BlaisePascal
Member
Hi,
I drove to check out a Branson 4720h that has just a couple hundred hours on it. I was ready to fall in love, but I was surprised at how beat
up it looks. However, I don't know if I'm being too picky, since I haven't shopped for used tractors before. My current tractor (JD 5105) came with the house and land a few years ago.
Here are the issues that I found after going through the checklist that I posted here.
* The hydrostatic transmission needs to be adjusted. The tractor continues to move after releasing the forward or reverse pedals. I had to tap the other pedal to get it to stop; using the brakes wasn't sufficient.
* The hydro whined when using medium or high range (it was 40 degrees F outside). When starting to move on level ground in high range at idle speed, the hydro chattered and whined and the tractor stalled. It didn't stall at higher rpm, but still whined.
* The front end of the tractor and the FEL are pretty beat up. The bar that runs across the bucket width behind the bucket looks like it was broken and rewelded in the middle.
*Everything on the FEL seems straight and in line. The tractor nose guard is bent where it attaches to the tractor.
* The dealer reported a 5 or 6 drip oil leak and said, "Our Service Mgr. said it is the oil filter base/housing that is bolted to the block. He said it is easily accessible and should be a simple job." It wasn't leaking today, but they said that would fix it anyway.
* Other minor problems are a rip in the seat, the PTO shield is bent, and the 3 pt. top link is missing.
* Does the FEL look like it has been properly lubricated?
* Is this much dirt and grime around the headlights normal? A seal on the bottom of the hood was hanging loose, so I wonder if too much dust got into it.
The tractor started fine every time except once. That time it started after turning the PTO switch on and off. I hadn't touched the PTO switch up to that point.
The FEL and front wheels didn't have noticeable play in the them. The FEL, 3 pt. hitch and PTO all moved as expected, although the dealer didn't have any load that I could pick up with the FEL or equipment that I could attach to the 3 pt. hitch. They sell much bigger tractors.
I didn't notice any leaks. The air filter and radiator were dirty, but not clogged. The oil level was good and there was no froth on the stick after running the tractor. There was no battery corrosion. I didn't notice any smoke when starting the engine.
The brakes seemed okay: the engine did stall when I tried to move while holding the brakes. All three HST ranges worked, including reverse. There wasn't noticeable slop in the steering wheel. The emissions light blinked, but not every time that I started it.
Here are a few more photos.
View attachment 574873
So in addition to your thoughts on the individual issues above, I'd also appreciate your overall assessment. It this normal wear and tear for a tractor with a couple hundred hours, or was this tractor used too hard and should be avoided?
Thanks!
I drove to check out a Branson 4720h that has just a couple hundred hours on it. I was ready to fall in love, but I was surprised at how beat
up it looks. However, I don't know if I'm being too picky, since I haven't shopped for used tractors before. My current tractor (JD 5105) came with the house and land a few years ago.
Here are the issues that I found after going through the checklist that I posted here.
* The hydrostatic transmission needs to be adjusted. The tractor continues to move after releasing the forward or reverse pedals. I had to tap the other pedal to get it to stop; using the brakes wasn't sufficient.
* The hydro whined when using medium or high range (it was 40 degrees F outside). When starting to move on level ground in high range at idle speed, the hydro chattered and whined and the tractor stalled. It didn't stall at higher rpm, but still whined.
* The front end of the tractor and the FEL are pretty beat up. The bar that runs across the bucket width behind the bucket looks like it was broken and rewelded in the middle.
*Everything on the FEL seems straight and in line. The tractor nose guard is bent where it attaches to the tractor.
* The dealer reported a 5 or 6 drip oil leak and said, "Our Service Mgr. said it is the oil filter base/housing that is bolted to the block. He said it is easily accessible and should be a simple job." It wasn't leaking today, but they said that would fix it anyway.
* Other minor problems are a rip in the seat, the PTO shield is bent, and the 3 pt. top link is missing.
* Does the FEL look like it has been properly lubricated?
* Is this much dirt and grime around the headlights normal? A seal on the bottom of the hood was hanging loose, so I wonder if too much dust got into it.
The tractor started fine every time except once. That time it started after turning the PTO switch on and off. I hadn't touched the PTO switch up to that point.
The FEL and front wheels didn't have noticeable play in the them. The FEL, 3 pt. hitch and PTO all moved as expected, although the dealer didn't have any load that I could pick up with the FEL or equipment that I could attach to the 3 pt. hitch. They sell much bigger tractors.
I didn't notice any leaks. The air filter and radiator were dirty, but not clogged. The oil level was good and there was no froth on the stick after running the tractor. There was no battery corrosion. I didn't notice any smoke when starting the engine.
The brakes seemed okay: the engine did stall when I tried to move while holding the brakes. All three HST ranges worked, including reverse. There wasn't noticeable slop in the steering wheel. The emissions light blinked, but not every time that I started it.
Here are a few more photos.
View attachment 574873
So in addition to your thoughts on the individual issues above, I'd also appreciate your overall assessment. It this normal wear and tear for a tractor with a couple hundred hours, or was this tractor used too hard and should be avoided?
Thanks!
