FULL INSTALL- Front frame extension and 4 way plow on John Deere 430 Garden Tractor

Today we completed a step-by-step install of the Front Frame extension and 4-way hydraulic front blade for our John Deere 430 garden tractor. The reason this frame extension was needed was because this specific tractor is a long nose. I've never completed this before and couldn't find any videos showing everything you need to know to do this so hopefully it fills in the blanks and helps someone in the future. More to come on this tractor build and other projects in our woods and trails in rural Ohio. Please like, subscribe, and leave a comment or question.

[@tractorstrailsandlivingfree]

Hi all. Thank everyone so much for all the views on our first video. Be patient, we have a whole handful of good stuff coming up to show you but we've been picking up some items to move forward. We really want to grow this channel so please remember to Like and Subscribe. It will go a long way to helping us reach our goals for this channel and show you some more tractor stuff and other outdoor chores.

[@johncottrell9979]

This is the most intelligently done, complete, and well-explained how-to video I've ever seen. Everything down to the plywood work area and re-installing the small parts. Excellent. I will be doing this exact same procedure on my 430, plus tire chains and possibly adding some weight to the 3pt.

[@tractorstrailsandlivingfree]

Thanks! Glad to offer any insight. I will be buying my chains at TSC this coming week and am looking forward to the 1st heavy snow this year instead of dreading it.

[@davidsmathers5621]

Hi iam in southeastern Ohio I just joined your channel iam in the process of byeing a tractor like yours it's a 1978,316,16hp Kohler motor with the plow and 3point mine only has two leavers and a deverter box the deverter box is just ahead of the two leavers

[@lunaticctl]

When I was a kid we had an early 70's John Deere 140 tractor with a 48 inch mower deck, 48 inch mid mount grader blade, 48 inch garden tiller, and a 54 by 18 inch snow plow. It was the easiest mower deck to remove and install and the floating deck never scalped because it rode on its own wheels, it didn't hang below the tractor like mowers nowadays. Take good care of that tractor because you can't replace it with the junk they make now. I was 13 when we bought ours and I could mount and demount all of the attachments myself with no help. Only issues I can remember were the lockout valves ( there was a black knob just forward of the seat your would screw down to disengage the transmission if you needed to move it without the engine running) would leak on top of the transmission but just very little. I have not seen many ztr mowers made today that can maintain a uniform cut over uneven turf like that tractor could. It also had the three lever hydraulic control with the float position.

[@tractorstrailsandlivingfree]

I know what you mean. My son had a 212 and a 312 and I remember the dial youre referring to.

[@alwaysopen7970]

Its fun to watch other people pull mower decks from under a JD mower. They come out to the right. Your "cotter pins" are actually R clips en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R-clip. Buy more and have them on hand as you will need them if playing with them often. I know. Its good to have washers on the shafts they go through if they rest against a frame.

[@tractorstrailsandlivingfree]

Thanks. I did use the wrong name for those as you said. The cotter pins are the ones that you split apart. So are you saying that if I pulled it out the right side, it would have came out without jacking it up? Or no? That's good to know for the future if so. I appreciate any advice that I can get.

[@davidsmathers5621]

All I didn't mention iam putting a cab on mine

[@teejay622]

Great video! I have a 420 and a 430 and they are both amazing machines for sure! I have a couple pointers if I may. When connecting the hoses, there is sometimes some residual pressure left in the hydraulic lines (both tractor and plow lines) which can make it difficult to connect them. With the tractor off, I like to cycle the hyd controls back and forth to relieve any pressure and thereby make it easier to connect and disconnect the lines. In the past I've had so much line pressure that I had to tap the nipple on the male end of the lines to relieve this pressure and hyd fluid spurt all over because of that pressure - lol. Wrapping a rag around the fitting before you tap it helps to keep the fluid from spraying. Also, for snow removal, I install a strip of reinforced rubber conveyor belt between the plow body and the blade. This "squeegee" effect is absolutely a game changer when plowing snow. It reduces damage to cement or asphalt driveways and has eliminated any damage to my lawn. It also reduces the chances of catching cracks in cement which can do damage to the plow, the tractor and/or the concrete when the blade drops down into a crack if the plow edge is aligned with the crack in the concrete (don't ask me how I know - lol ). I got the conveyor belt on ebay for a couple dollars and the job was well worth it. I won't run it without it. You'll need longer bolts too. I subbed and I'm looking forward to your future videos. As John Cottrell pointed out, this was a very well done video. Now I'm hoping you go buy a 46 snow thrower and do a video of how you mount that thing. It's a monster of a job to install it - at least it is on my 420. I use a quick hitch on the 430 which makes it a dream but it sticks out so far in the front. As if the 430 front end doesn't stick out far enough already - lol. Keep em comin!

[@tractorstrailsandlivingfree]

Thanks for watching and the sub! I have heard the same thing about cycling the levers and I try to do it when I remember but to be honest, I forget sometimes. I had to relieve pressure on my sons 312 by tapping that ball in the fitting as well. Wasn't too messy. I had the opportunity to buy one of those "chest freezer" snowblower from the guy I bought the plow from. You're right, it's kinda huge. Good advice for all!

[@Wtfisakilometer_]

Hey all. I’ve watched all your JD430 videos awhile back. Just bought myself one yesterday, I think y’all convinced me haha. Funny story, the trailer I used wasn’t wide enough - and we had to drop the deck, we too had issues clearing the PTO gearbox from the frame, I wonder if slightly larger tires would eliminate that? I have a ton of questions, would it be best to email you guys? Thanks.

[@tractorstrailsandlivingfree]

Glad you like them. It's a pretty awesome machine. I'm no expert but feel free to ask any question. Thanks for watching!

[@chrisgraham1541]

Nicely done. The agg tires, might make it so you will not need to jack up the tractor, to remove the mower deck.

[@tractorstrailsandlivingfree]

Maybe. I was thinking that there might have been a way to avoid that looking back. It seems pretty normal for me to always do things the hard way at least once before I do it the smart way. Thanks for watching!

[@MINItraktor196]

😎👍

[@tractorstrailsandlivingfree]

Thanks!

[@MINItraktor196]

Watching your videos I'm trying to assemble myself a similar tractor. like John Deere, Cube Cadet, veel horse

[@tractorstrailsandlivingfree]

@@MINItraktor196 it's kinda fun. Good to have a real garden tractor that can do things as compared to a box store tractor with very limited capabilities and accessories.

[@jdtoys2768]

Great video....very informative, looked like you had done this before. The fun of removing the mower deck! You may want to install tire chains for this winter. Without them you will be frustrated. If you can't find a set, you can build your own. We make them out of 1/4" or 5/16" chain. If you haven't checked out our video on rubber wings and cutting edges, You might find it interesting. The John Deere 430 is a beast! Keep the videos coming. Doug@JDToys

[@tractorstrailsandlivingfree]

Thanks, in some ways it was easier than I expected it to be. My son used a JD312 with a snow blower last year with turf tires. It wouldn't stay unstuck for anything. We picked up chains at TSC and it made all the difference. That's a pretty nice tractor as well, maybe we'll put it in a video at some point. The turf tires on the 430 right now are pretty well worn. I will be picking up a full set of tires, R1 on the rear, not sure about what I will use on the front yet. they don't need traction being that they don't drive, but I don't want them to get packed full of mud or snow so I might go HDAP or Ags on the front as well. I will also be getting them filled so should have a good bit of weight. Do you think it will still need chains? If I do, I will definitely go that way since I already know they made a big difference on the 312.

[@jdtoys2768]

@@tractorstrailsandlivingfree Yes, on the chains...R1's on the front do seem to help when turning, plus they look great.

[@lonnyeinsiedel8672]

I agree with Charlie need to put i call them skidded on it to control th depth

[@tractorstrailsandlivingfree]

I have played with those skid shoes a bit. Seems like they are most effective on a hard packed stone drive. But if the gravel is loose, they just leave a track in the driveway without really having the effect they were designed for Thanks for the comment and for watching.

[@lonnyeinsiedel8672]

Are your round or shad shaped like a skid like curved like skis

[@tractorstrailsandlivingfree]

@@lonnyeinsiedel8672 Hi Lonny. I didn't see this comment but in general, they are shaped like the capital letter "J" and somewhat flattened on the bottom, probably from hard surface wear.

[@craighart4186]

Really good video on mount process, but early in the video you said that blade fits the 400 and 420 also. I found a 54" JD hydraulic blade and considering buying, but seller said it is only for the 300 series? something about frame width being different between 300 and 400 tractors for the mount pins. Have no idea if there was a blade mount made for specific series tractors back then? Is that identifiable by the serial number? Because without measuring they all look the same size to me. Anyone reading have good info on this???

[@tractorstrailsandlivingfree]

That is the same thing I've heard related to the 400 series being wider. I think some have found ways to spread the plow frame to make it work. I dont know of any distinguishing in model numbers so no help there. But yes, anyone with info feel free to chime in.

[@craighart4186]

I found that there is what they call a frame squeezer adapter you can buy so that the 300-318 series blade and mount will fit on the 400-430 frames. and I guess the 300-318 front end frame is 13.57 inches wide, 400 series is wider @@tractorstrailsandlivingfree

[@tractorstrailsandlivingfree]

@@craighart4186 yep. I think i saw that on one of the other internet tractor forums

[@charliesmith5849]

And then in spring, rake the stone back onto the driveway! Or, set the depth shoes so the blade never gets into the stone!

[@tractorstrailsandlivingfree]

Yeah, I will need to figure how I want to plow as I go. I'm sure I'll probably plow gravel drives by keeping the blade a hair off the ground and see how it goes. Thanks for watching!

[@2naturesownplace]

@@tractorstrailsandlivingfree has someone who's ran this and the 300 series since the 70s. Some simple tips that will make life easier for you. The blade is actually designed so one person can put it on. On a 300 and the 400 series. So leave the top cylinder folded down. Once you have the adapter on you connect the rod section to the new adapter. You connect your hoses the rear of the cylinder hose goes to the inner connectors. And then you use the power of the hydraulics to extend the upper cylinder and bring the upper locking part onto the frame that's why you have the ability to pull the pins out and lock them in place once they're slid over the middle just rotate them and when it gets to where it needs to be they automatically pop in. Lastly almost perfectly correct on the spools except. Old school machines that had a manual tilt left or right when you push forward on the left it pushed the left front of the blade forward causing the right side to go back. The float spool is correct. But the number three brothers from the body needs to be reversed. John Deere tried to make this simple by simply telling people the back hose on the cylinders goes to the inside connector on the frame. So when you push forward the right should come back. I've never seen it done any other way by any John Deere dealer or John Deere operator of these models.

[@tractorstrailsandlivingfree]

@@2naturesownplace Thanks Richard for the advice. I can see that that could be done by 1 man using the hydraulics to your advantage like the loaders and such connect on the newer subcompact/compact rigs. Thanks for watching!

[@stephenallen7504]

Where did you get the rubber for the bottom of the blade?

[@tractorstrailsandlivingfree]

I bought a stall mat from rural king and cut a strip from it. That Mat should yield several straps. The video I did about preparing before a winter storm where I cut it and bolted it on.

[@jasonburks5911]

can you get a 4 way blade for a carftman mower

[@tractorstrailsandlivingfree]

Not from the factory that I know of but of course anything is possible if you have the money and fabrication skills.

[@Mike-gc5ed]

What blade is it exactly? Part number? Great video! Thank you

[@tractorstrailsandlivingfree]

Thanks for watching! I will check on that model number next chance I get and post on here.

[@Mike-gc5ed]

Thank you

[@tractorstrailsandlivingfree]

@@Mike-gc5ed M00054X seems to be the nameplate. It says "54BLADE300" below that.

[@ThatMowerMan]

What year is your John Deere 430?

[@tractorstrailsandlivingfree]

1985 based on the serial number.

[@ThatMowerMan]

@@tractorstrailsandlivingfree I knew it was an earlier version because of the flat-backed rear rims. Thanks I was just wondering for future reference!

[@tractorstrailsandlivingfree]

@@ThatMowerMan no problem, I'll answer anything I can.