TOP 10 WAYS TO BREAK YOUR TRACTOR! 👨‍🌾🚜👩‍🌾

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This video is for entertainment purposes only. Good Works Tractors (Good Works Lawn & Power, LLC) cannot be held responsible for content found in any video. Always reference your owners manuals, use extreme caution, and proceed at your own risk.

[LeaMacDonald]

I now consider GWT the dealer that keeps on giving. You've given us (me) information, that frankly, I've not thought of despite it being timely, valuable, and important. I'm confident that these pages are now considered an informational resource. I'm impressed by the depth and span of the information you offer each week. Yet another excellent video.

[EronIler]

I had a 1/2 sheet of steel mounted under my tractor to protect all the small tubes and lines. It also adds a lot of ballast below the axles. Be sure to cut opening for accessing fluids and tire turning. I have a video on my channel just on the skid plate.

[belladonnaRoot]

Design engineer here: currently working on designing a tractor. I'll run through these on my own design, but I can give my 2 cents on each of your points.
1. Trees are very good at destroying tractors. I design orchard equipment. Trees are /very/ good at destroying tractors.
2. Hydraulics at max extension are at their weakest for two reasons. Hydraulic fluid isn't really compressible, but the hoses and pipes are; they add a little bit of shock absorption. Not much, but some. At a cylinder's limits, there's no shock absorption; just metal-on-metal hard stop. The 2nd is that at maximum extension, you usually have the most extreme cases of loading. For that JD particularly, they should have had less extension; a shock load at the bucket's lip will be amplified 10x thanks to the short distance between the bucket's pivot and the cylinder's centerline.
2A. We cannot test for every situation; it's an impossible task. Even with in-house equipment, there's too many variables with how equipment can be used to fully vet a machine for every use case. Infinitely so once you include equipment made by other manufacturers.
3. Tires and wheels are usually bought off-the-shelf. Welding that extra cover on sounds easy, but requires a fabricated part, and sending both through welding, and paint. Those each increase labor time, part lead-time, and introduce opportunities for error. So should John Deere do so...probably. But that $20 of parts on each machine costs probably $100-200 to add to an off-the-shelf item.
4. Nobody likes maintenance. But it's necessary.
5. Reversing damage is more common, probably for 2 reasons. When being pulled, implements are more likely to skip over/be pulled up and over whatever they're caught on. When they're pushed, they're more likely to jam and have the whole momentum of the tractor behind that jam. 2nd, those links are a lot more likely to bend when they're being pushed on; buckling strength is a lot less than tension strength.
6. Yup, gearboxes don't like skipping gears.
7. 3-point back-hoes....similar to 2A and 5, Tractors aren't designed for it, and it can put links in compression where they're more likely to buckle
8. Lights....Trees are very good at destroying tractors.
9. Unfortunately, tractors are designed for their top speed...shipping usually ends up being an afterthought (My place only has steel panels, so it's usually less of an issue for us)
10. Undercarriage damage: trees are very good at destroying tractors.... Fortunately, my current tractor's design has the bottom with nothing but a few bolt heads exposed.

[chuckm]

I have the Lube Shuttle for years, best money i have ever spent !

[geoffflato]

As someone who owns a hydraulic shop, you wouldn't believe some of the mangled cylinders that come in. One particularly memorable one was the pair of lift cylinders off the loader on an older Deere. I Believe a 3020 (1960s 70hp ag tractor)
They were using it to pick up the hitch of a utility trailer to dump gravel out. All of a sudden, BANG, and the loader dropped. It had bent both rods over 90 degrees into L shapes right where they came out of the gland end of the barrel.

I probably make new rods for at least one loader cylinder a week, it's very common. Grapple cylinders are often messed up as well. Usually from someone using the top to push or rake with.

[BAbbett]

They put the valve stem protectors on the 4066R now..must be bc this video..Just got our John Deere about 4 weeks ago..very nice

[stevejodoin]

As a new tractor owner I really appreciate these tips and cautions. Thanks for this video. 🇨🇦

[fjb]

I just wanted to thank you for your videos.
I just put a deposit down on my first tractor. I’m going to be 51 in August.
Since we bought the house we live in now I’ve wanted a real tractor because it’s mostly on a hill and its very difficult to make our yard decent. I’ve got limited time on any heavy equipment but your videos should help me out BIG TIME.
OH I’m buying a
2013 John Deere 2032R
With 1300 hours on it
I’m paying $15, 500 for it
It has a loader and backhoe with a weight box. I’m not sure if that’s a good deal or not but I looked at smaller ones for almost the same money and I don’t think they’d be able to handle the short hill I have to drive up to the back yard.
I have a lot of plans for this thing. It should make it much easier to make the yard usable!!!
Thanks again I really appreciate the videos and I’m going to buy one of those rhino canopies for it🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[semco]

I have not had any of those problems with my tractors yet, but do try to be very careful when working with them since I invested so much money in them and don't want them damaged. I love your tips and will remember as much as I can while operating my equipment.

[eanschlotzhauer]

I think everyone looking in to getting a tractor of any make or model should watch this video.
Just as a refresher to the every day thangs we don't think about in tell it happens

[junkhondas]

Tip for the first problem. Get some really thick fence used for chicken runs. Not chicken wire a step of and put it over brush guard. Works for me

[brianseverance]

I looked at John Deere and I bought a LS it's built so much better.ive had it since 2012 no problems at all.

[FredFlintstone]

I had light rops break, from a loved one using my tractor. Mounted em on the inside, made a video how I did it. Turned out great. When I traded my tractor in, the dealership re-mounted them on the outside. Great video thanks for sharing!

[douglaspost]

I've bent the stabilizers on the 3 point by grading while backing up with my box blade. I've thought about beefing them up but figure that I'd rather have those be the week link back there. Also like you said about valve stems. I was pushing back a bunch of brush one time and a limb took off the rear wheel valve and all that beet juice or whatever John Deere put in those tires came squirting out. That's happened twice. If it happens again I'm going to have some pipe welded onto the rims to protect the valve stems. Also, I was going through some really tall weeds and the front end climbed up on a great big rock and came down on the steering cylinder bending the shaft and the drag link. Of course the original cylinder was a welded unit that couldn't be taken apart so $800.00 later I got a new one. This one is rebuildable. The drag link I straightened with a hammer. It's a dangerous world out there. ( and an expensive one too).

[pondacres]

I protected the rop-mounted lights by removing them altogether.

[japguns]

My mahindra compact came with valve stem protectors on larger tires not micro tires like I see on the green and orange of the compatible size tractors. I've seen larger tires on a riding lawn mower.
But.. Good vid thanks for looking out for the new folks and those like me who are new to small tractors.

[Pearcebees]

My uncle put skid plates on his massy 135 and his 165 I think he used 1/2 in steal plat works good

[gilbertbissell]

Great tips! Thank you. I had a tire chain on a JD4300 with a loose link hook on the rear brake linkage arm while I was snowblowing. This locked the brake and froze up the rear tire. Broke a gear in the rear differential which took out three other gears. $4500 repair. I now have spacers on the rear tires and I really watch those chains!

[judisinger]

Skid plate to protect bottom would be great! I've had a viney weed get wrapped around my 4x4 linkage and stalks break connection in my PTO wiring and my tractor wouldn't start til I found a video to diagnose and fix the problem! Thanks for all the great videos!

[gotchagoing]

The second you showed that pic of a crushed JD, I knew it was a 770. Best damn tractor I have ever owned. Everything I did with it, that tractor made an excellent showing for itself. Of course I had the loader, which BTW was miles ahead of the hookup-unhook loader system JD now uses. That was a case of, " if it ain't broke-don't fix it".

And thanks for the video, as always, lots of useful information. Did I mention the 770 was the best damn JD I ever owned? LOL...