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Thanks Tom for the kind words, it was surprising it came out the way it did because I am beat from working my two jobs. Still, I chuckle at "GO LUCK," I was too pooped to notice the missing "OD!" Terrie, go slow with this, wear eye protection, and you'll do OK. Tom has given good advice about the manual, unfortunately, the one CC sells is just about worthless if you have no automotive experience behind you. I try to get back here to help when I can but sometimes my schedule is just too hectic.

Cub Cadet fuel injection
Parts and Repair
Replies 9 Post by Ted@Abbeywoods, LLC

It is an excellent buy on an excellent tractor. Good luck and if any problems arise chances are you'll find the solutions here.

Cadet 7265 Price
Cub Cadet
Replies 17 Post by Ted@Abbeywoods, LLC

A good question! My Kubota L35's backhoe is made for Kubota of America by Bradco. So I am told. I also have been told that the hoe on the L48 is also a Bradco design. Maybe I'm not getting the full story here, but when I brought my L35 to the dealer for service there was an HST Kubota with a bradco hoe, I parked next to it and I was hard pressed to find a difference! That is not to say that ALL Kubota hoes are alike, I've seen plenty of Woods sold in Kubota colors, so there are probably a few sources to select from. Woods makes a fair product, they have improved it with the introduction of their "Groundbreaker" series, but they are not up to Bradco standards. A word of caution, a Bradco may be too powerful for most small compacts. If they don't make a sub-frame kit for your tractor then you best look to Woods or the recommended Kubota/NH product.

9 foot Bradco Woods or Kubota
Loaders Back Hoes
Replies 5 Post by Ted@Abbeywoods, LLC

Dear Shawn,
Your engine is a Mitsubishi K3M-D15R 30hp 3 cylinder liquid cooled diesel, it is the successor to the earlier 27hp K3M-D14R. I don't know what you are seeing or when so it is hard to say what is going on, is it at startup, is it while under load? Tell us some more, please.

I have never seen a K series blow blue while at normal operating temp even under full load. I've seen plenty of black due to poor fuel, bad injectors, the wrong injection timing, etc. But blue? I've only seen that when they start up when really, really, really cold, or started when cold without using the glow plugs, or started when cold after only a token preheat. But this clears up after normal operating temp has been reached.

The condition you describe is not normal by any means if it occurs when operating at proper temp. It could be as simple as poor fuel, especially if your neighbor has the same problem. I suspect you have a trip to the dealer coming up. Good luck.

7305 Cub Smoking
Parts and Repair
Replies 5 Post by Ted@Abbeywoods, LLC

I don't have a clue as to how heavily the four acres are treed, but to clear land of dense trees and their stumps in any meaningful amount of time I tell the customer to hire a land clearing company. In the long run an excavator, whole tree chipper, shear, and forwarder would run you about $10,000 here in Connecticut. When they were done you wouldn't know there were ever trees there, and the land would be rough graded. You also would have the option of keeping the chips for mulch and the wood (yeah, in Florida?). I suspect Florida is about the same price.

I estimated one job up here, on a two acre lot with many large trees, at $2500.00 and lost big money. Things went bad when I needed a climber, had too many "leaners," the rented chipper wasn't big enough, my Case 580 tlb took too long to dig out the stumps, needed clean fill for the holes, had to haul away the cut wood and find a place for it, well, you get the picture.

Like most things in life, get multiple estimates and ask for references.

Cost to Clear 4 acres
Tractor Projects
Replies 4 Post by Ted@Abbeywoods, LLC

Jeff, the answers are: Panametrics for ultrasound, Wilson - Rockwell and Barber-Coleman for conventional hardness, and zyglow and/or magnaflux for conventional crack detection. We also employ some other very advanced proprietary methods of our own which I can't talk about.

As for Mark, well, you better enter this fray cautiously because besides being a "trained" engineer, I'm also an ex-SAC Trained Killer! Being such I know exactly who John Browning was, a really "garand" guy (sorry I couldn't resist) Actually, there is no need to worry about what I would have to say because you have done a pretty good job of figuring it out all by your ownself! I wouldn't argue anyway because I think there is room enough aplenty for guess work and opinions, and not having all of the exact stuff to work with all anyone could do is take a guess.

Mark came up with some good engineering lingo, which happens to be correct (I think) and it is based on force vectoring and Newton's laws. No, not the guy who invented the cookies, but Sir Isaac. Even though he wasn't a cop or a lawyer or even a politician, he came up with some pretty good laws - I'm forced to observe them everyday. So just for laughs: this failure involes force vectoring based on the quantities of force, velocity, acceleration, moment, displacement, specific direction and magnitude. In this failure, priority is to be given to direction, point of application, venues of transmission, and magnitutde.

Here is an example of what I shovel every day: the falling object imparting variable and constantly increasing acceleration of its mass as transmitted at the specific point(s) of application becomes irrelevent, however, as its force is carried through the struck body it will accelerate that body's mass along multiple centers of rotation, with the body supported in an artificial center of gravity condition. The body will torque until either 1) the force overcomes the strength of material(s) at which time you will hear a cracking noise and an expletive deleted or 2) continues to be transmitted through the body intact into a greater mass where it becomes null and you will hear, "Whoa baby! Did I get lucky or what?" I even think Newton used those terms himself.

you get what you pay for
Kubota Tractors
Replies 51 Post by Ted@Abbeywoods, LLC

Don't use it, it will absorb dust and dirt and build-up cake in a hurry. A good coat of quality wax when new or freshly painted will help, but only if you intend on cleaning and waxing after each use. Other wise, just run it all season and then during the off-season you should flip it over and see what's going on. Make your service according to what you see and to what the manufacturer suggests.

Undercoating on mower decks
Mowers Field and Finish
Replies 22 Post by Ted@Abbeywoods, LLC

Dear Brian, based on my experience with Cub Cadet products I will say, at first glance, a great deal! Now I'll play "devil's advocate," and ask some tough questions. Most important, why is this much equipment for sale? Next, who is selling it, private or dealer? Do you know that its factory warranty is not transferable (it isn't)? Is the seller offering a warranty, and for how many hours/days? Do you know that MTD, the parent corporation has started moving away from the Mitsubishi designed and built 7000 series tractors (the 7305 is one) in favor of what I see is a much poorer American made machine? This may have an impact on MTD's desire to support the Japanese imports, then it may not, but it is worth thinking about. If you really like what you see, have an experienced compact tractor mechanic look it over. Make friends with a Cub Dealer.

A little correction to the ad, the 7305, like the 7275 before it, has a three speed gear box: high, mid, and low ranges. Not two as stated. Yes it may have two PTO's, mid and rear, and the mid was an option on that model. The tractor itself is an absolute gem, beautiful design and very reliable. The early Model 417 loader was much stronger than the 476 and was sold with a heavier gage bucket, it was also easier to take on and off. I don't like the 476. If the backhoe is the new 408 then it is a much better unit than the early 407. It is a very easy tractor to perform routine maintenance on, dreadful to do major surgery on because of the factory tools required.

To me, if all is in order, there ain't a heck of a lot of difference in the Cub's ability to do work and the JD's. Do you like yellow and white, or green? They are both swiss army knifes of the small tractor world. Good luck. Need to know more? I visit here often, just ask and we all will try to help.

Cub Cadet 7305
Cub Cadet
Replies 2 Post by Ted@Abbeywoods, LLC

I think Billy is on track here, plant the rye and take some time to think things out. I plant rye for all of my undecided customers, it grows fast, has a dense root structure, and makes a great green manure when you get to work on the final design. You would do well to include a retaining wall as Bvan mentioned, but it doesn't have to be this year? After investing in this building, wouldn't it be nice to use stone?

Is the slope on the long edge of the roof, opposite the gable? If so, and no form of leader and gutters are used, think about putting in a six inch deep curtain of 3/4 inch gravel around the foundation. This will help reduce soil splatter on your siding and hold water long enough to disperse it without a quick run-off that forms erosion.

ground cover to halt erosion
Garden and Landscape
Replies 9 Post by Ted@Abbeywoods, LLC

Dear Bernie, both Tom and Billy are 100% correct: there is nothing wrong with what you describe. Your steering wheel assembly has what is commonly called a "steering hand" pump that determines direction of flow to the double acting steering cylinder attached to your steering linkage.

A brief note of humor; a friend decided to service his hand pump, made some errors like not assembling the spool properly, and when he started the engine the steering wheel just kept spinning. These pumps can act just like a hydraulic motor if they are not serviced properly. He eventually decided to let the dealer fix it, a good idea after it almost broke his wrist!

Incidentally, I find the "necker's knob" very helpful, especially doing loader work.

Is this a problem or a quot feature quot
John Deere Tractors
Replies 8 Post by Ted@Abbeywoods, LLC

Dear Stan, I'll probably get a black eye from other Cub Cadet owners for telling you this but I truly think Cub Cadet is going to distance itself from the Mitsubishi built series 7000 machines. Recently, as early as June of this year, the new "American" made series 7000 machines started to show up at the area dealers. These machines are a far cry from the Mitsubishi units, and my dealer, who is very angry with Cub Cadet/MTD, tells me an "inside source" at MTD told him MTD was going to drop Mitsubishi because of the low profit margin, and concentrate on an all new approach; gas engines and only one diesel, but in smaller machines to start, then move up to larger units - made in the U.S.A., but with Japanese engines. Maybe this is not true, maybe it is, do you want to take the chance? My dealer has a whole bunch of the new American 7000's and isn't accepting any more of the Mitsubishi units. He only wants to sell the units he has and won't accept any new Mitsubishi units.

Another sign of trouble at MTD is their parts and technical service, it is going from bad to worse. I have had nothing but bad service for the last year and a half, and it isn't the dealer's fault either. He has excellent parts support for all of his products except for two: Snapper and Cub Cadet.

I still have a 7275, which I love, with the old 417 (Woods) loader, and the old 407 (also Woods) backhoe. It has been a wonderful machine and I have been offered (recently) $18,000, I turned it down. I think that much of the machine. I also have a Kubota L35 TLB, I won't compare the two machines, that wouldn't be fair, but I will say this; Kubota may have high prices for parts when compared to other makes, but not that much higher, and parts usually come within five days! When I need to know something about the L35, immediate help is forthcoming. When I need information from MTD, I get a song and dance.

Think real hard, check real close. Search this site for other Cub Cadet posts. You may very well be able to get a new 7305 with loader for only two grand more than the used machine. Good luck.

Price check on Cub 7305
Cub Cadet
Replies 3 Post by Ted@Abbeywoods, LLC

So Al (in Nova Scotia), you've neglected to tell us if you had another tractor already. If I had 86 acres of land and a driveway anywhere near as long as yours I wouldn't be considering such small machines unless I already owned a larger one. If you visit Big Truck and Heavy Equipment Trader online you can find many, many, resonably priced low hour machines - big and little! My friend and landscaping competitor has 23 acres, he wouldn't be without his two machines: JD310 turbo TLB with heated EROPS and Kubota L35 with a soft cab and heat. He never runs out of work for either, both were bought used through contacts he made at "Trader." The '94 JD cost $21K, the '96 Bota cost $19K, both had low hours and run super fine. For the amount spent he never has to worry about being under-sized in the tractor department. Think about it, 86 acres can pose some interesting challenges even for a full size excavator. Oh well, just a suggestion.

JD 4100 v BX series
Operating and Attachments
Replies 38 Post by Ted@Abbeywoods, LLC

Dear Tom, not knowing the physical condition of the persons who'll be using the walk I'll go out on a limb and give you the method I use frequently. Your congregation may have some handicapped members, some may be wheelchair bound, some may have walking disability, be that as it may, most pros here in CT have to make paths and sidewalks accessible to all (private property in some communities is an exception, I'm not sure how temple or churches fit into that as they serve the public but are "private" property).

Your small tractor should do just fine, it will take you a bit longer, but it should be up to the job. Layout your walk, excavate down (if your soil is firm enough you won't need forms) to the frost code depth for your area that pertains to walks for pedestrian traffic. Fill with half inch washed gravel and level to a height three inches from your finish grade height. Using a vibratory plate compactor work the gravel to at least four inches below the final height. Add three more inches of half inch gravel and compact again to within two inches of finished grade. That was the easy part.

Now you need to decide on the final surface. The gravel you just put down is essential for proper drainage, don't cover it with plastic, if you want to use anything use a porous landscaping fabric. For just plain foot traffic I'd use granite "crusher run," sometimes known as stone dust. It must be granite to prevent tracking it indoors, compact it until it is hard, then water it in. After the water has drained away, add material until the surface is level, and compact again. This surface should hold up in all but the most severe rains and will not be severely damaged by frost. It also should be smooth enough and firm enough for handicapped traffic, you won't catch a toe or bog down a wheelchair (ladies with spike heels beware). I have used this method in the borders of my Japanese "karesansui" dry zen garden designs, only I use granite to edge for retention (and looks) and also to define the width of the walk.

Depending on the creek, you could bridge it or use plastic construction pipe. I'm not sure of the flow rate, depth, or widths involved - you probably aren't either. You should have a landscape architect check it out and spec. the construction method.

An alternate that is a bit more difficult to use is "cold patch" asphalt. It can be bought by the truck load or in bags. You need to wet it down while you are compacting it, but it also will provide a tough durable smooth surface if you work at it.

Finally, your building codes may dictate concrete, and the entire process may be subject to inspection. Maybe a member of the congregation knows the local codes and can help guide the project legally. Take your time, this is something you'll take great pride in when finished (oh by the way, if I were to do it, it would cost $50 to $75 a yard not counting the creek). Good luck!

Path Walkway Construction
Tractor Projects
Replies 13 Post by Ted@Abbeywoods, LLC

Both of my compacts have skid steer attachment adapters on the FEL. Both are plumbed at the front. I run a rental hydraulic tiller over the ground first, then hook up to a rented power landscape rake. The tiller helps fluff up the soil and pop up the rocks, the powered landscape rake levels, and sifts through the soil. It has a built-in dump compartment which holds only the hard debris and opens when ready to be dumped. It works kind of like an old Harley Rake but better because the debris just doesn't shoot out the back.

The downside is that these attachments use more GPM flow than most compacts have as standard equipment. I run a rear pto driven pump with aux tank because neither of my tractors has the required flow from their main charge.

One other method which has worked well on small jobs is after breaking the ground, I windrow the debris using a York rake. Then I use a mucking fork to pitch the rocks into the FEL bucket. The dirt falls away through the tines and only the rocks are left on the fork.

Rock picker
Operating and Attachments
Replies 19 Post by Ted@Abbeywoods, LLC

I'm sorry I don't have a quick remedy for this problem, instead I'll offer an observation based on over forty years experience. All of the small tractors (non-commercial grade) used by the landscapers I know and work with have this problem to some extent. I use my two machines professionally and both have some loader cylinder leak-down (bucket and lift), the question is when to do something about it. Neither I, nor my associates, get worked up over the matter until the machine can no longer hold its load during normal operation (80% throttle at normal operating temp). I have found that it can be a costly wild goose chase to try and have perfection, and only when it becomes a clear cut safety issue do I pull a machine off the job. When I do, it goes to the dealer or a specialist. I do this because armchair hydraulic troubleshooting can be fatal even for one with good mechanical skills. So be forewarned, peace of mind can get expensive if there is no clear cut reason for the problem. And for God's sake, if you don't know the territory, find someone who does. Good luck.

Loader Leakdown
John Deere Tractors
Replies 26 Post by Ted@Abbeywoods, LLC

Dear Augie, NO! This absolutely does not sound right for Kubota. I can't imagine why there is even a hint of a problem. Your owner's manual should have the phone number direct to Kubota for service / quality related problems, use it if you get no satisfaction from the dealer.

Kubota service
Kubota Tractors
Replies 10 Post by Ted@Abbeywoods, LLC

Besides being a full-time aerospace tool engineer, besides owning / operating a part-time landscaping business, I still participate in the shooting sports, and have held NRA instructor ratings for about twenty years. This post was a surprise to me, coming on a tractor site, but it was a welcome break from the usual fare. Rugers are made not too far from where I live and I toured the factory and met Bill Ruger. They are good folks there at Ruger, and have weathered the politically correct, self-perpetuating idiots who have laid most of the firearms industry low. I've owned several Rugers, but have since moved on to other makes, Colt and Beretta being favorites. Despite all of the long barreled Colts I've fired, few have matched the Contenders for silhouette or varmint work. I think I'll try to scare-up a .357 Maximum and give it a run, it sounds like an "X" ring wonder. Thanks guys for the tip.

Ruger 357 Maximum
Website Operations Howto
Replies 75 Post by Ted@Abbeywoods, LLC

Mark, from the two that I've seen, one an early model and the other a Trencherman II, you aren't getting very much. The early model lacked power, the newer has a habit of pulling itself into the excavation. My friend had to hitch it back onto his 8yd dump and set the parking brake to cure the problem. Also, they can't reach over the rail of a pickup truck, let alone a dump truck, so he had to shovel the spoil into his truck by hand. They are limited, both were sold within a year.

Trencherman II Back Hoe any experience out there
Loaders Back Hoes
Replies 7 Post by Ted@Abbeywoods, LLC

No, Mark. My Dad's family, the three brothers who started the landscaping business, were from Erie, PA. My Mom's Dad, the dairy farmer, had his farm in Brookfield, CT.

I meant what I wrote because family, especially the elders, are very important to me. Seeing your family history, albeit a brief one, transported me back to a better time. I grew up around tractors, and mowers, and cows, and horses, well, you get the picture. So I enjoyed the BC story about your family because it reminded me of my past. Were it not for such strong family when growing up, I probably would have had it tough, I suspect that your family values are the same as mine. Cherish every one, and everyone.

My appologies to those who were looking here for more on the original post.

Ted

front loader power
Kubota Tractors
Replies 8 Post by Ted@Abbeywoods, LLC

Hey Dave, I was so busy I forgot to tell you why my clutch failed early! All of the bolts holding the clutch cover came loose, twice. The first time the dealer said it was because it got past the QA guys and weren't torqued at the factory. The second time I had them change the bolts to American made grade 5. That held it off for about another 200 hours or so until I killed it again through heavy use: carrying rocks for a large job. These things have a mind of their own, I guess.

Price Check on 7275
Cub Cadet
Replies 11 Post by Ted@ABBEYWOODS, LLC