Pond Boss
Posted By: Todd3138 My New Tractor - 05/03/12 02:21 AM
So I figured I'd move the discussion of my new tractor to its own thread.

Here is a picture of my son, AJ, on it the day we bought it.



Here it is right before the start of my first big job - moving an old brush pile from next to our storage building.



Here is the brush pile after I had pushed some of the left side into a bigger heap right at the start of the job.



And here is the end result, about 7 hours later.



This is the area where our septic/aerator will be installed within the next few weeks (with a little luck) as we begin some projects at the farm, so there won't be any grass planted as of right now.

You can also see a smaller brush pile in the background and that is the next task. I'll save most of it for firewood, but the finishing touch will be to level it out and plant that area with grass seed until the house project begins some time in the future.
Posted By: Omaha Re: My New Tractor - 05/03/12 12:55 PM
Looks like a fun new toy Todd! Little man will think so soon enough as well I'm sure.
Posted By: Todd3138 Re: My New Tractor - 05/03/12 03:15 PM
Been a blast and the little guy already loves it!
Posted By: ewest Re: My New Tractor - 05/03/12 07:35 PM
Tell us about the toy and its add-ons etc.
Posted By: sprkplug Re: My New Tractor - 05/03/12 08:58 PM
Ah yes, first loves and first tractors. As I recall, my first love broke my heart, while my first tractor broke my bank account.There's gotta' be a message in there somewhere.

So, what about the particulars? Manual shift, hydrostatic, or shuttle? Single speed PTO, or dual speed? (540/2000 rpm) Self purging fuel system, or crack a bleeder screw? (You'll find that one out if you ever run out of fuel) Cat 1, or cat 2 three point? Quick-tach FEL I assume? (Very nice). Front wheel assist, or full time? HP?

C'mon man, some of us live by the specs..... laugh
Posted By: JKB Re: My New Tractor - 05/03/12 09:47 PM
Originally Posted By: sprkplug
Ah yes, first loves and first tractors. As I recall, my first love broke my heart, while my first tractor broke my bank account.There's gotta' be a message in there somewhere.

So, what about the particulars? Manual shift, hydrostatic, or shuttle? Single speed PTO, or dual speed? (540/2000 rpm) Self purging fuel system, or crack a bleeder screw? (You'll find that one out if you ever run out of fuel) Cat 1, or cat 2 three point? Quick-tach FEL I assume? (Very nice). Front wheel assist, or full time? HP?

C'mon man, some of us live by the specs..... laugh


You said it best spark!

Details Todd, Extreme details! smile
Posted By: Sunil Re: My New Tractor - 05/03/12 10:19 PM
7 hours to move that girly-man brush pile?
Posted By: Clayton Re: My New Tractor - 05/03/12 10:34 PM
I'm interested to know... How did you come to decide on a Mahindra? Pricing on them seems very attractive. I've been looking at JD 5055 tractors as an option at the moment, but the 5010 Mahindras are an option too.
Posted By: john kelsey Re: My New Tractor - 05/03/12 11:07 PM
Where are the Mahindra made?
Posted By: catmandoo Re: My New Tractor - 05/04/12 01:32 AM
Originally Posted By: john kelsey
Where are the Mahindra made?


The company is headquartered in India, but the tractors are made all over. My Mahindra is a Mitsubishi diesel engine and drive train. Most of the rest of it is US made. The whole thing was assembled in Texas. They've got three manufacturing plants in the US. I'm not sure where Todd's model came from. Mahindra got started during WW-II making Willys Jeeps for the war effort.
Posted By: Todd3138 Re: My New Tractor - 05/04/12 02:05 AM
Well, let me try to respond to all of the posts here.

First, Sunil, it wasn't so girly-man because it was about 40 feet long and probably a good 25 feet wide by about six or seven feet high. Plus, there was lots of operator learning curve!

The tractor is a Mahindra 4035, 40 engine HP and PTO of 31.5 per the specs. My tractor friends have all told me consistently that the PTO rating is usually low by 2 - 3 HP and that PTO horsepower increases as the tractor gets broken in, so perhaps it's realistic to call it 33 or so. I call it plenty for what I will do with this machine.

I got a hydrostatic drive because of the simplicity of use. I know there are tons of back and forth views on HST v. geared, but the HST fits my mission profile the best. The HST costs a couple of horsepower at the PTO, but it's also about 500 pounds heavier than the geared version of the 4035. It has a live PTO, 540 rpm at the rear with no mid-PTO.

It's 2wd/4wd with a level to change between the two, plus it has the differential lock for getting myself into even bigger jams than the 4wd will get me into! I got it with industrial tires so I don't totally tear up my fields where we hang out since they are becoming yard quality. I'll pick up some chains for winter and really muddy weather.

As for the fuel, I'm not sure, but I think it may be a self-purging deal because of something the sales guy told me about the cap and an insert in the cap. Guess I'll have to ask about that so I don't find out the hard way!

It has a Cat I hitch, but has the ability to also use some Cat II implements by rotating the ball in the link ends and getting to the different size holes in the ball. Kind of a cool feature.

The FEL has the skidsteer quick attach feature, so it's easy on/off for FEL attachments. At this point, I only have the standard square back 72" bucket, but some other implements are no doubt in my future! I also picked up a 6 foot Mahindra standard duty brush hog with a slip clutch. That's the entire package I bought. I may add a post hole digger and a rake in the near-ish future.

I may flip my rear tires this weekend as a buddy suggested it after measuring and showing me how I could add about 10" to the rear width, pushing it out from roughly 75" to 85". I figure width and weight = safety margin. The rear tires are filled and, per the dealer, it added between 300 and 400 pounds per side.

Ultimately, the pricing was pretty good compared to everything other than our high-volume Kubota dealer, but comparing the two side by side, the Mahindra won hands down against the Kubota, largely because of weight and some nice standard features on the Mahindra that cost extra to get on the Kubota (i.e., rear work light, one set of rear hydraulic remotes).

As compared to the other brands I looked at, listed in the bulging eye BG thread, I believe, I chose the Mahindra primarily because of the weight and features. The price was competitive with a few other brands - LS and Kioti in particular. I had narrowed my choice to the Mahindra and Kioti, largely based on standard features. The Manindra ended up winning in my mind because of the weight. Of all the brands I looked at, it was 900 pounds heavier than the closest comparable competitor. Again, I may be obsessing on it, but tractor weight is a huge safety factor for me. Deere was never really an option because their pricing was substantially higher at the dealership near me - to the tune of $3000 - $4000 more, so they didn't get any consideration after my first visit there.

I believe this particular model has a Mitsubishi engine and drive train and was assembled here in the US. Don't know for sure about the origin of all the parts. I got a standard 3 year bumper to bumper and 5 year power train warranty.

Fortunately, it didn't break the bank for me, but it's a big expense for sure. Insurance was only $75 per year through Erie, so that seemed like a real bargain.

All in all, I'm really happy and have not had any buyer's remorse. Going to start brush hogging tomorrow after I knock off work a little early. Fortunately my boss is understanding of my new obsession - I just hope my clients have the same enlightened outlook!

I don't know if that is enough in the way of details, so I'll be happy to answer any other questions. You can also check out the full spec sheet here.
Posted By: Dave Davidson1 Re: My New Tractor - 05/04/12 10:34 AM
Todd, my JD also is a quick disconnect FEL. However, I've never removed it. That would be like cutting the pockets off my shirt.
I seldom take mine out of 4WD.
Posted By: sprkplug Re: My New Tractor - 05/04/12 11:24 AM
Sounds very nice Todd! If you decide to remove the rear wheels, let me be the first to warn you.....a weighted tire/rim combo will, at worst, squash you like a bug. At best, it simply falls over, registering a 4 on the closest Richter Scale, and requiring 3-4 guys or a small forklift to stand it back up.

Once it leans a few degrees past vertical, you don't try and stop it, you just get out of the way.
Posted By: Todd3138 Re: My New Tractor - 05/04/12 11:36 AM
Good warning, Spark! Don't know if we'll try to get into that or not, particularly since the tires are loaded. I'll probably leave that decision up to my friend who suggested it as he's pretty well informed on all things mechanical and will know if we have the tools necessary to safely pull off the change. But I'll remember to be light and quick on my feet if we do it!
Posted By: Todd3138 Re: My New Tractor - 05/04/12 11:38 AM
I agree, Dave. Unless I get another implement to attach for some particular reason, my bucket will stay in place all of the time. As for removing the entire FEL assembly, I see no reason whatsoever with my uses, easy to do or not.
Posted By: catmandoo Re: My New Tractor - 05/04/12 12:04 PM
Originally Posted By: Dave Davidson1
Todd, my JD also is a quick disconnect FEL. However, I've never removed it. That would be like cutting the pockets off my shirt.
I seldom take mine out of 4WD.


In the five years I've had mine, the FEL has been off once -- and that was to see how difficult it was to remove and put back on.

As for 4WD, about the only time mine is taken out of 4WD is if I have to take it on the road to a neighbors, etc.
Posted By: esshup Re: My New Tractor - 05/04/12 12:17 PM
Todd:

If you have front hydraulics, look into a grapple bucket. It makes moving things MUCH easier. You could have moved that brush pile in an hour or so with a grapple bucket depending on how far you had to move it. Can you change buckets easily? JD has a system for quick attaching front implements, so switching between buckets, plow, etc. is a 5 minute deal. I use JD as an example because that's the only one that I have experience on, besides Kubota.

Making the rear wider will help with stability.
Posted By: jludwig Re: My New Tractor - 05/04/12 01:15 PM
Originally Posted By: esshup
Todd:

If you have front hydraulics, look into a grapple bucket. It makes moving things MUCH easier. You could have moved that brush pile in an hour or so with a grapple bucket depending on how far you had to move it. Can you change buckets easily? JD has a system for quick attaching front implements, so switching between buckets, plow, etc. is a 5 minute deal. I use JD as an example because that's the only one that I have experience on, besides Kubota.

Making the rear wider will help with stability.



We have a quick attaching bucket, pallet fork, and hay spears for our 7810 John Deere. Our loader is also a quick attach and deattach. The total time to remove the loader is less than 5 minutes.

I second the comments on the grapple. So handy when moving brush.
Posted By: Todd3138 Re: My New Tractor - 05/04/12 01:43 PM
Originally Posted By: catmandoo
Originally Posted By: Dave Davidson1
Todd, my JD also is a quick disconnect FEL. However, I've never removed it. That would be like cutting the pockets off my shirt.
I seldom take mine out of 4WD.


In the five years I've had mine, the FEL has been off once -- and that was to see how difficult it was to remove and put back on.

As for 4WD, about the only time mine is taken out of 4WD is if I have to take it on the road to a neighbors, etc.


I had the delivery guys help me remove and reinstall the whole FEL assembly when they delivered the tractor so, like you, I could see how it's done. I have no reason to think I would ever take it off. The bucket itself I can see removing from time to time to swap out with other implements that run off the loader assembly and the quick attach should make that a breeze. Like you, too, I see no reason to ever take it out of 4wd other than road driving.
Posted By: Todd3138 Re: My New Tractor - 05/04/12 01:45 PM
Originally Posted By: esshup
Todd:

If you have front hydraulics, look into a grapple bucket. It makes moving things MUCH easier. You could have moved that brush pile in an hour or so with a grapple bucket depending on how far you had to move it. Can you change buckets easily? JD has a system for quick attaching front implements, so switching between buckets, plow, etc. is a 5 minute deal. I use JD as an example because that's the only one that I have experience on, besides Kubota.

Making the rear wider will help with stability.


I was thinking long and hard about a grapple, Scott! You are spot on that it would have easily taken half the time if not even less, but I ended up doing a lot of hand loading to get logs and tangles of vine and brush into place on the bucket. I don't have an extra set of hydraulic valves on the front, though, so I don't think the tractor is properly equipped for a grapple unless I'm missing the boat on how they work and what extent of hydraulics are needed for them.
Posted By: Todd3138 Re: My New Tractor - 05/04/12 01:47 PM
Originally Posted By: jludwig
We have a quick attaching bucket, pallet fork, and hay spears for our 7810 John Deere. Our loader is also a quick attach and deattach. The total time to remove the loader is less than 5 minutes.

I second the comments on the grapple. So handy when moving brush.


Mine has the quick attach bucket setup so swapping out front end implements should be pretty simple. I don't have any other attachments at this point, but have considered pallet forks for things like this brush pile I just did as even those would be a huge improvement over just the bucket alone. The grapple would be a nice addition, but as I mentioned in reply to Scott's post, I don't know if the tractor is set up for one or not.
Posted By: Dave Davidson1 Re: My New Tractor - 05/07/12 10:11 PM
Todd, be really careful with the FEL. I've almost turned my tractor over three times by overloading on a hill going sideways. Beer was involved in only one of the occasions.

Lawyers aren't always known for making great mechanical decisions. Take it easy for awhile and keep the rollover bars on.
Posted By: JKB Re: My New Tractor - 05/07/12 10:48 PM
Originally Posted By: Todd3138
Originally Posted By: jludwig
We have a quick attaching bucket, pallet fork, and hay spears for our 7810 John Deere. Our loader is also a quick attach and deattach. The total time to remove the loader is less than 5 minutes.

I second the comments on the grapple. So handy when moving brush.


Mine has the quick attach bucket setup so swapping out front end implements should be pretty simple. I don't have any other attachments at this point, but have considered pallet forks for things like this brush pile I just did as even those would be a huge improvement over just the bucket alone. The grapple would be a nice addition, but as I mentioned in reply to Scott's post, I don't know if the tractor is set up for one or not.


Forks are pretty good for moving things like logs, picking up downed trees to easily cut up with a chain saw, getting your chainsaw out of a pinch situation, and I can go on... Great attachment, and I would buy one. Very many uses, and your back, arm's, leg's, head, family, friends will thank you, But...

...They really suck at moving brush! Got a steel grill on that baby? Brush has a way finding the right passage thru the grill guard, and you don't have one, to mess up the grill. I need a new one on the Kubota, and they ain't cheap!
Posted By: Todd3138 Re: My New Tractor - 05/08/12 03:09 AM
Originally Posted By: Dave Davidson1
Todd, be really careful with the FEL. I've almost turned my tractor over three times by overloading on a hill going sideways. Beer was involved in only one of the occasions.

Lawyers aren't always known for making great mechanical decisions. Take it easy for awhile and keep the rollover bars on.


We may not be known for such decisions, but I know I would not willingly put myself into that sort of spot! I don't even like going across a hill sideways with nothing in the bucket let alone with a load. Easy to see how that one could turn ugly quick. And I'll probably avoid legal beverages when I'm using it, too!

I did a bunch of brush hogging today after I got home from Sunil's and it was a good experience. Lots of learning curve, but I can see how the tractor is going to really speed up my mowing time compared to my Cub Cadet, even though it has a 54" deck on it. This 6' brush hog is just really nice and makes easy work of stuff.

A friend gave me a tip on keeping the bucket low while mowing to help with keeping the center of gravity down, but also as a way of guarding against unwanted stump incursions while mowing in tall grass. I had it pretty much skimming just a couple of inches above the ground and that technique kept me planted and also saved me from whacking two stumps with the mower. Of course, I got a good jolt when the bucket hit the stumps, but that's why it was down there!
Posted By: Todd3138 Re: My New Tractor - 05/08/12 03:11 AM
Originally Posted By: JKB
Forks are pretty good for moving things like logs, picking up downed trees to easily cut up with a chain saw, getting your chainsaw out of a pinch situation, and I can go on... Great attachment, and I would buy one. Very many uses, and your back, arm's, leg's, head, family, friends will thank you, But...

...They really suck at moving brush! Got a steel grill on that baby? Brush has a way finding the right passage thru the grill guard, and you don't have one, to mess up the grill. I need a new one on the Kubota, and they ain't cheap!


Good points, JKB. Thanks! I hadn't thought of being able to use forks to hold logs while I cut them - great idea!
Posted By: Dave Davidson1 Re: My New Tractor - 05/08/12 11:21 AM
Todd, one of the biggest character builders I've ever gotten was trying to scoop up a big rock and move it with the FEL. It didn't work and I knew absolute morons that could do it. Why not me?

I have kept trying and finally learned how to do it(sometimes). Nothing in books can help.
Posted By: Todd3138 Re: My New Tractor - 05/08/12 01:26 PM
Love it! A challenge! I kind of feel like Qui Chang Caine, trying to snatch the pebble from Master Po's hand! laugh
Posted By: JKB Re: My New Tractor - 05/08/12 11:02 PM
Originally Posted By: Todd3138
Originally Posted By: JKB
Forks are pretty good for moving things like logs, picking up downed trees to easily cut up with a chain saw, getting your chainsaw out of a pinch situation, and I can go on... Great attachment, and I would buy one. Very many uses, and your back, arm's, leg's, head, family, friends will thank you, But...

...They really suck at moving brush! Got a steel grill on that baby? Brush has a way finding the right passage thru the grill guard, and you don't have one, to mess up the grill. I need a new one on the Kubota, and they ain't cheap!


Good points, JKB. Thanks! I hadn't thought of being able to use forks to hold logs while I cut them - great idea!


We just section the trees in the field about 12-16 feet long, then move them to the wood shed where the the log splitter is. Makes life easier. Cut, split and stack in one convenient location. Some large trees have to be cut shorter due to the weight.

Another handy attachment is a box scraper. One thing I would not be without! Long driveways are really easy to grade in a couple passes. Work much better than a back blade. Good for popping out little stumps too!

Posted By: FarmerRick Re: My New Tractor - 05/15/12 11:57 AM
Todd Grats on your new tractor! It will evolve to more and more clarity of another dimension of your property. Getting a loader with filled rear tires is a smart move. Now you can move about anything on your property, pull vines down and out of trees, etc. And an instant lifter upper of about anything, including your spirit.
Posted By: Todd3138 Re: My New Tractor - 05/15/12 03:58 PM
Thanks, Rick! It has been amazing at lifting my spirits, for sure! I've been putting in a decent amount of work with it as we're in the process of bringing water and electric into the farm. All the utilities have to be buried so I've been supporting my excavator with hauling dirt around as needed and dumping "choke" into the bottom of our 500' of trench to lay the water and electric onto a reasonably smooth surface. There have been some pretty heavy loads in the bucket so the filled rear tires have been an asset. Looking forward to all the other stuff I'll be doing with it, too. I've only mowed once with the brush hog, but will likely be doing that again this week some time. All I can say so far is fun, fun, fun!
Posted By: spinnerbait Re: My New Tractor - 05/16/12 01:51 AM
I had problems with my loader bucket at the top starting to bend, and split. I use this loader ALOT, for just about anything. I took a 1/4 thick piece of angle and welded it to the top and I have had no problems since. I have pushed over some good sized trees with it. Also welded on a hook in the middle to pick up things with a chain.
Posted By: roadwarriorsvt Re: My New Tractor - 05/17/12 07:17 PM
Originally Posted By: spinnerbait
Also welded on a hook in the middle to pick up things with a chain.


Now that was a good idea!
Posted By: Todd3138 Re: My New Tractor - 05/19/12 02:25 AM
Originally Posted By: spinnerbait
I had problems with my loader bucket at the top starting to bend, and split. I use this loader ALOT, for just about anything. I took a 1/4 thick piece of angle and welded it to the top and I have had no problems since. I have pushed over some good sized trees with it. Also welded on a hook in the middle to pick up things with a chain.


At the top??? Perhaps it's more common than I realize, but I don't believe I've ever heard of one splitting up there. I certainly have heard about them splitting on the leading edge on the bottom from heavy work, but never the top. I would like to eventually add a tooth bar to my bucket but they're not cheap, so I'll wait a little before adding one. Besides, I really think I need a rake first in light of all the work we're doing at the farm right now with trenching in water and electric. Lots of rocks to contend with now. Love the hook idea, by the way.
Posted By: esshup Re: My New Tractor - 05/19/12 03:20 AM
Rake for rocks? Box blades are nice too, to fill in the trench. I just wish I had a "float" setting on the Kubota 3-point.
Posted By: Todd3138 Re: My New Tractor - 05/19/12 12:39 PM
A box blade would be nice, too, but there are a pretty good number of big rocks that may be better suited for faster removal by being able to rake them up. Maybe not. I'm new at this tractor stuff!
Posted By: rmedgar Re: My New Tractor - 05/19/12 02:25 PM
Todd, love all of this tractor talk. Hopefully in the future I'll be getting one and
all of this info will be helpful. Keep up the good work...
Posted By: JKB Re: My New Tractor - 05/19/12 03:46 PM
Originally Posted By: Todd3138
A box blade would be nice, too, but there are a pretty good number of big rocks that may be better suited for faster removal by being able to rake them up. Maybe not. I'm new at this tractor stuff!


You'll toast a rake on rocks.

A box scraper works fairly decent on rocks, but you always get a few that roll out under if it is full.

I would like to get a rake, but have not found one that I thought would hold up with me at the wheel.

I've broken just about everything so far. Warranty on the tractor is up, so it is take it easy from now on.

Hey, just testing their engineering out whistle

I would like to sell my disc and get a tiller.


Read your warranty Todd. If you modify stuff, probably won't be covered.
Posted By: JKB Re: My New Tractor - 05/19/12 04:05 PM
Originally Posted By: esshup
Rake for rocks? Box blades are nice too, to fill in the trench. I just wish I had a "float" setting on the Kubota 3-point.


Box Scrapers are wonderful tools. I doubt you would need a float with a box scraper.

What Kubota do you have?

I have an L3540, and will eventually boot that out for a larger model or different brand. Just not up to my expectations.
Posted By: esshup Re: My New Tractor - 05/20/12 01:10 AM
B7500 (I think). When using the box blade without the float, it loads up the rear the more dirt it holds, making it dig down even deeper, loading more dirt, repeat, repeat. You get the picture. The FEL has a float setting. It's small, and it doesn't pick up near what I wished it did, but the price was right and I don't know what I'd do without one.

I recently did some research into implements for planting food plots, and a tiller looks like the best option. I didn't get the brands, but 60" wide tillers were from $1750 to $2650.
Posted By: Dave Davidson1 Re: My New Tractor - 05/20/12 01:15 AM
Scott, try Craigs List.
Posted By: spinnerbait Re: My New Tractor - 05/22/12 05:10 PM
Originally Posted By: Todd3138
Originally Posted By: spinnerbait
I had problems with my loader bucket at the top starting to bend, and split. I use this loader ALOT, for just about anything. I took a 1/4 thick piece of angle and welded it to the top and I have had no problems since. I have pushed over some good sized trees with it. Also welded on a hook in the middle to pick up things with a chain.


At the top??? Perhaps it's more common than I realize, but I don't believe I've ever heard of one splitting up there. I certainly have heard about them splitting on the leading edge on the bottom from heavy work, but never the top. Love the hook idea, by the way.


I split both top and bottom. Rewelded the top, bottom, and welded the angle on top to reinforce it.
I added the hook mainly to move my trailers when mowing. Just hook the hitch, lift and move, then move back when done. You can see by the battle scars on the bucket that it is used alot. Second pic is moving a pile of brush with pallet forks. 5-600 bucks on ebay for pallet forks which I use alot also.


Attached picture 2012-05-20_09-41-13_428.jpg
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Posted By: Todd3138 Re: My New Tractor - 05/22/12 11:36 PM
Nice! The whole warranty voiding bit is enough of a concern that I'll probably wait to add a hook, but I do really like that idea. Another friend did that with his bucket and seems to make a lot of sense and add a great deal of functionality for a variety of uses.
Posted By: fishinglth Re: My New Tractor - 05/23/12 02:09 AM
I have 3 hooks on my FEL and use it all the time for picking up just about anything with a chain. You can bend the middle of the FEL trying to pick something up too heavey. We welded about a 1 1/2 inch piece of round steel underneath the top portion of the bucket for support (directly underneath the hooks).
Posted By: Todd3138 Re: My New Tractor - 05/23/12 02:17 AM
Good idea.
Posted By: JKB Re: My New Tractor - 05/23/12 09:07 AM
Originally Posted By: Todd3138
Nice! The whole warranty voiding bit is enough of a concern that I'll probably wait to add a hook, but I do really like that idea. Another friend did that with his bucket and seems to make a lot of sense and add a great deal of functionality for a variety of uses.


Todd,
When I got the Kubota. Dealer said most people weld hooks on their bucket. Told me not to because it voids the "Entire Tractor Warranty". Also, if you hook chains up where they are not supposed to, the warranty is void. I had a 6K warranty repair. A bearing split in the rear end which busted a lot of stuff. They went over it like a forensic team looking for misuse, and found none. Whew!!! Fixed for free and it works better than new. I think the bearing was bad in the first place because it is much smoother running now. He showed all the busted parts and the bearing that split. Knowing a bit about failure analysis, it was easy to tell that the bearing was bad in the first place. That said, if they found any marks from like chains, etc... bad bearing or not, it would not be covered under warranty.

They also void the warranty if you use implements not authorized by Kubota. Kubota and Land Pride are the only ones I know of that wont void the Kubota warranty.
Posted By: Dave Davidson1 Re: My New Tractor - 05/23/12 09:25 AM
Having a problem with something that is totally unrelated to the failure negating the warranty really sucks.

I reinforced the top of my bucket with a piece of heavy channel iron and welded the hooks on. Or my Brother did. I'm a lousy welder. I use the bucket for a lot of things including lifting deer and hogs to be skinned and butchered. It also makes me feel better when I load it onto a trailer. I can chain it down so it makes it to wherever I'm going.

One thing that I've seen but don't have is a home made gizmo that locks into the FEL with a couple of flat pieces of channel extending outward. You can slide a wooden pallet onto the channels and have a stable platform to stand on. Currently, when I want to trim trees or fill deer feeders, I stand in the loader and get lifted up to do whatever. It's not really all that good of a perch but, so far, I haven't fallen out or off. I need to get a set of these made. Sooner or later, I'm going to fall out of that loader. I wish I had a picture of that thing.
Posted By: spinnerbait Re: My New Tractor - 05/23/12 10:00 AM


One thing that I've seen but don't have is a home made gizmo that locks into the FEL with a couple of flat pieces of channel extending outward. You can slide a wooden pallet onto the channels and have a stable platform to stand on. Currently, when I want to trim trees or fill deer feeders, I stand in the loader and get lifted up to do whatever. It's not really all that good of a perch but, so far, I haven't fallen out or off. I need to get a set of these made. Sooner or later, I'm going to fall out of that loader. I wish I had a picture of that thing. [/quote]

Anyone using the bucket for a platform, take a couple minutes and harness off! Just had a local guy who fell out of a bucket trimming trees and is no paralized from the fall. I would hate to read on here of someone doing this. It takes just a few minutes to be safe. Tree stand harness works fine.
Posted By: JKB Re: My New Tractor - 05/23/12 07:13 PM
Easier to use the forks with a platform on the bobcat. It has a gizmo button on it, so when you lift or lower a load, it keeps the forks level. It lifts about 10 feet. Nice unit, but after I fix a cylinder seal, it's going on Craigs List. Gonna pull permits and start building this fall.
Posted By: JKB Re: My New Tractor - 05/23/12 11:05 PM
Originally Posted By: Dave Davidson1
Having a problem with something that is totally unrelated to the failure negating the warranty really sucks.


A couple weeks after the delivery of my new tractor and all the attachments, Which my hand was very shaky signing the check. Moving some small pieces of concrete, small, meaning a couple hundred or more each, the tilt cylinders bent. Cost about 1200.00 for two new cylinders. I have the original's, and the rod bent on both. I had to pay for that. They don't cover cylinders in their warranty.

Who in the heck did Kubota build this expensive, fancy crap for! City folk?

Being booted out at the right time. Sure is cute tho!
Posted By: adirondack pond Re: My New Tractor - 05/24/12 01:03 PM
Todd congrats on your new tractor, try to stay out of trouble with it.
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