Buying Advice Deere 4700 "plastic" body parts

[RG1]

Metal degrades from UV rays? I don't think so. As far as paint... Keep it waxed and it will look good for years... Just like your vehicle.

Come on dude, you're just trying to be obstinate now. The paint fades on metal. The paint fades on the JD plastic (yes, they are painted). Both can be brought back to great condition with the right stuff, but the JD Xenoy in particular polishes up to like new condition with Kit car polish quite easily.

 

[RG1]

Believe me, I'm not just being a JD fanboy here. I own all JD right now, but my next ZTR will be a Gravely, my next tractor.....who knows? Even though I like their products, I don't like all the JD bean counters and how the corp is running things anymore. I do know it won't be a Kubby even though i think they make a nice tractor. They can't seem to figure out that turning brakes and hydro pedals should be on opposite sides of the platform, and they are just so hideous looking anymore that I could never drop money on one. The new Massey's look really nice though, so maybe.........

 

[mfridenmaker]

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/

I don't believe JD designed and patented Xenoy. Uses it, yes. Designed and patented it, no.

 

[hartmacw]

Well thanks everyone for such a lively discussion, I was surprised there's such a debate over this issue really. I thought I'd just hear either "no big deal" or "it sucks" one or the other. Honestly from the entire thread I'd call the debate 50/50. All I will say is this - if I'm in the market for a used tractor, I'm not dropping 5 figures on it with busted pieces and panels that don't fit right. If the seller would have replaced the busted parts and priced the machine accordingly, I might have. It's sort of like putting a fresh coat of paint in a house right before you sell it that really helps. I'm sure he'll find a buyer, but I just find it hard to buy something that's physically broken because I use that as a gauge on how the machine was used in the past, fair or not. And I don't care that the parts aren't metal necessarily, but it does seem to me like they should be a little more rigid. The front panels and hood seemed really flimsy to me and really turned me off. Watch, I'll probably still end up buying one :cool2:

 

[fieldman12]

The hood in the attached picture is 24 years old and has seen a ton of sunlight. Like I said, it is all in how you take care of them. You can get good or bad from any brand. My neighbor is a IH Cub Cadet fan. he has had far more trouble with his metal hoods than I have with my plastic ones. The only garden tractor hoods that I have ever seen just plain fail were mishandled by their owners even though their owners didn't think they were doing so. I've owned a couple 445's, a GX 335, a 318, 140 H3, 112 , LT133, 2- 240's, a Toro 267H, and a couple others I can't recall right off. None ever had any issue with their plastic parts. None.

You have one of the older style Deere's that had a better built hood and that body style was not as common for Deere. The ones I have seen are 2000 and up I see issues with. I know for a fact ours was taken excellent care of. Also my buddy has a LT133 that the hole entire hood ripped out when I was there watching him. He did absolutley nothing wrong. He grabbed the built in grab handle to open the hood slowly and the hole top broke completely out and I witnessed the whole thing. Now unless you call using the grab handle mishandling I dont see any other way to open it up. What IH Cub Cadet you talking about? I been around many Cub Cadets with metal hoods and I could sit on one and not have any issue out of them. Only issue I ever saw was the latches that hold the hood down on our 125 and that had nothing to do with the hood. Try to sit on a plastic Deere hood that is ten years old and then try on an IH and see which breaks.

 

[fieldman12]

The newer Deeres I know also have a tighter fit down onto the machines. You have to pull it past the plastic latches to open them which I think also causes them to crack. They are there to keep the rattles out but it takes a little force to get one to open. All of them I have been around are that way since new.

 

[RG1]

You have one of the older style Deere's that had a better built hood and that body style was not as common for Deere. The ones I have seen are 2000 and up I see issues with. I know for a fact ours was taken excellent care of. Also my buddy has a LT133 that the hole entire hood ripped out when I was there watching him. He did absolutley nothing wrong. He grabbed the built in grab handle to open the hood slowly and the hole top broke completely out and I witnessed the whole thing. Now unless you call using the grab handle mishandling I dont see any other way to open it up. What IH Cub Cadet you talking about? I been around many Cub Cadets with metal hoods and I could sit on one and not have any issue out of them. Only issue I ever saw was the latches that hold the hood down on our 125 and that had nothing to do with the hood. Try to sit on a plastic Deere hood that is ten years old and then try on an IH and see which breaks.

That style of tractor (my 240) was very popular. They are the pre-runner to the 325/335/345/355 and later GX versions of same. There are a ton of them around.

I owned a LT 133 for several years, and used it to cut some of my smaller, tight properties commercially. I never had any issues with the hood at all.

The IH CC's I am talking about are older late '60's and early '70's models. yes, they were built for stout, but he has had several of them that were rusted out on the hood badly after so many years. Some of them would not open or close properly without major re-work. I know, because I have helped him work on them.

I agree that the smaller and/or less expensive models like they sell at BB stores have thinner and cheaper hoods on them. I also recognize quite a few people have had problems with them. I've even overheard several people say "It's a JD. It ought to be able to handle anything...." when talking to the guys in the outdoor power equipment area at one of the local BB stores I go to quite often. Those are the kind of people that will break something sooner rather than later, and the type of people I was referring to about mistreating their equipment.

 

[RG1]

I don't believe JD designed and patented Xenoy. Uses it, yes. Designed and patented it, no.

This is correct,and I should have been more accurate in my statement.

JD was the first to design their hoods (and other panels) using it, and they had exclusive rights to the use of the product for use on their equipment for a long time, but it is my understanding that that is no longer in effect.

 

[PapaPerk]

You have one of the older style Deere's that had a better built hood and that body style was not as common for Deere. The ones I have seen are 2000 and up I see issues with. I know for a fact ours was taken excellent care of. Also my buddy has a LT133 that the hole entire hood ripped out when I was there watching him. He did absolutley nothing wrong. He grabbed the built in grab handle to open the hood slowly and the hole top broke completely out and I witnessed the whole thing. Now unless you call using the grab handle mishandling I dont see any other way to open it up. What IH Cub Cadet you talking about? I been around many Cub Cadets with metal hoods and I could sit on one and not have any issue out of them. Only issue I ever saw was the latches that hold the hood down on our 125 and that had nothing to do with the hood. Try to sit on a plastic Deere hood that is ten years old and then try on an IH and see which breaks.

Once again more proof to support my comments.

And as you see above the OP doesn't want a tractor with a failing plastic body. They make the machine look like complete junk.

 

[wthompson]

Sorry to hear you had to go through that.

What will happen when Deere quits making the fenders and hoods? Then I guess the tractors will be naked.

Don't be sorry the hood and panels are very easy to replace just hard on the wallet. That's the only large expense other than normal filter and fluid maintenace.
They will stop making them I'm sure. Actually someone else probably makes them for deere and by the time i need them again (if and when, i have a good shelter to keep it under now) mybe the aftermarket will offer them.