Putting the Traction Drive Belts on JD 4400 Combine and a Senior Moment !

[@justinschmitz8034]

hey bandit, you did it good on the 4400 shes gonna be a purring kitten come harvest time. BTW you did it right taking the tire off I would have done the same thing.

[@banditfarmer1900]

Thank You Justin, It just looked to be the easiest way to work on it with it off, Why aggrovate yourself trying to work around it when a 1/2 hours worth of work and the tire is off and out of the way making working on the belts so much easer ! I've never done a change all the belts before on a combine before but now I know I dont have to worry about belt this year ! I hope after getting it set up it runs smooth threw harvest. Only thing I have to do now is test out the govenor and make sure its set right, Everything else is done now. Bandit

[@gleanerk]

Well done cousin Bandit! You’ve worked hard to make this machine ready and willing ! Thanks for your hard work and making the videos on the 4400 restore!

[@banditfarmer1900]

Thank You cousin Scott, It's been a lot of work but when I'm done it should be a really good machine thats ready to go. I've never done all of this before to a combine ever but this machine is worth the effort in doing it and with a few adjustments when I start running should be trouble free running this fall, At least I hope so ! LOL I looked for video's on this combine to see how things were done and found few to none so I made video's as I went to show others how to do it and to show yes I did do the work myself and it can be done , I've got about $2500 in a one owner 1200 hour machine that now has all new belts on it rice tires and a 213 flex head. I doubt I will ever find another machine like this again for that kind of money ! Cousin Bandit

[@alanmcclorey8047]

i hpoe so to Bandit your patience amazes me, i would have given up. great job

[@banditfarmer1900]

When your a small farmer you got to have patience to get anything done when your doing it by yourself. When you got more time than money this is what you get to do and you got to have the patience to do it. If farming was easy everyone would be doing it, But its not and I've done this all my life and enjoy it so if you do what you love your never really working. Bandit

[@bthornton3026]

Ready to see it run

[@banditfarmer1900]

You and me both ! I've done a lot of work to her and I really hope it was worth it, I still have a few things to do to it but the big stuff is mostly over now. I'm going to change the lights out with LED's and check out the govener and why its leaking oil and clean the radiator up ware the oil got on it. But when the time comes other than adjusting a few belts maybe and setting the machine it should be good to go , At least I hope so ! LOL Bandit

[@jankotze1959]

Well done, You come a long way too this moment to say, - all the belts are on - it was a journey and a half, can not wait now for the first dry run

[@banditfarmer1900]

Thank You Jan, I still have a few things to do to it like move the back axel in one hole on each side and check it for ware in the center. I want to change the lights out to LED's and I got to check the govener out and see why its leaking oil and clean the radiator off ware the govener leaked oil and it got sucked into the radiator and plugging it up. Its little stuff but it still needs to be done. I really hope when the time comes to cut after adjusting the machine it runs really good and trouble free. For the work I've done it better ! Bandit

[@SmallMartingale]

Wrap 'er up and let's cut some beans!

[@banditfarmer1900]

As of today there not ready to cut yet, In fact yesterday and today its been raining and we've got about an inch of rain witch we really needed. For the most part the combine is ready to go and I'm just waiting for the beans to dry down. Around here guys have been cutting some beans in fields but there leaving a lot in the field because they were too wet to cut so they cut around the wet places in the fields. I've been checking mine and there the same way, Dry on top of the plant and wet at the bottom so if I was to cut them 1/2 of them would go out the back of the combine so I'm waiting for the bottoms to dry down more before I try to cut them. Bandit

[@westater8172]

When you adjusted the belt tension do you remember what the procedure was

[@banditfarmer1900]

Not right off hand but I know its in the book and its at the farm. But I do remember that both the upper and lower belt are the same part number and I think you should have 1/8" gap between the pulleys when closed and thats about it for right now so let me look when I go to the farm today and I'll get back to you. Bandit

[@westater8172]

@@banditfarmer1900 thanks

[@banditfarmer1900]

Well it's time to put the main traction drive belts and pulley back on the combine, I got the clutch cable pulled off and the belt guard off and the belt off and now I got to figure out how to get the pulley set up to get the pin out of the cylinder off so I cant raise it up to let the cylinder go back loose and the pulley set down enough to get the inside the center of the pulley off and chained up so I can work on it. I got everything done and the belt put on and the center pulley put on and was about to put the lower belt put on when I had a Senior Moment ! I put the wrong belt on the wrong side of the pulley ! AAAaaaaaaahhhhhh ! I cant believe I did that !!!!!!!!!!!! Well I called it a day and tomorrow I'll take it all back apart and put it back together the right way this time ! I did just that ! I got it put on and the clutch cable put back on and the throw out bearing greased and the belts put on and the guard put back on and the belt somewhat adjusted when I called it a day. I'm telling you the truth this combine better run right and it better do a good job ! LOL But at the end of the day it was pretty much the main work was done ! There are still things to do but the big stuff is done now I think, Moving the back axel should be easy enough to do then I might change some lights over to LED's and I got to check out the govener and see why its leaking oil, Oh I got to clean the radiator off too from the oil that leaked out of the govener. But the had work is done now its down to the easy stuff ! I hope ! LOL I hope you enjoyed watching. Bandit

[@ralphe2839]

Great job on combine. You keep your cool real good. I would be throwing wrenches. Imagine what labour cost would have been at John Deere dealer. And I’m sure you done a lot better job. Bye for now bandit

[@banditfarmer1900]

Thank You Ralph, I try to keep my cool but there are times I loose it ! LOL You cant work on something as much as I have to this combine and not loose it once in awhile, I still have a few knots on my head from hitting it on the combine ! I would not even want to think what JD would have charged to do the work I've done to this combine, I would have had to take another mortgage out on the farm to pay for it ! But I saved a lot of money doing it myself and now know the combine a lot better than I did before. I really hope its a smooth harvest this fall ! Bandit

[@Fishcop-326]

Wait until you get my age. I have trouble finding the wrench or ratchet after setting it down.

[@banditfarmer1900]

Oh I do that already ! LOL I set a wrench down reach over to pick it back up and spend an hour looking for it, Then I'll go to sit down and find the dang thing in my back pocket ! I know I sat it down and not in my pocket but I still think sometime a haint is playing tricks on me ! LOL Bandit

[@gregorythompson2251]

Don't bust a gut Bandit

[@banditfarmer1900]

Nothing like having to do a job twice cause you had a senior moment ! LOL It happens to the best of us at some point, I could have edited this out but I'm human and I make mistakes too , So you get to see it ! LOL Bandit

[@frankdeegan8974]

I know you don't want windows in this building because of someone breaking in. How about windows and or louvers that are placed near the top of the wall one for light two for ventilation for you and maybe to help with the sweating of the machinery, last year with the wagons of corn in this building you had a mess, there has to be a solution you can live with.

[@banditfarmer1900]

Well the big problem with the barn is it has 1/2 a concrete floor in it and it insulated so it makes the building sweat inside. What it needs is the concrete poured on the machinery side and the heater put in it to keep it dry inside. I'd still like to add onto the back of it say a 20' or 24'x64' would be a nice addition to have to store equipment in . But the concrete has to be put in first before I add on to the barn. Bandit