Buying Advice Deere 4700 "plastic" body parts

[hartmacw]

Yesterday I went to look at a used 2000 JD 4700 with 1800 hours on it, FEL, PowerReverser tranny. The tractor ran and sounded good, all the fluids were clean, the FEL control stick was somewhat tight I thought and the loader was quite slow but no leaks. The clutch was strong - overall a good used tractor and priced right for what was on it. But I didn't buy it Almost every non-metal part on the front was busted. I hesitate to call it "plastic" because I'm sure it's more than that, probably a pretty sophisticated polymer or something but I don't really know what else it is. I have done some reading on these forums and elsewhere since yesterday and I'm starting to learn a little more about it.

The whole front assembly behind the brush guard around the headlights was completely broken away from the tractor. The side panels were not not cracked but they also weren't fitting under the hood quite correctly either, almost like something had been permanently flexed. The hood had been replaced and was new, so who knows what the original looked like. Also when I would get on and off the tractor (220 lbs) I would notice the rear fenders flexing - to me - considerably. Coincidentally, there is a 4710 for sale on craigslist in our area right now with a big chunk missing out of the hood and owner says needs TLC. Lol.

I consider myself pretty good at taking care of equipment, therefore I judged this tractor as being heavily used for hard and rough work based on the condition of the body parts - even though really everything else checked out. Am I just being too picky? It's hard for me to equate what I know about JD quality with flexing and broken parts on their equipment. Am I off base here?

Now this is funny, the inline ad at the top of my page right now as I'm typing this is: "It takes a plasticologist to solve your plastic problems. Industrial Plastic Supply, Inc." Maybe I should ask them.

 

[RG1]

The rear fenders do flex, and that is one thing that helps keep them from breaking loose like the welds on metal fenders can do over time from all the twisting etc that these machines experience. I owned a 4500 for a long time (wish I still had it too) with the same trans. As for the hood and front end- that will have to be your call. I am not able to see it to offer any valid opinion.

 

[hartmacw]

Thanks for your reply. I guess I'm not really asking for an opinion about what I saw yesterday. I'm more asking for opinions on this type of manufacturing process in general and whether I should be concerned that JD isn't making utility tractors with more rigid components. My main concern is that I might buy a new tractor and take care of it the best I can, and yet these parts might still crack, break, flex, etc. Maybe this shouldn't be a concern, I'm not sure. I know almost all the other big players are using similar components - I don't know it's just something about it that makes the equipment feel cheap to me or something.

 

[RG1]

Like I said, they did it to help reduce metal cracking, rusting, welds breaking etc. While it looks funny to many of us that are old enough to remember when they were all metal, the new ones seem to last as long or longer with any amount of care given at all.

While I still like metal, I've seen far more CUT's with metal hoods that were all dinged up, dented and/or rusting from other manu's, than I've ever seen bad from JD.

 

[hartmacw]

Yea and see that's where I was equating "broken plastic" to "lack of care" and I'm not sure that's particularly fair. I decided not to buy the tractor because in my opinion the body parts were not well cared for. What didn't really make sense to me is that the rest of the tractor *did* look well cared for. Honestly, maybe it's just me, but I'd rather see something with 1800 hours dented rather than just plain broken. But to each their own

 

[dusty3030]

Plastic versus metal on these has been and will continue to be debated forever.
Truth is whatever broke the plastic would have had enough force to bend the metal parts as bad or worse.
Ragged out is ragged out. Broken plastic body parts on one of these JD's IS a sign of heavy use / abuse. Same as if it was heavily dented or bent metal.
Ability to stand up to abuse can be debated till the cows come home. The plastic body parts do stand up and hold up well and are just as durable as sheet metal.

 

[RG1]

Yea and see that's where I was equating "broken plastic" to "lack of care" and I'm not sure that's particularly fair. I decided not to buy the tractor because in my opinion the body parts were not well cared for. What didn't really make sense to me is that the rest of the tractor *did* look well cared for. Honestly, maybe it's just me, but I'd rather see something with 1800 hours dented rather than just plain broken. But to each their own

Sounds like someone wasn't paying attention to what they had in the loader bucket and dumped it onto the front of the tractor. Regardless of body part material, damage will always be the result in that case.

 

[Coyote machine]

I get your concerns, and would shy away from that tractor in question. Your add is done by some sort of NSA type monitoring of what you're writing about- keep your eyes open, they're watching you!
If using Google Chrome there is an ad in that's called Adblock that eliminates all sidebar adds. I use it . It works well.
The plastic is probably either fiberglass or a polypropylene or composite material and ought to stand up to normal use but not abuse.
Careless operation could/would render it all messed up, as you found it to be, and worth looking elsewhere for a better cared for machine. FWIW, some lightweight material like carbonfiber is 4 times stronger than steel, and is priced accordingly on high end cars. Kioti just began replacing metal hoods with a 'plastic' of some sort. I think all the manufacturers are going this route because of weight reduction and shipping costs to bring things to the US from China, etc.
If you find something you like, or want more accurate answers, consider adding pics of the machine in question.

 

[RG1]

JD's "plastic" body parts are neither fiberglass nor any common poly material. It is a JD designed and patented material called Xenoy, and it is some tough stuff.

As a side note, Google chrome tracks where you've been and what you look at on line. Ixquick does not.

https://www.ixquick.com/

 

[kcflhrc]

Here's my take on the plastic parts. I bought a new 3032E in January. 2 weeks ago I was knocking down a portion of a pole barn with the front end loader, mistake #1. A piece of tin corrugated roofing came down on the hood and left a whole bunch of very deep gouges on the plastic. Keep in mind my tractor is very new and I just couldn't stand the thought of looking at that every time, so I ordered a new hood. Hood and decals were $387.95 including shipping from an Ebay John Deere dealer. Saved me quite a bit actually. If it was metal it would have dented it and ruined the paint, probably could have been repaired either way but I opted for the new hood. My point is, the damage on the tractor you were looking at was probably just a one time incident, not abuse. So, my new hood will be here Friday, I'm sure the decals will be a pain in the butt to put on. I think I will have my wife do it so I can blame her.