It's Alive Again

Destroked 450

Well-known Member
Location
Harned, Ky
Some of you may remember me talking about my 400SU with the broken crank.

18717.jpg


Finally found a good used crank a few months ago so we pulled it in the shop and torn it down


18718.jpg


This is what we found when we got it apart
 

Sorry, hit the wrong button.

This is what we found when we got it tore apart.


18720.jpg


While it was down we replaced the trans input shaft seals, fixed the steering column leak and changed the oil in the trans and diff.
Finished it up today and pulled it out of the shop for a much needed rinse.

18721.jpg


I sure have missed using that little tractor.
It'll be headed to the hay field as soon was things dry out some
 
I was too late on one on CL last winter - there were a couple around but the one I missed was just right - this model looks real handy -

congrats on getting it back together -
 
Destroked 450,

You said you have missed that little tractor. I don't quite get the extent of your words.

Is the 4000SU lower than the ag 4000 or do you have some much more substantial tractors in your stable? You have too many posts for me to sort through to find out.
I was used to 22-35 horsepower tractors with tranny ptos and no 3 pt. hitch or limited ones. and when I got my 4000 I felt kind of like Audie Murphy after he took the high ground. Its all relative. Sure I might eventually get a 4 or 6 cyl. and 100-140 hp but for now I feel like I went from a 60s VW bug to a Ford 150 extended cab w/ac. Everyone can laugh, but exasperation drove me to finally take the plunge and get it. Not being a BTO I am probably in a shark tank with water wings.
 
I know they're real popular, but I've just never figured out quite why. I love my 4600, but to me, the SU seems like less of a tractor - shorter wheelbase and smaller tires = poorer ride, less teaction, less loader capacity.
The 4000SU I bought last summer should finally find its way here in the next couple weeks; maybe once I get it running I'll understand the popularity.
 
That's good news DS. I hope it runs and
runs.
Fwiw,
The yellow tractor I posted about a couple
of days ago is a 4000 AP chassis so does not
have the lands cast into the sides of the
transmission to accept the radius rod
sockets.
If it had those lands I might have built an
SU out of it instead of using the the solid
axle I did.
On the other hand, I am a little tired of
the wishbone steering on them so won't miss
that.
 
I always wanted a 4000SU for mowing on steep ground with obstacles.

I searched for a good one for several years before giving up and buying a new Kubota.

Now, there is no going back.

Dean
 
Great looking SU, Destroked.

If I could have found a good one for mowing I might never have made the switch to Kubota.

Destiny.

Dean
 

A 4000SU is a few inches longer but other wise the exact same size as a 2000-3000, for those that have used them they understand their nimble compact size and how easy they are to maneuver in confined spaces such as inside my poultry barns which have limited overhead clearance of 7 ft, when using my 4000AP I have to stay bent over in the seat to keep from hitting my head on overhead equipment.
The advantage of the SU is it has the same 52 hp engine as the AP so it has plenty of pto hp to operate our decaker in the poultry barns and handles my 7 ft tiller while maneuvering in the family's multiple gardens much easier
It has the same independent pto and controls that I'm use to (no two stage clutch), also has the much better wet disc brakes that I'm use to. They have the same gearing as the AP so with the smaller 28" tires they are slower with road speeds barely making 15 mph
With it's slower speed in the hay fields hooked to the tedder I can put it in 7th gear, set the throttle at 1200 rpm and row around the field at a good pace while the tedder running at a slower speed will stir and fluff the hay without beating the leaves off, I tried this with my 4000AP and with it's larger 16.9-30's it was to fast.
The smaller 28" rear tires also means one can make tighter turns at the ends of the fields without getting the equipment into the tires.
Basically it's a over powered 3000 with the same ind pto and brakes of the larger models.
I traded a 3000 for this 4000SU, the only advantage I can give the 3000 is it's faster road speed, a SU out does a 3000 everywhere else.
How many 3000's can you hook a 10 ft brush hog to and clip pasture fields with?
As for the loader question, to only reason I would put a loader on a tractor with a sweep back axle is if it was the only tractor I had.

I don't have any "big" tractors, just an assortment of medium sized ones.
My tractor inventory

62 881 diesel, mainly a parade tractor, it was used in the hay field last year while the SU was down

18741.jpg


72 4000SU, compact and powerful, enough said above

18742.jpg


69 4000AP, this has been my main tractor for over 26 years, at one time it was my only tractor and did all of the work

18743.jpg


69 4500, don't need a loader on a ag tractor if you have one of these
Old photo of when we first got it going, the yellow has faded a good bit since then

18744.jpg


67 5000, my late brothers tractor, I've only had it for a couple of years, one of his sons is wanting it now, I don't have a problem with that.

18745.jpg


89 6610 with cab, my primary baler tractor but is seeing more duty with the recently acquired 15 ft bat wing mower

18746.jpg


I've recently acquired a 74 5000 that's been disassembled for 12-15 years, we'll see how that works out once I get everything home, may be fixable, may just be parts, did get a fresh 256 engine with it.
 

Forgot to add this 85 hp 10,000 lb skid loader for when I want to get serious about playing in the dirt, clearing brush or cleaning out the poultry barns.

18748.jpg
 

Forgot to add this 85 hp 10,000 lb skid loader for when I want to get serious about playing in the dirt, clearing brush or cleaning out the poultry barns.

18748.jpg
 
Destroked 450,

Thank you very much for the Cook's tour of your inventory.

Can I use you as a reference when relatives chide me about having more tractors than I need. From experience with computers, hard drives, thumb drives, and printers it is always good to have backups to minimize downtime or lost data. At least that is the best excuse I can think of at the moment.

I am sure there one or two other members here that have more than one tractor for the same reasons I gave, but I am always willing to listen to other supportive rationals that I have not thought of. I think I need to make up a list of these reasons and also obtain a medical alert bracelet warning to resuscitate only if near a collection of tractors older than 1990.

DL
 

Sure you can use me as a reference, but if the wife answers the phone when they call, Your in trouble. :lol:

My wife calls the 4000SU her tractor and has the seat set for her height and weight, it's the one she likes to use when helping me in the hay fields. I've got a good wife.

I'd like to have a 7710 or maybe a 7740 but I'm afraid of how long her "things to do to the house" list would get if that happened. :(
 
With it's slower speed in the hay fields hooked to the tedder I can put it in 7th gear, set the throttle at 1200 rpm and row around the field at a good pace while the tedder running at a slower speed will stir and fluff the hay without beating the leaves off, I tried this with my 4000AP and with it's larger 16.9-30's it was to fast.

I'm sure a lower gear than 7th on the AP would provide close to the same ground speed at 1200 rpm.
 
Thanks for sharing your success story. :)

I myself have a 4100 with bad crank that guilts me every day when I see it. :( I know how happy I will be to finally have that tractor back.

I love it when a plan comes together. :)
 
I noticed the seat that appears in several of your pictures. The 3910 I just acquired has the same seat. My first time to use one. No back on it to lean up
against, like the popular 100 buck seats readily available these days, which I have on my 2000 and 3000, but doesn't seem to be that much of a problem.
The suspension is really smooth, smoothest suspension seat I have sat upon....very important to me these days. The thing I noticed most about it is that
turning around to monitor the "goins-on" behind you is very easy. Replacement parts are numerous and priced right, including the whole assy which is
available at a reasonable price.

Nice looking corral. Currently mine is Ford older and Branson for newer.
 

The AP is 3/4 mph faster in 7th at 1200 than the SU with it's smaller tires, in our fields thats just a little to fast.
In 6th gear at the same rpm the AP is 2 mph slower.
Theres a pretty big step from 6th to 7th.

It's a good working combination for me in my fields, for others maybe not.

For those that have wished their 3000 had a little more power or better brakes, the 4000SU fills that void.
 
Deutz Lover, I'm getting old, (52) so changing implements around
has become a real chore. I've found it best to just buy one tractor
for each implement and leave them attached. Of course, there's
always the possibility of a break down, so a spare tractor, for each
implement, is also a good idea. Then, buy more implements! :)
 
Royse,

Thank you for the very logical need for additional tractors. You are correct. As we get older it gets more difficult to change implements. It also ensures that all the tractors get used on a more or less regular basis. The three point hitch does make changing some implements much faster. I can remember it taking half the day putting plows and cultivators on an old Case VAC.

I am 68 so your reason applies doubly to me. Ohhhhh---- I ache and feel the need for just one more, maybe not right now, but if it gets any worse in the next month. Besides, I can quit if when I want. lol
 
(quoted from post at 13:00:51 06/24/18) Phil, send me an email... I may be able to help you out with the crankshaft.
Thanks for the offer! However MarkCT has already hooked me up! :)
 
(quoted from post at 19:54:23 06/24/18) Deutz Lover, I'm getting old, (52) so changing implements around
has become a real chore. I've found it best to just buy one tractor
for each implement and leave them attached. Of course, there's
always the possibility of a break down, so a spare tractor, for each
implement, is also a good idea. Then, buy more implements! :)
I'm 62, and last year I decided that was time that my 2600 sickle bar mowing tractor needed to be dedicated only to mowing so I didn't have to take the mower on and off all season. What a godsend that has been! So since then I've gotten 3 more Fords and now have 7 in various stages of running condition....but it doesn't seem like enough! You've got to have a tractor for every implement, 2 dedicated loader tractors, one with a backhoe, and at least 2 spares. And maybe a couple of projects to take to the tractor show. I'm sure I'm forgetting something. :(
 
On justification, here's some:

I just finished my second "1 person" haying operation for the season:

Cut, 6' drum mower powered by newly acquired '88 3910 II; perfect combo and bought the tractor just for this so that I can leave my mower hooked up.
Rake, Branson '16 2400, JD 500 series rake
Crimp, '65 Ford 3000, Live PTO, NH 404 (drag type) crimper super combo
Tedder, multiple times, '63 Ford 2000, Tranny PTO, Morra 2 basket
Baled '07 Branson 6530C and '91 JD 375 baler which I was able to leave connected since I now have a cutting tractor....both a PIA to connect and
disconnect for one person.

The reason for the rake before crimp is that the crimper is wider than the cutter and putting 2 rows side by side makes for a good combo that crimps
nicely without stomping on other things and it gets the clippings up off the ground so the crimper can get to them. I sold my MOCO (JD 1209) when I
retired as first of all it had a sickle bar and I was tired of them and 2 with my smaller acreage and varied geometry, it just wasn't practical.

The way my place is laid out and all I have 3 different time lines (per cutting) on when to bale during the year and working alone, at 76, I need some help.

That's 5 and every one has a use besides other things through out the year.
 
Even without an age factor, just think of the time
saved by not having to hitch and unhitch all the time!
I think I need a few more...
 
The crank failure shows a 45 degree angle of failure. That is torque. Any idea what or how it was
operated at the time of failure? Someone drop the clutch with engine at a high rate of speed and
maximum traction, as wheels could not turn??
 

The crank broke because the machine shop that ground it cut the fillet radius down from .140 to under .050 creating a stress point.
It broke right at the radius.
 
(quoted from post at 08:52:39 06/24/18) I noticed the seat that appears in several of your pictures. The 3910 I just acquired has the same seat. My first time to use one. No back on it to lean up
against, like the popular 100 buck seats readily available these days, which I have on my 2000 and 3000, but doesn't seem to be that much of a problem.
The suspension is really smooth, smoothest suspension seat I have sat upon....very important to me these days. The thing I noticed most about it is that
turning around to monitor the "goins-on" behind you is very easy. Replacement parts are numerous and priced right, including the whole assy which is
available at a reasonable price.

Sorry, I missed this one.
As far as I know the seat frame is original, I ordered a new pan with the cushion when we fixed the tractor, when I traded for the tractor it had burnt from the seat forward, melted part of the cushion.
I remember this style seat on these tractors back when they where new, much more comfortable than the old pan seats like on my 801.
Their available aftermarket for around $200, the wife likes this seat because it can be adjusted lower for her height so I'll keep paying extra for them to keep her happy and helping me in the fields.
The new style with the back rest helps on a long day in the field, but I haven't been happy the last two of those $100 seats I bought. Adjusted completely down I can barely get my 200 lbs to make the seat bounce, may as well be setting on a bucket with a back rest.
The last one was so bad I tried the swap the cushions onto the old frame that set good but they've change the bolt hole pattern for the cushions.
The newer stuff gets the junkier it is.
 

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Back
Top