostly greasing things and checking fluids.
The 200-hour maintenance list - change engine oil + filter, clean fuel sediment bowl, adjust clutch and brake if needed, lubricate 3-pt hitch, change hydraulic oil and clean screen or swap filter (don't know which I have yet).

Should I also run the 600-hour list? Is there anything else I should do if I assume the tractor sat for a while? I'm pretty handy, have rebuilt small engines, etc., but some of the 600-hour items may not be things I have the equipment or knowledge to perform, like checking the injectors.


Side note, a friend asked if the tires were 'loaded', which I looked up and learned meant a salt water solution (Calcium chloride?). How do I find out, aside from taking a tire off a seeing if it sloshes?? What do I do if I need to add air if they are loaded?


Also, luckily the seller had an operator's manual, which was nice, but he didn't have any service or technical manuals for the tractor, backhoe, or loader. There are a few things I'll need to fix or at least investigate, so it'd be nice to be able to read up on it. Any suggestions on where to find those aside from ebay?

A picture of the new beauty, along with our very professional method of transport! :

 

[RoyJackson]

I'd definitely do an engine oil change, so you can start fresh
Hydraulic fluid...wouldn't be a bad idea. Same thing with replacing the coolant. Definitely grease on a regular basis!

As far as the tires being loaded...just push in on a valve core...if liquid comes out...you'll know. Due to the age of the tractor, if those rear tires are filled, it's quite likely it is calcium chloride (CaCl). There's a lot of folks who criticize use of CaCl as it can really rust steel quickly, but as long as the wheels are completely covered, it's not a problem. There are a lot of tractors out there that have had CaCl in the tires for decades. Now, if you spring a leak (puncture a tire, for example, you'll want to was any liquid off ASAP.
However, if the tractor had the backhoe installed since new, it's quite possible those tires aren't filled.

Manuals for those older tractors can be hard to come by...I hope you find a source!

IIRC, the 950 uses a Yanmar engine...those engines are great (good for >5000 hours!) and start fairly easily in cold weather (you're about 25 or so miles south of me, so we know cold weather!!). If you park the tractor inside a attached garage, you shouldn't have any cold weather starting problems. If to be parked outside or in an unheated barn, you might want to consider a block heater.
One more thing...if you park the tractor for an extended time, block the clutch! This means using a length of wood to depress the clutch completely while it's not being used. There's a good chance you find a hook or tab on the clutch pedal so you can clamp it to the floor of the operator's station. I know the Deere 790 has a tab for clamping since I owned one for several years.

If you plan on using this tractor for snow removal, you might consider chains...I have a set for Deere 4400 that had turf tires. I used the chains too, but turf tires are pretty darn good in snow even without using chains.

Good luck! Be safe!

 

[rgr33]

I have a 950 that is the same age as yours. It gets used quite a bit, but is well maintained. Grease is cheaper than new parts, oil is cheaper than a new engine. I haven't had to replace any parts on mine since I bought it in 1998, other than the usual, battery, filters etc. If it was me, I'd change all the fluids and filters including anti freeze, then you know what you've got. For it's size, that tractor is a work horse, if taken care of, it should out live a lot of the other brands out there.

 

[Quebecguy]

Should I also run the 600-hour list? Is there anything else I should do if I assume the tractor sat for a while? I'm pretty handy, have rebuilt small engines, etc., but some of the 600-hour items may not be things I have the equipment or knowledge to perform, like checking the injectors.
View attachment 474079

Hello Brendan,
Like you, I am hesitant to check the injectors. When my John Deere tractor went over the 600 hour mark I asked the dealer if servicing the injectors was necessary. Basically the dealer replied: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". You might want to run your questions by the service manager at your local dealership.
Welcome to the forum. That tractor looks good!

 

[Zebrafive]

I will add, check torque of wheel lugs, loader mount bolts, backhoe mount (I assume sub frame not 3pt hitch) bolts. If your rear tire are liquid filled you can buy a pressure gauge designed for liquid filled tires.

 

[silvertramp]

When I got my tractor, I changed all the fluids. I use that baseline for all subsequent maintenance.

 

[California]

All the previous advice is good, I would do all those maintenance procedures up to the 200 hour list so that you will be starting out same as you would with new equipment. Removing and checking injectors goes beyond ordinary owner's maintenance, don't do that until you see some evidence they need attention. Not at all likely, if that is really the unit's history. I don't know what else is in the 600 hour list, you might do things that obviously prolong life.

That's basically a Yanmar contracted by Deere, there is a lot of overlap with the Yanmars sold in the US back when they had dealers here. My Yanmar was in much worse condition than that when I bought it in 2003, neglected and sat outdoors unused for a decade or so. But all it needed to put it in service was replace the slow-cranking starter (the source of the previous owner's dissatisfaction), the ignition switch (found it full of pillbugs) then that 200 hour service. 13 years later it has needed nothing beyond the oil pressure sender ($9, same part as Subaru/Honda/Nissan) and a 75 cent rollpin that prevents the shift lever from revolving. (Well also the loader hoses I've ripped off loading down trees, etc, and a few similar user-abuse fixes that don't reflect on Yanmar quality ).

At 1150 hours, your Deere is maybe one-third into its overall useful life. Just service it and put it to use.

And take a look in the Yanmar forum here if there's a question that isn't answered quickly in this Deere forum. Pretty much all the operation and maintenance information is identical for the Yanmar-built Deeres. Since the Yanmars from that era have been orphans for a couple of decades there is more of a DIY shared-knowledge emphasis in that forum. We have found these tractors were built to be owner-maintained and there's almost nothing on them that would need a professional shop to repair.

That's a great tractor - enjoy it!

 

[Rock knocker]

change hydraulic oil and clean screen or swap filter (don't know which I have yet).

I wish I had a back hoe.

You probably have both a screen and a filter. The filter is accessable and changeable from under the tractor, beneath the foot controls. It has a built in valve and can be change and removed without draining the hydraulic fluid, but....

Those suction filters often get "glued" to their assembly and you have to drain the trans, pull the entire filter assembly off the tractor and wrench on it in a vice. Sounds worse than it is. The screen is inside the trans and accessed and removed by taking off a plate on the bottom-side-rear of the trans and pulling out the screen. Cleaning works OK, but there was a noticeable improvement with a new screen.

Never a bad idea to pull the brake covers and peer inside, thay like to accumulate dust and rust.

And always vice grip the clutch pedal to the pedal stop when parked.

Ours is an '82 and we've never removed the injectors. We blow a little white smoke which I attribute to decades long issues of water and algae in the fuel hammering the pump and injectors (our machine was parked outside from 1982 until 2012 in Snohomish WA), but it maintains RPM when brush hogging and any repair seems like a good chance of unnecessarily opening a can of worms. It starts and does what it is supposed to, and all the fluids stay where they should (well almost).

We're on our second clutch and I removed the factory valve body for an aftermarket valve in 1991.

 

[California]

Worst-case hydraulic 'strainer'. (This type, inside the transmission housing). I had to destroy it to get it out. It was waaay past 'deferred maintenance' and had been incorrectly installed with a too-fat O-ring that cemented it in place.

After replacing that 13 years ago, no problems. Here's a post where I described what I found.

 

[Rock knocker]

The 950's all seem to use a steel stainer and a exterior mounted paper filter. The older '70s models may not. The sock system looks like a bad idea.