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Souledout; Just another thought on the serious side of your question. I too have had some medical problems in the past, a Cut is the best therapy ever invented, get the tractor. From a standpoint of justifying the investment, lets say you buy the new tractor for 17500 and on the same day buy a new car for 17500, wait five years trade them both in for new ones, Your CUT will probably be worth 60 - 80 percent of what you paid for it and the car maybe 15%. A personal example, we bought a new Venture van in 02 with more gozmos and worthless doodads than any body could possibly need. In December 03 we thought about trading it for an 04 model till we learned that the 02 with 38K on the odomoter was worth 12500 on a trade, it window stickered for 30 grand when we bought it. Wowzer what a wake up call. I don't like to drive rust buckets, but the 02 shurely is a long way from that. Enjoy your new "Investment", Frank.

Do I really need a tractor
Kubota Tractors
Replies 17 Post by hardwood

Brokenarrow, I really don't know anything about Fimco brand sprayers. But I have had lots of experience with Roundup, so I'll just share a few thoughts. Roundup is a nonselective herbicide, meaning it kills any plant it contacts other than roundup ready soybeans, corn, cotton, etc. I really don't know how low you can go on volume and still have roundup be effective, but using 60 lbs. of pressure in even the slightest breeze is going to let the product drift farther than you think and will kill things you did'nt want dead. To be safe you need lots of volume, a coarse spray pattern nozzle, and low pressure to prevent drift. Most farm supply stores have low drift high volume nozzels basicly intended for roundup, 2-4-D, and other such herbicides that can drift onto adjacent things, no matter how well equiped you are never spray when the wind can carry the product toward another plant you don't want damaged or killed. I'd have to dig out some spray nozzel charts, but I dont think a 15 gal. tank with the correct nozzels will get you very far. You may have a nice neighbor lady who brings over a fresh apple pie when you plow her drive, but if you smack her prize petunias with roundup things may change. Enjoy the day, Frank.

Roundup tank pull behind sprayer with boom
Operating and Attachments
Replies 12 Post by hardwood

When trailering I don't use the lock up pin. Just seems like it is easier on everything if you sit the bucket on the trailer 2 or 3 ft. behind the tractor. Frank.

BX23 Backhoe boom creeps
Kubota Tractors
Replies 9 Post by hardwood

TomG; sorry Tom, I meant to address my post to cunninip, just wasn't clear awake yet I guess so hope you're not upset with me. Frank.

Water filled tires for 7610
Kubota Tractors
Replies 6 Post by hardwood

CptDave; I've never saw a factory radio on a CUT, but I'm sure with enough research someone would have an aftermarkrt one. Frank.

music
Kioti Tractors
Replies 4 Post by hardwood

Beagle,I've never owned a post hole auger, but I've rented one a couple times. I don't remember what brand it was, but the PTO drive system was kind of "Cave Man" design. Perhaps the PTO drives for augers of today are better, but we were diging in a soil with baseball size gravel rocks, and some tree roots, after a couple dozen shear pins I decided there had to be a beter drive system. The neighbors around here kinda know me as the "Orbit Motor Freak". Orbit motors elimimate universial joints, chain drives, elrctric motors, breaker boxes, etc. etc.. When properly sized and correct pressures used an auger should simply stall when it strikes an obstruction, then it can be reversed with the SCV lever on the tractor without all the shear pin replacement. Intermittent use rarely causes a heat problen with the hyd. fluid, but continous use can, so before you use any orbit motor powered equipment be sure to check with the dealer where you got your tractor to be sure the hydraulic system is capable of what you want to acomplish. Just my thoughts, Frank.

Post Hole Auger
Operating and Attachments
Replies 13 Post by hardwood

StephenR; Don't know if you're familliar with "Crowfoot" wrenches, they're simply an open end wrench without a handle. They have a square hole that fits a 3/8 or 1/2 in common socket extension depending on the size of the wrench right near the base of the wrench. They are meant for close quarter hard to reach things like you mention. There biggest drawback is that you're not surrounding the fitting, or nut what ever your working on like a regular socket will with contact points, just two sides of it like any common open end wrench, so if the fitting is too tight and you pull too hard they will "Dub" over the corners on the fitting, then it's back to the head scratching stage again. Others may have better solutions, so see what they have to say too. Frank.

Engine Block Water Leak
New Holland Tractors
Replies 16 Post by hardwood

Dennis, I really like the new look, the open space makes it easier to read. Thanks, Frank.

Great New Look
Website Operations Howto
Replies 16 Post by hardwood

Climber, Now that you mention you expect to put a stream of water 30 to 40 ft. up in trees I'd better retract 99% of anything I said in my previous response. I just assumed you were going to spray lawn and garden type things and a hand boom with 10-15 ft. of reach. the 25-30 GPM pump with 400 lbs of pressure might do the job. This type equipment gets expensive real fast. To push a stream of water that high you not only need lots of pressure but lots and lots of volume. A small stream of water has almost all of it's volume consumed in surface aeria, so no matter how high the pressure the friction of the air it is passing thru kills the speed of the stream almost instantly. However a larger diamater stream say like 1/2 inch in diamater exiting a nozzle at high pressure has lots of inertia and much less of it's total volume as surface aeria so the weight of the water in the stream combined with the high velocity (i. e.)high pressure produce enough ineertia to penetrate the air to get it that far. Kinda like comparing the water coming out of your 3000 lb. pressure washer at low volume only really going 8-10 ft where as a fire hose with lower pressure but lots of volume will reach a long way. I hope I did'nt ramble too long, but perhaps a commercial tree service could do the job cheaper than the high dollar componets to put such a unit together. Hope this helps and perhaps others with more experince could shed some light on the subject too. Frank.

PTO-Driven water pump
Operating and Attachments
Replies 11 Post by hardwood

Cheesehead; Yes, 4wd. is important especially in snow. You could get buy using tire chains on a 2wd., but that's a mighty rough ride and if the snow and ice get bad enough you may even need chains on a 4wd. A 2wd tractor with a front end loader is almost helpless unless conditions are absolutely perfect and that just don't happen very often. You'll also want to consider tire design, R1's- look like a regular farm tractor tire, they have the best traction in soil, but on turf can leave tracks in the surface, R3's, like on a riding lawnmower, are by far the most gentle on turf and do have good traction on absolutely dry soil conditions or dry grass, but if it is wet, you're stuck, for anything to do with snow they would be a poor choice. R4's, like you see on skidloaders, backhoes etc. Probably 98% of all new compact tractors regardless of brand that I see in east central Iowa will have R4 tires, they seem to be a good compromise, you can do lawn work without leaving tracks yet they have good tracton in wet soil conditions. In snow without ice under it the R1's are probably better than R4's, but with ice under the snow it won't make much difference. There are other things to chose from too such as transmission type - hydro/ shuttle/ basic manual, there are tons of reasons why some folks prefer one over the other, but it basicly boils down to which type you are the most comfortable with. You'll have a ball shoping for your tractor, enjoy it, Frank.

What to look for
Operating and Attachments
Replies 7 Post by hardwood

I too grumble about the price per gallon we pay for LP in the little tanks and the fact that your shiny new tank dissapears forever at those tank swapping cages. Remember what you're handling, a high pressure, highly flammable substance. I used to handle lots of Anhydrous Ammonia, pumping it from tank to tank, etc. and have had some close calls. Anhydrous ammonia will not burn or explode, but it will kill you if you inhale enough of it by freezing your lungs, or blind you by getting a shot in your eyes, so even tho I growl about paying a zillion bucks a gallon for LP in the tiny tanks it just isn't worth the safety risk. Frank.

Filling propane from big tank
Home Improvement
Replies 12 Post by hardwood

Cheif, thanks for the info on the 1584 rake. I had some 1 in. rock delivered a few days ago, and the dealer has offered to let me demo one this coming week. It sounds like you're real happy with yours, so I'm sure I'll buy it. I have several other pieces of Land Pride equipment that have all been top quality. The dealer also now handles Frontier brand that offers a rake too. Is Frontier owned by Deere? I've noticed several pieces of Frontier on their lot, but haven't taken the time to look at them. Thanks, Frank.

price check for York rake
Garden and Landscape
Replies 15 Post by hardwood

Keith, I've had a #48 hoe on a 4300 for several years then switched it to a 4310. Installing the power beyond kit is a minor detail, the real work involved is the subframe that stays on the tractor when the hoe is off. It takes an experienced JD tech. the better part of the day for the subrame alone. I'm sure you could install it yourself, but it's not a "Piece of Cake" type job. Rear wheels come off, etc., etc., etc,. Keep smileing, Frank.

JOHN DEERE 48 BACKHOE PRICE QUOTE
John Deere Tractors
Replies 43 Post by hardwood

agentorange, I've got two sets of rear wheel weights on my 4310 with R4 tires. I allways keep the loader bucket low and the rotary mower down. I've had it slide sideways down a slope on wet grass, but I've quit doing that and now mow up and down the slope the sliding thing gets too scary. The seatbelt is there for a good reason, "Your Saftey", please use it. There is no such thing as deciding whether to jump, things just happen too quick. I've had enough close calls with road traffic that we just have a policy of not starting a tractor, roll bar, ROPS cab, either way without the seatbelt being fastened. I've attended the State sponsored saftery classes put on by the Iowa DOT for farm equipment saftey on public roads, if your state offers this class I would highly recommend attending. We live on a main route for work trafic into the city, (about 1500 units per day). It's amazing how few of the drivers respect a tractor pulling two wagons of grain with all saftey flashers working, SMV signs in full display, going 15 MPH. My total GVW is about 60 ton and theirs is between 2000 to 3000 lbs.

Tractor Stability on Hills
John Deere Tractors
Replies 37 Post by hardwood

Brokenarrow, I can't say anything bad about a King Kutter because I've never saw one, while Woods products I've owned and used in the past and my experience has allways been good. The heavy duty King Kutter might be just a bit too heavy and bulky for your tractor, it's amazing how much more awkward a 6 footer is to turn around in tight spots than a five fotter especially if your tractor gets light on the front end. There is nothing wrong with a shear bolt other than you have to stop and replace a cut one, if you know you'll not be doing much work in uncharted territory the shear bolt will serve you fine. My MX5 has a slip clutch, but they do need to be serviced, because over time the clutch plates will stick together and it won't slip. As for stump jumpers the older machines just had the blade attached to the gearbox shaft like a lawnmower,where now most all have a saucer shaped disc 18 to 24 in in diamater fastened to the shaft with the blades attached to the edge of it to protect your gearbos shaft from stumps, rocks, etc. Lots of surprise objects you never dreamed were there can come rocketing out from under a rotary cutter so also check out the shielding attachments offered for the machine. The MX5 uses a curtain of chains to slow things down a bit as they come out from under the machine. I've saw rubber flaps or chains on different brands, I don't really know which is best, but saftey is important too, so be sure to check that out. Hope this helps, Frank.

anouther rotary cutter question
Mowers Field and Finish
Replies 25 Post by hardwood

Billy, you're right nobody seemed agree on where the top hook on the Cat 1 quick coupler should be. I ended up getting a Land Pride quick coupler which features an adjustable top hook that can easily be moved up or down by pulling a couple pins to match the top pin on the hitch of the impliment you want to hook up. So far I haven't found anything it won't match.

iMatch Compatibility Conversion
John Deere Tractors
Replies 5 Post by hardwood

I think I'd tried every type of EZ out known to man along with every cuss word in the dictonary till a seasoned mechanic friend of mine told me to get a set of left hand drill bits. Usually by the time you've worked your way up to the biggest bit that won't destroy the threads in the casting the hollow shell of the bolt threads conmes out with the drill bit. Hope this helps.

VW Lug Bolt Broken
Just For Fun Off Topic
Replies 18 Post by hardwood

burtlam; Wet brakes mean that the wheel brakes for your tractor are inside the transmission case usually on the differental pinnion shaft so that they are cooled by the transmission fluid, dry brakes on the otherhand are outside the transmission case and no lubricant is in the brake, similar to the disc or drum brakes on your car, also the cooling of the dry brake is usually by radiation of the heat to the air surrounding it. Wet brakes have a much longer life than dry brakes and usually no adjustments are needed till they wear out. Allways use the transmission fluid recommended by the maker of your tractor, as poor brake performance, or chattering of the brakes can result if the wrong type of fluid is used. Hope this helps.

wet brakes
Kioti Tractors
Replies 4 Post by hardwood

CraigC, I've had a Land Pride hydraulic angle and tilt blade for years, but I'm not sure if they make one that will fit a Cat. 1 3pt. It does do a great job and seems to be well built. It seems like I paid around 2,500.00 for it new, but that's been several years ago. It requires two two way outlets on the tractor to operate the angling cylinders. Hope this helps, Frank.

pull type grader blade
John Deere Tractors
Replies 9 Post by hardwood

Now that I've semi retired from 30 some yrs. in furniture mfg. the torch has passed to the next generation with my son now taking over the business, so I'm setting up a metal working shop as a retirement hobby. After those yrs. in the furniture plant I learned that the best machines you can by are by far the most economical to own. With regular matinence they just never seem to wear out and seldom depreciate much from the original cost. Over the past couple years I've bought some machines for the metal shop as the budget has allowed, a Hypertherm 1000 plasma cutter, Lincoln 250 Mig welder, Jet electric hoist, and just last week a Jet Model BP 1248F box and pan brake. I was astonished at the massive structure of this machine, I think an Abrams tank could run over it and barely scratch the paint. We've allways been happy with Jet brand machines in the wood shop, we've got wide belt sanders, knife planers etc. from Jet that have ran flawlessley for years, so I want to stick with Jet in the metal shop. Now to my Question, has anyone had any experience with a model HS- 1652 hydraulic shear from jet. That's my next goal when the budget allows, so any comments positive or negative would be greatly apreciated. Thanks, Frank.

Plasma Cutters
Parts and Repair
Replies 19 Post by hardwood