How many hours is too many? John deere 4520 utility

[1937]

I'm looking at a John Deere 4520 utility with almost 2200 hours. It has been well maintained and in good condition. It has a loader with a factory cab and they want $25,500 for it. Is this too many hours? Are there big ticket repairs it would need after so many hours, or concerns with hydro repairs?

 

[4570Man]

I just saw one on tractor house with 800 hours for $23,000

 

[boggen]

TractorData.com John Deere 4520 tractor information

www.tractorhouse.com

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what will the machine be used for?

 

[Zerk]

What does that have to do with hours? Great resource though.

 

[1937]

The tractor would be used to maintain 14 acres and will be used for grading, bush hogging, snow removal, tree removal and general maintenance.

 

[chevy]

I have seen JD large frame 4000 series compacts with over 6000 hours. It is not so much the number of hours, but the kind of hours & how the tractor was cared for. I have seen tractors with a few hundred hours that looked like junk & tractors with a couple thousand hours that looked like they were new.

 

[RoyJackson]

First, are you writing about the tractor shown in Boggen's link:
TractorData.com - information on all makes and models of tractors John Deere 4520 tractor information
or are you asking about the newer large CUT?

Can't write anything about the older Utility machine, since I have no experience with them. The newer 4520 has (up until 2014) a Deere Powertech engine....same one as used in the Deere skid-steers. This engine is supposed to be good for 8000 hours. The 2015 4520 CUT has a Yanmar engine...great engines! Not sure about the durability of all the tier 4 emissions crap though.
On a personal note, my 4520 CUT has 2100 hours....bought with 2075 hours on it, BTW. Runs strong and had definitely been used hard by the previous owner. But, simple machine with few extras that could break. I'd have no hesitation buying a CUT with a couple thousand hours on it.

 

[davesl708]

The hours are less important than the maintenance and how it was used or abused.
My 2004 Suburban has over 2200 hours on it and you cannot tell it has been used.
I have a friend with a 1985 Kubota with over 20,000 hrs. It was used commercial for the first 15 years of its life and now mows 10 acres and maintains 900ft of gravel road.

Regular maintenance is the key factor in longevity.

 

[1937]

Thank you for the information and yes I was referring to the the utility tractor. The tractor was owned by a golf course and used mainly for mowing.

 

[RoyJackson]

Thank you for the information and yes I was referring to the the utility tractor. The tractor was owned by a golf course and used mainly for mowing.

Then 2200 hours is extremely low for it's age (at least 35 years since manufacture)...it sat a lot more then it worked. It really depends on how easily it starts and how well it runs.
I'd change all the fluids since the oil, antifreeze and hydraulic fluids probably haven't been changed in years. I'd also look for a ROPS and seat-belt.

 

[MF283]

I would like to know who had been operating the tractor, when you put younger folks on machines that haven't had to pay for one, some will run them like they stoled it, then hopefully so responsible perso has been running it.
It's reached the broken in part & should have many more hours to go in it's life.

Ronnie

 

[Bota4me]

The hours are less important than the maintenance and how it was used or abused. My 2004 Suburban has over 2200 hours on it and you cannot tell it has been used. I have a friend with a 1985 Kubota with over 20,000 hrs. It was used commercial for the first 15 years of its life and now mows 10 acres and maintains 900ft of gravel road. Regular maintenance is the key factor in longevity.

Has that 20,000 hour Kubota been rebuilt? Thats the most ive ever heard of for a small diesel.

 

[RoyJackson]

By the way, based upon some PMs between 1937 and I, the tractor is a used CUT, not the older (1968-1970) utility tractor.

 

[jenkinsph]

I'm looking at a John Deere 4520 utility with almost 2200 hours. It has been well maintained and in good condition. It has a loader with a factory cab and they want $25,500 for it. Is this too many hours? Are there big ticket repairs it would need after so many hours, or concerns with hydro repairs?

I think that is a fair price, would not expect to have any major problems. Golf course tractor work in general is less damaging than working on newly reclaimed small parcels.

 

[davesl708]

Has that 20,000 hour Kubota been rebuilt? Thats the most ive ever heard of for a small diesel.

Not sure if it was overhauled before my friend bought it but not since he owned it. He puts about eight hours a week on it.

 

[tomd999]

Hiya,

For some comparison to automotive mileage, the fleet vehicle hour/miles equation is 33 miles driven per hour accrued. So to get a number that you may be more used to when assessing condition and value, multiply the hours by 33. in your case 2200 hours X 33 = 72,600 miles.

If your serious about purchasing, I would ask the owner/dealer to take oil samples of the engine oil and hydrostat fluid and send them to be analyzed. As these are about $30-40 each, you will need to either pony up for them yourself or negotiate with and split the cost. The oil you sample will need to have at least 20-25 hours on it to provide useful data.

Tom