Buying Advice 4105 plastic

[kenmore99]

Am debating trading in my 990 for a 4105 ..tell me this--my older 990 is a tank and metal clad--the 4105 has plastic fenders as well as hood--has this much plastic ever been a problem for new JD owners--is this tractor as tough as the older JD's?

 

[defed]

on my 4300, the fenders seem pretty strong. the front end side panels and hood seem ok, tho mine had a crack in the hood when i got it. the weakest thing i see is the cowl between the hood and dash. almost every bolting tab is broken, and it only stays on because of the way it integrates into the dash and lower steering stand.

i briefly debated getting a new hood and cowl (about $450 for the both), but decided that since it is still plastic, one thing falls out of the raised loader bucket, it's gonna get busted again anyway.

definitely would have preferred these panels to be SOME sort of sheet metal!

 

[ctlguy]

If you have ever held a fender removed from one of these tractors there is some substantial weight to them. I would not worry about the quality, however like the previous post 100 series and ten series had very poor hoods, cowls, etc.

 

[gizmo]

I have had my 990 since 2003 and agree with you that it is really a tank. There is something about having all that plastic on a tractor, especially a John Deere, that rubs me the wrong way. I have debated trading mine up for hydro model, but I think I'm just going to keep what I have. I have a JD lawn tractor with hydro drive and can see why it is appealing, but I also kind of like shifting the gears.

 

[arrabil]

The plastic on my 4200 has been really tough. Actually I have abused the X475 plastic even more and it scratches but just keeps going. My son sits on the X475 fender while I mow sometimes and it doesn't bend or nothing either.

 

[mjncad]

Most of the body plastics seem to be ABS or other similar plastic. On the 4200 - 4400, the color goes all the way through on the hood, side panels and cowl. The fenders are painted in some fashion on the top side, while the tire side is the raw plastic.

 

[IH3444]

I hate the plastic on my NHTC48DA. Wish it was all metal like the older NH's. The JD 990 is built like a Tiger Panzer tank. Would be hard to part with it IMHO. Wait till the electronic systems begin to fail on the 4105. then you'll be really loving it.

 

[mjncad]

Thanks for the info K7LN.

 

[AKfish]

Had some of the same concerns when I went from a JD 970 TLB to a JD 110 TLB.

Real steel vs Plastic!

After 2 plus years beatin' around in the woods and nearly 600 hours - I'm really sold on the Plastic!

I've dropped some limbs and scraped thru some brush that I KNOW would have seriously damaged the steel fenders and hood on my old 970!

The plastic is duller and has a few more fuzzy scratches than it was when new - but it's not all dented and bent; either.

I don't think you'd regret the plastic and I'm pretty darn convinced you won't regret the eHydro, too! :thumbsup:

AKfish

 

[jenkinsph]

I had some reservations about the plastic but it is resilient to dings and scratches after 5 years with my tlb I have no visible dents and few scratches.

I suspect the plastic is superior at sound deadening over the metal and these new 4000 series tractors need all the help they can get.

 

[john4153]

Sorry to chime in so late, but at least this is a 2010 thread. I am a retired chemist and was looking at CNH (DX45/Farmall 45) vs. Kubota (L46xx). I didn't like the plastic on the CNH. It seemed hard and somewhat brittle based on the number of used tractors for sale with cracks and chips. I assumed it was a polyester like we see in various fiberglass products (e.g, shower stalls). A friend suggested I look at JD.

The JD salesman said the plastic was polypropylene, but he was not a chemist. It was definitely more flexible. Polypropylene (like some large water tanks) is less brittle than fiberglass and harder to break, but has poor structural strength. It sags. An earlier post in this thread called it Xenoy, a polycarbonate/PBT blend. I don't particularly care what the chemistry of the plastic is. It just felt a little more forgiving than the CNH plastic did.

My questions:

1) Is it true that the JD plastic doesn't crack or break as easily as the CNH plastic?
2) Do the JD fenders or hood ever sag or distort with heat?

I am very strongly considering the JD 4120 with 400CX loader.

Thanks.

John

 

[beenthere]

I have the Deere 4300 (since 1999) and see no sag whatsoever. Don't have a comparable experience with CNH.
The hood on mine took a sever blow from a 6" diam tree limb, and doesn't show any crack or sag. I can tell where the scratch is, but it is not very prominent. A similar limb drop on my old '58 Deere 420 left a dent in the steel.

 

[john4153]

Thank you both. Your comments comfirm my first impressions.

@K7LN: I looked up Xenoy after my post. It sounds like a pretty good plastic for this purpose.

@Beenthere: Are you the same as the Beenthere on AAC?

Wow, how close I came to buying a DX45. This is my first real tractor (I have a Case 444 from the 1960's). I am glad I widened my search a little.

Regards,

John

 

[beenthere]

john
Which AAC?

 

[john4153]

john
Which AAC?

It is an electronics site, All About Circuits. Sorry for getting this a little OT. John

 

[mjncad]

My questions:

1) Is it true that the JD plastic doesn't crack or break as easily as the CNH plastic?
2) Do the JD fenders or hood ever sag or distort with heat?

I am very strongly considering the JD 4120 with 400CX loader.

Thanks.

John

Knock on wood, I haven't had to test the impact resistance on my 2001 JD 4200's plastic parts. The rear fenders are a good 3/8" (10mm) thick.

I have no experience with CNH, so I can't comment on their plastics.

I haven't noticed any heat distortion.

 

[jenkinsph]

John,
Welcome to TBN!

While not familiar with other brands plastics I can say the Deere plastic has held up well. I wondered about this when buying a few years ago but would say this has been a nonissue.

 

[AKfish]

Coming from a metal tractor to a new-fangled "plastic" machine - I had real doubts. However, after a number of tree limb strikes and roots and dirt clod "bombs" on the fenders and hood of my JD 110 TLB with no discernable damage -- I'm a convert!

I'll take the plastic body parts over the steel any day!

'Course we don't have any "really hot days" up here - so, I can't give you any first hand experience with the plastic sagging or distorting.

AKfish