[Dave in DE]

Your tractor is not hurt. Hose out the radiator and change the oil again after a few hrs to kind of flush it if you will. From there just clean radiator after every mowing. Blow it out, wash through it, run tractor for a few to help dry it out and it's done. Be sure to also blow and wash through the oil cooler infront of the radiator if you have one. Hose them both till clean water comes through them.
Again hit them both with as strong a stream of water as possible as strait through as you can.

 

[dixie460]

I see no reason to be upset with corporate over this. Deere & Co. and your John Deere dealer are two separate entities that work together and as someone above mentioned, your dealer was driving the corporate bus that ran over you.

If I was you I'd get that tractor back home, do the oil change and hose out the radiator. I've never needed an air comb or whatever it's called to clean a radiator, just plenty of water. Try that. And don't ever go back to that dealer again unless it's to get a refund of the money you paid for that "warranty" they sold you.

 

[machineryman]

Franklin tractor, if that one experience with a dealer has gotten you down....get feeling off your shirt sleeve and toughen up....dealers are known for taking your pants off and reselling them to you....don't be a pushover...there's nothing wrong with your tractor and shouldn't have taken it to dealer in first place...hose out the radiator, change the oil...take off....if it blows then file a warranty claim....

 

[MTB98]

When hosing or blowing out the radiator start from the backside. That will push debris out the front where it came from. Trying to push it all the way through the radiator fins isn’t as effective.

 

[Cornach]

This may have already been mentioned but I would trust what's inside the filter before what's in the drain pan. Cutting the filter open will tell you a lot more about the condition of the engine and oil

 

[dixie460]

This may have already been mentioned but I would trust what's inside the filter before what's in the drain pan. Cutting the filter open will tell you a lot more about the condition of the engine and oil

With the way his dealer is treating him, I wouldn't even trust them to give the correct filter back. They'd probably just grab any ol used filter and hand it to him. It might LOOK like his old filter... but is it?

This and other reasons are why nobody takes a wrench to my equipment (any of it) except for warranty work, tire changes and alignments. And afterwards I DO check their work.

 

[Josh.]

If it only is stopped up around the edges of the radiator, kinda what the pictures suggest, there isn't much airflow there anyway, same as the center where the fan hub is. Not sure how "smart" the compact tractors are but larger equipment would have logged an overheat fault also. I stumbled across a 385hp Cummins that was holding under 215F that had a big washer stuck in the water pump outlet hose with maybe a 1" hole in the center. Just a routine change the thermostats at x mileage job. Definitely a wtf moment. Never overheated even with a 50% reduction in the outlet of the water pump.

 

[BOBL]

OP,
Your dealer took advantage of your lack of knowledge. Instead of complaining and making Deere the bad guy, take your tractor back, clean the radiator, change the oil, and find another dealer. You can't blame Deere for your problem, and you can't blame an entire dealer network for the actions of a single dealer.

 

[JohnDeereJoey]

OP,
... take your tractor back, clean the radiator, change the oil, and find another dealer. ...

Sounds like a plan!

 

[John Deere 1025R TLB]

OP,
Your dealer took advantage of your lack of knowledge. Instead of complaining and making Deere the bad guy, take your tractor back, clean the radiator, change the oil, and find another dealer. You can't blame Deere for your problem, and you can't blame an entire dealer network for the actions of a single dealer.

Bob, I can blame Deere for not shutting down a horrid dealer. I hate seeing people get rooked and so should Deere. Not good for their overall business Personally hope that the Op makes enough noise to get the dealership pulled. Put a little fear of God out there and maybe it becomes a little better for all of us in the future.

john Deere 1025R
loader
backhoe
47 in tiller
47 blower
5ft landscape rake
10 KW pto generator
Sent from my SM-N976V using Tapatalk

 

[ClydeLogan]

Just a comment on the "find another dealer" suggestions. Some folks just don't have that luxury, with the next Deere dealer being located many hours away. In that case, it is best to not burn that dealer bridge to the ground behind you.

Also, many times a dealer is part of a chain of dealerships. The next dealer might just affiliated with the one you just walked out on, and that info will follow you in their system.

 

[KeyboardJungle]

I suspect that this is a dealer created situation rather than an equipment failure, and that the same ”problem” would have developed regardless of what color of tractor he sells. but, i’ll be incorporating a radiator check into my routine tractor operating procedures.

 

[jimmylh]

i’ll be incorporating a radiator check into my routine tractor operating procedures.

Yeah, I got curious and went and checked mine after this thread started. Everything looked clean on the back.

 

[waltmart]

Just got a call about my 20 month old 1025R at the dealership for annual maintenance. Annual maintenance required to maintain the 10 year warranty offered by my local Tri-Green dealer.

I'm told the backside of the radiator is clogged up with grass & weed debris; not the front side where you clean the screen, the backside. As a result the engine has been running extremely hot, oil is severely degraded, possible engine damage unless the radiator is replaced. Dealer says grass debris too caked into the radiator to remove effectively. Covered under warranty? NO. Dealer says it's a common problem with these smaller tractors. They run close to the ground and debris gets sucked up from underneath. I'm advised to buy an air compressor and an air comb to clean the radiator front and back after each use. Not just the screen, both backside and front side of radiator.

I'm on 5 acres. During the growing season I bush hog 2 acres monthly and mow 3 acres weekly. Dealer mechanic thinks these low to the ground subcompacts are undersized for bush hogging. So now I need to buy up to a larger tractor or pay up to repair what I was sold less than two year ago. Very disappointed in Deere and its dealer. I'll be going to the dealer to raise hell tomorrow for whatever that's worth.

Heads up to anyone considering buying a 1025R and to those that have them.

Here is a radiator shop in Grand Rapids Mi. You can probably get a new radiator and or have yours cleaned and rebuilt twice for what YOUR STEALER is charging ya, GOOD LUCK

D & B Heat Transfer Products | Grand Rapids | Radiator Services

D&B Heat Transfer Products Inc. has over 50 years of combined experience and is well known for their quality radiator products and customer service.

www.dbheattransfer.com

,

I have dealt with them and replaced a radiator in diesel Gator. Used them for that. Stealer couldn't get the replacement and this place had one in 3 days

 

[rtgt]

Just a comment on the "find another dealer" suggestions. Some folks just don't have that luxury, with the next Deere dealer being located many hours away. In that case, it is best to not burn that dealer bridge to the ground behind you.

Also, many times a dealer is part of a chain of dealerships. The next dealer might just affiliated with the one you just walked out on, and that info will follow you in their system.

Won't be long until there are only a handful of dealers in the entire country the way that Corporate is pushing the mega-dealerships.

A different location, even though it could be part of the same mega-dealer might have intelligent people working there.

My dealer in Tennessee was a single store independent when I moved there. They got swallowed by a growing mega-dealer. Nothing really changed at the store because the same folks still worked there. I had hoped that it would have gotten better, but it didn't.

I found a much better dealer (Kubota) and started doing business with them.

Funny thing is when I moved to Kentucky, it was the exact opposite. Kubota dealer here is a ripoff shop. Guess what color is back in my barn.

A good dealer is far more important than the brand name.

 

[BOBL]

Bob, I can blame Deere for not shutting down a horrid dealer. I hate seeing people get rooked and so should Deere. Not good for their overall business Personally hope that the Op makes enough noise to get the dealership pulled. Put a little fear of God out there and maybe it becomes a little better for all of us in the future.

john Deere 1025R
loader
backhoe
47 in tiller
47 blower
5ft landscape rake
10 KW pto generator
Sent from my SM-N976V using Tapatalk

I agree with this statement, but keep in mind that it will take much more than a single complaint to shut down a dealer. Another point is this. Most people never document their complaints with the corporation. Most dissatisfied customers will simply "move on", usually to another dealer, store, car lot, whatever.

We're all slamming the dealer, but there are two (2) sides to every story. The OP has not given the dealers name or location, current status or intent. I'll be neutral in this case at this time until I know who the dealer is, and what the final outcome is.

 

[chrsbabr]

Sounds like the OP got it semi sorted.

In the interest of debate - Without knowing the manufacturer/authorized dealer contract between Deere and it's dealer network - It's reasonable that this "dealer" Warranty of "get all maintenance done here, we cover any failures" is a legitimate thing. (Mind you my opinion on it is: the practice is questionable at best, as evidenced by this thread and ill intentioned realistically.)

This section:

The points that I take from this are:

• No Dealer Warranty..." indicates this warranty the contract is defining is not a dealer warranty, its a manufacturer warranty.
• "The selling dealer makes no warranty of its own" I interpret this: The selling dealer can not add/change/remove any terms of the warranty as defined on this contract.
• "The selling dealer has no authority to make representation or promise on behalf of John Deere." This language states "on behalf of John Deere". Without being able to read the manufacturer/dealer agreement - this doesn't state that the dealer, on behalf of the dealers owner(s), whom are not John Deere Corp cannot enter a private contract with the buyer.

A contract between two parties can be for basically anything lawful in the jurisdiction the contract is stated. Buyer and selling dealer can agree (assuming there isn't specific language in the deere corp/deere dealer agreemebt(s) prohibiting this) to any terms they want. The terms in this case, if you do all your preventive maintenance here at our dealership, we'll (dealer ownership, not JD corp) be responsible to cover any repairs on the tractor for the next 5/10/15/200 years.

I could make a similar offer to anyone - If you pay me $150000/yr, I'll cover specific failures of someone else's widget, even while that widget is covered by the widget's manufacturer warranty. Many companies already do this, (squaretrade?) The point being - unless one party is prohibited from entering a contract (like employment non-competes) and the contract covers a lawful activity in that jurisdiction its reasonable to conclude its a valid contract if all parties agree. Granted it's much easier to prove/hold accountable for non-performance when it's a written contract, the good old handshake works too among honorable people.

SB: Not picking on you, I'm stating my non-lawyer holiday inn interpretation of the situation. I'm not stating your wrong and I'm right in any way - Just looking for meaningful debate on the topic. 😀 I'll very likely learn something!

Finally I'd really be interested to hear JD Corp's take on the "warranty" that this dealer is offering, if my interpretation isn't valid and they are offering something conflicting with JD Corp.

This is similar to my selling dealer. Bring machine back for annual service each year and we "the dealer" will extend power train warranty to 10 years / 1000 hours. You dont bring it to them annually, they dont give you the "free" warranty after Deere warranty is up.

 

[jimmylh]

This is similar to my selling dealer. Bring machine back for annual service each year and we "the dealer" will extend power train warranty to 10 years / 1000 hours. You dont bring it to them annually, they dont give you the "free" warranty after Deere warranty is up.

The "free" warranty that never seems to cover anything that breaks....

 

[Ritz]

I subscribe to the notion that if you think you'll need some "extended warranty" to cover you, then why on earth did you buy the product in the first place? It is a laughable waste of money most of the time UNLESS you actually buy a product with quality problems. (but then why would you do that?) I haven't seen any real evidence of that being the case with 1 series tractors. So I'm inclined to thumb my nose at any "extended warranty", engage in common sense, take care of my equipment, and not worry about it.

Ask for the tractor back, clean the radiator yourself (or just buy a new radiator and replace it) and get on with life. Not even worth the mental cycles to deal with something this ridiculous. Life is too short.

Best,

 

[W9GFO]

Just a comment on the "find another dealer" suggestions. Some folks just don't have that luxury, with the next Deere dealer being located many hours away. In that case, it is best to not burn that dealer bridge to the ground behind you.

While that is true, there is probably a good word-of-mouth (shade tree) mechanic near you that would be happy to service your machinery. There's a very good chance that they would do better quality work too, since they get jobs via reputation.