John Deere 435D

The repair shop where the engine was rebuilt told me to use K1 fuel rather than diesel they said more power. Don’t understand that one. Anyone know.

I asked for 21 to 1 pistons and part # on the bill shows PO # 5198899 liner kit. I have an idea that might be 18.3 to 1 liner kit anyone know about that and if so why and where were they used.

I have this neighbor down the road from me - had this tractor sitting way back off the road - never moved. Been driving by it for years wondering what it was. I could see green so I thought maybe an Oliver. I"m currently tinkering on my 59 Oliver 770 so one day I stop by the house (nobody home) and left a note asking if it was for sale. Turned out the tractor was a JD 435D. Yeah, the 2 cylinder GM with the blower. Cool! But, seeing this I figured it was not for sale and never would be. But I left the note anyway. Didn"t hear anything until Yesterday (28FEB05). Owner called me and was willing to sell. I still didn"t know much about the tractor - just that it was made for 1 year and fairly rare. Thought it was strange that the guy calls me exactly 2 hours after finding out grandpa had passed away (My grandfather had a large JD collection). Thought maybe it was a sign from above..... . So I met the guy at his house yesterday morning to discuss and get a closer look. Here"s the story:

Guy bought it around 1990. Traded an 801 Ford plus cash for it. Used it for maybe 8-10 years to pull a 5" brush hog. Said a collector had been around and told him he was an idiot for using it, that he needed to slap on some new paint and set it up on a trailer and let it sit. Collector had been trying to buy it for years but no sale. I believe a neighbor borrowed it and broke the pinion/ring gear (neighbor apparently is real good about borrowing and bringing back broke stuff). Found a broke trans gear too so the guy bought all new gears, shafts and rear end gears (over $1500 worth). Got the tractor assembled except for the 3 point and some sheet metal. He then got very sick, nearly died in the hospital and never touched the tractor again.

So back to yesterday. He claimed he had the engine running last year and that it was in great shape. There was no fuel (pulled the drain in the filter - dry) but it did crank over and sounded ok. Said all I needed was new battery, fuel, and fill the trans with oil and should be ok. Son-in-law had the generator, regulator and other electrical items replaced last year too. Sounded good. All 4 tires were up and not in bad shape, sheet metal all there and pretty straight, paint faded but everything still readable, home-made battery box (junk) and the front axle has some major (cast) welding where I"m sure somebody jerked a bit too hard with a tow chain and broke it. He was asking $2500 and since I didn"t hear it run I offered $2250. He took it. So now I am the new proud owner of my first JD and thought I had nailed a jackpot (knew grandpa would be proud)..... ..... ...until I tried loading it on the trailer.

Rear wheels are locked up..... shifter is in neutral, clutch pushed in, brake pedals disengaged....crap...this is not good..... ...Shifter seemed strange, couldn"t engage 2 of the gears but the rest were ok (so I thought). Decided to pull the top shifter plate and see what was going on. Now, crap turned to the "S" word. Since there was never any oil in the trans..... EVERYTHING has a nice coating of RUST. On top of that, my guess is when he reinstalled the shifter assembly with the forks - he missed ALL THREE sliders..... ...grand kids come over to play on tractor shifting gears..... everything is all out of whack now - then froze up. Two gears are lined up over a single drive gear and another is not in its neutral position either. So, its locked in 3 gears at the same time and because of the rust..... .....I"ve soaked the whole works in penetrating oil hoping it will break free but I don"t think it will. The rust seems to be coming off the shafts and gears but I"m hoping everything could be bead blasted and re-used with minimal pitting. Probably will have to buy all new bearings at a minimum is my guess.

I will add new posts for updates on this latest "project".

Im not real familiar with the 435 but I am with those old 2 stroke Detroits. In the detroits we have here at the farm we run good old john deere 15-40 motor oil in them. I would try deere for filters and the if not there im sure Napa would have something. We run fleetguard filters in out Detroits. As far as the trans and hydraulics we have had pretty good luck with deere hydraulic oil there to. We use it in everything from the 4010 up to the 8100's and have had nothing but the best luck. If ya got any questions email me. Im sure others may be able to give ya a different opinion of what to use.

Good Luck,
Josh in Indiana

If it has been sitting for a year I would be careful when starting it for the first time. The rack on those old detroits have been known to stick open and that will cause a sure runaway. Make sure that the rack isnt stuck open when you go to fire her. Buickanddeere hit it on the head about the block heater. If your gonna run her in the cold that is a definite must. Those old detroits tend to be a little cold blooded. Imo it would be the best if you had a way to cut the fuel off when first starting it just incase it decides to run away. Blocking the intake really doesnt work because from my experiences the engine will still suck air from any place it can and it will just keep on running. They are a different motor but kinda neat once you get them running.

Good luck

Josh in Indiana

Here are my questions:
1. Does the trans, rear and hydraulics share the same oil? Mentioned Amsoil or mobile synthetic - what weight?
2. Considering filling the trans with kerosene to soak the gears. Good idea?? - will it fill the rear end too?
3. Got the new oil filter - where does it go? I know - don't laugh..... .
4. Mentioned "upgraded parts". Where do I buy these?
Thanks!!! Chad

And it did start! And it did just as mentioned above - high idle runaway! I could not get it to shut off so I removed the fuel line. I restarted and shut off a couple of more times - each time the idle would decrease and I could control the engine speed. To make a long story short...after an hour of adjusting and tunning the engine will now start on a few cranks, idle down real nice and rev up as I would expect. Fuel shot off lever works perfectly - just need a new cable now. Engine sounds great so at least the previous owner didn't fib about that. Checked out the "new" charging system. Not working - parts do look new but wiring looks rough. Another thing I noticed...a cover plate screwed on each side of the engine - I'm guessin it threw the front rod sometime in its life...

So, now that I am confident about the engine...back to the trans. I mopped out all the yuck that was in the bottom of the trans housing and started pouring in Kerosene to flush out as much as possible....for now... Chad