[boodles]

Got an offer on a 8430 with a rooted front diff. Diffs available? Dear parts? Good engine and tyres. What is the go with the trannies. Are they attached to the motor, any problems, ?????? What is the worst features of them. It has one of those quad shift things.

 

[madsnake]

Working on them. Near as big a job to get the sump off the engine as rebuild the engine.

 

[madcow]

I have rebuilt a few of them trannys but there not a weak point.

the rest of the tractor isn't bad to work on, but to do anything other then head work to the engine and you are rolling the front axle away. its not the worst thing to do but not as nice as simply lifting an engine out of a different tractor.

I like my 8450 but I wouldn't pay much for an 8430. I wouldn't buy one that needs much work, by the time you buy one that needs work you will be better off money, time and happiness looking for a nice 46/4850.

 

[Stephan]

The 30 series 4 wheel drives had front axels that lubed/contain GL-5(like 80w-90w oil)

Later series had axels that lube off the rest of the tractor's trans/hydraulic oil....

Hard to say what might be busted in the front axel...left or right side axel bearings could be out..planetaries could be stacked-up...in the center-section the differential bearings or pinion shaft bearings could be bad...

Last one I worked on was an 8630..and the entire front axel was thrashed! I put in a new center-section and two rebuilt final drives. More money than the tractor was worth....

 

[Lempey8430]

well we have 8630's and 8640's and one 8430 that we put a 8.1l in outa the 8400 love it what prob happen with the front dif is that someone forgot to put oil in we have done it 2 times on a 8630 and my 8430 we just go to the states and buy a front dif from a scrap yard easy to fix just spilt one in have to put syncros in at 14k hrs

 

[whtbaron]

My 8430 ate a back axle last year and they were no longer available from John Deere, but the scrappers are cheaper anyway if you can find a good one. This year I'm dealing with a locked up transmission and clutch engagement issue that I haven't tracked down yet. As others have mentioned, don't spend too much because it's pretty easy to put another $18k into an $18k tractor. I wish I had held out for a 40 or 50 series myself.