My JD 4400 problems.
2nd day of operation leaking hydraulic oil from under the seat,dealer came down found loose fitting under seat.2 weeks time 513 rotary cutter falling apart.
1st trip to shop for repairs less than a year old.
1.Would not start 1/2 the time.They installed a new solenoid and starter.
2.Differental lock failure.
3.Hydro tranny had to be replaced.
4. Lost nut on steering brake.
Tractor in shop for 3 weeks during spring planting season.
Tractor returned to my home,next day I tried to start it would not start,took about 15 minutes to get started this is a reoccuring problem that they finally got fixed about a year later.Also looking under tractor noticed leaking hydraulic oil where tractor was put back together from repairs.(small leak)
I decide I can live with leak until fall of year because I do not want to give tractor up for another 3 weeks during growing season.
I also decide I need to replace R-4 tires with R-1 tires because R-4 tires failed miserably during my 1st winter of using the tractor. I installed tires and rims myself,so I have a set of R-4 tires and rims in the barn,that I have no need for and John Deere has no need for,you think John Deere would have given me a break on the price since I asked for R-1 tires when I bought the tractor new and my dealer said they had no R-1 tires to put on the tractor and it would be a month before they could have any? No price break....After I bought the R-1 tires and told the salesman about the poor performance of the R-4 tires he said"We are still learning".
The fall of 2001 comes around and I decide I better get the hydraulic leak from the 1st warranty repair imperfection fixed,while the tractor is still under warranty.I take the tractor back to the shop and they repair(I have never had a loose wheel bolt problem yet)and also I want them to address the hard starting issue.
The tractor is brought home...leak repaired,still will not start 1/2 the time.I use the tractor a few months and I start having loose wheel bolt problems,I have to keep a socket in my toolbox to tighten the lug nuts when using the tractor.
Dealer comes to my house to install an inline electrical piece in the fuse box which finally solves the starting problem after a 1 1/2 years.I tell the field technician that I am having trouble keeping the wheel lug nuts tightened,he says we need to get this tractor in the shop.I say fine.While the tractor is in the shop I tell the dealer I would like to have a 4 in 1 loader installed,with all of the SCVs installed, ok...right at $6000.While the tractor is in the shop the dealer calls me and says the wheels centers and axles need replace and John Deere will not cover this because I field installed the wheels myself...Well I get to thinking I never had this problem before the fall of 2001 when the dealer had the tractor in the shop to fix the hydraulic leak,my point being the dealer was the last ones to have taken the wheels off and reinstalled them,I said tell the JD field rep the loose wheel bolts were not a problem until after a John Deere dealer worked on the tractor and I am not going to pay for the wheel centers/axles and labor.So they let me off the hook on this one and I have the old wheel centers and axles in my barn and I will be darned if I can see anything wrong with them compared to the new ones that were installed.Here is the kicker......After my tractor was returned I had another hydraulic leak in the same area of the original one from the hydro repair that the dealer repaired in the fall of 2001 and after about 2 HOURS of operation(day the tractor was returned to me) the freaking wheel bolts start loosening up again,I call the dealer.....they do not know what to do.... I am needing this tractor to use...I stop by the Kubota dealership to see how Kubota puts the wheels on they have a stud installed from the backside and a nut and lockwasher on the outside,I stop at my John Deere dealer and tell them what Kubota has done to there wheels,they say wow that is a good idea,I say do you have any bolts/nuts and washers that are threaded the same as the lug nuts but longer so I can fix it myself? They say no,but they(the dealer) make a few phone calls to the local auto parts stores and they cannot help me... So I drive all over 2 cities trying to find a bolt that will fit..I finally found 2 at an Auto Zone and I purchase a bottle of thread lock(blue color) and go home and make the fix....at least with 2 bolts I know the wheel will not fall of completely,periodically I have to back the bolts out with my craftsmen and put thread lock on (blue color)and re-install them and the last a little longer this way.Well in the mean time my 2 year warranty expires my differental lock fails again and I still have the small hydraulic leak and the wheel bolts stay tighter longer than they use too but still come loose. Early on in the game(1st year) my JD rep called me and told me it was "an embarasment to John Deere"for me to have had all these problems. Later on during the warranty period John Deere assigned a new field rep to my area(Marietta Ohio)and he NEVER has called me and I sent a letter to head office and no reply....So thats the way it goes the working man gets the shaft.......I have always been courteous and polite with my dealer....they give me credit and I am always paid up...Early on John Deere sent me a voucher/coupon to trade my JD 4400 in,a common voucher sent out to JD 4000 series owners when they were getting ready to introduce the new 4010 series...I talked to my dealer about trading and the voucher/coupon would not even come close to the difference they wanted on trade in....the salesman said he did not want anymore of the 4000 series setting around on the lot.....so anyway the JD 4400 still leaks a little hydro oil and I still keep my craftsmen socket in the tool box and I keep a close eye on the wheel bolts....Thanks for listening.
