1:25 John Deere 4250 – 3D Scratch Built
In 1983 John Deere launched the “50” series of tractors. Based on the same design that proved itself throughout the 30 and 40 series tractors, the 50 series boasted a series of advancements. Not the least of which was a full mechanical front-wheel drive system. Previous front-wheel assist options were hydraulic, but the 50 series front-wheel assist was newly engineered and could shift-on-the-fly offering added traction when needed by the farmer. The other big step forward came from the transmission. The previous 8-speed power shift transmission was shelved for a newly-designed 15 speed power shift giving the operator a greater variety of working speeds without bothering to clutch.
Backgroud
I spent years working with my grandpa and uncle, but they couldn't afford to have a “hired man” so in 1986 I began working on a local farm. When I went out to interview for the job it was early March, I saw the rear-end of a newer generation tractor sticking out of the machine shed but didn't see which model it was. Fast forward to May when I started work on the farm and there she sat with a 6-bottom plow hitched to it. A John Deere 4250 with front-wheel assist.
Now for those of you who know, and those of you who don't, and 3-year old tractor is virtually brand new. In fact it still had plastic on the seat…I later came to find out it was the first 50 series tractor our local implement dealer had sold. Of course I didn't get the chance to actually drive said beauty until a couple of months later, but when I did it was like sitting behind the wheel of brand new muscle car.
Now, that tractor is 42 years old and still on the same farm. It shows its age and doesn't work as hard as it did in it's younger years, but it conjures memories every time I see it (along with all the other horses) so I made it subject of my latest 3D scratch build.
The Build
Modeling this tractor came with a number of challenges. Overall getting the dimensions correct was a bit challenging. Fortunately I have a couple of old Ertl tractor models that I could use to get measurements. I wanted to add as much detail to 3D model as I could and I'm pretty happy with the result.
Once I had the full tractor built in 3D space, the dilemma was how do I model those curved windows? I printed the cab glass in clear resin, mainly for proof of concept and tried to polish it, but no matter how much one tries, it never comes out crystal clear like glass should. I ended up printing a couple of forms, or “bucks” that are the inside dimensions of the windows and using my heat gun, press formed clear plastic. Then I cut the windows to the correct size. It actually worked even though it took like 5 hrs.
Once I had the assemblies printed to my satisfaction, I began to add the details to the engine. Fuel and oil lines add so much realism that the monotony is worth the outcome. For the injector lines I use individual speaker wire strands, the bigger oil lines are various copper wire.
Decals were again designed in Adobe Illustrator. The instrumentation decals in the cab came out especially good, even though they are mostly obscured by the cab itself. I guess that's about it for this one. Thanks for following along, comment away, and keep building.
Matt, I love your tractors. Your 3D modeing and building there of, is amazing!
It really makes me want to start building some. Well done!
Would love to see some pics of the origianl tractor.
@coondog Holy smokes man! That’s is amazing!
@bikequeen thanks Cricket for the kind words. This was a lot of fun to see come to life. And a little nerve-wracking as well.
This is a work of a genius. Not only did you design and print your own tractor but you also built and painted it to look extremely realistic.
I’m especially impressed by how you made the injector tubes coming off the injector pump. I used to work on tractors and I have bled the fuel system on numerous occasions when the operator was daydreaming and not paying attention to the fuel gauge. Most of the ones that I worked on had a small mechanical fuel pump that I had to manually pump by hand and crack open the injector lines until all of the air was bled out.
Then I would try to start it. After a few revolutions it would fire up but it would run on one or two cylinders until the rest of the air was bled by the engine running.
Then all of a sudden it would smooth out and be running perfectly again. This was a very satisfying experience.
The worst thing I ever had to do was to split the case, where you had to unbolt the engine from the transmission and install a new clutch and pressure plate. That was a huge job. I have done this 3 or 4 times and I don’t think I would ever want to do it again.
Each time I look at your model I see something new. The last thing I notice is that you have included the weights for the front axle. You have even included the alternator, power steering pump, and the turbo. It’s like an exact copy of the real thing in miniature.
Incredible attention to detail. You could probably even sell these for a decent profit. The hard work is done. Now it’s a matter of printing them and boxing them up for shipment.
Incredible work here brother. I don’t know how you managed to do this, but I sure am glad you can.
You my friend have some SERIOUS TALENT.
Keep on rocking it. This JD rules. My first tractor experience was with my grandma’s red belly Ford 8N. I think hers was a 1948 vintage tractor. And it ran forever.
I learned how to drive on a tractor. Then I was driving cars by the time I was 12. Motorcycles when I was about 7 or maybe 8 years old. I was racing motorcycles as soon as I felt comfortable enough to do it. I guess I was a daredevil.
Times were different back then. Much simpler and better.
@lgardner
I’m very humbled by your words my friend. Thank you.
This hobby has become so much more than a hobby for me. Bringing a vision of something to reality brings deep satisfaction.
Like you I learned to drive on a tractor when I was 3. It was a Case SC, the love affair with tractors has never ended. Building these scale replicas gives me the ability to collect them all without all the garage space. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to have the 1:1 versions.
Thanks again brother.
That’s a fantastic model, Matt, really well done, thanks for sharing it with us.
Wonderful detail, and beautifully finished as well, Matt!
Absolutely wonderful work and a superb result, Matt!
Excellent result on this John Deere, Matt @coondog
Such a nice way to bring back memories.
Wow amazing work on this Matt , I often drive a John Deere 6110 as part of my job and I love that big old beast , she is about 25 years old and still doing well though the body is now in poor condition due to being outside most of the time , I always thought it would make great subject for a kit.
Neil stole my adjective. All your scratch built tractors are amazing. They are also beautiful. Unlike so many here I have no background with them but I can still see the allure they hold.
Your tractor turned out great, plus you've given me some ideas for my 1/32 Beaufighter project.
Matt, that's about as close to real as one can get with a scale model! 😳 Man, that is just incredible; designing and making everything and then coming up with that result?!? Just amazing, sir! Your creativity and ability are just off the chart, Matt @coondog! 🙏🏻 My dad bought a 72 acre farm in 1959, and I began driving soon after at age 8. I learned to drive on a 1946 Chevrolet pickup (exact same truck as the '41s) and our 8N Ford, and I can tell that you know your way around this old machinery! 👍 I love that John Deere! 😍
I continue to be humbled by the praise from my fellow modelers. Thanks so much for the kind words.
Beautiful work! Would you mind sharing what program you used for the design?
@mharviala I use Shapr3D. It's very similar to Autodesk Fusion, but an easier interface. Drawback is it's not free.
@coondog - Holy @#$%^& Matt! This is an incredible piece of 3D modeling. What a great piece, the memories behind it. Awesome work.