# JD4600, < 250 Hours New hydrostat!



## gwe (Nov 3, 2006)

JD4600, 225 hrs. or so over 5yrs. 
Tractor decided for its self when to go.
Dealer says hydro-stat needs replacement?
Dealer even did fluid changes and service every year.

(Dealer very Helpful)

I have a 2.5 acre yard a 420 loader and a box blade.
How hard on it could i have been? 
They want near 4K$

No warranty, no help, no mercy. 
My plan is to be Noisy, It may not help but it will make me feel better. Any corporate email addresses will be helpful.

I suppose I was mistaken when I bought John Deere's! And recommended them to my friends.


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## JDFANATIC (Dec 28, 2005)

Sorry to hear that! Before you go noisy, I would recommend just being polite and firm. If the tractor has been serviced as you suggest by the dealer, that right there should go a long way with Deere. Also, since it isn't in an commercial application, that should be factored in. Is it that the dealer has tried to go to bat with you and was turned down? If so, do you know the specifics. It that is the case, then the next step is to work your way up the Deere channels.


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## gwe (Nov 3, 2006)

*I started in July-Aug*

The dealer has been helpful and now informs me that corporate has turned a cold shoulder. My dealer has many unbillable hours as the problem has gone from intermittent to severe. 

In retrospect there were signs when it was brand new but i don't really expect anyone to believe me now. I am in the service business and know the "It never worked" story very well. Unfortunately that same experience has also exposed me to the just plain "dog of a problem" that pops up here and there with any manufacturer. 

Some step up to the plate and take the hit. Others make it a sporting event that can live for years given the right owners.

Naturally i am waiting to see how this one plays out
I even offered to trade out of it.


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## Live Oak (Dec 22, 2003)

Welcome to Tractor Forum gwe! Real sorry to hear about the problems you are having with your 4600. What exactly are the symptoms the tractor is displaying? It is pretty unusual for a hydrostat to go bad but my experience has been more with the 4000 Ten Series tractors. I hope you can work something out with the dealer and Deere to either get it fixed or trade it out.


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## Archdean (Jul 15, 2004)

First off Welcome to TF,

What I'm about to say may or may not help! First I Would like to know the size of your community and the relative size of your JD Dealer!

Yes it makes a difference in perception. I'll relate a story about when I worked for a very large Kubota Dealer:
A customer bought a new tractor about your size and in my opinion turned it into a piece of crap, recklessly and deliberately !!
He was so adamant that it be repaired /and then that it be replaced with a brand new one that Kubota caved to the pressure and gave him a new one rather than risk the loud mouth publicity!!

Personally I would of rather kicked his butt and denied it under the willful abuse clause!!


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## gwe (Nov 3, 2006)

*Symptoms*

My dealer, East Coast Equipment LLC, has about 8 dealerships in the eastern part of North Carolina. My particular one is here in New Bern, About 4 miles from the house. I have no reason to believe that they have a small voice.

As for abuse, a reasonable question, I don't feel there is any concern. It has been garage kept and only serviced by the dealer. I did blow a seal on the loader year before last, but i thought that was ware and tare.

The symptoms for the first couple of years were as follows:

A. A bit of a howell when backing out of the garage bay cold 
sounds like bypassing some pedal vibration/feedback but power OK. 

B. Several occasion in high range moving from place to place. I experiences a high load situation as if i was going up a steep grade. Each time I would stop, Back up, look around, check for snags, find nothing and go on without a hitch. Dry asphalt, flat ground and off the pedal the loading stopped. (no bypass sounds)

C. This season it developed a slight off center in the peddle. wanted to creep. this was follower shortly by a pronounced loss of power in reverse, especilly when hot. (high bypass, much peddle feedback no real engine load)

D. Finally, long delay between peddle and action fwd or reverse. and unpredictable response. (may or may not recenter and will fight you for it.) That's when i cut it off. 


Now If i had to guess I would say something has been adrift in the fluid since day one. It has finally chewed it up and what i see now is the results. The dealer says he has found no trash in the filters.

Thanks, I am just frustrated.


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## gwe (Nov 3, 2006)

*John Deere Responds!*

Hello: George Ensley


Recently you had an interaction with one of our support staff members here at John Deere Company. 
Could you please take a moment to respond to the four questions in this survey? 
We will use this feedback in an effort to improve our customer service.


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## Live Oak (Dec 22, 2003)

How did the "interaction with the support staff members" go?  I take it not what you were looking for?


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## gwe (Nov 3, 2006)

*reaction*

That was the reaction/interaction. I have sent several email messages, only the automation has responded so far. It just seemed ironic that first contact would be self serving. Some times you have to laugh.

Thanks for your interest.
g....


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## Live Oak (Dec 22, 2003)

You might try writting a detailed and well wriiten letter and sending it certified mail to John Deere Customer Relations. Might get someone's attention and get the ball rolling on something.


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## gwe (Nov 3, 2006)

*Good Idea!*

I think that is a good idea. As of today i still have not received a response from anyone but their automation.

It is good I am in the yachting services business, it makes for many powerful contacts. The downside is that they can ask for powerful favors too. So that is usually a last resort.

John Deere has been trying hard to break into the boating business with their engines for some time now. Not that i have any pull, but my company does deal with engineering for most builders and boat yards in this part of the world.

I was instrumental in bringing interface standards to the industry that allow engines and generators to communicate with other equipment....

I guess puffing out my chest is the wrong approach. 

What is elderly for a tractor? May be I expect too much?

Sorry to be slow responding. I've been dealing some health issues in the family. Duke, Chapel hill, ECU trips for test and opinions.

George...


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## Live Oak (Dec 22, 2003)

Sending a letter using your company letter head would carry forward an even better image of a future buying customer. Did you use the tractor for moving any of the boats? I used my 4410 for moving my Sea Ray Sorrento 25 on the trailer when I still had it. Worked real well.


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## JDFANATIC (Dec 28, 2005)

I wouldn't get off track with future or implied business influences. Either this is a manufacturer's defect that at such low hours should be covered by a goodwill extention of the warranty, or it isn't.


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## gwe (Nov 3, 2006)

*No News is bad News*

No reply from John deere as of yet. 
The Bill WAS/IS $5500.00 and some change. 
Once apart the Failure Mode was obvious; the actual shuttle that controls the flow has two strips of tape that are reinforced with copper wire. The Plate was Galled and stripped on one side while nearly pristine on the other (identical surface) Even the service manager feels it's a born in flaw. Ports .060 or so are small enough essentially nothing foreign could have entered after assembly.

Good news is it works better than new, No whining, instant peddle response, I don't have to anticipate engine loading and it will even slide to a stop in c range when i lift off of the peddle. better than brakes. It don't even roll/creep down hill.

Guess i finally got the tractor i bought. Still don't like paying twice.


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## Live Oak (Dec 22, 2003)

Glad to hear you finally got it fixed right but you are right about paying for it twice. That sucks and I hope maybe now that the dealer has the faulty part in hand, perhaps Deere will do something to help out out on the cost. It would be nice but I won't be holding my breath waiting.


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## JDFANATIC (Dec 28, 2005)

gwe,

Glad its repaired. Let's hope the service manager can use the part and his diagnosis to get Deere to step up to the plate on this one.


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