I have a JD 4720 Tractor that I use to do heavier work around the 5 acre yard. I have a loader on it and I use a 6 way blade to move snow come winter.

This past May, one of the two blower fan motors quit working while clearing the last snowstorm. I could smell the angry pixies blowing out the magic smoke inside the cab and then it quit altogether. My cab windows frosted over very quickly and I had to finish with the heat off and the door open to prevent the frost build up.

I put the repair off for the summer and finally got around to trouble shooting and getting parts for the repair about 2 weeks ago. I needed to remove the cab roof to get at the motors. After looking up the part number from JD, those blowers are $500 a piece. There has got to be a better way.

I tried to locate the 3 speed resistor, (.75+ .75 216/22) used for the motor. JD does NOT sell them. They are unavailable anywhere on the North American continent. But I could try and get one from the factory in Italy, or oddly enough Ukraine. Not likely.

I could actually take the resistor apart very easily by removing 2 tiny screws. On the inside, there are 2 resistor coils and with some serious searching and a couple of dumb questions ID’ed as a thermal fuse soldered in to 2 terminals. I got a good lead to DigiKey and I found the correct one under mini fuses. I ordered a pack of 5 pieces on Wednesday. Got them this morning and had one soldered into the resistor before dinner. And everything reinstalled and buttoned up 2 hours later. Everything runs like new again.

I changed what was a $500 repair down to an .83 cent repair. And yes, there is a pour of well earned bourbon today.

  • SupraMario
    1·
    8 days ago

    My 4720 is 16 years old and doesn’t suffer from those issues. It doesn’t even have regen on it. Neither does the little 1023r tractor or the 325 skidsteer I own. Like me, it’s all too old. And these things will last for decades with just minor repairs, (like this one) and routine maintenance. I’m no longer actively farming so none of this gets the hours of use it used to get.

    Thankfully my kioti doesn’t have DEF but does have the regen crap and it’s what actually caused the issue last time. $300 farm call ($100 travel cost and $200 labor) just for them to hook up their computer and software and force it to Regen…

    Everyone complains about JD and the right to repair. But, car manufacturers around the world have been doing the exact same thing for decades longer. And they STILL are doing it today. Apple does it it too, and you are happy and willing to buy into it every time a new iphone comes out. Yet you don’t complain much. You just keep buying them. JD lost that law suit and they will sell you access to the tools and software at the same cost as the dealers pay. For someone who is actively farming, the cost is just another expense to write off. But, it does suck for people like you and me.

    The issue with JD was that they were actively trying to prohibit the farmers. Car manufacturers don’t, all my vehicles I can service or bring to anyone but the dealership if I need too. JD wasn’t like that, I had friends with massive tractors doing hay rolling or harvesting and they were having to borrow or have friends come out if one of their machines went down because JD had to send someone out to service it…and it cost an arm and a leg. Cat was/is the same damn way. Had another friend with a big dozer and he had to wait nearly a month for it to finally get fixed by cat, and it cost a boat load as well. All computer shit that only they can do.

    But more importantly, how do you like your Kioti? What size is it and what do you mostly use it for?

    I don’t mind it, I use it only for putting out hay and brush work. It’s just a 35hp with a backhoe attachment. It’s been solid. Minus the rails holding the backhoe on broke and the welds and kioti suggested it was a damn wear part (frame rails) and didn’t cover it under the warranty and wanted $750 for both rails…so some friends and I just welded 1/2" plate to fix it. Then the whole Regen shit that happened that required them to come out with their plugs. Other than that it’s 900 hours on it now and has been solid.

    • BluewingOP
      1·
      7 days ago

      Yeah, backhoes are hard on things. I’ve always been a bit leery of mounting one on a small tractor. You start digging rocks or stumps and you can easily break something. I think your repair will hold up very nicely. I do hope the electronics hold up for you. But, you sound as if you get more use out of your tractor than I do mine anymore.

      I’m trying to convince myself that I need to sell my skidsteer. I’m getting too old to get in and out of that thing. I’ve already tore up both my knees, I don’t need to break a hip. So I’m not putting enough hours on it to keep it.

      • SupraMario
        1·
        7 days ago

        It wasn’t the digging that caused it. The welds failed right from the factory.

        I’m in a very hilly area and tracks are kind here. I’m looking to get a skid as if I don’t go slow everywhere with the tractor I’m getting bounced around and it’s not fun. So slow is fast unfortunately.

        • BluewingOP
          1·
          6 days ago

          A skidsteer is worse for being a rough backbreaking ride.

          • SupraMario
            1·
            6 days ago

            Wheeled skid steers yes. Tracked ones no, they roll over dips and ditches and smooth out the ride a lot.

            • BluewingOP
              1·
              5 days ago

              I’ve run those too. They still pitch and roll a lot more than something with a longer wheel base. And tractors are bad enough.

              • SupraMario
                1·
                5 days ago

                The two I’ve used here had a long track base, and they where like a Mercedes vs a yugo when comparing between my tractor (which does have a smaller wheel base and smaller tires, than a larger tractor). All I know was that the skid felt way smoother than the tractor.