SE MN Still in Pothole Country | Bought one new in 1976. Dog at low rpm. Adjusting the aneroid to get a pleasing puff of smoke will fix that. Ran it for about 2500 hours with very few problems and traded for a 4640 in 1981. Went from a quad-range to powershift. When new the 4640 could not do the work of the 4630. After a year we found there was a program to redo the torque capsule in the injection pump. Deere had the wrong-headed idea that a torgue curve should be flat and accomplished it by taking off high end governor response. That helped quite a bit. About a year later a pinhole leak developed in the aluminum housing of the injection pump from a manufacturing flaw. My dad took it to the pump shop. They asked if we wanted it turned up a little. He told them 5% or so. They did it on the high side of 5% and that tractor really hummed after that. Never needed to shift down lower than 4th gear plowing. A late model 4630 is OK but make sure it is a clean one. Around here you can buy a 4640 for less than a 4440.
By the way fuel consumption for work done was about the same on the 4630 or 4640. On a day when I was brain dead I traded the 4640 for an 8440. The 8440 soon earned the nickname lead sled. Much worse on fuel for work done than the 4630 or 4640. Traded that off for a 7140 Magnum. Much easier on fuel than the 8440--about 2/3 for the same work. On lighter loads even better. |
John Deere 4630
