Hello everyone! I have to thank all of you for your discussions on John deere Tractors. I have learned so much just reading the input from all the users. I have recently purchased a new 4010 with FEL & 60" mmm & love that tractor! I am considering purchasing a blade to remove snow & am wondering if anyone has any advice on a blade for the FEL or a complete new unit & how will a complete unit will effect the mount for the MMM. Thanks again & I especially liked reading & looking at Sleephollow 's new machine!
new 4010
- Thread starter unger
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IRTEXN
Bronze Member
Congrats on your new Deere. I have the 4110 and am very happy with it. Post a pic or two of your new machine when you get a chance. Cant' be of any help on the blade, we dont do much snow removal in southeast Texas..lol Good luck
I have a 4010 as well and have had a couple of snowstorms blow through. Each dropped about 6 or 7 inches. I removed all of it with the FEL. I thought about buying a blade but the FEL seems to work pretty well once you find the float postion. I would consider buying a rear blade rather than one for the front. There seems to be a limited amount of things that a front mounted blade can do. That's my $.02 I am sure you will hae a dollars worth by the time this thread is dead
Brent
Brent
I have been looking at the blade that attaches to the FEL on JD parts.com but according to the print of the kit, it does not seem that the side to side movement is controlled by the hydralics. I will have to check with my dealer!
THANKS FOR THE INFO! I AM HAVING SECOND THOUGHTS ABOUT THE BLADE. I AGREE WITH YOU 100% ABOUT THE "FLOAT" ON THE FEL. AFTER I INITIALLY WROTE THE MESSSAGE I WAS READING SOME OF THE INFO & DISCOVERED THAT I HAD TO PLAY WITH MY FLOAT POSITION A LITTLE MORE. NEEDLESS TO SAY I THINK I HAVE BECOME BETTER AT POSITIONING THE BUCKET WHEN IT IS IN THE FLOAT POSITION. I WILL HAVE TO PLAY WITH IT SOME MORE BEFORE I DECIDE! SINCE YOU ALSO HAVE A 4010 I WAS WONDERING WHAT TIRES YOU HAVE & WHAT SIZE. I HAVE THE 29" TURF BUT I HAVE NOTICED NUMEROUS PICTURES OF 4010 MACHINES WITH BIGGER TURF TIRES. I HAVE THE JD GROUNDS CARE BUYING GUIDE & IT SPECS OUT 31" TURF. I THINK THAT THE CORRECT TIRE IS THE 29" BUT I WOULD SURE LIKE THAT EXTRA GROUND CLEARENCE
surfacewave
Member
I purchased the 54" Hydraulic blade my JD 4115 and it has performed well in cleaning up the snow (so far the max has been 16" in one snowfall). I removed the FEL and 60" MMM for snow removal (it takes about 3 minutes to remove the FEL and 3 minutes to attach the Blade). It is my opinion that the blade is very useful but I would like to have a 72" blade for the extra width beyond the rear tires when angling the blade.
I believe some advantages of the blade vs. FEL for snow removal are, more manuverability in small areas and pulling up to the back doorway and garage doors and back dragging the snow. A disadvantage is you can ony push the snow so far and could run out of space to push the snow (which has not happend yet after over 2 1/2 feet of snow). If this does occur I will remove the blade and reattach the FEL to relocate the white stuff. Even with the FEL snow relocation can become a problem if there is to much. Removal and attaching implements should not be an issue after all isn't that why we bought a tractor for working,versatility and fun?
My driveway is a "Y" shape with each leg about 35' long and 10' wide, at intersection of the legs it starts to splay out for 40' to match the garage width of 31'.
The large snow stroms this year snowfall took me approximately 1 hour to complete with the JD 4115 and only 5 minutes of manual touchup shoveling). The other small snowfalls so far have taken about 15 to 30 minutes to complete.
The tires are filled R4s without chains and have not had any real problems with traction except when the amount of snow outweighs the tractor.
I have used the blade for rough land leveling and it works quite well but your running over the dirt and do not have the visibility you would have with a back blade but you can backdrag and with a bit of practice you do just as well.
Just my opinion.
I believe some advantages of the blade vs. FEL for snow removal are, more manuverability in small areas and pulling up to the back doorway and garage doors and back dragging the snow. A disadvantage is you can ony push the snow so far and could run out of space to push the snow (which has not happend yet after over 2 1/2 feet of snow). If this does occur I will remove the blade and reattach the FEL to relocate the white stuff. Even with the FEL snow relocation can become a problem if there is to much. Removal and attaching implements should not be an issue after all isn't that why we bought a tractor for working,versatility and fun?
My driveway is a "Y" shape with each leg about 35' long and 10' wide, at intersection of the legs it starts to splay out for 40' to match the garage width of 31'.
The large snow stroms this year snowfall took me approximately 1 hour to complete with the JD 4115 and only 5 minutes of manual touchup shoveling). The other small snowfalls so far have taken about 15 to 30 minutes to complete.
The tires are filled R4s without chains and have not had any real problems with traction except when the amount of snow outweighs the tractor.
I have used the blade for rough land leveling and it works quite well but your running over the dirt and do not have the visibility you would have with a back blade but you can backdrag and with a bit of practice you do just as well.
Just my opinion.
Thanks for the input. That is great info. Just a few questions: When you removed the MMM must you also remove the frame for the mower or do you just unlatch the front & remove the 2 clips for the deck. It would be great if you had some pictures of your machine with the front blade! Did you look into getting the blade for the FEL when purchasing your blade?How do your R4's work when mowing the grass? I am considering getting the R4's & filling them for my 4010. Thanks again
Sam
Sam
surfacewave
Member
I have not found a reason to remove the frame for the MMM although it is very easy to do. Just unlatch and remove the clips. I store the MMM on its side up against the garage wall with some bungee cords to save space and keep it from being accidently knocked over. The reason I went with R4's was partly due to TBN advice and my requirements. I wanted to mow my 3+ acres of yard ( expanding) and not to give up traction in my 15 acres in the woods (some hilly). When I mow the yard I use 2 wheel drive not 4 wheel drive and have not had any problems tearing up the grass as long as your turns are not sharp (This will happen in 4wd or 2wd if your turns are sharp). Your best bet is to contour your yard based upon what the tractor can do and you will be very pleased because the 60 MMM gives a great cut. If the ground is soft (early spring or has wet areas it doesn't matter you will always leave indentations or marks even if you walk across the lawn).
I would fill your tires especially if you are going to use the FEL because it will provide more balance when the loader is being used. Keep the ballast box on and add some weight. It only helps when plowing snow (the tractor can only push up to its own weight once momentum is lost).
I did not consider the FEL mounted blade when I bought the front blade but I don't feel I lost out on anything once I reviewed the option. It might make it a bit easier to plow show by raising the blade and extra length the FEL frame provides but you still gotta change something! I paid 850 for the hydraulic blade and the only thing I would change is to get a larger width blade. For the right price which you must judge I might have gone that way.
One thing I would highly reccomend if you dont have it already is the MMM latch kit(pretty cheap at about 75 to 90 bucks). I have found it allows me to set a minimal height fot the MMM (helps prevents scalping in uneven lawn areas) and I can leave the MMM on while using my rototiller.
I failed to mention as discussed in previous threads of adding a rubber cutting edge (squeege) for the blade is an option from your dealer ( to give you an idea of what has been discussed see the link http://www.j-thomas.com/Catalog2003/page272.html). This is something I am going to add to my blade to eliminate marking and gouging on the asphalt.
I would fill your tires especially if you are going to use the FEL because it will provide more balance when the loader is being used. Keep the ballast box on and add some weight. It only helps when plowing snow (the tractor can only push up to its own weight once momentum is lost).
I did not consider the FEL mounted blade when I bought the front blade but I don't feel I lost out on anything once I reviewed the option. It might make it a bit easier to plow show by raising the blade and extra length the FEL frame provides but you still gotta change something! I paid 850 for the hydraulic blade and the only thing I would change is to get a larger width blade. For the right price which you must judge I might have gone that way.
One thing I would highly reccomend if you dont have it already is the MMM latch kit(pretty cheap at about 75 to 90 bucks). I have found it allows me to set a minimal height fot the MMM (helps prevents scalping in uneven lawn areas) and I can leave the MMM on while using my rototiller.
I failed to mention as discussed in previous threads of adding a rubber cutting edge (squeege) for the blade is an option from your dealer ( to give you an idea of what has been discussed see the link http://www.j-thomas.com/Catalog2003/page272.html). This is something I am going to add to my blade to eliminate marking and gouging on the asphalt.
Once again , good info! I have been talking to the dealer about the front blade, he is going to order it for me with no commitment. I talked to him about the 72" but the problem is that the 72 is not the quick attach type, it requires the frame that goes under the frame of the tractor & that requires the FEL & the MMM frames to be removed, so needless to say I went with the 52".
We also talked about different size tires & different types of tires in great detail. We were able to compare a couple different sizes & types that he had on the tractors he has in stock. I think I am going to go with using the 31" turf that are on the 4110 series, & fill them. I will gain about 3" of ground clearance & because it is a bigger tire I will gain a more aggressive tread. He is not sure that they will fit so we are going to take my tractor to the dealer & try it. I have told him that the picture in the Homestead magazine that is sent out by JD has a 4010 with the 31" turfs on.
I have also looked into the latch kit & have seen the pictures on the site, I beleive I am going to make my own this winter, It does not look real complicated!
I have also tried to attach some pictures, check them out!
Sam
We also talked about different size tires & different types of tires in great detail. We were able to compare a couple different sizes & types that he had on the tractors he has in stock. I think I am going to go with using the 31" turf that are on the 4110 series, & fill them. I will gain about 3" of ground clearance & because it is a bigger tire I will gain a more aggressive tread. He is not sure that they will fit so we are going to take my tractor to the dealer & try it. I have told him that the picture in the Homestead magazine that is sent out by JD has a 4010 with the 31" turfs on.
I have also looked into the latch kit & have seen the pictures on the site, I beleive I am going to make my own this winter, It does not look real complicated!
I have also tried to attach some pictures, check them out!
Sam
Anonymous Poster
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Unger,
Let me know if the 31's fit the 4010. I would consider changing mine as well--I think I have the same tires you have currently.
Bob
Let me know if the 31's fit the 4010. I would consider changing mine as well--I think I have the same tires you have currently.
Bob
I will let you know, I will prob not do it until early spring, I can only get one thing approved at a time with my boss. (if you know what I mean) I would hope my dealer would give me something for my current tires & wheels, I will talk to him when my blade arrives! I have to take more pictures to post, my cuurent pictures are to large.
Sam
Sam
Here is a picture of my 4110 with a blade mount that I fabricated from my old 425 front hydraulic blade mount. It is the same blade that is used for the 4110 except that I made it work with the loader. I have an additional double spool for the hydraulics which I ran an extra set of lines out onto the loader frame. Everything is quick attach and I can go from bucket to blade or back in less than 3 minutes. One thing about the 54" blade is that the tractor could really handle something in the 60" to 72" range. My next project is either adding hydraulic wings to the 54" blade, or creating a new hydraulic V-blade.
The blade is much faster than the bucket, plus I use the rubber strip between the blade and the cutting edge to minimize the damage to turf. With the blade, when you start to pile your snow at the end of a pass you can automatically change direction (reverse), but with the bucket, you must first lift and dump. Plus with the ability to angle the blade on the fly, you reduce the amount of rework. Don't get me wrong, I love seat time just like the next guy, but when you’re out making a buck, time is money, and rework or spring time repair to turf damage is not adding to your bottom line.
Just an update! I picked up my 54" blade & hitch for my 4010. It took me about 45mins to install. I did not have an real problems doing so. I have not got a chance to use it yet but seems like it will work well. I did have to remove the front hitch that I used for the MMM, but that was not a big deal. I am going to try & use the hitch that came with the blade with the MMM. It looks like it could possibly work.
