990 3pth lift capacity

daves990 · Jun 10, 2006

Hello, I am new to the gorup and also new to the john deere world.
I have owned and operated a 195x Case 300B for 20 plus years and she has been a very reliable, allbeit ancient, tractor. I now have a used JD 990 with a 430 loader. My biggest concern is the lift capacity of the hitch. Rated at only 1550lbs., with my Farmi winch on it is now down to 900lbs. Is there anything I can do to increase the lift capacity by replacing the pump or...?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

daves990 · Jun 10, 2006

Hello, I am new to the gorup and also new to the john deere world.
I have owned and operated a 195x Case 300B for 20 plus years and she has been a very reliable, allbeit ancient, tractor. I now have a used JD 990 with a 430 loader. My biggest concern is the lift capacity of the hitch. Rated at only 1550lbs., with my Farmi winch on it is now down to 900lbs. Is there anything I can do to increase the lift capacity by replacing the pump or...?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

yellowsocks93 · Jun 12, 2006

After looking at the parts diagrams between the 990 and 970 I see they use the same hydraulic pumps and rockshaft control so I really don't see what is limiting the 990's liftiing power at the 3 point hitch. One would have to print out the part number sheets and double check but they look to be identical.

Has anyone confirmed that the 990 can't lift over 1573 lbs?

dubba · Jun 13, 2006

While I do not know if you could change the pump pressure or capacity of your rockshaft. Keep in mind that the JD rated capacity of your 3pt is (quoted from the manual)

( 3-Point Hitch
Type Category 1

Lift Capacity (24-in. behind link arms) 714 kg (1573 lb) )

So if your farmi winch is located directly on the ends of your 3pt arms, I think the capacity of the hitch would still be greater than just subtracting the winch from the total weight.

dubba · Jun 13, 2006

Ok keep in mind that I'm not an engineer, nor do I think you should take any of my advice as it will probably wreck your tractor & your life /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

That said..

I found this page on calculating load centers for forklifts

If we apply the formula to your tractor using rough measurements we get-

1573 pounds multiplied by approx 48" (24" long 3pt arms + rated capacity is 24" behind link ends) = 75504 inch pounds divided by 24" (where we want to know the capacity, at the link ends. Maybe you could use 30" to simulate the addition of the farmi winch?) = 2516 pounds capacity minus the farmi winch (which you said was 650 pounds) = 1866 pounds capacity at the farmi winch.

As an interesting side note. (also from your manual)

( Rear Axle Operating Capacity 2400 kg (5292 lb)/quote]

( Tractor Weight MFWD 1440 kg (3175 lb) )

I realize there is not 2500 pounds difference between the two, nor does it imply that all the added weight would be or should be on your 3pt, but you do have another axle /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

beagleboy · Jun 14, 2006

I called John Deere about this and they told that the 990 has the same lifting capacity as the 970 and 1070 and that it's been printed wrong. I don't know if they were telling me the truth or just telling me what I wanted to hear.

BGL990 · Jun 15, 2006

When I was researching the 990 before I bought one, I too noticed a discrepancy with the 3pt lift capacity. Most of the info I found listed ~1500lbs, but I did find a couple documents that said something significantly higher (don't remember if it was 2000 or 2500 lbs, but somewhere up there). I think it is possible that the 1500lb number is wrong and has just been propagated throughout JD's literature. It doesn't make sense that they would drop the capacity that much from the other models.

timb · Jun 15, 2006

( and that it's been printed wrong )

That's entirely possible. Those of us who have done a lot of Deere document research on the way to buying our tractors have found tons of typos. The tractors are great, the proofreading seems nonexistant.

That's really a shame for Deere in this case (if true) since for more than one shopper that lift capacity has put a negative spin on an otherwise very nice tractor.

What I found is that if any spec number seems out of line on one Deere document, keep digging. You'll sometimes find other documents that contradict and seem more in the ballpark.

daves990 · Jun 15, 2006

I am inclined to go with Timb and Beagleboy, it just does not make sense that they would manufacture a tractor of that size with a hitch rated that low. They make like tractors from a power and size standpoint that are significantly greater in lift capacity. A friend at work did not buy a 990 just because of the lift capacity.

farmlegend · Jul 25, 2006

I got a new brochure from a dealer that showed the 990 with a 3pt lift capacity of 2020# 24" behind the lift balls. Sounds more believeble.

It also showed engine hp of 42, same as the header part of the JD's 990 page on the web, but different from the "specs" page which shows 40.4.

Still, there were typos in the brochure - some of the dimensions looked suspect, and the implement/steering hydraulic gpm numbers were flip-flopped.