John Deere Sideboom Tractors
Based on the 420, 430, and 440 tractors (crawlers and wheel)
And also the 2010I, JD400, JD500 and JD600 tractors

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What is that long contraption sticking out the side of the tractor? It is a sideboom, used for picking up sections of pipe, and laying them in a trench from a safe distance. This would keep the tractor from collapsing the walls of the trench with its weight. The sidebooms use a cable and winch system to raise and lower the pipes, or the boom, along with a large set of counterweights to keep the tractor balanced. See pictures of sideboom tractors, here.

#300 Sideboom Used on 420C, 430C, 440I, 440ID, 440IC, and 440ICD tractors (maybe others as well)

There seem to be two versions of this boom, a hinged version that is 12 1/2 feet long (extended) and a non hinged version that is 10 feet long. The 12 foot booms were hinged to shorten them a few feet for transport (allow them to pass under bridges, etc.).

If you look at the charts below there were some differences from having a sideboom on a wheeled tractor, or crawler. The different weight limits probably had more to do with stability than anything else!

#300 Sideboom on a wheel tractor Overhang Lifting capacity (pounds) 4 feet 3,000 6 feet 2,400 8 feet 1,800 10 feet 1,200 Lifting capacity is measured with the front blade on the ground, and with weight added to right rear tire #300 Sideboom on a crawler tractor Overhang Lifting capacity (pounds) 4 feet 4,000 6 feet 3,000 8 feet 2,000 10 feet 1,800

The counterweights are extended or retracted hydrauically probably to narrow for transport.

All the tractors with this boom that I have seen have been equipped with a front blade, most likely to fill in the trenches when the job is done. The blade was also be a handy stabilizer! The 440I was equipped with a #301 blade, 440IC with a #63 blade, and the 430C was equipped with a #62 blade. There was also an optional pipe bender that could bend pipe from 2 inch to 8 inch!

#3500 Sideboom Used on 2010I, JD500, and JD600 tractors (maybe others as well)

Again, there were two versions, a hinged 12 foot boom, and a non hinged 10 footer. This boom also featured stabilizers, which I don't think were avaliable with the earlier #300. The #3500 came standard with 660 lbs of counterweights. Again, these were hydrauically extented or retracted.

Lifting capacities of this boom on a JD600 (with 960 pounds of counterweight, and loaded rear tires) were:

Overhang Lifting capacity (pounds) 2 feet 7,000 4 feet 7,000 6 feet 5,400 8 feet 4,200 10 feet 3,700 12 feet 3,400

The #3500 boom also had the option of a pipe bender attachment, and one or two additional 300 pound counterweights. 2010I and or JD500 tractors equipped with this boom also came with a #331 bulldozer. JD600 tractors equipped with this boom came equipped with a #93A or #95A backhoe, and a #648 bulldozer (90 inch wide). This combination was known as the JD600 Pipeliner Special. You can go to the JD600 page to learn more about it.