4020 broken in two - revisited - pictures

4020 · Feb 1, 2014

The first two pictures are of the motor where it broke in two and in the second picture you can see a crack horizontally below the head - it goes down past the injector pump - so the only thing holding the block and tractor together was the crankshaft. Pictures three and four show the rectangle tubing we used to extend the loader frame back to the rear axel housing. Picture five shows how one of the brackets attaches to the rear axel housing. I have never seen a tractor broken in two by using a loader, but this tractor and loader get a lot of use and has a lot of hours and age against it, but if you look at the motor and the frame, the tractor frame bolts to the side of the block stopping before the frame reaches to the transmission housing. The second picture of the motor shows the casting where the starter bolts to and where it is broken clear off and you will see there is not that much metal holding the tractor together. That is why we extended the frame back to the rear axel housing to take the strain off the block. This is followup pictures from this incident a couple of years ago.

M w J · Feb 1, 2014

Why does that loader not have brackets going to the front of the tractor is the loader a 148 or 158 and are they John Deere brackets. With out brackets going to the front it puts all of the weight in the middle of the frame not over the front end.

Old weldor · Feb 1, 2014

Only other one I saw broken like that,the guy was trying to rip up an old concrete slab. He was a rammer jammer and you wouldn't want to buy anything he had owned.

armand tatro · Feb 1, 2014

Seems to me John Deere had a kit to beef up the side rails when you put a loader on them. Yes or no??? If not for the 4020 than what models did that kit fit????? Armand

4020 · Feb 1, 2014

mwj The brackets are john deere. I bought the loader used in 1988 or 1989. I had already had experiance with braking the side frames between the motor and radiator which most always puts the fan thru the radiator. So on those short loader brackets I welded the front of the bracket to the front weight bracket which took all the stress off the front of the side rails and moved the stress to the back of the engine. I also had a brace across to both brackets under the pan and one above the hood with the loader up in the air there was no swayng back and forth. Now with frame work going to the rear axel housing the loader is rock solid. I just didn't want to slam another motor in the tractor and risk breaking it in two again.

Royse · Feb 1, 2014

I remember seeing your original post. Not a good deal.
Duals and wheel weights seems like a good recipe for breakage.
If you need to push that much, I would consider buying a used dozer.
Glad you're getting it back together anyway!

4020 · Feb 1, 2014

Old weldor; This loader has done some of that type of work too, but we are not the rammer bammer type. We fix all our mistakes so you learn to be a little more careful. Our equipment does get a workout!

4020 · Feb 1, 2014

Royse - We have a dozer - a Cat D7G. We broke the 4020 while we were cleaning up roots after the dozer. We are wanting to come up with some type of root rake to put in front of the dozer or behind a tractor.

KIP in MX · Feb 2, 2014

Here's how my 158 is attached. Standard mount, not beefed up. Maybe in beefing yours up, the stress was inadvertently transferred to engine flange even with the back braces?
Your photos will remind me to be more careful! Mostly I use the loader to spread crushed rock and lift downed trees for cutting, so nothing extreme.

bison · Feb 2, 2014

Not surprised it broke the engine, seen my share of broke in half tractors with a loader mounted like that, not only JD though.
I always found it a poor design mounting the loader just to the front half.
Its much better to have free floating brackets extend from the front to the rear axles and a cross brace over the hood in front of the cab.

my 2c

John_PA · Feb 2, 2014

I'm just curious, but...

For what you paid for the loader tractor, do you think you could have bought a dedicated wheel loader?

I do not, but wish I own, a wheel loader. I do not have a loader on a tractor because I see them getting abused too much. I have seen used wheel loaders for cheap.

I will buy one soon.

I think it is important to separate the fleet. Seems like tractor loaders are just bad news.

sms · Feb 2, 2014

local redimix company decided to use loader/backhoe as backup and to help service all their plants to load hoppers. To speed things up they welded higher sides on the bucket and yup after a while the front axle broke.

gene bender · Feb 2, 2014

There are those who can break an anvil

Tx Jim · Feb 2, 2014

4020
This is what the original mounting frames looked like for a rowcrop tractor for a 148 or 158 loader?

Tx Jim · Feb 2, 2014

(quoted from post at 23:00:16 02/01/14) Seems to me John Deere had a kit to beef up the side rails when you put a loader on them. Yes or no??? If not for the 4020 than what models did that kit fit????? Armand

JD offered brackets to rear axles for utility tractors. The 6 cyl utility model's(2840,2940,2950 & 2955) especially required the rear brackets

4020 · Feb 2, 2014

SMS ; The front axle is off of a 4430, I have never broke it.

4020 · Feb 2, 2014

John, We did look at a track loader once, but it is hard to own everthing you need or could use. We put up either side of 1000 acres of hay. So we have two loader tractors, one to load and one to unload. The other loader tractor we use is a 4010 with a 148 loader. A loader is something we use almost ever day. That why my 4020 is one of our favorites.

M w J · Feb 2, 2014

So then the loader brackets that are on there Did they have a piece going around the front that you you took off so you could fasten to your weight bracket or were they brackets that did not have the arms to go to the front?

Rick Kr · Feb 2, 2014

Based on your posts, I don't see where you did anything wrong. If you are putting up a lot hay like you say, using the loader all the time, duals on back...

Things get old and fatigue over time. For all anyone knows, there may have been a defect or inclusion in the engine casting, and it finally let loose.

I have a quick attach loader on a 3930 Ford, you can see the mounts on it flex ever so slightly. Eventually that flexing will create stress cracks. For heavier work, I switch to the backhoe.

Rick

4020 · Feb 2, 2014

MwJ; No they did not, that is why I tied them into the new style wheight bracket that bolts to the sides and front of the tractor.

M w J · Feb 2, 2014

O k just trying to figure out why the tractor broke if your back brackets are solid to the loader frame with no give and the front solid with no give It should not of broke . When the loader pushes down on the front the back brackets should lift on the rear axle and the front should push down on the front end . or was the back bracket on just to push against and not support up and down movement?

sideconsole4020guy · Feb 2, 2014

Glad to see you got the old girl all fixed up and beefed up so it doesn't happen again. Just curious all the 148 loaders I have seen excluding mine have been busted by the torque tube. Has yours been reinforced there? Its just crazy the block would of broke before the loader. I have seen one tractor broke in half and that was an 806 IH with a loader. That one broke the clutch housing.

buickanddeere · Feb 2, 2014

My evaluation of the configuration and opinion of the operator have not changed. Since first seeing that abused piece of machinery.
The 120V receptacle is a nice touch.

4020 · Feb 2, 2014

MwJ; I did not put the back braces on, until after I broke the block.

4020 · Feb 2, 2014

sideconsole, Good to hear from you again. The cross pipe that takes the twist out of the arms has been welded twice. The pins and bushings have been replaced once and are about ready again. Some of the ram ends have been replaced also and not because of lack of grease. That motor that we broke had around 7000 hrs on the over haul and used very little oil. Was a shame to lose it.

4020 · Feb 2, 2014

buickanddeer Yes it is not the correct plugin. Maybe you can help me do it right. I need at least two plugins for the mixmill, three if we happen to put one of the smaller planters on it. Lately we have been using my 4440 on one of the smaller planters. I am sure it is not wired right either.

M w J · Feb 2, 2014

Ok then that makes it easier to understand .

4020 broken in two - revisited - pictures

Member

Member

Member

Well-known Member

Member

Well-known Member

Member

Member

Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Member

Member

Member

Well-known Member

Member

Member

Member

Well-known Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Similar threads