4310 Mid Mount PTO operation

[yellowsocks93]

Hi Green MTN Man,
No the quality is not going downhill fast just because of the PTO problem. I'm just saying that paint quality, the quality of some swtiches, and other things need to be changed so the tractors are built like the 55 and 70 series were. They stuck out from the compitition and many people these days are turning away from the Deere compacts because of small things like the PTO. The John Deere compacts don't stick out like they once did in the early 90's. No one could beat them. They were an all business tractor that got the job done. After getting my 4300 I compared it to may dad's 970. No comaprason in quality. I think the 70 series is built better than the 4000 and 4000 TEN series tractors. I think the quality of the plastic on the new tractors seems cheap compared to the older stuff on the 70 series. Such as dashboards. Thats why I traded in to an advantage series model 990. And the cowling on the 4000 TEN series by the shifter and rockshaft controls seem cheaply made. Yes simplicity is good and thats why I like the 70 series so much. They are simple but good machines! Next time your at your JD store look closely at the mower decks on the garden tractors. You will see some spots where it is not painted so well. It is like this on most everything JD paints these days. Not like the early 90s where every speck of metal was painted. This is just my opinion of what I think is declining quality on JD products. Maybe I am too picky. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Nick
990 4x4 turf, 272 RFM, 430 loader, 25A flail

 

[GreenMtnMan]

Yellowsocks93, I know what you're saying, and in some ways I agree with you. You mention the quality of the plastic cowling around the dashboards - yes, it could be better, and I'd prefer metal here, but I think JD is still better than some other brands in this regard (Kubota comes to mind).

Plastic bodywork? Some people like it and some hate it. In our area the plastic fenders are a big winner. Driving through heavily wooded areas with branches scraping against the tractor takes a real toll on paint and metal bodywork, but plastic seems to hold up much better. My neighbors metal JD's, Kubota's, NH's, Fords, etc. look older than their years and hours since they're covered with rusty scratches. Plastic doesn't feel as substantial as metal but if it lasts longer without requiring paint and bodywork it seems to me it's an advantage. This is an ongoing debate where both sides have preferences and strong opinions and I'm not sure there's a winner.

It doesn't seem that many switch problems on the JD 4x10 machines have been reported, but they're still young. The switches feel fine to me. I also haven't noticed any paint problems, but I haven't examined them very closely for defects. I didn't notice the paint on Kubota's or NH's being particularly better or worse than JD. After all, they're all tractors not show cars. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif I'm sure every manufacturer could improve quality, but cost IS an object. I'd like to have every exposed metal component powder-coated, but what would that cost?

I'm reminded of all the people who say that "they don't build cars like they used to". Personally, I'm glad. Thirty years ago it seemed like every month or two I would have to repair something on my cars. I hated working on those things late into the night so I could get to work the next day. These days I drive for months or years without doing anything except for gas, oil, and lube.

If my 4310 is as reliable and maintenance free as my car and truck I'll be a happy camper. Everything else is noise.