1989 JD 4055 - What's it worth?

[GeorgeK]

Anyone hazard a guess at what I should be asking for a 1989 JD 4055? 6000 hours. French import on a Q plate. Starts, runs and pulls beautifully. No smoke, barely leaks, very few drips on the floor even after standing several months. Mechanically first class. All electrics and lights working. Only a bit of surface rust, must have been stored inside all its life. Cosmetically straight, original condition. Bars welded on wheels for French style duals would be hard to remove neatly. Air con not working. Obviously it's been used and is 30 years old so there's a few bits to tidy up but we've had it 10 years and can confirm it's a lovely tractor. It will be for sale shortly, may have someone interested but they are yet to get back to me.

 

[Lincs Lass]

14-16k

 

[Tractor Tim]

Wasn't there a late model 4655 I think it was went for some where in the region of 40k last week at auction have a feeling it may have been in immaculate condition

 

[marco]

Foolish to ask less than 20k

 

[icanshootwell]

I would keep it, shed looks big enough to house it, prices on these older tractors keep going up, save you regretting it in 10 years time.

 

[GeorgeK]

I would keep it, shed looks big enough to house it, prices on these older tractors keep going up, save you regretting it in 10 years time.

It's a shame she has to go but we are making some changes and have got to be brutal or everything ends up in the 'too precious' section and nothing really changes at all.
I like to think she still has a long and happy life ahead of her and will go on to outlive plenty of her younger and flashier contemporaries.

 

[daveydiesel1]

What is the lift capacity on that tractot? I ask as sometimes back in the day american built tractors didnt have a decent lift capacity compared to european built stuf as they mostly do drawbar work over there

 

[GeorgeK]

What is the lift capacity on that tractot? I ask as sometimes back in the day american built tractors didnt have a decent lift capacity compared to european built stuf as they mostly do drawbar work over there

I haven't got the manual to hand to say exactly but we use it with a Dowdeswell DP7 5 furrow, 2.5m shakaerator (flexicoil) and 3m Kverneland CLM stubble cultivator (cage roller). It's a good match for these implements and has no problems lifting them.
The 3PL seems adequately beefy at first glance but is less developed than European machines. The only grease points are on the lift arm adjusters so it probably wasn't designed for as much use as they get over here.

 

[Exfarmer]

They had sorted lift capacity long before this series. The only thing was the lift arms were quite small compared to European equivalents but this was because of the quality of the steel JD used. Broke far more lift arms on a county than ever with a JD.
Only issue we had was top link threads stripping

 

[daveydiesel1]

I haven't got the manual to hand to say exactly but we use it with a Dowdeswell DP7 5 furrow, 2.5m shakaerator (flexicoil) and 3m Kverneland CLM stubble cultivator (cage roller). It's a good match for these implements and has no problems lifting them.
The 3PL seems adequately beefy at first glance but is less developed than European machines. The only grease points are on the lift arm adjusters so it probably wasn't designed for as much use as they get over here.

What size tyres is on it? Is the back rims welded?

 

[JJT]

Powershift transmission aswell?

 

[GeorgeK]

What size tyres is on it? Is the back rims welded?

I'm not over there this weekend so will get back to you on Monday as I will need to check. All questions are very welcome.

 

[GeorgeK]

Powershift transmission aswell?

Yes 15 speed sequential powershift so no skipping gears, you have to start in first and work your way up one at a time. 4 powershift in reverse.

I should add it has no pick up hitch. With the gearbox and large turning circle it's not a 'handy' tractor you'd jump on to move stuff round the yard with. It's definitely happiest lugging something in the field.

 

[Dave W]

Ring Cheffins and send them some pics. Will give you the most accurate answer

 

[daveydiesel1]

Yes 15 speed sequential powershift so no skipping gears, you have to start in first and work your way up one at a time. 4 powershift in reverse.

I should add it has no pick up hitch. With the gearbox and large turning circle it's not a 'handy' tractor you'd jump on to move stuff round the yard with. It's definitely happiest lugging something in the field.

Can u not start of in a higher gear than 1st or do u have to start of in 1st everytime u clutch? When do u think u will be selling?

 

[Exfarmer]

Can u not start of in a higher gear than 1st or do u have to start of in 1st everytime u clutch? When do u think u will be selling?

That was the biggest issue with that gearbox, a nightmare using for transport, every time you stop having to go up through the gears again

 

[nick...]

Can u not start of in a higher gear than 1st or do u have to start of in 1st everytime u clutch? When do u think u will be selling?

I had the first 4050 in the uk in 1988.e488pvg if anyone knows it’s whereabouts.you can start them in any gear and go from neutral to 6th in one go or 10th or whatever.I never went to 1ST,2nd and so on.they were a pain in the arse on the road but not really a transport tractor.the hydraulics struggled on mine but local dealer welded blocks further back on arms further towards the rear which helped enourmously.it was eventually replaced by a 6900.
nick…

 

[GeorgeK]

Can u not start of in a higher gear than 1st or do u have to start of in 1st everytime u clutch? When do u think u will be selling?

I think strictly speaking on ours the clutch is an 'inching pedal,' only supposed to be used for hooking up implements and maneuvering into position. Rightly or wrongly this is how we have used it, fortunately our fields are mostly near the yard so it doesn't go on the road much.
We intend to have one last play with it after the OSR is off, so be looking to sell around the end of this month. I have said to someone I will let them know if I ever sell it so I will chase them up in the next day or two and update here as soon as I know that outcome.

 

[GeorgeK]

Another interesting "We're John Deere and we know best" feature they have is a magnet in the injector pump that holds the rack in the full fuel position on start up. Apparently JD thought farmers would prefer the black smoke and 'better' starting over the emotional distress of revving up a cold engine in such a manner. The trick is to pull the engine stop out part way, then they will start without revving.

 

[Oliveau]

I like to think she still has a long and happy life ahead of her and will go on to outlive plenty of her younger and flashier contemporaries.

I think in your heart of hearts you know she won't let you down like the more modern tractors. So I too would be in the 'Keep her' camp. Cheap HP when you ned it, and I'd happily spend a day in it if the a/c was fixed. Just look at the price of older US built JD's these days - they are an investment!

My stepson bought a similar JD new in 1992, much bigger than the rest of his fleet. So I advised him "Keep it for the heavy work & don't worry if it spends 5 or 6 months a year in the shed. Look after it and keep it."
He's another one whose kit has to be immaculate, but he took my first bit of advice and ignored the seond. Eventually the dealer persuaded him to swop to a much newer model. Nowadays his modern fleet is continually breaking down with problems associated with the technology. One day in sheer frustration he admitted to me, " I wish I'd listened to you. That tractor never let us down and the only expense was oil, filters, tyres and batteries."