My 420C. Kind of an interesting story.

[Top Gun]

Right side steering clutch assembly all rebuilt and ready to go to work. (soon)



Left side lower rock guards bead blasted, primed and 1st coat of yellow.



One of the final drive housings all fixed.

I bought 2 new axle tubes also.


Getting close to the day I tear up my yard cause it isn't "level".

[Top Gun]

I have new upper idler shafts on hand, might have a used end cap as well.
You should have a couple more boxes of stuff showing up this week.
Lavoy

Put my name on them please.


Go to your show and when you get back send me an E-mail and I'll transfer the $$ so you can ship.


Thanks again for all your help Lavoy. I was re-reading all the tech info from our E-mails as I was working on it the last two nights and that stuff is priceless from where I stand.

[Lavoy]

When I get back is a little up in the air, trying to coordinate with a trucker to pick up a crawler coming from MI. Best guess is sometime during the night Sunday unless all goes well, or goes to hell, then a little earlier, or a lot later.
Lavoy

[Top Gun]

Does anyone know how much gear oil the tranny holds?


I drained the tranny & rear end awhile back, put 7 quarts in the tranny (thinking it would run into the rear end also) and want to make sure I got it right before I start it and screw up something.

[Lavoy]

About 10 quarts. One thing I forgot to mention, by your serial number, there should be a 3/4" X 1/2" NPT reducer bushing in the fill plug hole. There was a recall on the trannys on all Phase 2-420's prior to a certain serial number. There is a flaw in the tranny case, the fill port is too low. If you don't put the bushing in there, you will be two quarts low on fluid.
Lavoy

[Top Gun]

I'm sitting right next to it.

Was off a bit on the #. It's not 118 and change.


119629 is the serial number.


So if I redrain all the fluid out of both I'm safe to add 10 qts of GL5 80W90?

[Lavoy]

Okay, I was thinking you were lower than that. No, you are fine, 10 quarts, no bushing in the fill hole.
Lavoy

[Lu47Dan]

When you go to put your sprockets on make sure the mounting surface of the axle flange and sprocket are bare metal. I was reading the service manual last week and came upon that information. I have a spare axle from the junk final drive I will use as a template to mask off the surface of the sprocket.
Looking good.
Dan.

[JD440ICD2006]

Just an innocent bystander enjoying this rebuild. Why would you need to remove paint in those areas?

[Lavoy]

My guess would be that before they went to the axles with the additional three bolts, it would help to alleviate the potential for the sprockets trying to rotate and wear on the dowels. I have seen more than one of the original style axles that had the dowels worn, and the sprocket hammered out.
Lavoy

[Lu47Dan]

The paragraph that holds that information is in SM2019, section 165-5-6, top left paragraph (5). It states that if there is not metal to metal contact the sprocket may work lose.
Makes sense when you think about it, the paint would shear under load.
Dan.

[JD440ICD2006]

That clears it up, I have no experience with that model.

[Ray III]

About 10 quarts. One thing I forgot to mention, by your serial number, there should be a 3/4" X 1/2" NPT reducer bushing in the fill plug hole. There was a recall on the trannys on all Phase 2-420's prior to a certain serial number. There is a flaw in the tranny case, the fill port is too low. If you don't put the bushing in there, you will be two quarts low on fluid.
Lavoy

What's the serial number? I'm at 109464 and there is just a 3/4" plug in there.

[Lavoy]

113,XXX something sticks in my head. Look at a parts catalog, and it will show the serial number break.
Lavoy

[Top Gun]

Pictures are from6/24.


Been done for awhile now. (laptop crashed)

Both fenders? are done and installed.


I've pushed topsoil, small trees, ant hills, construction debris. I love this family heirloom.



Special thanks to Lavoy who answered many dumb questions and tolerating a few evening phone calls.

I highly recommend buying from him for your John Deere crawler needs.


I'm in the "customer service" business and that which we take for granted as in tech service after the sale has been gone for many years.


Not with him. Put a price on that gentlemen. . .


Bet you really can't.


I'll get a few action shots and post them up a bit later.

I really enjoyed this build/rebuild. Was nice having Dad yell at me and tell me how to do things. LOL!!!!

I gave him hell in my teen-age years growing up and it was something I'll always cherish spending these last 12 weeks listening to the stories about my grandpa and this 420C while we worked together on this. That has NO price tag as far as I'm concerned.

From pulling the baler when the ground was too wet to skidding logs for the sawmill, my little crawler did it all to do it's part to provide a future for the family of it's owners.

Today I can roam those same pastures and woods that grandpa did. With the same crawler.

Again, put a price on that.


Thanks everyone for putting up with me.


Brett