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John Deere 420 good buy?

21K views 42 replies 17 participants last post by  biker3777 
#1 · (Edited)
John Deere 420 good buy? with pics

Hello I've found an older 420 and would like some opinions on if it is a good buy or not. I'll list what I know and post some pics. Thanks for the input.

JD420
Built 1983 according to the serial number.

was owned by the city of Anchorage until 3 years ago now owned privately.

1977 hours on engine. The engine smokes a little just as you start it with choke on then no smoke. It had run only once this winter and stored outside. He started it the day before I went to see it then when I got there. The engine was cold. The engine also surged a little but the choke was out maybe 1/4 of an inch. after I pushed the choke in it settled down but still surged a tiny bit. It also didn't like to run at a low idle but the engine wasn’t totally warmed up yet either. The original fuel pump leaked so he had a electrical pump hooked up the light switch that worked fine.

There is no 3 point hitch but the hydraulic cylinder is there. So I would need the hardware if I wanted a 3 point hitch. The box is bolted to the rear and I was told full of steel so it is heavy.

The front PTO is there and appears to be working but the horizontal adjuster and lower pulley appears to be missing so I would have to replace those.

The rear part of the body is not bolted on just sitting there.

The biggie here is the rear posi. It will only drive one wheel when you depress the red foot button/pedal. So it appears the posi drive is out unless everyone thinks its a linkage thing and just needs to be adjusted. Just to clarify it does not drive unless you depress the foot pedal then you only have one wheel drive.

The plow works fine left right, up and down.

Asking price is $500

So, is this a good buy and will it take a lot of money to get things fixed and looking nice?


John Deere 420 by Lucas in Alaska, on Flickr




John Deere 420 by Lucas in Alaska, on Flickr



John Deere 420 by Lucas in Alaska, on Flickr


John Deere 420 by Lucas in Alaska, on Flickr


John Deere 420 by Lucas in Alaska, on Flickr


John Deere 420 by Lucas in Alaska, on Flickr


John Deere 420 by Lucas in Alaska, on Flickr


John Deere 420 by Lucas in Alaska, on Flickr


John Deere 420 by Lucas in Alaska, on Flickr


John Deere 420 by Lucas in Alaska, on Flickr
 
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#2 ·
You best be getting it on your trailer.NOW,mine was worse than that one,couldnt even stand close it smoked so bad,I gave 500 for it,the rear pto is more than that AND a blade.
 
#4 ·
Sounds like it has some issues but you cant buy anything that says john deere on it for 500 around here i want a 420 or 430 bad ... buy it
 
#6 ·
Buy it.
I have tore into a few rear-ends with diff lock. They don't seem to engage very well and someone had talked about needing to shorten a piece inside the diff to make it engage better. I can get mine to engage-but it doesn't do it right away as I have to move forward/back a little at times. Once in-you can tell. Try holding it down all the way and driving for a bit to see if it will engage.

Lot of hours on that engine-but it is still running.

4 way blade-even beat up is worth almost what you are paying.

Rear PTO-I would have to see it. There may be a switch but that doesn't always mean there is a PTO attached. Remove the weight box and take a picture and we can tell you.
Tire chains are worth around $50.
Rearend worth around $300.
Hyd pump worth around $150.
Tires on cheap side for all 4-$100
Blade on cheap side-$200
So a cheap estimate is $800 worth in parts. And the local market-may make it worth more as there are likely less up there.
 
#7 ·
LUcas,never been inside one of the rear ends,did you try moving the 2 speed lever to see if it makes any difference.Coalminers advise seems wise to me.
 
#8 ·
I would buy that 420 in a heartbeat. Bring 5, offer 4, and see if he bites.
 
#9 ·
318 rear end fit these but they are not two speed.If you dont need 2 sp that is a way out.
 
#10 ·
PC- I didn't even notice the blade was bent thanks. It moves very well though.

Coalminer- Thanks for the info. I guess if I do buy it and it dies I can always part it out.

Biker- We moved the lever but I we didn't see if it worked or not.

Up here in AK I don't see a ton of John Deere stuff for sale. It occasionally comes up for sale but not often. I was looking on ebay to see how much the PTO pulley was and just the pulley was over a hundred. I think I could get some paint on it and make it look a lot better fairly quickly then start on the mechanics.
 
#11 ·
I think I could get some paint on it and make it look a lot better fairly quickly then start on the mechanics.
That's going about it bassackwards ! No point in spending time or money on cosmetics until you have the mechanicals figured out.
If it's got the rear PTO, I'd buy it for sure. I'd strongly consider it without the rear PTO
 
#12 ·
Leinie- It does have the rear pto. I did see it and I did see it engage. I also agree with you on first making sure the posi works. From what I have read here on the forums it really sounds like a linkage problem. The only thing that worries me is after it was brought to my attention that the blade was bent I am wandering if that might have been when the posi went out? Who knows?
 
#13 ·
If the thing drives and shifts I wouldn't be too worried about the diff lock to be honest. The blade pushing wouldn't cause damage to that. But engaging while spinning really fast could damage it. If the rear PTO is there-buy it. Regardless of the PTO the clutch is work around $200. The rest of the PTO-depends on what it is for what it is worth.

Agree- you never paint first and then mechanically go through it. And experienced buyers are wary of buyng fresh paint at a cheap price as they know what to look for.
 
#15 ·
Ditto! If I was selling that here I would be beating people off with sticks...
 
#16 ·
I would buy it for parts for my 430 and other projects if nothing else. For $500 you could ignore the problems and part the thing out and probably clear $5-600 on it, without a rear PTO.
 
#18 ·
Re: John Deere 420 good buy? *update*

Thanks for all the help and input. I talked to the gentleman selling this machine last night. I told him my concerns about the posi not working and me having to buy parts for the front pto to be able to put on a snowblower and we settled on a greatly reduced price. I hope to pick it up in the next two days.

:thanku:
 
#21 ·
Re: John Deere 420 good buy? *update*

we settled on a greatly reduced price.

:thanku:
SAY WHAT....

Congrats! I will be looking forward to a

"My 420 refurb" thread
 
#22 ·
Just to confirm your rear end issue,
Are you saying it won't move unless you engage the locking rear diff and then only one wheel turns?
If that is the case the wheel that will not turn has a broken axle.
Fairly common on the early ones and a fairly easy repair.Tons of used axles available on ePay and other locations.
Like stated I would buy it and dig into it provided you are mechanically inclined.
If you get into and find something too serious then sell the rear pto for $800ish and part out the rest.
On the front pto the extra pulley and extension was an add on kit it is not part of the original front pto.There should be a pulley on the front of the motor with a belt going down to another pulley that drives that center spindle.
Mower deck drive shaft attaches to the back of that to drive the mower deck.
To run front pto equipment a front add on set up was needed.
Good luck.


On edit,There are a couple different pto styles for that rear.The expensive one was a 2000 rpm gear box to run shaft driven rear implements.
There is also a belt driven style that operated a rear bagger that is not worth near as much money.
Just so you don't go in expecting to sell it to fund things and find the less expensive one.


AJ
 
#24 ·
Lucas

When you take off out of neutral it should move on its own.When the red button is pushed it goes into lock mode and both wheels will then turn.What you are describing is the left axle is broken.If you move the lever forward and it does not move then the load is being transferred to left wheel and it is not moving.When you engage the posi by pushing the red button both wheels lock and only the right wheel turns so the left axle is broken most likely.Like I said,common for the early units.Used parts are readily available to fix it and I am pretty sure new is still available too.

Sounds like the pto is missing part of it.There should be a belt connecting the two and the lower pulley set up in place.If there is no lower pulley then it was removed at one time for one reason or another.You can snap some pictures when you get it and we can help you figure out what is missing.

On the rear pto both units had a shaft coming from the rear to a clutch.Clutch either attached to a set of pulleys or a gear box.
Again pictures when you get it will clear it up.

Still a definite yes even though it is going to need a good bit of work.You can assess to fix or part it when you get it.Plenty of parts to make way more than the $250 invested.

I will send you private message in a few minutes with some other valuable information.

AJ
 
#30 ·
Oh yeah i would have bought it for $250. Good buy even with the problems. **** 210's are going for more then that around here.
 
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