New owner/operator of old tractor

[xp190]

Hi Everyone

First post on your forum, although I did do quite a bit of reading through it, I finally decided to join

I have just acquired my first tractor, a 1985 John Deere 750 with Mechanical front wheel drive (MFWD).
It's in really good condition, has about 3600 hours on the meter, no leaks, a few bangs and scratches, no rust.

As a brand new owner, I have no idea how to work this thing, I can drive it easy, but I'm not too sure of all the controls, here is what I figured out so far, please correct me if I'm wrong:

Levers with red knobs are for driving, gear shift - between legs, 4x4 off or on - by left foot, high-lo selector - by right foot. Yellow knobs are for PTO, by left foot PTO on/off, by right hand side PTO height adjustment, although this one is missing the knob. The ones I'm not sure about are the turn knob under the seat, I don't know what it does, and the knob-less lever/pedal by the right foot, I think it's a differential lock, but I haven't tried it yet.

The gear selector has multiple numbers listed in a single position, I'm guessing this is to mark the difference between hi/lo ranges, it moves fairly quick in 8th gear, I had to drive it home from the auction where I got it as my trailer was too light duty for this big machine.

Now for the technical issues
The wiring is a huge mess, I have a diagram of what it should be, so far I noticed that all the safeties have been cut out, I fixed that already, just the PTO neutral switch needed adjusting. There is a red wire that was cut by the alternator which runs up to the console, but I can't get the steering wheel off to see where it goes exactly, it looks like an extra, and if connected to anything causes relays to click and shorts out the system, so I left it out. The water temp sender is not connected, its wire is cut and left out, I'm working on fixing that. The 3 lights on the console which from what I can tell are charging system, water temp and oil pressure do not all seem to work, and if they do I can't tell if they are reliable.
The charging light seems to be fine, it stays on all the time, and that is most likely since the voltage regulator is dead, so once the battery runs out, nothing works as it is not being charged, new regulator is on it's way, so when I plug it in I'll know if the light works or not. The water temp light does not come on at all, and oil light only comes on with the key on.

One question here, with the key in the on position, should all the warning lights come on? Kind of like they do in cars so you know that they all work?

Glow plugs are not on a timer, you simply turn the key left and hold for a few seconds, then flip right over to crank the starter, is that all there is to it?

Implements, there are a few I'm looking for. From what I know, this is a category 1, 3 point hitch, so implements should be no bigger than 4'.
I'm looking for a snow blower, scraper blade, pole boom, flail mower, and if I ever find them, a FEL and backhoe attachment as well as any forestry attachments.
Are there any restrictions on these ie: This is a John Deere therefore you must use x y z. I can see this with the FEL, but what about the others?

And finally, maintenance, this is a big ticket item for me. I've been fixing cars and other machines for quite a few years, engine and transmission rebuilds are all on that list, so I'm not afraid to tackle anything, I just don't touch tires since I don't have the equipment for that. Are there downloadable maintenance manuals for this machine anywhere? It's not new at all, I hope someone can point me to something out there.

Overall I'm very happy with this purchase, I was going back and forth between multiple lawn mowers, snow blowers, renting etc etc, this, with a few attachments will solve all my issues, as long as it runs well. The highest priority item is snow removal during winter, so I hope it starts well in this cold Canadian climate. My dad who is now retired will be in charge when I'm not there to take care of the snow, but there is so much more you can do with one of these. One of my hobbies is managing a small forest close by, where no one has set foot in many years, I plan to use this tractor to help me haul some big logs out of there.

I appreciate any input, advice, suggestions you guys could share. I don't know why, but it feels like I wanted a tractor all my life, it's just now that I finally got my hands on one, it will have a good life in my hands, as all my machines do.

Cheers

xp

 

[RaydaKub]

Hi XP, :welcome: to TBN.

I've heard the 750 model number before, but I don't know the machine (size, weight, hp).
The 3ph attachments are generic indeed, just get the Cat 1 stuff and it should be fine. I have a Kubota BX2230. It's 22hp diesel. My belly mower is 5 feet and it handles that very easily. I just bought a cat 1, 5 foot scraper blade and in the grading I did Saturday, it feels like a pretty good fit.

Sorry to hear about the wiring. You're a brave man! Hope you get it all patched together and have many happy hours in the seat.

 

[Verticaltrx]

First off, go to your local Deere dealer and order an operators manual. You can also go to the Technical publication part of the Deere website https://techpubs.deere.com/ and order it online, the manual you need is OMRW15455.

As for what you have now, it sounds like you have most of the controls figured out. The manual will give you the 'finer details' on how to operate some of the controls (what sequence, etc). The knob under the seat is most likely a 'rate of drop' valve, and it will control how quickly the three-point hitch arms go down when you move the lever. The lever by your right hand is probably the three-point hitch lever, and would have originally had a black knob on it. The PTO lever may need the clutch to be pressed in to engage it, I can't recall on that model. As for the little foot pedal thing, it's either a differential lock or a foot throttle, again, it's been a long time since I've been on one of those tractors. Also, after buying something at an auction I'd go through and replace all the fluids, filters, etc. Again, an operators manual will be invaluable here.

The size of implements are going to depend on what type of implement and how 'hard' you are using them. Category 1 implements range in size from 3' up to 7-8' depending on what they are, so width isn't the only determining factor. With 18hp on the PTO you'll probably want a 3.5-4' rotary cutter (Bush hog), a 4' flail mower, or maybe a 5' finishing mower, depending on what you are cutting. A snow blower you are probably going to be limited to 4-4.5' due to power requirements. You could use a 5' scrape blade, maybe even a 6' for light work, and a 4-5' box blade. Any cat. I boom pole should work. The loader and backhoe I would definitely look for original Deere brand units, especially for the loader (I think it was a model 67 loader that came on those). If you want and aftermarket backhoe Woods makes some nice ones that should fit, just be sure to get a sub-frame with it.

Good luck. :thumbsup:

 

[wolftree]

Once you have the onwers manual, go around the tractor checking that all bolts and nuts are torqued to spec. Find all grease zerks and grease them, they find strange places to hide them that the manual will help you find.

 

[xp190]

Hi folks

Thank you for all your kind input. I've been fixing things up on the tractor asI'm waiting on a few things on order to come in.
I have the wiring sorted out and assuming that the oil and water temp switches work, they should light up if trouble comes around.
I was thinking about putting an actual temp gauge on the instrument cluster, fairly simple job, I'm just wondering about the sending unit, is there a specific size, type or make I would need to look after, or would a generic one from an auto parts store work?

The extra wire I found was used to bypass all the safeties on the tractor, I'm not sure why someone would go through all this trouble when it was just the pto neutral safety that needed a slight adjustment, seems that pulling a wire and demolishing the cluster and a lot of wiring is a bit overkill to fix such a simple issue. It's all back in working order now, although some of the wires look melted/worn through the insulation, nothing a bit of shrink wrap insulation can't fix.

Question on paint, my local TSC store carries John Deere green paint, can this stuff go right over rust like termclad or rust paint? I found a few spots that would look a lot better painted green as opposed to the reddish rusty color it has now.

Where would I look for a Front end loader for this tractor? I understand only a few would work, but how would I find out which ones? Currently I know JD Model 67 and 70 will probably work on my tractor, are there any others?

Lastly, while riding around in higher speeds, I noticed the right front wheel making all sorts of squeaky noises, kind of like the bearing needs grease, or replacing, are the bearings on this unit serviceable or are they buried in the 4x4 casing?

Please don't mind all my questions, I'll be able to get all the answers from the manual once it arrives eventually, but in the mean time I can't sit still knowing that this thing is not running properly yet, I think I'm excited to put it to work I guess. Just put a "New Tractor Owner" sign on my back, sitting at a desk all week can do that to you

xp

 

[wolftree]

xp190,

I would look to Stewart-Warner for any and all gauges and sending units. Go to their home site and look over your many choices. You will not find better gauges. I replaced the water temperature and added both a volt meter and oil pressure gauges to my IH 444 using Stewart-Warner. A 2-1/4 hole saw cut the mounting holes.

I would sand down and prime the rusted areas, then spray with a few coats of TSC or other John Deere green.

Look at Westendorf Front loaders as well.

 

[xp190]

Hi folks

I got the electrical bugs sorted out and the charging system fixed, the tractor starts and runs beautifully, still need to replace a few light bulbs and a few lights but that will come at a later date.
Since I had everything working, I decided to take the machine out for a spin, make sure all gears work, 2wd and 4wd is ok and so on. I took it out around the corner, and right away I noticed, something new. When I pressed the clutch in, a high pitched whining noise kind of like a bad bearing came about and continued while the clutch was pressed in, when I let go off the clutch the noise went away, and everything seemed to work just fine. I kept going, navigated a few hills and so on, and I started noticing that shifting from one gear to the next became more difficult, a lot more grinding than what I remember. Soon the higher speed gears became impossible to engaged, and as I turned back to park the tractor in storage, I had a heck of a time getting it into reverse and up a small incline into a tight spot in which I really need a working clutch. At one point with the clutch pressed in, the tractor kept on rolling, I applied the brakes, the engine quit, so clearly the clutch is not disengaging at all anymore. I tried making a few adjustments, but nothing made a difference. I got the tractor back into its parking spot and decided to leave it until I figure out what's going on.

I don't have any history on this tractor, other than that it's a 1985 JD 750 with 3600 hours on the clock. Is there a way to diagnose what's going on with the clutch? I'm thinking I'll need to take it apart regardless and find out what's making that noise since that probably can't be a good thing.

Cheers!

xp

 

[deerseeker001]

welcome to the TBN enjoy your tractor.

 

[wolftree]

xp190,

Have received your manuals yet? My first thought would be that the tractor has sat for awhile(I hope) and that it just needs used a bit to free up the throwout bearing and remove rust from flywheel, possibly adjusting the clutch as well.

If not any of those, then a new clutch disc/pressure plate and throw out bearing are in order. I am not certain if PTO clutch is part of the replacement parts package or not. I would replace it as well if you split the tractor.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Welcome and that is a handy size tractor.

TractorData.com John Deere 750 tractor information

John Deere 750 - Reviews, Photos, Prices, Specs - TractorByNet.com

 

[AgMan]

Welcome. New myself. Great group of helpful people are on here.

 

[xp190]

Thanks guys

Appreciate all the input. Still waiting on the manuals, apparently even the CD version gets shipped by mail, after it is made... so it may be a while before I see anything. It's that metallic whine that had me worried more so than anything else.

 

[jenkinsph]

Don't know about the 750 model but some of the tractors have a place to grease the clutch pack thru an inspection cover that comes off. I would check into this before I split the tractor. This should be greased sparingly with only a shot or two.

 

[xp190]

Hi again guys

I went looking for an inspection hole, I did find one but I can't see much through it only a small portion of the fly wheel, or at least I think it's the fly wheel.
I fired up the machine today to try and see if I can free the clutch, I put it on a low gear, pushed the clutch in all the way and hit the brakes a few times, I think I only did this twice and I noticed the clutch pedal lost all resistance it still returned to its upright position, but pushing down on it was effort less, I stopped, shut the engined off and checked the inspection hole, there were metal shavings in the rubber cap, and smoke coming out, so I think I need to split it and see what failed. I'm still waiting for the manuals, but I'll try and get started this weekend remove some components to split this machine and get the clutch working. Ill probably replace any seals I find in there as well.

Cheers!

xp

 

[wolftree]

xp190,

That is a Bummer. I hope you were able to get this tractor at a cheap price.

 

[xp190]

I did get it cheap, so some repairs are to be expected which I don't have an issue with. I never fixed a clutch before, but I can't imagine it being too difficult.
I started working away to split the tractor, seems like it was designed to get it done fairly quick, but the hydraulics have me stumped, so I think I'll wait for the manuals before I proceed.

From looking at the diagrams, I think what happened is the release bearing fell apart, as in totally apart, hence there is nothing pushing back on the clutch fingers to release it.
I think the flywheel should be fine, but I won't know for sure until I split the thing and take a look inside.

Are there any tricks to working with the hydraulic system? Can I drain it and disconnect the lines? Is there a way to prime it, or is it self priming?

xp

 

[wolftree]

Yes, you can and should drain your hydraulic resevoir. You may find it easiest to drain the Hyd. by disconnecting the line from the puimp and letting it drain into buckets. Very clean buckets if you intend to reuse the fluid. Myself, I would buy new fluid and plan on chaging filter as well.
Some tractors have two hyd. pumps, one for steering, one for hydraulics. You will need to know what yours is.

On some tractors, you can open a hydraulic line going to your power steering cylinders and moving your steering wheel back and fourth to remove air in system to (prime it). Your manual will say for sure how to.

If you have never split a tractor, then begin gathering two very sturdy sawhorses(metal pipe is preferred). Chock blocks for blocking front and rear tires on each side(8 blocks) once you separate the tractor. A highlift floor jack may be needed as well.

 

[xp190]

Thanks wolf

I'm going to support the rear end on 2x8s and a high lift 2.5tonne jack, for the front end I have an atv jack which can do 2500lbs, but before I can do that I have to remove the drive shaft that powers the front wheels, seems simple enough, but I couldn't get the covers off for some reason, maybe my hands were just tired.

I don't intend to reuse the hydraulic fluid, I'll replace it, and at the moment I have no idea where the filter for it is. Only a single pump on my tractor, no power steering.

Thanks for the advice, this should be a fun project, probably a big shopping list of parts to go along with it.

xp

 

[wolftree]

Hydraulic jacks have a way of bleeding down or blowing seals under prolonged load. Can you build or assemble stands to lower the two halves onto after you split the tractor? Perhaps only an inch lower than the lifting points on your tractor, then a wooden spacer block to fill the gap.

Once apart, lower the two halves down onto your solid stands. I have yet to have every part I need on hand when doing something like this and usually have to order a part. Meaning days sitting on hydraulic jacks.

Even concrete blocks stacked will be safer. Once you have replaced the parts and are ready to pull back together, lift with hydraulic jacks and remove your stands.

 

[xp190]

Good point Wolf, I'll put something together out of 2x8s and use the jacks only to move the two halves apart. When working on cars I usually have jack stands to take over for the jack.

xp