Cruise control 4300 JD

[stuart]

I am having a problem with the cruise control on my 4300 JD. I was wondering if any of the other JD owners in the series are or were having problems. Tractor has hydrostatic transmission and 25 hours on it. The cruise control switch on the dash activates (lights up as well) a magnet underneath the floor board. This magnet is supposed to hold the foot pedal firmly in place, but alas and alack, it does not. The tractor slowly loses forward speed as the pressure of the pedal linkage works against it trying to return the tractor to a stopped position. It seems that the magnet is just not strong enough to hold the cast iron pedal in place to maintain the tractor forward momentum.
When I turn the cruise control switch off the tractor stops.
Assuming for a moment that everything is working the way JD plannedd it to, I have looked for some way to reduce the tension on the pedal but cannot locate any way to adjust it. I would greatly appreciate your thoughts on my dilemma.

 

[MikePA]

[Moved here from general Owning/Operating since it's specific to JD]

 

[beenthere]

Seems you have an adjustment problem that will be under warranty. Take the problem to your dealer, as I suspect the magnet is to blame, not the spring tension on the pedal. You may cause more headaches than you cure, if you work on the spring tension.

 

[centex]

It does not work on mine either. The light on the dash comes on but the magnet does not engage and the tractor just stops moving when I take my foot off the pedal. I checked to see that the wires to the magnet were connected. I am not very impressed with JD quality. I would not buy another JD tractor.

 

[RayDiers]

Check with your dealer, my dealer asked me if I was having trouble with the speed control when I visited him. He said that others were having problems. Sounds like he was repairing unnder warranty.

Ray

 

[dsulli]

My 4300 cruise has never worked. It hasn't bothered me enough to take it to the dealer, but I will before the warranty runs out.

 

[Tags]

Centex,
What other things were/are you not impressed with on your JD tractor?

 

[Chris_VA]

I have/had the same problem with my late 2001 4400. My old 4200 had a steel plate on the forward pedal. The new 4400 has no steel plate and the magnet can only hold to the cast pedal. I've had the dealer order the steel plate and I'll tap and bolt it to the pedal. I'll let you know if that fixes it.

Sucks that Deere deletes this plate just to save a few bucks.

Chris

 

[stuart]

Since I posted this complaint I figured I should advise that the tractor has been repaired. Dealer ground down the foot pedal to create a flat surface for the magnet to hold. problem solved

 

[centex]

Tags, sorry that I did not see your question until now. I have to say that I am overall satisfied with the JD tractor but the following things bug me:

1. The cruise control never worked. The light comes on but it just sotps if I take my foot off the forward pedal.

2. It is plastic! I know that plastic is supposed to be better in a lot of ways than metal for things like hoods and fenders but I have never repeat never had anything plastic that did not break and this tractor is no exception. I can fix metal a lot easier than plastic which usually has to be replaced. On the other hand it is either broken or perfect - no dents waiting to be fixed.

3. The parking brake light is flakey. It usually does does not go off unless I reset and release the parking brake 2 or three times.

4. The dash foggs up if I run the engine hard for any length of time.

5. I have a 48HP machine but when I have to drive on the highway to get to another part of my property it won't climb the hill without bogging down. I think it is some kind of problem with the hydrostatic transmission. I think the hydrostatic transmissions are convenient but just a lot of problems waiting to happen. If I was doing it again I would get a manaul transmission.

6. Wheel bolts won't stay tight.

7. FEL attachment is flimsy. It is very easy to remove and replace but I had it come loose under load and was lucky to spot it before something broke.

8. Lousy mechanics at the dealer. They screw everything up they touch. I have had the same experience with all mechanics but I thought maybe tractor mechanics might be a little better than auto mechanics. I do all my own work on my cars, motorcycle, and tractor but when I have to let mechanics touch something I double check everything so I can fix their screwups.

Overall though I have now put 90 hours on the tractor and it is working well. The only major problem is the cruise control and I have only needed it a few times for mowing and even then it is not that important. I would not have paid extra for it. I looked at Kubota, New Holland, and John Deere. At first I thought JD was overpriced but I was just looking at list prices. I found that when I got quotes JD was very competitive. I know this is a controversial statement but when I compared specifications the JD tractors came out ahead on just about every spec. That is good except when I have to trailer the tractor. It is big and heavy for a compact tractor. I suspect that the quality is as good as either of the other two major brands. I bought a JD48 backhoe with my tractor and after I corrected the things the mechanic screwed up when he installed it I have to say that I don't know how anyone can do without one of these. It is the single most implement I have and as someone else said on this forum it would not be possible to make something easier to attach than JD has done with this and their FEL. It takes a couple of minutes to put them on or take take off. I have a fork lift attachment for my FEL and it is so easy to switch between the bucket and forks.

The other good thing about JD at least around here is that there is a JD dealer in just about every town so there is always one nearby to gets parts from. There are four JD dealers within 30 miles of my place. There is only one Kubota dealer anywhere near me and he is 70 miles away. There are a couple of New Holland dealers closer but I did not like them and I have never liked or trusted anything associated with Ford.

 

[Mike_S]

Centex--dunno if your brake system is similar to that of the 4400 HST models, but if so--you might check to see if the brakes are dragging due to being set too tight at the factory. This happened to my first 4400 (an early model with LOTS of engineering and quality control problems) and after using it for a while, and then attempting to use road gear to travel a couple of miles, the tractor could not pull ANY grades without lugging down and it was determined that the brakes were dragging. Also, I found yesterday when I was driving my tractor home after a few hours of FEL work, that it lugged down and I had to stop it and shift into 2nd range to finish going up the hill--BUT this one was my fault--had put the ROPS down and lifted the rear blade with the top link actively pushing against the ROPS and with the hydraulic valve open, it did not have enough fizz to get up the hill--DUH on my part. I remember the dealer telling me to shake the brake rods to see if they had any play (brings back BAD memories of THAT tractor). Mike S.

 

[centex]

Mike, I will check to see that there is some slack in my brake rods but I think the lugging down on the hill is due to something else. If I let up on the forward pedal the engine rpm comes back up so it just seems like the engine loads up. It seems to me that it should have more power but this tractor weighs 6000# with the backhoe and loader attached so maybe 48HP is still kind of low power for pushing that much weight up a hill. I now climb the hill in the intermediate range. I wanted to use the high range to get maximum speed so I can get off the highway as quickly as possible. It is a 70mph road and there is no shoulder on the part I have to travel. I avoid it as much as possible and drive across the creek when it is low but I cannot get across with the backhoe attached.