[AT] JD 620

Wed Jul 2 14:54:11 PDT 2014

Heat Howsers are not something we know much about down
this way.  I was imagining that it might be to protect corn
shucks from a mounted picker from catching fire.  Sounds like
the collective JD wisdom of the list has it figured out!

Charlie

-----Original Message----- 
From: Dean VP
Sent: Wednesday, July 02, 2014 3:48 PM
To: Antique tractor email discussion group
Subject: Re: [AT] JD 620

Brian,

Excellent. I think you have identified that correctly. Dean Vincent 
mentioned that a Heat Howser came with the tractor.

Connected by DROID on Verizon Wireless

-----Original message-----
From: Brian VanDragt <bvandragt at comcast.net>
To: Antique tractor email discussion group <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Wed, Jul 2, 2014 18:00:41 GMT+00:00
Subject: Re: [AT] JD 620

Was the exhaust manifold shield/strap for a weatherbrake cab/enclosure?

Brian
----- Original Message -----

From: "Dean VP" <deanvp at att.net>
To: "Antique tractor email discussion group" <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Wednesday, July 2, 2014 2:34:47 AM
Subject: Re: [AT] JD 620

Dean V.

Ok, now I have some time to comment. With what you have stated and what I 
see in the pictures you have
found a real gem of a needle in a hay stack. If I had become aware of that 
tractor before you did I
would have been all over it like stink on manure!  Don't find them in that 
good of condition very
often. Yes, there are different shades of green paint on the tractor but 
that is about the only
critical statement that can be made. The tin and paint look very good and 
only the "correct police"
would have any negative comments.  The rear tires look like 12.4 x 38" 
Firestone Road and Field which
are very good tires and they look like there is 60 to 70% tread left. . The 
left side picture offers
me a view of the sediment bowl and I would be willing to bet you have the 
automatic fuel shutoff if
the oil pressure gets too low. This is good. A close-up picture would verify 
that.  Look at the top of
the sediment bowl mechanism and see if an oil line feeds to it.

It appears that the original intake manifold has been replaced and that is 
good. The originals flaked
like a soda cracker.  It even has the original tool box.  I'm sure the 
tractor has power steering but
the decal is missing to designate it. No biggie.  Easily added. The Power 
Steering filler plug is
clearly visible in the first picture.  I do have a question about the 
lights. Are they the sealed beam
type? Sealed Beam lights started at Ser # 6213100 so it should have the 
sealed beam type lights.

It appears that there has been a front mounted cultivator on this tractor at 
one time. By chance is
that still available from the seller? Not all that useful for you now but a 
nice collector item.  If
there are a few dents in the grill screens but no holes there is a company 
that makes a tool that
allows you to straighten them out without replacing them.  Just cosmetic 
stuff.  Check to see if the
seller happens to have the second rear wheel weight somewhere maybe three 
more by the length of the
bolts. You can see the mounting bolts on the right wheel so there must have 
been at least one on there
at one time.  It's nice to have a matched pair or two matched pairs.  It's 
not at all unusual to use
just one rear wheel weight on the left rear wheel when plowing with a tag 
plow as that is the side
that will slip the most due to trash in the field. The furrow side usually 
has good traction. These
original weights are not all that hard to find however.

>From a pure cosmetic point of view I would suggest removing the 620 decal 
>on the front lower grill
pillar. It doesn't belong there or anywhere else for that matter.  Just 
distracting to me and may be
for you too. The cloth may be on the rear axles for a reason other than what 
you have mentioned
relative to rust.  The axle height is at a very troublesome height when 
walking around the tractor.
Very painful to knees, etc.  The dent in the flywheel cover probably can be 
removed with some sheet
metal tools if it annoys you.  Not a biggie. I've seen a lot worse. The seat 
cushion and back rest may
need to be replaced for show reasons but not for work reasons.  They can be 
either black or yellow but
I personally like the yellow versions.  They just show dirt sooner. The 
strap mounted to the right
side front frame appears to me to be a shield for the exhaust manifold. I've 
seen these before and I
think it was used with a particular mounted implement but right now I don't 
recall which one. Maybe
I'll remember later.  From a pure technical point of view the muffler is the 
wrong one but what is
there is fully functional.  The correct muffler does not have a dent in it 
for a steering wheel shaft.
When you win the lotto you can replace it.  When you do there are cheap 
mufflers that don't sound like
the originals. Buy the good one with the correct baffles.  You also might 
want to see if the spark
plug wiring loom is under the fan shaft gear casting and properly route the 
wires so they don't get
caught on something inadvertently . It looks like that little bracket might 
be missing though.  Is
there something unusual on the rod from the clutch lever to the clutch. 
Looks like something welded to
the rod or maybe that is just a fig newton of my imagination.

You even have an original JD Umbrella bracket mounted on the seat back. 
Umbrellas are kind of neat to
have in the hot Midwest weather and also for parades, shows, tractor rides, 
etc.  Original JD version
replicas are available. The three point hitch looks pretty good. The LH and 
RH sway locks are missing
on the RH and LH Elephant Ears.  I suspect the seller has them laying in his 
barn somewhere along with
the second or more wheel weights. The top link and chain looks to be all 
there with the exception that
the little chain hook appears to be broken off.  I take it back, upon a 
closer look the little hook
does appear to be there. This is good. The chain is supposed to go wrap 
through this hook before it
goes to the seat frame.  The PTO cover is a bit beat up but maybe a hammer 
and sheet metal tool can
clean that up. Reproduction PTO covers are available. The PTO cover and its 
integral cast frame just
snap on and off.  The hole in the drawbar doesn't seem to be badly 
elongated. That just verifies the
4400 hours as being quite low. You even have the remote Hydraulic Cylinder 
bracket. The correct
Hydraulic cylinder for this tractor is a hydraulic stop version and verify 
the correct sized one. They
come in various sizes for the tractors. Might want to check with the seller 
if he still has the
original one. The battery box isn't all rusted out from battery acid which 
is a miracle unless it has
been replaced at one time. In looking at the gauges it looks like there is a 
gas gauge as well. Your
tractor has all the bells and whistles and they all work.  You done good. 
I'm jealous! :-)

Dean VP
Snohomish, WA

They say necessity is the mother of invention.
Don't know who the father is, probably remorse.
Red Green

-----Original Message----- 
From: at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com 
[mailto:at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com] On Behalf Of
Dean Vinson
Sent: Monday, June 30, 2014 7:19 PM
To: 'Antique tractor email discussion group'
Subject: Re: [AT] JD 620

Okay, now this was just a heck of a nice evening.   Sunny, not too humid,
good conversation with some nice folks I had not previously met, and I ended
up with another tractor and a bunch of stuff to go with it.

http://www.vinsonfarm.net/photos/620_left_20140630.jpg
http://www.vinsonfarm.net/photos/620_lf_20140630.jpg
http://www.vinsonfarm.net/photos/620_right_20140630.jpg
http://www.vinsonfarm.net/photos/620_rr_20140630.jpg
http://www.vinsonfarm.net/photos/620_lr_20140630.jpg

The 620 is serial number 6219452, which puts it two-thirds of the way
through 1958 production according to the serial number range in Dean VP's
excellent earlier email.   The check I wrote tonight makes me the tractor's
second owner.  The first owner is 88 and moving a little slowly these days,
having recently recovered from a broken hip, and can no longer climb up on
the tractor--so is rather reluctantly letting it go.   He told me this 620
was the last one sold new from the John Deere dealer in New Carlisle, Ohio,
in 1958, and it's been on his farm about four miles from my place ever
since.  It was his main tractor for only a few years, bumping down to #2
when he bought a 4010 diesel.

I took with me Dean VP's list of things to check on, and found the
following:
- No fenders, front rockshaft, or external air cleaner.
- No automatic fuel shutoff in the fuel line, and the fellow didn't remember
there ever being one there although he couldn't say for sure.
- No cracks, welds, or oil or water leaks that I could see.
- No play to speak of in radiator fan; maybe 3/8" movement at the end of the
blades.
- Complete 3-point with original top link and sway blocks.   Lift arms
picked right up and held my weight without seeping down after I shut the
tractor off.
- Live PTO and single two-way Power-Trol hydraulic outlets.
- New batteries, in the original dual six-volt configuration.
- Float Ride seat seems pretty comfortable, certainly not all collapsed and
hard.
- Few and minor dings in the grill screen and sheet metal.  Paint is not
original but not new.  Front tires are okay, rear tires are excellent.
- All the gauges work.  Original owner said the hour meter broke at 25,000
hours and he had it replaced right away, and the "new" one still works and
reads about 19,000 hours so he says 44,000 total is pretty accurate.
- He said he had it overhauled by the John Deere dealer (same one he bought
it from) for about $3000 ten or twelve years ago when he retired from
farming, and it's been only very lightly used since.   Most recent duty was
powering his Winco pto-driven trailer-mounted generator when commercial
power went out in a storm.
- Starts right up and sounds good.

In addition to the tractor, he was selling a heavy-duty John Deere rear
blade, a 3-point Woods rotary mower, a 3-point sprayer, and the
previously-mentioned Winco generator.   All looked to be in excellent
condition.   By way of example, the Woods mower and the sprayer are both in
the barn, each under custom-fit dust covers.   (I didn't know there were
dust covers for brush hogs).   The rear blade is in the garage next to the
Winco generator, which was hooked to the 620 when I got there.  The 620 has
seen a few nights outside in its lifetime, but only a few.   I didn't think
to ask the fellow about the stuff wrapped around the ends of the rear axles,
but now that I look at the pictures I think it's likely packed with a bit of
grease to keep the axle ends from rusting.

As it happens, I've been actively looking for a brush hog and planning to
buy a rear blade, and I'd been reading up on Winco generators since my place
is already wired with a transfer switch.   I wasn't planning to buy a
sprayer but got caught up in the excitement.  (Dammit).   Anyway, it'll all
be coming home with me over the next few days, and barring rain this weekend
I'll be easing into some mowing along the farm lanes.   Wahoo!

Dean Vinson
Saint Paris, Ohio

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