[AT] JD 630 Questions

[Brett Phillips]

A few things to check:

Clutch:  Does it operate smoothly, or does it make the tractor buck when
engaging in the higher gears?

PTO operation: These tractors have two PTO controls, a shifter lever and a
clutch pedal.  The shifter can only be operated with the engine stopped
(this is normal).  The pedal has two pads, the top pad is used to engage the
PTO, and the bottom pad disengages the PTO and applies a brake to stop the
shaft.  Frequently, the PTO brake doesn't work because of wear or improper
adjustment. Check for this, as it is aggravating and dangerous if the PTO
wants to turn all the time.

Engine misses on startup:  I'm told that while the 620/630 engines are not
known for cracked heads like some other tractors, they can develop cracks if
they haven't had good care.  Cracks show up as a tractor that misses when it
is first started.

Leaky Exhaust Manifold Gaskets:  This leads to erosion of the mating
surfaces, and can cost big $ to fix if you have to replace the head.  Be
thankful that this one is LP and doesn't have the "heat exchanger" for the
intake manifold, as they can also cause troubles.  In fact, I put LP
manifolds on my gas 630 when my old ones started cracking at the exchanger.
Works great, except it needs a little more warm up time in the winter.

Flywheel and clutch center:  as with all Waterloo built JD 2-cylinders,
check to be sure that the flywheel and clutch driver have been kept tight.
Loose bolts in these areas can cause the flywheel or clutch driver to wear
themselves and the crankshaft splines to the point where they can not be
tightened.  Sometimes the crankshaft and flywheel or driver have to be
replaced ($$).

Having said all that, I find my 630 to be a fantastic tractor for field
work.  I use mine with a 9 foot Gehl mower conditioner, and love the
visibility and comfort the 630 provides.  It does a beautiful job with 3-14"
3-pt plows, and the draft control works nicely too.  I have never run a
round baler with mine, but it would probably work fine on a 4' x 5' baler.
Shifting forward and reverse might get old with the round baler, though.  My
630 has an adjustable wide front end, and that does make it a bit clumsy.
The Waterloo 2-cyl. wide fronts don't turn very tight, compared to more
modern tractors.  For this reason, I've been looking for a Roll-O-Matic for
mine.  I hope I haven't talked you out of it, they really are a nice tractor
when you use them the way they were designed to be used.  As to what to pay,
I paid almost $5000 for mine eight years ago, but it was a very clean
tractor with a documented 2600 hours.  It has been well worth it.  Don't be
afraid of fuel consumption.  I find mine to be fairly reasonable on gas,
considering it is a 50 hp tractor with 303 cubic inches in two holes.

Sorry to be so long...
Brett Phillips
Strasburg, VA

-----Original Message-----
From: at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com
[mailto:at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com]On Behalf Of Ricky Prescott
Sent: Wednesday, April 14, 2004 11:24 AM
To: Antique tractor email discussion group
Subject: [AT] JD 630 Questions


I am going to look at a JD 630 to use to plant my Milo.  It is lpg which
doesn't bother me.  What do I need to check on this thing?  It is barn kept
and has belonged to the same man since it was new.  His son has all the
manuals and cultivating equipment that goes with it.  What are these worth
in good shape with good tires?  I know nothing about JD's except that it has
a hand clutch.  I also intend to pull my jd 8350 grain drill and pull my
auger buggy.  Will it perform okay in that use?  Let me know what you think.
Ricky
_______________________________________________
AT mailing list
http://www.antique-tractor.com/mailman/listinfo/at