Tractor replacement or repair

[vineyridge]

I have a 1996 JD 870 Compact Utility tractor with 810 hours. It’s never given me a minute’s trouble mechanically until yesterday. The clutch is frozen to the clutch plate, and the brakes don’t work. I was hoping that it was some sort of hydraulic problem for the brakes and clutch, but it isn’t. The clutch may have worn out because the brakes don’t work, and I was stopping the tractor by using the clutch.

Any way the local JD people came and got it this morning, took it to their shop and tell me that the whole clutch needs replacement at about $3500–9 hours labor and a 2500 clutch assembly. I was sort of hoping that it might just be a matter of replacing the throwout bearing, but they want to put in a whole new clutch. I should say that my past experience with them is that they always suggest replacing big parts rather than rebuilding. They sold me two new engines for a lawn mower in the past and never suggested rebuilding.

I’ve got a lead on a self employed tractor mechanic, and my cousin who is a car man says he will go to the JD place and look at the tractor for me. He says that any transmission place can do a tractor clutch, that he could do it but would recommend a full replacement rather than a fix because fixes often lead to more trouble, and that he wouldn’t be significantly less expensive than JD. He’s just gone and looked at the tractor, and says that the clutch disk is gone, and that he would only use a JD part for the repair, and that 10 hours labor is reasonable, and that he couldn’t do it for less. He says the rest of the tractor (differential) doesn’t seem to be hurt.

JD is also suggesting that I look at a new tractor.

Advice desperately needed. Fix my tractor with 810 hours that is worth about 3500 bucks on the retail market when it’s running or replace it. I should mention that I’m poorish, and new tractor payments would be a significant burden. Cousin says suck it up and fix it.

[tangledweb]

I don’t think you can replace that tractor for anything close to $3500. I would think it would be at least twice that.

I’d be inclined to fix it, but I’d be inclined to insist they put in a rebuilt or aftermarket clutch kit or go somewhere that will. Hours of labor are what they are, but a rebuilt clutch should save you $1000 on the parts.

[secretariat]

Perhaps I misunderstand your quote, but why would you invest $3500 in repair for a tractor that’s only worth $3500? My rule of thumb is no more than 50% of the value of the vehicle whether it’s a car or tractor or whatever.

[vineyridge]

[QUOTE=secretariat;8119578]
Perhaps I misunderstand your quote, but why would you invest $3500 in repair for a tractor that’s only worth $3500? My rule of thumb is no more than 50% of the value of the vehicle whether it’s a car or tractor or whatever.[/QUOTE]

First of all, the tractor only has 810 hours, I completely know its history because I bought it from a friend, and I can far more easily afford a repair than a replacement, given my age (68). I’ve been doing some internet searching for prices on this tractor, and the prices with loader, which I do not have, range from 12,500 to 8,500. If a loader is worth 3500, the tractor is worth from 8k to 5k.

I’ve also be searching for remanufactured clutches, and they are MUCH cheaper. With a remanufactured clutch, the price of the part is almost 1k less.

[twelvegates]

I’m in the keep it camp. If you can get the parts for less moolah – BONUS.

[Tom_King]

Fix it-clutch and brakes, and operate it like you want it to continue to last. 810 hours is not nearly long enough for a clutch or brakes to last.
Reman is fine for the clutch, especially for 1500 less.

[Guilherme]

Fix it.

G.

[ReSomething]

Fix it.

[sid]

OP…similar problem to yours last year. Mine is a Kubota L2850 I bought new in 1987.

It has been very low maintance, but I had the clutch thing happen too.

I spend the $$ and worth every penny. I could not buy a new or even used Tractor with few hours for near that amount.

Remember, it’s not the the tractor has become reliable. They sit out in the weather, all seasons, and metal parts corrode, freeze, corrode, etc.

They’re outdoor workhorses. At that age you’ll start having some issues that need tending to. But at the end of the day, I’d just chalk this up to what comes with machines that deal with exposure…not just hours.

[Gloria]

Does this tractor work for you? If it is sufficient, I don’t see why replace it. However, if I’m not mistaken, yours is the same as our last tractor (though ours was an older model). Once ours started to have issue, issues started popping up like popcorn. These utility tractors are just not built for the rigor of farm works. Since ours was not really sufficient for our needs(not heavy enough to lift a round bale), we got rid of it and got a bigger one (50hp).

[Jim_in_PA]

Given everything mentioned, I’d fix it, rather than replace. It’s a good tractor with reasonable hours and likely does what you need it to do. With regular, normal preventative maintenance, these things will last “a long time”. That’s how I treat my Kubota…

[vineyridge]

Found out today that the reason the brakes don’t work is that the rod connecting the pedal to the brake mechanism is bent and doesn’t actually go in far enough to actuate the brakes. So the brake repair is comparatively negligible–I hope. And I must have burned up the clutch by using it as a brake while the brake didn’t work.

So I’ve almost completely decided to do the repair.

[reubenT]

Yah, fixing it sounds like the best route. I have a B5200 15 hp kubota we bought in 1989 with 750 hrs, has several thousand now, I’ve used it hard, pulling logs that were too big and running a rototiller in rocky ground, it even runs a square baler every year bailing my hay. Slightly marginal on power for that but it works. brakes gave up long time ago and we live in the mountains, Tricky to drive it that way but I use the gears for control. Clutch still works fine.

[merrygoround]

Fix it, and if it is any comfort, I have come to use a local excellent tractor mechanic for almost all my work. Far less $$$, and extremely smart.

[DHCarrotfeeder]

If it were me, I’d pay a mechanic who does not have the high overhead of the dealership, and put that money into better parts / more complete replacement. It may be possible to buy that same part for less money elsewhere. I’m not sure how tractor retail goes, but in automotive the dealers are free to mark up parts above retail and they often do. (Many people assume dealer parts are always the same fixed price. Completely untrue.)

If there is any complexity to the job though that approach may be short-sighted. But the JD staff are probably using a book rate for labor and their labor is well paid. Their parts are high quality but also very high margin.

David

[gumtree]

I run JD equipment so I have a number of parts, repair forum and sales sites book marked. Rebuilt clutch plates for your model run between $4-500+, plus a refundable core charge. IMO no reason not to go with a “rebuilt” all they are doing is “relining” the plate itself. If the pressure plate needs replacing also add another $500±. Though IME with cars the majority of pressure plates just need to be “re-machined”, which means taking it to a local machine shop where they will put in on a lath and “smooth” the surface, $50-100±. I always replace the bearings because they are cheap, $20.

I checked a JD repair forum and a DIY guy who had never worked on this model said it was a pretty easy tear down which took around 2 hours. Anybody that has experience and a proper shop should be able to do it in half the time. Replacing the clutch plate is a VERY simple job once you get to it. 6-8 bolts to remove the pressure plate. The only “none common” tool needed is a clutch plate alignment tool. A plastic one can be had for cars for a couple of bucks. It can be done by “eye” but if it is not exactly lined up it becomes a matter of trial and error and can get very frustrating. At least when it comes to doing this in a car or truck. Total PITA to keep pulling the tranny out and realigning.

So, if they is nothing else wrong/broken with the “clutch mechanics” parts can be purchased on line for under $600, an additional $500 for a new/rebuilt pressure plate. Which shouldn’t be necessary unless you really chewed up the one that’s in it.

Checking the re-sale value of the same model and year ranges from $8-12,000+ depending on hours, condition and how it is equipped. The few I checked out had more than twice the hours of yours. 800+ hours on a tractor close to 20 years old is nothing.

JD have the highest resale value of all tractors in most people’s opinion. Don’t know if that applies to their compact line. I run a JD 5525 substantially bigger with over 1,500 hours and it appraised a year ago for more than 2/3 of what I bought it for over 10 years ago.

IMO the quoted repair cost is ridiculous but that’s JD for you. Mine has run flawlessly with only minor repairs that I have done myself. I bought a used hay disc-bine that needed a 1000 PTO and my tractor was only equipped with a 540. A farmer friend told me JD offers a 540/1000 “kit”. I went to my local JD dealer to order. Was told it couldn’t be done, that it has to be ordered and installed when the tractor was being built. Fortunately I believed my friend over the parts guy at JD. Went to the JD website to check out, found it and took the part number to the dealership. The guy wasn’t even apologetic for not taking the time to look it up. I asked how much to have it installed and was told over $2,000. Well I already checked out the “exploded view” and procedure and figured no way will it take that many hours. Not a difficult job but tricky for someone who doesn’t have a lot of experience. I installed it in about 4 hours. If I did it again less than 2. A third time in a JD service shop, less than an hour.

So, IMO and not knowing the tractor but assuming the motor is strong and it doesn’t have any other possible expensive fixes on the horizon it is worth fixing. But I would check around and look for a “mom and pop” shop. Order the part and bring with the tractor. You will have the added expense of have it picked up, delivered and brought back. Depending on distance a few hundred dollars. If JD has already taken it apart good chance they will hit you up for the time they have in it.

I assume a lesson has been learned here. A cheap fix would have been to deal with the break issue to begin with. Clutch plates on a tractor that is not used very much should last the lifetime of ownership. At the very least several thousand hours. I have explained this to a number of friends over the years when they call me to come over and have a look. But I have also been guilty of it myself and I know better. Just keep saying I’ll get around to it. Yup, I get around to, when the equipment becomes dead in the water and far more expensive and time consuming to fix.

[vineyridge]

This is sort of interesting. An old guy who worked for the local JD dealer for years came into the shop yesterday, was told about my tractor, and said that a frozen clutch (although undamaged) was not unknown in my tractor type. Said that there was a procedure that would bump it loose without breaking down the tractor. So this morning the JD people tried it, and it worked. The clutch is no longer frozen. I told them to check out the clutch disc and see if it was still in reasonably decent shape. I might yet get out of this without huge financial damage. I’ll have a labor charge, and the brake rod repair, but the clutch might not need immediate work.

If that’s the case, it will give me the chance to save up for a new clutch and a backyard mechanic.

[Tom_King]

Sounds great!!! I’m glad you didn’t have to spend thousands. It’s almost always something simple, and tractors are easy to work on.

[hosspuller]

Your Deere dealership is a gem. They didn’t have to try to break it loose.

There are many parts replacement outfits, and few repair places.

[clanter]

[QUOTE=vineyridge;8121824]
This is sort of interesting. An old guy who worked for the local JD dealer for years came into the shop yesterday,.[/QUOTE]

ugh, can you get his name and contact info for your future needs???