Just picked up a JD 290D excavator,, 6200hrs. Decent shape, not a busted up , has a mechanical thumb and 3 buckets with it. I am looking for pros and cons of the 290D, anything that I should be aware of as far as possible issues. I also have never even been in the seat of an excavator, I am a dozer operater, I am 64 and retired from a Logging and sawmill business, too old to chase women so I am starting up a small land clearing, food plot construction, excavation operation, I also have a D4C with a root rake. Thanks
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JD 290D
- Thread starter Logger72
- Start date
John Deere Boy
Member
I am 33 and new to the seat of an excavator. Ours is a 4800hr 270D. We added a hydraulic thumb. I've put 10 hours on it so far. Looking forward to hearing the same advice that you're seeking. Does your radio work? If not, I know how to fix it. Is your sunroof transparent? Mine isn't and i don't want to spend $800 on a new one. I polished it, wet sanded it, and polished it again but i still can't see through it.
We just added a root rake to our 750 deere dozer yesterday.
https://www.heavyequipmentforums.com/threads/howdy-from-an-indiana-farmer.71439/#post-757804
We just added a root rake to our 750 deere dozer yesterday.
https://www.heavyequipmentforums.com/threads/howdy-from-an-indiana-farmer.71439/#post-757804
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Ok I was wondering about a hydraulic thumb, how much trouble was it to install one on your 270D? I am in the process of getting my excavator home, kinda hard to find a trucker with time to make a quick run. It has been so wet here that as soon as it started to dry out everybody is trying to catch up and we also got hit with a lot of flash flooding which has caused a lot of havoc. That 750 with a root rake sounds neat, So far I like having one on my 4. Root rakes are not all that common in the northeast, that may be due to our rocky ground. I have used mine to grub out a path that I was building and it worked fine, you have to be careful,the blade had to stay straight because if you angle it the rake could get bent. I found that by tilting the blade I could cut roots on trees and then just pop them out and it’s nice to carry debris without a lot of dirt. I see that they make root rakes for excavators,, I bet that would be awesome for clearing.
John Deere Boy
Member
Not much trouble, but our hoe already had aux plumbing for a hammer. However it still was a chore finding the right fittings for the thumb cylinder.
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GregsHD
Senior Member
The 290D is a late 80's early 90's machine, basically a Hitachi EX100-1 painted yellow with a Deere engine.
It will have an aux valve in the MCV, most likely capped off with no circuit relief valve cartridges. Do you have a floor mount aux pedal to the right of your travel pedals?
It will have an aux valve in the MCV, most likely capped off with no circuit relief valve cartridges. Do you have a floor mount aux pedal to the right of your travel pedals?
John Deere Boy
Member
Wow, my mistake. Deere has some weird model number issues.
GregsHD, no there is not a floor mount aux peddle , I will take a peek at the valve bank, thanks. JDB, That 270D is a nice looking machine, I bet you will love that hydraulic thumb. The 270D is bigger than my 290D , My plan is to learn the ropes on the 290D and refurbish it then trade up in a year or so to a bigger Deere or a Cat. I like the looks of the Cat 312 but who knows I may stay with Deere. At the moment I am still trying to get mine hauled home,, we have had a lot of rain in this area so as soon as it started to dry out everybody got busy again so finding a trucker is proving to be a challenge.