John Deere 3800 corn chopper

How difficult is it to change a John Deere 3800 corn chopper from 1000 RPM to 540 RPM. I can get the chopper for $250.00 and don't plan on buying a 1000 RPM PTO tractor.
 
I dont think a 3800 was ever offered with a 540.That is about 30 years old.Been a long time since I been around one. That said, You may have to get creative. The last JD chopper that I know was 540 was the old 34.
 
What tractor is going to be used on the 3800? While a 540 shaft may be the only thing evident it may be possible to convert it to 1000 operation with minimal expense. It all depends on the model in question. I don't know if theoretically that a 35 or 38 driveline could be grafted on to the 3800. But that is more expense in terms of buying the parts necessary.
 
The JD 3800 chopper was only offered in 1000 rpm. That chopper has "J" knives. They PULL HARD!!! I would not go to a 540 RPM PTO on it you will break the shaft.

IF you want 540 PTO then look up an older chopper like a JD 34 or a NH 717. Those where the few 540 PTO choppers I know of. Some of the old Fox choppers where 540 PTO too.
 
You will probably need a 540 gear box off a 3940 and then change your hook up.We changed our 3940 from 540 to 1000 when we bought a 4520 that only had 1000 pto.We just changed the gearbox and the spline end and rn the draw bar in a shorter position than 1000 until we got the correct pto off a parts 3940.The 540 machine also uses a smaller shear bolt as we learned when we kept shearing them after changing to 1000 pto.There were also a few 38 harvesters sold with 540 and about 1/3 of the 35's have 540 as well.I would sell my 3940 540 gear box but shipping would be expensive. We used it with a well tuned 4020 and a 4320 for years and never had any problems with the drive line.Tom
 
Gehl CB600 came in 540/1000 pto. Used mine with everything from JD 4020 to Case 2470 FWD- 94-175 hp. Granted, Gehl parts will be an ever-increasing issue, but there are a lot of old machines around.
 
I'll be the one who says, for that price I'd jump on it and either resell it to buy what you can use, or figure out another way to run it. We found a nh 892 a few years ago for 700 and had to get a corn head for it yet. Easy to sharpen the knives and set the shear bar. I saw a 790 on craigslist the other day that was 540.

Donovan from Wisconsin
 
How about an adaptor to run the 1000 rpm with 540? With the wet fall we just had, I did that so I could use my mfwd tractor on the chopper. Had to go slower ground speed and keep the engine rpm up, but it worked ok. Not as well as when on my tractor that has 1000, but it did work.
 

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