Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Help Pump Questions

Todd,

When you start getting serious about buying a tractor and implements, I'll be glad to spend some time with you. About a dozen years ago I converted over from playing with and restoring older American gasoline tractors to playing with small-to-medium sized Japanese diesels. Lots of very good ones out there.

Ken

Thanks, Ken. It's definitely intimidating when you realize how many tractor choices there really are. I've looked at a handful live and more than I can imagine online. Heck, there are so many you can't even just say Red, Blue, Green, or Orange without hitting at least 3 major brands with each color!

I bought a used tractor last May (New Holland TN65), about 8 months into owning our property. I can attest to the guy thing as i go around looking for things to use the tractor. I definitely recommend going with a 40-50 hp if you have 30 acres, and while recommending, i recommend 4wd. It is hard to describe all the reasons ---obviously it doesn't get stuck as easily, but the confidence you will have due to the increased surefooted-ness is amazing. Also if you get a front end loader, and i recommend that too, 4wd is almost a must, since the front end weight takes traction from the rear wheels. A FEL does the obvious, but it is a great mobile crane that transports heavy things as well. A tractor is another thing that, on the farm, is as handy as a pocket on a shirt.

The good thing is, is that there are very few bad brands these days. Except for a very few specific brands, and a few specific series within a few other major brands, even the worst tractors of the last 15-20 years have excellent reputations.

I'd enjoy a Saturday of going tire kicking on tractors.

Cat:

I know that the Kubota B7500 doesn't have a float setting for the rear 3-point. If there isn't an easy way (relatively speaking of course) to adapt the valve system to make a float setting, what's the next larger size Kubota that has a float setting on the 3-point? That's the biggest drawback that I can see to the B7500. It's hard to use a box scraper without the float setting.

Makes a lot of sense, JKB. I don't have any practical way of making a big tractor pay for itself that I can think of right offhand, but it won't stop me from eventually getting one!

With our hills, 4WD is mandatory. I've got a couple of hills that I could mow pretty effectively with a good bush hog and the willingness to back up the things for every pass. My neighbor does that on his 30 horse Kubota and, while it takes a little bit of time, he mows every bit of his property. It would be impossible without 4WD.

Plus, I'm not sure there's a good reason to own a tractor if you don't have a FEL!

I'll take you up on that offer, my friend!

Maybe someone else can chime in on this, but I'm not aware of any 3-point hitches with a "float" position. To have a true "float" position, the hitch would need to have downward pressure.

Some of the larger tractors do have a "draft" position, which is mostly used for plowing fields. This allows the implement to raise and lower based on the pull. For Kubota, I think you need to get up to at least the L4400 and the M-Series before that is even offered.

It does take a fair amount of practice to use a box scraper. I know of several people who have put hydraulic top links on their tractors. This allows you to manually tilt the box scraper, from the seat, as you are grading. To do so, you would need to add a "power beyond" option and controls to your hydraulic system. It is not difficult. Your Kubota dealer should be able to assist you with the parts.

The B7500 is a pretty good little tractor. If you don't need to go bigger, it will save you a lot of money, fuel, and the eventual service of a much bigger machine.

Todd -- Those are two features that will give you most of what you want. You are well on your way to having a good workable tractor for the Pondstead. Two other indispensable features are a "quick hitch" for the 3-point hitch, and a tooth bar for the front end loader. Both are relatively inexpensive, but are well worth whatever you pay for them.
Ken

Plenty to learn about and looking forward to all of it!

Thanks for the explanation. The FEL on the tractor has a float position, some downward pressure, but not much and it will move up and down depending on the upward pressure put on it by the terrain when dragging the bucket backwards. The 3 point controls seem like they move pretty quick and it's hard to fine tune on the fly once the box starts to dig in, and that's without the teeth on it.

The float on the FEL is just that. No hyd. force in either direction so the FEL can float. My Kubota and Bobcat both have that feature. The 3 point's, in most cases, are available with a quarter inching valve that accurately controls the 3 point hitch. I opted out of that because it was a pile of money, and I couldn't sleep the night before it was delivered. I thought they took too long putting on and loading the R4 tires, and it was the next day

Had this one been available at the time, I would have worked it out:


I still have to slow down while passing a tractor or equipment lot because I can't keep my eyes on the road.

This is what happened to mine.

Shame on me for not washing it off, but it cost 60.00 in Kubota Hyd. Fluid to even get it on the trailer. And that was only two gallons







The housing crack was due to an internal bearing that split in half. This bearing was in the center of the bull gear at the center of the rear end assembly. It split through the top crown on the gothic arch, internally, on the outer race. Which caused the outer race to separate and thus, the axle would wobble.

I saw all the parts, and that bearing was split for a long time, and I just bought this Brand NEW.

Fortunately, It was still under warranty, otherwise it would cost a small fortune to fix. They ended up replacing everything internally except the left axle, plus replacing the two housings on the right. WHEW!!!

It was really smooth driving after the fix

FEL, 4 WD, and farm tires are important.

Also make sure to have the dealer fill the rear tires with the antfreeze stuff. That will keep you from getting all wadded up under the thing if you flip it over. That's spooky stuff and you have to learn how not to do that.

Want to feel really dumb? Try using a FEL for the first time. Heck, try using it for the first year. Then, one day, you get the feel for it.

Todd, I see no way to cost justify a fully rigged tractor. I have owned an old Ford 8N for about 20 years. It did a lot of the things I wanted to do but I kept thinking I need a FEL. So about 5 or 6 years ago I bought a 39 HP John Deere with 4wd and Fel. I only use either of them about 10 times a year but have absolutely no regret. I don't have 300 hrs yet on the JD but it is indispensable to me for things like hauling a deer to the house, hoisting a deer to be gutted, letting my Wife lift me up to trim trees, planting wheat for wildlife, etc. I probably have about $30,000 invested in just the tractor and another couple of thousand in implements and a 16 ft trailer. No way it can be cost justified unless you factor in Chiropractic expenses and back pain.

BTW, don't ever try to cost justify owning rural property with a pond or 2. If I didn't own my very own deer lease and fishing holes, I could take a safari to Africa every year and hire a fishing guide every month.

Thanks for those thoughts, Dave. I agree completely with your list of necessities for a tractor. Our church actually bought a nice little Kubota BX2660 with a FEL and loaded tires. It's a 25 HP compact tractor that we use to mow a 4 acre property we own and I am the one who most frequently runs it. I've played around a little with the FEL, and you are right that it can be a very awkward experience!

You make a great point that the cost of a tractor is something I may well never be able to fully justify, but that's something I'll be willing to live with when the time comes for all the great reasons you stated. I think the convenience and efficiency factors that you talk about are the biggest reason to own one, much like owning your own land and ponds. Plus, I look at the chance to raise my kids to know what a tractor is and, as they get old enough, to know how to operate one. That's a pretty cool thing that seemingly fewer and fewer kids these days get to learn. Heck, I wish I had that opportunity when I was younger.

Anyway, thanks again for your input.

Yeah, these are time savers, and you have to get the feel of it to be productive. Not too worried about rolling it as it is quite sure footed, especially with the loaded tires.

Texas might need AG tires (only been there once) But, the R4's have a definite bite when needed, plus you can drive on a lawn without ripping it to shreds. (unless you are on the Bobcat, then there is no hope to preserve your lawn)

Expect, as Dave said, about 30K for something not too citiish. Plus implements, trailer, and something that would haul it. My trailer is a 14,000gvw PJ, I bought it two years old for 2800.00. Something to haul it might pull fewer bucks if it was used.

I am just waiting for the Stork to Bless Me with a Komatsu D21 or something that I could legally haul under a total of 26,000 GVW.

A little dozer would be really cool!

EVERYBODY needs ag tires.

If your lawn is too pristine for ag tires, baby it with a baby tractor. Don't keep a front end loader in diapers by denying it ag tires.

Funny, I got AG tires on my Cub Cadet lawn tractor. It's a bumpier ride, but gets good traction.

I blew it when I got the JD. I bought into the idea that turf tires wouldn't tear up as much stuff. However, when you load them with liquid, they make some pretty impressive ruts.

That's an interesting idea, JKB. I might have to try that with my Cub when it comes time to replace tires. Are the AG tires readily available on the market for the Cub?

They should be.

I got mine from an ebay tire store out of Salfordville, PA.(best price I could find and almost half the price from the local Cub dealer) USA made tires and 4 ply rating. Not like the 2 ply china models that come with Cub Cadet.

Like I said, it is a bit bumpier, but gets really good traction especially in sand and snow.

To quote a local welding supply salesman, "Now that's a Manly Man's Tractor".

I've got a set of AG tires for my JD 345 garden tractor as well. I bought a 2nd set of rims and swap tires when needed. I have a rear mounted hydraulic rototiller, mowing deck and front mounted snow thrower for it. Suitcase weights, and the cement rear wheel "insert" weights as well. The AG tires are on the JD for most of the year. They are a necessity when using the rototiller. I'll swap them out for the winter and run the turf tires and chains. I've had better traction in the snow and ice with the turf tires and chains vs. the AG tires and chains.

I picked up the rims on e-bay, and the tires from a local tire store that handles farm equipment tires.

Cool Esshup,

I have had the absolute opposite results with AG tires and snow, in general. Although chains are a necessity with a snow plow when things start to freeze.

I got chains for my fork truck (same size drive tires as my 2500). If the ground is frozen, that thing will really push some snow, but that is a different story for another day. Not a sight you see every day

JKB:

I hear ya on the forklift snowplow. We built a plow that had fork pockets. Instead of chains (company said wait for maintenance to come around and plow us out - after a day we had to take matters into our own hands) we used 5/16" lag screws as studs. The tires were durn near bald anyway. It worked, and we just backed them out after we were done.

The AG tires work fine in snow, it's the ice under the snow that was giving me problems. Once they spun without the chains, it was all over.