4400 Opinion

[Leebo24]

New to the forum. Thank you in advance for any and all info. Looking to buy a JD 4400 with over 4,000 hours. I know history of use has a lot to do with it, but does anyone have an opinion on this tractor with this many hours? I will be using it for residential use around property. Lifting logs, moving soil, and grading when needed.

 

[pmsmechanic]

If the price is right I wouldn't be scared to buy it. My 4410 has around 3000 hours and it's not leaving my possession anytime soon.

That being said: How does the tractor look? How does it start when cold? Has it been taken care of? Small stuff fixed etc? It would be kind of nice to know some of this before offering advice.

 

[Leebo24]

I really appreciate your reply. Tractor has some surface rust in some areas from what I can see in pictures. Does come with pallet forks and a fully enclosed hard cab (Cozy Cab) with heat. I have not looked at the machine in person yet. Hope to this weekend or next week. Anything in particular I should look for?

 

[super55]

I did the same about 3 years ago. I bought a JD 4400 with over 4k hours over 800 miles away and only went off of FaceTime videos. Ironically mine had a cab as well.

The motor should have zero issues other then maybe some blue smoke on initial startup from just worn valve stem seals. Yanmar makes bulletproof small diesel engines.

Things to look out for. Lift the rubber floor mat and inspect. This model has a stamped steel floorboard and is prone to rusting. Mine was, but I just scraped and painted rustoelum over and hasn't been an issue since.

Big thing to look for is smooth shifting of the PTO, 4wd and Range levers. This model uses all mechanical linkage but does have its weak spots particularly in the range selector. The range selector can be temperamental at times but if you creep the tractor fwd or reverse it usually drops right in similar to the old days of engaging 4wd on old vehicles.

If you do buy it. I'd recommend mixing 50/50 diesel/used motor oil and spray underneath where all the linkage is located and back by the rockshaft cylinders. It can help save some binding linkage and seals. Also take the front dipstick on the front axle if 4wd and drill a tiny hole in it so it can vent. Otherwise it will likely blow out a wheel seal that JDs are notorious for.

Buying used there is always a risk but for me I couldn't be happier.

 

[zzvyb6]

Just went thru a 4400 owned by the county and purchased at their annual equipment auction. A REALLY nice machine, Quick starting even in 20 deg weather. Hydrostat. ~35 hp. The perfect haying tractor for a beginner. 4WD with QA equipped loader. Easy on and off.

This machine could not be put into a higher transmission range. The range selection shaft going into the transmission had broken off. JD dealer says this is a common problem with these models. Replacement part was in the toolbox. So: pull off the seat, a dozen bolts off the transmission case top, pull off the c clip holding the broken shaft in, pop in the new one and put it back together. Caused by 2 situations: The range selector shaft has a groove cut into it to hold an O-ring right at the inside of the case. The groove is deep and severely weakens the shaft strength. If the lever handle is not installed properly, the transmission's gear forks are the 'stop', instead of the external handle 'stop', so you tend to over travel the shaft, it twists and eventually fails. Some guys have had a shaft made without the O-ring groove. You don't have to split the tractor to fix this problem. About a 4 hour job. The plastic hood, front grill and side panel parts are very flimsy. I bought a whole new aftermarket set from an ebay seller. PERFECT fit.

This machine also came with worn out R3 turf tires. We put brand new Titan R4s on the OEM turf wheels and it's a pretty sweet machine. No problems now with shifting or 4wd engagement. No scrub front to rear either. Get a weight box because the loader can pick up more than the empty rear wheels can hold down.

The FWD/REV pedals have to be aligned perfectly in order to start it. Otherwise lots of hair loss.

BTW: we saved the Rimguard from the turfs by draining it out into buckets, then pumped it back in to the R4s with a 12V sprayer pump. No DEF, no codes, no problems. Fits under a garage door withe the ROPS folded.

I'd call it a powerful Subcompact CUT. Smaller frame than my 1070 with same tires and engine power. You can get spoiled by the HS transmission.

 

[Leebo24]

I did the same about 3 years ago. I bought a JD 4400 with over 4k hours over 800 miles away and only went off of FaceTime videos. Ironically mine had a cab as well.

The motor should have zero issues other then maybe some blue smoke on initial startup from just worn valve stem seals. Yanmar makes bulletproof small diesel engines.

Things to look out for. Lift the rubber floor mat and inspect. This model has a stamped steel floorboard and is prone to rusting. Mine was, but I just scraped and painted rustoelum over and hasn't been an issue since.

Big thing to look for is smooth shifting of the PTO, 4wd and Range levers. This model uses all mechanical linkage but does have its weak spots particularly in the range selector. The range selector can be temperamental at times but if you creep the tractor fwd or reverse it usually drops right in similar to the old days of engaging 4wd on old vehicles.

If you do buy it. I'd recommend mixing 50/50 diesel/used motor oil and spray underneath where all the linkage is located and back by the rockshaft cylinders. It can help save some binding linkage and seals. Also take the front dipstick on the front axle if 4wd and drill a tiny hole in it so it can vent. Otherwise it will likely blow out a wheel seal that JDs are notorious for.

Buying used there is always a risk but for me I couldn't be happier.

This is all great info. Thank you very much for your time. I will make sure to check these things over when I take a look and get back to you. Glad to hear that the motor is solid. I have some experience with them in golf course applications and have always found them to be very reliable.

 

[Leebo24]

Just went thru a 4400 owned by the county and purchased at their annual equipment auction. A REALLY nice machine, Quick starting even in 20 deg weather. Hydrostat. ~35 hp. The perfect haying tractor for a beginner. 4WD with QA equipped loader. Easy on and off.

This machine could not be put into a higher transmission range. The range selection shaft going into the transmission had broken off. JD dealer says this is a common problem with these models. Replacement part was in the toolbox. So: pull off the seat, a dozen bolts off the transmission case top, pull off the c clip holding the broken shaft in, pop in the new one and put it back together. Caused by 2 situations: The range selector shaft has a groove cut into it to hold an O-ring right at the inside of the case. The groove is deep and severely weakens the shaft strength. If the lever handle is not installed properly, the transmission's gear forks are the 'stop', instead of the external handle 'stop', so you tend to over travel the shaft, it twists and eventually fails. Some guys have had a shaft made without the O-ring groove. You don't have to split the tractor to fix this problem. About a 4 hour job. The plastic hood, front grill and side panel parts are very flimsy. I bought a whole new aftermarket set from an ebay seller. PERFECT fit.

This machine also came with worn out R3 turf tires. We put brand new Titan R4s on the OEM turf wheels and it's a pretty sweet machine. No problems now with shifting or 4wd engagement. No scrub front to rear either. Get a weight box because the loader can pick up more than the empty rear wheels can hold down.

The FWD/REV pedals have to be aligned perfectly in order to start it. Otherwise lots of hair loss.

BTW: we saved the Rimguard from the turfs by draining it out into buckets, then pumped it back in to the R4s with a 12V sprayer pump. No DEF, no codes, no problems. Fits under a garage door withe the ROPS folded.

I'd call it a powerful Subcompact CUT. Smaller frame than my 1070 with same tires and engine power. You can get spoiled by the HS transmission.

This is all great info. Thank you very much for your time. Great info about transmission and the shaft becoming weak. I think the tires will need to be replaced shortly, which will cost some coin. I was thinking the same as you ... R4 tires.

 

[Leebo24]

Any opinions on SyncReverser Vs. two pedal hydro?

 

[pmsmechanic]

Any opinions on SyncReverser Vs. two pedal hydro?

From what I understand both are good transmissions. I only have experience with the hydro. I enjoy it for front end loader work and actually for everything I do with it. You always have the right speed. Some whine about the hydrostatic whine but I honestly never noticed it until people complained about it. If you are doing steady hard pulling all day long then I think the SyncReverser transmission would have an advantage. For everything else it's hard to beat the hydro.

 

[Leebo24]

OK. I was thinking the same thing. For most of my work, I think the hydro would be best for the same reason you stated ... match ground speed easiest. Wanted to make sure there was not any major drawback I was not thinking about.

 

[super55]

My 4400 is hydro and my 4310 is e-reversor (like a gen 2 sync-reverser). Both have their advantages. The hydro is great for finesse work like loader/pallet fork or snow plowing (pretty much always in range B). I prefer my reverser as stated by pms for 3 point or draw bar work. Reason being, The hydro trans will lose power long before the engine will when doing heavy work. With the sync trans you can really maximize PTO hp. If I drum mow hay with my hydro would take twice as long but when using the mini round baler the hydro is great because of the constant stopping to twine and adjusting speeds according to the windrows.

You can get just as fast and efficient in short time with the sync as you could with a hydro on task but the biggest pain is you always have to set the park brake and put in neutral when getting on and off the tractor because the direction lever is easy to accidentally bump when getting on/off the tractor.

The 4x00 series are a really good tractor especially if you are able to turn a wrench. In that I mean there is about 60% less electronics to go wrong when compared to the 4x10 series that followed it when everything when "e" for electronic sending.

One other thing is these loader frames have a tendency to bounce and rattle on the quick connect mounts but its an easy fix. You can just get some thin gauge steel and create shims on the mounts and it will get rid of the noisy bumps and rattles from it.

 

[Leebo24]

This will be my first tractor purchase. I have been around equipment my whole life, but never owned a personal tractor. I really appreciate all the info. I am hesitant to spend this kind of money, but on the flips side I know it will be well worth it, as long as I make an informed decision. Guy is asking 12K. Seems like a fair price for a tractor with cab, heat, and pallet forks with 4,600 hours.

 

[super55]

I paid 11k for mine with 4100 hrs with cab, loader, plow and mower but this was several years ago. used tractor prices have gone up since covid since manufacturers shut down. 12k with todays supply seems fair but might want to try to offer lower. Dealers are getting equipment back in stock and are offering 0%. Be sure to shop around a bit and hit tractor house to see what comparable equipment with features is going for to get a good idea.

 

[pmsmechanic]

One other thing is these loader frames have a tendency to bounce and rattle on the quick connect mounts but its an easy fix. You can just get some thin gauge steel and create shims on the mounts and it will get rid of the noisy bumps and rattles from it.

I did as you on my 955 with a 420 loader. Since then on my 4410 I've discovered an easier way. The mounting holes on the fel bracket that stays on the tractor are slotted. If you loosen the bolts and turn the bracket slightly the loader will tighten up without the use of shims. I've also contemplated taking the brackets off and building up the worn spots. I haven't tried that yet but once adjustment doesn't take out the slack I will.

 

[Green N Orange]

New to the forum. Thank you in advance for any and all info. Looking to buy a JD 4400 with over 4,000 hours. I know history of use has a lot to do with it, but does anyone have an opinion on this tractor with this many hours? I will be using it for residential use around property. Lifting logs, moving soil, and grading when needed.

Thanks for the post. just bought a 4400 and range selector rod is fine but not shifing out of low at first then now its stuck in high. lever moves freely but not moving forks im guessing. will pull the top to see