No I've 3 of them here . They could do it if they took the time but they've no interest in doing it .Wel
Well, you do talk pish half the time!!
No I've 3 of them here . They could do it if they took the time but they've no interest in doing it .Wel
Well, you do talk pish half the time!!
Yea, but the pressure washer will do more damage than all the dirt.. blasting off paint, water forced into bearings and seals and into wiring plugs. I only wash at end of winter servicing and selling!With respect, there's your issue your staff aren't looking after your machinery. The sensors,brakes, filters, electrics etc etc will all be caked in mud.
You're running kit worth hundreds of thousands of pounds you need to have staff training, protocols and procedures in place or you will be peeing money away on repairs, been there done that.
Yes its a problem on Fastrac's , but there was a recall on them & it sholud have new ones fitted in it , must not have had them done & it was not followed up by good Old JCB, will be not chance of getting it sorted by JCB under warranty , pee poor show it should have had the work done on it , dealer more than likey had the money for the job as well & just did nothing.JDs throw up error codes like “my eyelash is broken” or “I’ve chipped a fingernail“ but down tools just the same … (tbh, I haven’t a clue other than son is on the phone either to the men finding out what’s gone wrong now, our pet mechanic or one of the local dealers)
The Fastrac decided to lunch its front diff whilst on the plough. Apparently it’s a “well known issue” on the older 4220 and the newer ones have a beefed up diff. To do with lateral forces eg crab steer but there is no good will just an estimate for £5.5k for a new one plus workshop time plus labour all at peak maize drilling time.
Nor indeed is the cost of manufacturing and assembling mechanical part and, worse still, getting at those parts when in need of repair and re-setting them and re-assembling while getting it right first time. Electronics are mainly fitted externally, easy to get at and quick to repair with the right knowledge and tools. You need knowledge and tools to repair many mechanical failures also of course and you still need those on electronic machines because, believe it or not, mechanical issues continue to dominate and make up by far the biggest bills on the overwhelming majority of tractors and machinery.But let’s be realistic about all of the costs of this tech. It’s not trivial.
Yes its a problem on Fastrac's , but there was a recall on them & it sholud have new ones fitted in it , must not have had them done & it was not followed up by good Old JCB, will be not chance of getting it sorted by JCB under warranty , pee poor show it should have had the work done on it , dealer more than likey had the money for the job as well & just did nothing.
Sounds like you Deere needs a laptop on it to sort it out or has it has a remap etc done to it ?
@CPFRegarding your fastrac ,you probably got a good mechanic to do the job .I have destroyed Daniel on here before, and since I’ve been posting his name and number, he has picked up a lot of work from TFF members repairing fastrac’s
I have just mentioned your front axle and diff to him and his reply was i no why, that’s gone . I can not put his reason up on a open forum.
So gave him ring on 07581062079
How old is the Fastrac as speedstar said I think the early ones had diff problems
Yes they're still fine for certain situations, but it's at least 30 years old, and on 12000 hours, so not really suitable for high use. It would also struggle with some of today's implements that are bought to cover larger areas in smaller windows.12,000 hours ( I think, clock stopped working for a few years )
3rd clutch recently fitted, 1 water pump. Engine / gearbox / backend untouched.
Happily buy a new one, although leccy forward / reverse shuttle would be nice.
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There's a big fear factor with electronics because unlike a lever they aren't as easy to see working when fault finding. In reality as you say most electrics are externally mounted and in many cases have been used to automate/semi automate the very same mechanical parts which have been used for years. The only thing which has changed is the approach to finding when something isn't working which some older mechanics don't want to know about but there's plenty out there who can do it. Admittedly fault codes and limp modes are a nuisance and leccy faults aren't as easy to bypass to get you going BUT that may save a lot of money by stopping you running a machine with a known fault which causes more damage in the worst case scenario.Nor indeed is the cost of manufacturing and assembling mechanical part and, worse still, getting at those parts when in need of repair and re-setting them and re-assembling while getting it right first time. Electronics are mainly fitted externally, easy to get at and quick to repair with the right knowledge and tools. You need knowledge and tools to repair many mechanical failures also of course and you still need those on electronic machines because, believe it or not, mechanical issues continue to dominate and make up by far the biggest bills on the overwhelming majority of tractors and machinery.
Did the first owner pay that much for it though?We try not to buy on a random whim though. Generally we look for those that have been on a warranty package & have racked up the hours quickly.
£180,000 new machine can be bought three years later for £60-70k
5000 hours is the tipping point
Good points. Regarding giving staff variety, I think it's fine if they are still 100% focused on the cows and are doing everything they need to keep the herd performing, but if they're rushing round to get done because there's tractor work to do and they prefer that, standards could slip, cows pay the bills at the end of the day.You make a very persuasive argument and one I sort of endorse in that cows make money, machines cost money.
However, I will posit an alternative synthesis…
1) By doing a lot of work “in house“, we can offer staff a variety of jobs during their working week other than cupping/wiping tits. They enjoy this as it adds to their skill sets and weirdly we have no issue with retaining staff. Pay rarely is mentioned… in fact, it is us who offer more money
2) Contractors are very useful BUT (& it’s a big but) they have to be timely. In the wet west, windows can be very narrow and they also serve other clients. There is nothing more frustrating than watch the clock tick around waiting for some action.
Think there was a thread previously that early 4220 suffered front diff bolts coming loose, thought they mostly got reworked but there were a few improvements steps basically beefed up with more bolts etc which fixed it. Later generation tractors have bigger axles though.Could it have been prevented?
Harvey Milnes said the same to me.I asked a well
Known well respected jcb mechanic dealer what to up grade my 3185s to , he listed all the models and all their faults and he got to 4220 and said oh yes they blow the diffs , my advice stick to 3185 so i did ..
Yea, but the pressure washer will do more damage than all the dirt.. blasting off paint, water forced into bearings and seals and into wiring plugs. I only wash at end of winter servicing and selling!
Baldrick what about a John deere m series?OK so we only buy 2nd hand ones with around 5000hrs on them then generally add at least 1000+ hours to each/year but, frig me, these modern tractors are pansies always throwing up error codes and acting up.
Have manufacturers overdone it with all the sensors and the stupidity of emissions reductions?
And then there is the cost of spare parts, Labour (because everything needs a frigging computer plugged in ) and time to get the spares. And then the pluckers need breaking in two to get to some rinky dinky sensor thats thrown a hissy fit
And don’t start me on Fastracs …..
That is not good they were & still are very poor at that age , It will cost you some money before you sell it for sure, 19 plates & newer were a bit better , but they are still money pits2016 plated
That's got boredom written all.over it.Everyone saying I’d rather pull a lever than push a button all day, don’t have to push any buttons or turn any wheel once you’ve set the auto turn and hms work smarter not harder