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Tractor Talk Discussion Forum

John Deere 720

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old fashioned f

11-20-2006 18:21:52




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Howdy,

Just fishing for some information here. Does anybody here own a JD 720 diesel with a pony start? What do you like about it? What do you dislike about it? Thanks in advance. God bless.

--old fashioned farmer




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720diesel

11-21-2006 20:52:34




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 Re: John Deere 720 in reply to old fashioned farmer, 11-20-2006 18:21:52  
Ive got a 720 diesel and its great on fuel. Power steering is great and the tractor is really stable with a wide front.Great lugging power in tough situations, tons of torque. Tractor shifts well if you know the tractor and how a 2cyl shifts,somtimes you just have to inch the clutch.The pony starts the tractor great but it seems like you always have to tinker with the pony.Clutch is strong and very easy to adjust.I recently overhauled my diesel and a couple weeks ago I plowed 11 acres with a 4-14 jd trailer plow. It was our FFA ag plot and I plowed with another kid. He had a 1850 oliver diesel with 4-16 semi mount plow and I could flat out out plow him at the same depth we both ran about 7-8 in deep. He by far had more hp than me but it just goes to prove how these tractors still do a great job even though its vintage technology.

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James2

11-22-2006 09:57:52




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 Re: John Deere 720 in reply to 720diesel, 11-21-2006 20:52:34  
Yes, the clutch is easy to adjust and repair, but it is a good thing because if you do much reverse work (back-up heavy wagons; etc) you could be working on it a lot. And although it never has slipped , it has been burned to a crisp. I've replaced the disks twice in less than 500 hours because they were burnt, and every year I remove the clutch housing and lube the bearing/toggles. The new clutch plates are also burnt and I'm going to let them go, they seem to work OK and it is getting expensive. My partner has had it with the fast reverse/hand clutch, and doesn't operate it much any more. Declines to back-up anything other than the unhitched tractor. This will definitely help chutch life, he still treats it like a foot clutch and this doesn't work very good (high heat and wear). We both were raised with foot clutches, neither father would have a JD tractor with a hand clutch on the property, and perhaps our technique is not developed enough with either the clutch operation or shifting. I only know that I can easily train someone to shift-on-the-go and use a foot clutch on other old tractors, without the problems associated with the 2 cyl Deeres. The big JD standard tractor gets similar treatment but it does more tillage, and the clutch has always remained in good shape. Put the 820/830 style clutch on the 720/730 and I think it would be a lot better arrangement because it could take the "abuse". Still wouldn't like the reverse or on-the-go shifting.

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buickanddeere

11-22-2006 16:13:36




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 Re: John Deere 720 in reply to James2, 11-22-2006 09:57:52  
Does the clutch make any sounds as it's engaged? There has to be something out of kilter to be smoking a set of clutch plates at only a few hours. Did you find anything behind the driving disk?



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James2

11-23-2006 10:34:15




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 Re: John Deere 720 in reply to buickanddeere, 11-22-2006 16:13:36  
Everything appears to be OK. Checked all of the plates for flatness, The clutch snaps correctly and used JD parts. Probably the discs did not require replacing, they were worked OK but I just hated the burnt smell. This last set smells and the facing is also black but these will be used until failure. Also don't like that cheap clutch face dust cover. When the clutch gets hot, it has a tendency to come off. The clips are all in place and look OK. Bought new clips and may eventually install if the problem worsens. Really like the bolted-on cover on the big standards, a real robust design which "shouts" quality. No doubt a lot of our problem is not having "cut our teeth" Deeres. Trying to peer over your shoulder when in reverse and concurrently streching forward to control the hand clutch requires a lot of flexibility. At this age, flexibility is not one of our strong suits. Also having replaced the tricycle front end with a wide front end hasn't helped. Others have instructed me to use the right foot to "nudge" the clutch when in reverse. I have tried this and don't like the control aspect. I am also sure that we could eventually develop a shift-on-the-go technique, but you have heard the old story about teaching old dogs new tricks. Sometimes it is a lot easier to complain rather than change. Having "said" all of this, I still believe this is one great tractor. If we had bought one new in the late '50s, it would have been a prime candidate for a front hitch. I appreciate your interest and the positive/inquisitive rather than negative posts. From what I have read, you have been a big help to the YT JD owners. I have printed some of your posts and they go into the my "golden book" of JD information/repair.

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WyoDave

11-20-2006 21:32:39




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 Re: John Deere 720 in reply to old fashioned farmer, 11-20-2006 18:21:52  
I have a pile of older Deeres and my 720D is one of my favorites. Cheap to run, powerful, agile. Solid two cylinder tractor, not to mention the great sound. And don't forget about the good view.
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David

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James2

11-20-2006 19:48:56




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 Re: John Deere 720 in reply to old fashioned farmer, 11-20-2006 18:21:52  
Fuel economy is great and it is a really good tillage tractor. The pony can be a pain and is expensive to repair. Realize that you have another complete engine. The "bad" issues in my opinion are the hand clutch, "warp speed" reverse, and general transmission shifting. It's been my experience that you can not start a load, and then upshift on the go. Real hard to start/use 6th gear with a loaded 300 bu wagon on the road. You use 5th until you come to a down grade, or just "fry" the clutch at full throttle in 6th until you get the load moving on level ground. The clutch is really undersized in my opinion. The larger standard tractors (D thru 830) have a much more robust arrangement. However, you don't have to worry about any of the problems when doing tillage. This is a really bad loader tractor, although you can move the hydraulic controls to the left side which would help some.

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buickanddeere

11-20-2006 21:43:14




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 Re: John Deere 720 in reply to James2, 11-20-2006 19:48:56  
The G & 70's had a plenty fast reverse. The 720/730 has the Granny gear reverse selection. The clutch is lots robust and long lasting. Shifting from 4th to 6th on the roll is no problem. Just don't rev it to red line in 4th and expect it to slip into 6th.



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James2

11-21-2006 08:21:12




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 Re: John Deere 720 in reply to buickanddeere, 11-20-2006 21:43:14  
I did the 4th to 6th shift one time with a loaded wagon and will never attempt again. I have a bigger standard JD tractor and never had the clutch get very warm. On the other hand, the 720/730 clutch has been smoking. Never had a clutch problem with any other tractor which includes the JD430, JD 3010/3020 and many Ford's and IH's.



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buickanddeere

11-21-2006 19:15:41




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 Re: John Deere 720 in reply to James2, 11-21-2006 08:21:12  
The smoke is either a clutch that isn't adjusted correctly, worn out or oil soaked from a leak. Smoke sometimes from the clutch is just so much blowby from a worn engine it leaks out every opening available. A light touch on the shifter and a feel for the tractor and the 4th to 6th shift slips right in at 2-4 mph. Yes the genius's who run the angine working at 800-900rpm thinking it will last longer are off on a tangent.

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Mike M

11-21-2006 05:32:48




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 Re: John Deere 720 in reply to buickanddeere, 11-20-2006 21:43:14  
Shifting a sliding gear transmission on the go is a disaster waiting to happen !!!!! Your big on makeing sure everyone has an owners manual,in there it states to come to a complete stop before shifting. And also warns not to lug them below 1000 RPM which is another thing most people don't adhear to. This is the stuff that tears these tractors up.



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iowa_tire_guy

11-20-2006 19:29:35




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 Re: John Deere 720 in reply to old fashioned farmer, 11-20-2006 18:21:52  
Grew up running one. As I recall never gave any trouble but once when it went to leaking antifreeze into the oil. Dad took to John Deere dealer and they overhauled it. He complained about the bill for the job until they told him that was 1/2 what it cost to rebuild an electric starter. Of course that was years ago and times have changed. We fed cows with it everyday in the winter for many years and it never failed to start. I believe he had it for 18 years and wished he had it back.

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430WLPG

11-20-2006 19:18:22




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 Re: John Deere 720 in reply to old fashioned farmer, 11-20-2006 18:21:52  
The best thing is the fuel saving, they just sip fuel.The pony is sometimes a pain, but when working right they are fine. they have a good 3pt system and excellant power steering.



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430WLPG

11-20-2006 19:16:48




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 Re: John Deere 720 in reply to old fashioned farmer, 11-20-2006 18:21:52  
The best thing is the fuel saving, they just sip fuel.The pony is sometimes a pain, but when working right they are fine. they have a good 3pt system and excellant power steering.



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the tractor vet

11-20-2006 18:52:41




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 Re: John Deere 720 in reply to old fashioned farmer, 11-20-2006 18:21:52  
Well my buddy has one that we use , now what i like about it NOTHING what do i dislike about it EVERYTHING . Good thing that they started collecting them as ya sure as he, ll can't farm with it.



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Bob

11-20-2006 21:22:38




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 Re: John Deere 720 in reply to the tractor vet, 11-20-2006 18:52:41  
Vet,

What DO you like? That tractor is a CLASSIC, and darned near impossible to wear out, as well as one of the most fuel-efficient tractors ever made.

While the 720 is not the most ergonomically designed machine, many THOUSANDS of acres have been farmed using them.

My neighbor (big operator... BIG Deere four-wheel drives) still pulls a 6-row 7000 planter with his 720, and seeds 200 to 400 acres of sunflowers and corn with a 720, as well as mowing, raking, and baling hay with it.

I made hay with a 730 for many years, as well as dried hundreds of thousands of bushels of grain and 'flowers with one. Another neighbor still has it, and uses it for haying every year.

My neighbor's 720 is pony start, and the 730 I used to own is an electric start.

For occasional use, or COLD weather operation., you can't beat the pony start.

For a tractor used every day, you couldn't beat the 24-Volt electric start on the 730 for quick and convenient starts, as long as the batteries are kept in good condition.

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low budget

11-21-2006 03:05:38




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 Re: John Deere 720 in reply to Bob, 11-20-2006 21:22:38  
From reading Vets posts he only likes IH which is OK. Anything else he cobbles up and complains its junk. Personaly I'm partial to JD and 1965 and later Ford, but have some experience with Case and IH too. They all have weak and strong points.



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