Dual Position Seat Mount (JD400 Backhoe)

dukehamm said:

Is anybody familiar with the dual position seat mount found on the JD400 backhoe tractors (late 60s models)? This seat mount had a 'hinge' that allowed the seat to be lifted and rotated from the tractor operator position to a raised location for backhoe operation.

I am looking for parts for this seat mount (NLA from John Deere). In particular, I need the links than go between thte seat mount plate and the seat support that bolts to the rear of the tractor. Anything will do - if anyone knows of a salvage yard or someone parting out an old tractor where I could get them? Can anyone supply me with a good close-up picture of what these links look like (so that I could create a fab drawing) then I can manufacture my own part.

Click to expand...

I'll take a photo of my 300 seat tomorrow and post. The flip-over seat still works but I hate it. 300 is pretty much the same as a 400 - just has the Dubuque 3 cylinder engie instead of the Dubuque 4. 300 is the industrial version of the 1020 farm tractor, and the 400 is the industrial version of the 2020 farm tractor. My 300 and 300B both the 9250A hoe on the back.

Thank you, Mr. De Maris.

My 400 had two seats when I got it, the original dual-position seat that had been welded down and parts removed, and the second permantly attached optional backhoe seat.

I guess I am something of a purist - The dual position seat looks like it could possibly be a bit sloppy, but I am trying to restore this tractor to "original" and "like new" condition (with a few tweaks and improvements along the way). You may ask "Why?" Well, the only answer I have is "because I can." This is an entertaining project for me - I am a retired engineer and this is fun stuff. Plus, It'll be very useful here on our little hobby farm; and maybe I'll drive it in a parade or something someday.

Who knows, maybe I'll design a motorized system on this seat for changing positions.... (did I mention I am a little OCD as well?)

By the way, if you have time, might you check out my other post on this forum at <http://www.mytractorforum.com/showthread.php?t=221365> and
consider a comment?

dukehamm said:

Thank you, Mr. De Maris.

My 400 had two seats when I got it, the original dual-position seat that had been welded down and parts removed, and the second permantly attached optional backhoe seat.

Click to expand...

It was snowing all day today and I didn't get around to going out to my 300B to photograph the seat.

So, here's some photos from the owners and technical manuals instead.

I do appreciate your response and the effort you took to do so.

I'm not sure why it is, but the descriptions and pics in my manuals look just like yours, but my tractor/loader/backhoe has a different seat support - it is reflected in the parts catalog - see diagrams below:

The particular parts I need to find or fabricate are item 1 from the seat support pivit block diagram and item 13 from the seat support links diagram.

I suppose I could reverse engineer the seat support and fab parts myself that will work, but finding parts would be much easier, and if I had to fab, some pics might be very helpful.

Just for fun, I have attached some pics of my seat to show what I have to work with.

Thanks again...

Just checking in. I now have this problem solved (but not yet fixed). I actually found a salvage yard that had one of the lower links. With this link, I am easily able to fabricate the mirror link for the other side. The few remaining missing pieces are easily fabricated by reverse engineering the rest of the seat mount assembly. I built a mockup (basically the pivot block and base plate attached to a saw horse) so I could work on this while doing other work on the tractor.

Now what I really need help with is the reverser on this tractor (fwd doesn't work, rev is OK). Any chance someone could look at my other thread on that problem? I think only my final post there is now relevant:
http://www.mytractorforum.com/showthread.php?t=221365

This issue is nowa done deal. I made the lower links out of 1/2" x 2" 6061-T6 aluminum bar stock, and the latch bar our of 3/8" x 1-1/2" 1018 steel bar stock. It is coming together nicely. I have decided to stop where the sliders attach to the seat base, and buy an aftermarket seat that has new sliders included with it. Also, the link I referenced in previous post is also a done deal; fixed.

For anyone interested, I found a bunch of parts that would have worked nicely from bass boat parts suppliers (sliders, swivels, etc), having advantage of being designed for outdoor use and exposure to water.

I'm thinking about an ejecter seat to foil would-be thieves. ...

(can't help myself - I'm a retired engineer with OCD)