I hate modern tractors

[KB6930]

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 .

 

[Fendtbro]

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.

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!

 

[Speedstar]

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.

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 ?

 

[Cowabunga]

But let’s be realistic about all of the costs of this tech. It’s not trivial.

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.

 

[Bald Rick]

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 ?

Deeres plural … 3 of them

All addicted to a diagnostic computer like catnip

 

[YELROM]

How old is the Fastrac as speedstar said I think the early ones had diff problems

 

[Hilly]

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 ..

 

[YELROM]

Regarding 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

@CPF

Could it of been prevented?

 

[Bald Rick]

How old is the Fastrac as speedstar said I think the early ones had diff problems

2016 plated

 

[kiwi pom]

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.


View attachment 1110570

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.
As you say, fine for you

No AC I see Mine was the same when I bought it, thought it would be ok but I'm soft and couldn't cope, so had it fitted. Think it cost over a grand to do in the mid 90's. Worth it though.

 

[Lakesdigger]

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.

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.

 

[kiwi pom]

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

Did the first owner pay that much for it though?

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.

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.
The alternative is to have staff dedicated to the machine side and do maintenance during quieter times, that may reduce downtime when busy. Easier to do on big units.
I'd have thought a business with your workload would receive good service from a contractor.

 

[# Robin]

Could it have been prevented?

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.
From experience big front weight did in the 7920 Deere front diff a few times. Or maybe it was the black smoke chip!

 

[Chae1]

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 ..

Harvey Milnes said the same to me.

If I don't want big repair bills stick to 2170.

 

[Smith31]

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!

Repairs to modern machinery can easily cost thousands, with little return of investment.

Concreting turning and operating areas can also cost thousands, however the return of investment is instant via an increase in property value, a cleaner and happier working environment for staff, less machinery wear, a reduction in machinery cleaning time, machinery repair bills and down time.

The aim should be to reduce staff time on operations which generate no income, such as sitting in the mess room waiting for JCB to clean a muddy sensor at a cost of £300+, that £300+ is better spent on 3 cube of concrete which will last 20 years and create a dedicated cleaning/greasing and inspection bay for daily machinery inspections.

 

[holywell farmer]

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 …..

Baldrick what about a John deere m series?
If you want less tech

 

[hoyboy]

6010 and 7010 series deeres. 51 series and old Case magnums.... Everything has got worse since then.

 

[Speedstar]

2016 plated

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 pits

 

[Wesley]

If only they’d made a 50k Case MX. I’d quite happily while away the day in one.

 

[Boomerang]

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

That's got boredom written all.over it.