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Mark The problem with belts is heavy grass, lots of horse power, to much ground speed. Mark I do not like the price of factory # belts. I used my 72" finish mower on my 19hp Ford for 6 years, with the original belt. It lasted 15 minutes on my 35hp new tractor. Had to by a $60.00 landpride belt and had it matched for a new belt for $20.00 (they are the same!). Take your belt off and check each spindle and idler for stiffness or excessive looseness or bearing rattling. Good luck!

Broken Belt
Mowers Field and Finish
Replies 6 Post by harvey

Morning Tom, Outta town for a couple of days. Comming up on a dairy farm we used whatever to clear a path for the milk and feed trucks. I've been off the farm for many years. When we bought this dump (because I DUMP lots of money in it) I borrowed my uncles small 1900 Ford. Hired lots of backhoe and dozer work done. Borrowed big dozer during off season to dig pond. Anyway after using 1900 felt the best way was a small compact Ford15004wd used was added. Bought a slip scraper to use forward or backwards. I have moved "ALOT" of dirt with that. I was down in Virginia and found a used JD 4' box blade missing a couple of scarfers. Bought for a $100. I used that 2-3 years to move snow here in Central NY. I pushed backwards most of the time and pulled fwd on light snow when I could. I've used the 3ph 4' snow blowers (saw a light weight used one in a backyard rusting and stopped bought it) on the heavier snow. I've played with my Ford for 13+ years here. Traded on a 4400 with 430 and 60'bucket. I also use a 72' landpride scraper blade (bought when I could afford it and I needed the angle capibility) to move snow. My primary weapon is the scraper blade with the cutting edge turned backwards so I do not cut the drive. It skims it. I guess my point is: Any way you can move snow or dirt or stones with out manual labor SWEATING is the best way. If time is a constraint then you'll have to spend some money. I was looking at a used town truck "V blade and a wing for $2000 take me 5minutes to do the drive. Now on the really heavy snows we got last year, first year with my 4400 I found I used the loader lots. Traded little dinky snowblower with the ford. But I still enjoy playing in the snow. You were having problems with ice. I hate rain and frozen ground. I try to leave my drive covered with snow if we are expecting rain. The snow protects the drive and no ice when removed. I watched road crews in Akaska deal with ice they use a BIG grader with a serated cutting edge. I've not been able to scratch ice except with my tire chains holding one brake and let the other one chew and release brake a little to move. I think this year I'm gonna bring home some 1A stone to sprinkle on ice if I get any.

loader snow removal
Snowblowers / Snow Plows
Replies 25 Post by harvey

Warren; Me thinks youmay be operating mid to low rpm's and you are using the regular side of the dump. The dump circuit also has a hi-speed dump (regenerative is the term most use) You push the lever AAAAALL the way to the right. Usually at mid and lower rpm's there is some hesitation in between the two if you start on the slow side just dribbling etc then move to hi side to finish dump.

430 loader
Loaders Back Hoes
Replies 7 Post by harvey

Tom yup 327 in a Falcon...But it took cubic dollars to beat cubic inches. You are right with the overall systems. I kinda look at it like women: I can read all day and look up the big words and understand how the system functions, but until I played with the total system in the back seat I never knew how lacking my knowledge was. So me guesses reading is one thing but impericial data/research is a wonderful thing.

How to turn up fuel on a 231 MF
Massey Ferguson Tractors
Replies 15 Post by harvey

Nels Just off the top... try new plugs. I'm ASSUMING it has 2 cylinders at least switch the plugs side to side.

DEAD CYL ON 1860G
Mowers Field and Finish
Replies 2 Post by harvey

Frank, "Me thinks" 1 tractor transportable, and 1 attachment for working earth = 20-25 hp 4WD & 48" pto driven tiller. I would also get a 48" rotary brush type mower. The front loader is very useful. ROPS if you are not working in weird side hills, ditches or other sinful places and you have found a tractor set up and price you like and the only draw back is the height of the rops I'd take the thing off and store it. OR if you want to use it,cut it down a few inches till it fits and reweld it. This will offend most safety nuts, but me thinks good common sense, gut feel and sphincter tightness is the best indicator of when to quit doing or not doing something dumb. Not sure what I'm talking about go find a "HIGH" bridge and climb up on the top rail and stand there.

tractor and implement size
Operating and Attachments
Replies 11 Post by harvey

David Hillbilly has already been there, done that. Chech the archives or e-mail him. His is not a winch all day long setup. but he does pull logs off the steep parts of his woods...

Electric winch and light hookup
Kubota Tractors
Replies 20 Post by harvey

Bo-man Yup with a "YARD" you'll get some scalping and some trenching (where the side of the mower drops in a low spot) with the big decks. A 3 section 48" batwing would be the cats-meow. BUT very pricey. Very few people can tell those little dings as they drive by anyway. I was on my JD112 with a 48" deck over 6 hours a mowing still had to trim. My JD4400 with 72" I am 1.5 hours plus a couple of hours to trim it all. I only trim sections every other week or 2. You could get 4 21" mowers hooked as a gang set, up start them all and have at it. Get the big deck and with your bucket flatten out the humps and fill in the valleys as you feel like it.

Compact Mowers Compact Tractors
Mowers Field and Finish
Replies 7 Post by harvey

Morning Jeff That the trouble with something new. It gotta get its first ding or dent in it somehow. I'd try laying the curled up part on the anvil and wail the back of it with a BFH (big fine hammer). I just replaced my 7 year old set on my 72" 3PH Landpride. Lots of rock, sticks and who knows what else been thru them. One was bent from the middle 3/8 of an inch. I could not tell the difference in the cut. I also do not sharpen them much, just enought to take out the nicks and dings. I never put much of an edge on them. I have waaaaay to much mowing to do each weekend so I am not very picky. I never get all those dandy-lions they just seem to pop right back up. My standard is green and flat. By what evermeans. Harvey

Field mower help
Mowers Field and Finish
Replies 12 Post by harvey

Morning Mike, The brand should not make any difference. Name brand companies try to make sure you will have the best product. Problem with long storages is an fungus/algie (ain't looking it up either) that grows in fuel oil, most companies are very agressive in their testing and treating this. Nothing spreads faster than truck drivers whinning about bad fuel. It plugs your filters. Doesn't hurt engines except starves them for fuel. Your truck stop is the best place for quality fresh fuel, major brands will also be good. Most buy directly from a refinery or major distributor. I see no problem running winter grade fuel in the summer "UNLESS" You are working you tractor at "FULL POWER" for extended time ie: heavy brush hogging, plowing, chopping, or on a blower. Just piddling around the home and mowing the lawn weekly gives me no concern. BTW I use regular ole heating oil, which is (where I'm located) red dyed off road fuel. My thought is if it works good in our company $300,000+ Caterpillars it is good enough for my little dinky JD. As a side thought I've never seen any one here mention changing their fuel filters. In my and several top diesal mechanics opnions (from our shop) the fuel filters are equally or more important than your oil filters. It is your best insurance for full power when you need it and less hassle. Ask any heavy truck driver about stranded trucks. 9 outa 10 times its the fuel filter. Home owners and farmers don't have quite so far to walk to get it fixed.

Does brand of diesel fuel make a difference
Parts and Repair
Replies 4 Post by harvey

Morning Hillbilly in addition to Murf "GENERALLY" with a rotary, finish, mower you should mow more often. The fail will work better in deeper grass and mow faster. Bottom line is what are you trying achieve? Mow less often? Mow quicker? Do a really good job. I have used both types and now use a LP FD2572 for the main areas. I mow once a week set for 3" high. The lawn has slipped a couple of weeks when my work is really intense 80+ hour weeks and I have to slow down some to do a decent job. But the finish mower will do it. I also use it to cut tall stuff 2-3 times a years to keep the brush out. The 3ph does not tie up tractor so I can still use it off the lawn for stuff like you use yours.

flail mower versus rotary mower
Mowers Field and Finish
Replies 4 Post by harvey

Rick Where you buy will have a large impact. Branded fuels are all done a little differently, but to the same specs. They just get there differently. Some make sure the have winter additives so people do not have problems during adverse weather and change back in spring. Other buy from the market and it may be from several sources. I have heard that some have tried perfuming it so as not to be offensive to the delicate noses of the uptown diesel car crowd. They even provide them little plastic gloves. Ain't that sweet?

diesel smell
Parts and Repair
Replies 5 Post by harvey

Morning John Here goes with my observations, the safety nuts will go crazy, I do not run the belt guards on the decks. It makes my time more efficient when cleaning, inspecting and greasing. I use a Landpride FD2572 if I hit a tree limb that has fallen and the mower does not shread it. I have noticed the belt spring surge. So me thinks that the spring allows some slippage and surge/stretch where as the bolt my not. My belts probably have survived much abuse because of the spring. Just my thoughts.

BELT TENSION ON MOWER BELTS
Mowers Field and Finish
Replies 3 Post by harvey

Bruce. Yup chains will help with your traction and help prevent your tires from getting cut up. However how small or big are your implements? As I recall a middle buster is pretty much a standard size and it might be just a triffle big for a 21 and you may have to back down your expectations a little. Smaller bites more time. A 4' box with 3-4 shanks/scarfers (whatever) down at full lenght might be a bit much try 1-2 and make more passes.

Tire chains
Tractor Projects
Replies 5 Post by harvey

What an interseting topic. I'm surprised Murf has not logged in. There is a difference in machinery. More power, faster cutting, requires more money per hour/job. I learned the hard way, BY THE HOUR ONLY. Too often I heard what about that and what about this, oh yea would you mind... But no where have I heard anyone mention the condition of the work to be done. Is it mowed once a year? 2-3 times? I can knock down a acre of maintained pasture a lot quicker than a neglected field once a year in July. But this topic could be about a bunch of sailors, just in port, squabbling about the price of hookers. Fair market value, condition of equipment, etc... :-). Just my $.02 worth.

WHat to charge for bush hogging
Mowers Field and Finish
Replies 38 Post by harvey

Eddie Con-grats on the new toy. Depending how you are using the tractor should dictate how you lube or do not lub things. If you are doing a lot of dusty work all that lube will help the abrasive dirt stick to and wear your parts. It will be a mess at your connectors also. That Said: I use mobil synethic grease on every thing that has a zerk it clings like... Be aware synthetics are not always compatable with some seals. I use an open gear/cable graphite base high pressue lube on the 3ph parts and wash what I can of it off, (get it on your hands and you'll know what I mean) in the spring when doing dusty stuff and put back on during mowing season. :-) I don't always wash tractor after using. Always wash when I mow to clean mower.

Lubrication 3ph and others
Parts and Repair
Replies 4 Post by harvey

Morning DPM You can go either way. I'm also from UP state NY. I used ag tires for over 13 years on all terrain. Lots of finish mowing. My new tractor I opted for turfs. I am impressed with them on every thing but soft soil. The ags work better in field and woods conditions. Turfs are fine on snow and ice. Ags on driveways and packed snow/ice do not work as well as turfs. Turfs do not work as well as ags in deeper field snow. I do use a set of chains on all 4 in muddy or snow conditions. I had to use chains on the ags on ice and snow and in the woods also. So unless I am doing lots of field or woods work, I would opt for turfs again.

Bar Turf tires vs Turf vs Ind for a B7500
Kubota Tractors
Replies 4 Post by harvey

Gregg there are lots of antique tractor sites out there. E-mail me and I'll send you my links.

Main Bearings
Parts and Repair
Replies 4 Post by harvey

Peter what a groan I made when I saw the distributor cap thing. Pete if some one wants it, it is gone. All the keys are the same from factory so you could put on a different switch. Construction stuff is the same. A heavy chain with a heavy hardened padlock around steering wheel (turned left or right) to the clutch pedal will do wonders to slow someone down.

Disable a 4300
John Deere Tractors
Replies 9 Post by harvey

Don I'm gonna bite. There is no such thing as one size fits all. Look at a farm. Different things do different things "MORE EFFICIENTLY and BETTER". I do believe there is a happy middle ground for a home owner with a couple of acres or more or less and plenty of free time. Personally I'd like a 72" Ferris to mow with. My little Ford had ag tires and they did not hurt the lawn. No matter what the "EXPERTS SAY" my lawn did not get tore up and it looks good. Turfs will rut it if I'm dumb enough to get on it wet. I have reverted back to the old 112 to mow when I felt lawn to wet from a over active spring season. But I use my 4400 JD with a 72" 3PH finish mower, then trim out the smaller areas with an old JD112 and 48" deck, then push mow most of trimming, then use a string trimmer. Trimming under the Pines is done a couple 3 times a year with an old sickle bar converted to 3PH. It takes my wife and me about 2-3 hours a week to mow and trim it all. I do not have time to fool with gardening. Cheaper to buy the stuff in season anyway. I came off a farm. I have used lots of equipment. I used to landscape until every body and their brother with a snowmobile trailer and a murry lawn mower started the get rich this summer stuff. I personally like the 4400 JD syn reverser. I am smart enough to use it efficiently. I can fix it. I do not have any chores that I have to really work the engine hard on. Gonna get a 10kw generator for back up power that should work it. I use it at PTO speed and it does not use a lot of fuel because it has power enough not to have to work at it. I take out a lot of my own fire wood, Not all, but some. I have lots of snow removal. Tractor is heavy enough for all of that with chains on all 4 and not loading tires. Bottom line for me is: the bigger the less hard it has to work to do things, just remember no matter how hard you try a 8' wide tractor won't go through a 7' barn door W/O modifications. Also you are still gonna trim with a push mower and a string trimmer (unless you are lucky like me and have a wife that enjoys that part).

How big is too big to mow with
Mowers Field and Finish
Replies 7 Post by harvey