Could anyone tell me the year this John Deere 401C was built? I think the correct number is Serial number 323496T. Year range on these appears to be 1974-1983. Or are all these older John Deere Loader Backhoe serial numbers not able to be figured out?
Your year range is correct. The older machine serial # format doesn’t work on Deere’s current build data site. The current search requires a serial # with 13 digits generally starting with two letters or 17 digits generally starting with a number. How many hours are on this one ?
1468 on working meter. Supposedly verified.
Wow…fire off some pics if and when available.
Will be here tomorrow. It’s in nice shape!
I think it’s one of the later years in that range. According to different pictures I have seen of the 401C.
Hours seem way too low for a 40 something year old machine. Could it have gone around once or been replaced.
Anything is possible. But the man selling it seemed very confident it was original hours. Hopefully it will be a great workhorse.
For a 40+ year old machine it is in great shape. Upon closer inspection the paint is not as faded as it appears. There is a thick layer of dust stuck to it. With a good thorough cleaning it should really come back to shine nice. Oil looks good. I need to install a plug in heater for cold weather starting. And trouble shoot a heater fan electrical issue. Shouldn’t be too bad. And hopefully it will make a good workhorse!
Sweet find.....maybe a set of chains will come in handy?? Good luck with it! I ,for one, would be curious as to what you payed for it??
The chains was a first thought for me too. But, as with many Backhoe Loaders, there is a clearance problem. I could have some spacers made & install them ($ !), or install some ice studs. Or just deal with it the way it is. I plow our snow with my 2500 Suburban LS. Much more comfortable. LOL As far as cost. For an old machine, I paid too much. But I looked at it like this. Where am I going to find a 62+ horsepower, industrial Tractor Loader Backhoe, with SUPER low hours? With the lifting and digging power and capability this has, for under 13K? Delivery to my driveway included. So I’m okay with it. And I will get an incredible amount of work done with it.
gasifier, Congrats on the purchase. Many good years of service to you!!
Thank you very much. I needed something with decent power and capability that was inexpensive. Tough to find with heavy equipment!
Congrats gasifier, looks like a well loved Deere !!
Looks like a Sims cab on it. Very clean looking, Hope it gives a lot of good service.
The bucket linkage is interesting! I had a 1981 410 that looked considerably different both with the cab and engine cover so I'm going to guess this is prior to that. The engine cover on yours resembles the ones on the ag tractors, by my vintage the commercial line had its own engine covers.
Interesting. I wonder if a Deere construction dealership could tell me the year built?
I could be wrong, but I believe the 401 and 410 were totally different tractors
They were different. I think the 401 was a more general use industrial tractor based on an AG tractor than the 410 that was a HD tractor loader backhoe. Not sure if the 401 has closed center hyd's. or not.
According to the TractorData.com site it is a closed center system… https://www.tractordata.com/industrial-tractors/000/0/1/19-john-deere-401c.html When researching before I purchased I was happy to see the loader lift capacity of 3500 lbs to full height on TractorData site. And a different website called RitchieSpecs showed 9650 lb backhoe bucket dig force. I use to own a J.D. 300B and was impressed with its capabilities. This appears to be a little more powerful.
Very nice looking machine! That beacon light is the bomb. Does it still work? Looks like you have an 18" bucket and a 30"? Those are nice sizes.
@boone I haven’t even checked the beacon light yet. LOL I think an 18” is on it and maybe a 24” or 28”, but I haven’t measured them yet. LOL I did install a lower radiator hose heater today amongst other things I had going on. That’s always interesting starting and stopping and starting and stopping on a job. But I got it done and it works. I don’t like how it is kinking the hose though. Tight squeeze because of fan being so close. So had to use a little longer piece of hose and that is making the kink. I believe fluid is getting by okay but not at the right level. I ran it for about 45 minutes and temperature stayed good. I’m going to try to fit a curved pipe in there eventually to keep full flow open.
I did find a Sims Cab plate affixed right inside the door with a serial number and all. Haven’t had a chance to figure out the heater problem and why it’s not working yet.
Never looked that close before but it's weird the door handles are so high. I have a Sims cab off an industrial tractor on my AG tractor. Sims made cabs for a lot of the common brands of industrial tractors and backhoes. I'm not sure if the JD410 cabs were made by Sims though.
Did you notice it was a two piece door? Once you open the “high” handle, you have to reach over the top of the bottom half of the door and squeeze in the lower inside handle to open the lower half door. That one kind of drops or falls off to the side. First time I‘ve had the two piece doors. I’ve got to get that cab heater working!
Yes, most Sims cabs had double doors. Kind of a pain sometimes and very easy to break the glass or bend the lower door if you leave it open for that quick job.
I had 1974 410, very different tractor. I've never heard of a 401. Yours weighs about half what a 410 weighs. I'd have said it was built on an industrial chassis. A local farmer had a small tractor I feel is the same. His had a loader & was a very convenient machine for hundreds of jobs around the farm. JD did that so bucket remained level as you raised it.
I think this 401C is heavier than you are thinking. I see the 410 weighs around 14,200 lbs depending on several things. Might be closer to 15-16K with cab, counter weights, loaded tires, etc. But when you look up the 401c it just says 6807 lbs. there is no way this weights 6807 lbs. That must be just the tractor weight. I think once you add in the cab, loader, and backhoe, this thing must weigh 10-12,000 lbs. The 410 is definitely a bigger, backhoe loader built machine. I will drive mine down the road one day, maybe Friday or Saturday, and have them weigh me on the scales at the transfer station. Had them do that for me with a John Deere 210C I had once. I was shocked to find out how much it weighed. Had cab with heat and the tires were loaded.
The 410 is heavier duty.
Another question for you guys. I have two fluid lines that come from engine to go under tractor and back up into cab for the heater. One of these lines has a type of valve that opens and closes. I thought they use to be called something else, it spins open and closed. Anyway. Does anyone know if that is closed when it’s all the way out? Or closed when it’s all the way in? I’m inclined to think it’s closed when it’s all the way out. Like on the bottom of the radiator?
That beacon light works! LOL I still forgot to measure the buckets.
If it's the kind of valve I think it is, it's closed when all the way in.
I’ll post a picture tonight. I’m trying to get this cab heater working. So I need to be sure I have the coolant fluid moving. There is a round switch for it that actually has a bulb in it. I have checked to see that the fuse is working by switching it over to the windshield wiper that is working. So I know the fuse is good. I’ll post up a picture of that as well. I get no sound out of fan with switch in any position. This fixing will be done on a very part time basis, unfortunately. They still want me to come in to work to get paid
Easy way to tell, are the hoses hot? Heater cores tend to get plugged if anti freeze isn't changed often enough. I've had to take them along with the radiator to a shop boils them out with acid.
If no heat in hoses. Could it just be airlock as well?
Have you opened the valve?
No time yet. Just got home from work and I’m beat. Going to have to wait. I think I had it open before. But will probably check it out Friday. Working 12 hours tomorrow too, and they say we have 3-6” of snow coming Thursday afternoon to Friday afternoon. Yeah! Wait. NOT!
I'd be using that thing all the time. LOL Someone really took care of that machine it appears. Hoping you get a ton of work out of it!
The gentleman I bought it from says it spent its life owned by a Township in Northeast PA. Used for a Cemetery. That’s the information he was given. It looks to me like it was kept inside. Or at least under a roof. The pins and bushings seem to be in good shape. Haven’t used it enough to check all hydraulic cylinders. From site they appear to be in good shape as well.
I'd be curious as to which local in PA?? most of the "boys" round these parts 'use' their machines the hard way! the one you found would be quite the exception...
No idea, and it doesn’t really matter to me now. Engine oil looks good. All filters look new. Fairly fresh grease at zerks and coming out around pins/joints. I’m going to check hydraulic oil level and put it to work when I get time.
My 410 too was too nice. No welds, no damage, all the glass in it, original tires were old. It did have a worn out bucket bottom, I concluded it mostly loaded sand trucks for winter maintenance. Under 3000 hours on a 29 year old tractor. I hadn't owned it long when I learned it was a dud. I believe it'd been useless new & it took all those years for somebody to figure out why. Mine had bad sections in the backhoe valve. Plenty of digging power first hour, then weak as a newborn baby. A new backhoe valve cured it.
Here is a picture of the valve that I was asking about. The higher up valve with the spin out and in single bar. Do you think it is open when all the in? Lower than that one and to the right a little is another spin out and in right on the block. I’m guessing that is to drain coolant out of block? And here is a picture of the heater switch that has a bulb inside it. (Heater not working.) It feels like the switch has three positions when you turn it, but when you pull the round cover off and see the bulb I don’t even see how it turn’s anything to open and close a connection. Wondering if these switches were trouble prone? Fuses seem to be okay. Windshield wiper works and I have swapped the fuses to see that they make the wiper and the over the cab beacon light work.
I think the valve spins counter clockwise to open. The switch I'll guess is operating a door or fan.
I think the switch operates fan on heater. But nothing happens. Will be looking into further today or tomorrow. Will see if any heat moves through hoses today with valve in all the way. And if not will move it out and check that.
Okay. Got a little time to put it to work this morning. Just pulling a few tree tops out of some brush and other trees. These are White Ash I took down and am using to start my BTU supply for next season. I processed the larger parts of them already. Just now getting back to finish up the job. The 401C ran nicely. There was no heat getting through the lines going to heater cab with that valve spun all the way in. So I spun it all the way out, and sure enough the heat started flowing. I now have heat radiating from the cab heater. Just no fan to blow it out and about. So I will work on that problem when I get time. Unfortunately there is no room for chains on the rear tires.
Nice. I see now why you want that heater working!
Yes, that looks like a fan switch, and yes they are somewhat troublesome. use a short piece of wire to connect those two wires, bypassing the switch to see if the fan moves, better yet, check the voltage on both wires with a multimeter to see if it stops on one side or if both sides have some voltage. Then move to the voltage supply if there's no voltage at either, or the fan if there is voltage at both. That switch is probably a resistor to have two speeds, that's why they tend to fail. High speed is connecting the wires directly, low speed is a resistor between the in and out.
Thanks. I may have a toggle switch somewhere. After I determine that it is the switch, the way you said, I’ll get something better for it. Hopefully that is all it is.
I usually dress pretty warm, and if I keep moving I’m plenty warm. But it’s always nice to have a heated cab where you can sit and relax a little bit. I’m hoping to get out tomorrow for a good part of the day. I only had a couple hours today.
The heater/switch/blower motor took a crap on my 410 a few years ago, I put a cheap self contained fan in front of it… Works great…. I can get a picture if you like ??
Okay. Thanks. Come to think of it. They’re a separate fan in the cab that works already. It’s up on the right near windshield. I guess I just figured they used that for cooling in the summer. I suppose it would help move the heat around. But I don’t think there will be enough heat in this “breezy” cab! Some seals missing.
What do you guys think they used this for? Welded into front bucket. One side only.
Here’s my cheap fix, primitive, but works great.. Deere wanted $175.00 10 years ago for the switch on top, can’t imagine what the fan motor woulda cost ??
Cool. Thanks. Nice machine!
Any sign of old welds at same location on the opposite side ?
I’ll take a look tomorrow. Bucket appears to be in good shape, but I’ll look closer when I have it running and can bring it up.
Somebody rigged a gin pole, or the other side broke off, makeshift log lifter.
I was thinking it was for simple forks. But there are no holes for pins.
Maybe a chain on fork? the chain goes under the bucket and a binder onto the top lip of the bucket. Or just a place to hook a chain inside the bucket? usually a hook on top of the bucket, or three across, one in the center and one at each end, is handy. The fan by the windshield is for defrost, or operator comfort with no AC. If you want multi speed on the heater fan, and your old switch is the problem, nearly any fan switch will do the same thing. Some have a separate resistor so they'd be more hassle to wire up, but most have the resistors on the switch.
This looks pretty makeshift to me. Too wide for forklift duty, but lifting a downed tree with two of them, maybe. Might also be a makeshift crane for light duty use. I have one to suspend a rope pulley over a conduit coming out of the ground to pull conductors.