02/04/2026
LH Ag Mechanics Equipment Spotlight:
John Deere 6000 Series
The John Deere 6400 showed up one fine spring day in May, 1998. It had 100 engine horsepower (I suppose it still does, wherever it is), two wheel drive and a Power Quad transmission with 16 forward/reverse gear choices. A clutch pedal is involved, but so is "Park".... interesting.... To set the record straight, much to the many generations of students' chagrin, we don't use cabs on our tractors because they are essentially teaching tools, and the brave teacher needs to be able to instruct the driver from the ground and every few years or so, be able to reach up and turn the key left.
The 6400 moved on in 2013 and was replaced by the JD 6105M, which as you can see in the pictures, looks almost identical to the 64. It is believed that the M stand for "Meh" as the engine horsepower is identically rated, but suffers due to the emissions controls in place. Otherwise, it's the same transmission with 2 wd. It rides well over the road and is very forgiving for new drivers on a cone course.
In addition to new driver training, the primary jobs of the 6105 (and the 6400 previously) are hay mowing, tedding and baling and emptying the manure spreader off site. The hay wagons we use are 24' long and hold approximately 270 bales maximum.
