Tractorpoint Search for

tractorpoint.com - The leader in Tractors from Compacts, to Utility, to Full Size Tractors! Kubota, John Deere, New Holland, Kioti, Case/IH, and Others. Keywords=Compact Tractor, Kubota Tractors, Kioti Tractors, JD, John Deere Tractors, New Holland, Case Boomer, Used Tractors, Classifieds, Dealer Directory, Tractor Pictures / Images

parts | discussion | photos | podcast | reviews | specs | dealers | classifieds | contact | faq | myProfile | home Login Now | Sign Up

Search for =

Topic

I've writtten to several companies that make motorcycle covers and asked if they would be interested in making one for a compact tractor. To date, no replies. Maybe if we all wrote them we could get a response. I do have one particular cover that I prefer for the motorcycle. Anyone have any ideas how to get their attention??

Winter storage under cover
John Deere Tractors
Replies 17 Post by Roger L.

Tom, you bring up a good point which is that the person who knows a good repair from a poor one is likely to be the very person who could do it themselves. The only solution that I know is to get advice from a knowledgeable friend on what shop to use.
It is a basic tenent of metal design and manufacture that a welded joint has the same strength as the base metal. If in doubt, then strength is added with additional metal. My experience is that most welding shops are good with their work. I do draw a distinction between a welding/metalworking shop and welding repairs that are done at a mechanical shop.
As you say, application rules here. With some thought, I might weld up a steering component on my tractor, but I wouldn't even consider welding the same part on a vehicle to be used on the public roads. But my opinion is that 3pt components fall into a different category of risk. I wouldn't hesitate to repair them.
Yes, I do know that old road over Loveland pass - now Eisenhower tunnel....used to ride my motorcycle over that pass a couple of times a year. Nice ride.

dealing with bent draft links
Parts and Repair
Replies 15 Post by Roger L.

Yep. I just looked that tractor up and it is the one I thought it was. Definitely worth a look. I don't know about a "fabricated" front end or what that means. Will continue looking.

1993 MF1240
Massey Ferguson Tractors
Replies 6 Post by Roger L.

It sounds like your California dealer is telling you that the warranty won't be any good at his shop. I'd listen to him.

Go Figure Kubota L3010 Pricing
Kubota Tractors
Replies 6 Post by Roger L.

Yes, its a pretty good - though small - library. I seem to be afflicted with curiousity beyond the norm. At one time my wife and I calculated that we were spending more on books than on food. Yes, it is a matter of principle that the manuals always go with a machine when I sell it, though it is a sore blow to my collection.... Some manuals are obtained through farm literature dealers and recently through Ebay.
I would like to get some more on Kubota. My library is not well represented there. I must have gotten the wrong model manuals. The few that I have are distinctily second rate - the information is sketchy, line drawings are elementary with few if any exploded views, and the paper is a pulp type which yellows easily. Because of that I haven't given Kubota the attention that I should. Would appreciate it if someone could tell me which Kubota model manuals are particularly well done.

1990 1070 JD
John Deere Tractors
Replies 21 Post by Roger L.

The grey market Yanmars have enough of a support system now to be a viable alternative to buying new or used US brands. Maybe this is because Yanmar used to have domestic dealerships here.
Like any used equipment there is a wide variation in quality and who you buy it from is just as important as what you buy. There are some really good dealers, some not so good, and a few that are downright dirty. So it will pay you to spend some time getting educated about the tractors.

looking to buy a yanmar tractor
Yanmar Tractors
Replies 9 Post by Roger L.

Sparky, the "links" are the lower lift arms of the 3pt hitch. They are the two arms that have the swiveling balls in them that you put the pins through when you hook up an implement. The "link ends" refers to those swiveling balls.
Three point lift capacity is calculated as lifting torque, which is a force times a distance. So if you want to specify a one, you have to specify the other as well. The association of ag engineers specified "two feet behind the link ends" as the distance that represents the center of gravity of a typical implement. If your implement has the CG closer to the link ends then you can lift more; and vice versa.
Tractor manufacturers are not absolutely required to use that definition of 3pt lift capacity in their product literature, and in the 1970s and 80s there were several that did not. They reported the lift capactiy "at the 3pt ends", or in one case even farther forward!....which led to a lot of confusion when some 3pts seemed to be much more powerful than others. We see the same situation right now in loader and backhoe specifications because there isn't a universally accepted standard.
It is a simple matter for a manufacturer to make a 3pt that is tremendously powerful, but there isn't much point in making a three point hitch strong enough so that it will make the front wheels come off of the ground.

Maxed out 3ph pallet forks
Operating and Attachments
Replies 6 Post by Roger L.

When I was just starting out as a mechanic I used to tear engines down completely and replace or refurbish every part that showed measureable wear. Gradually I got to where I just replace the failed part, rectify the cause, and button it back up again. I realize that it is just one person's limited experience, but it does seems to me that the two different methods yield about the same results.

870 with a knock and blowby
John Deere Tractors
Replies 11 Post by Roger L.

No hydraulic stabilizers?! I haven't looked at any of those plans, but that seems to be an unusual design. Not all bad though.... at least it is a situation that anyone who is clever enough to weld up their own backhoe should be able to remedy with a couple of hours of work. I think you will be much more pleased with the results of the project if you add workable stabilizers.
When you design the hydraulic stabilizers be sure that they swing out sideways as far as is reasonable for your clearance. About 20 or 30 years ago there were some backhoes marketed with hydraulic stabilizers that dropped straight down from the corners of the backhoe instead of swinging wide. The result was that the tool had a narrow support. They worked.....but had problems with swing stability. That design wasn't what I'd call a no-brainer; just a newbie mistake.
As far as sizing the upper limiting struts and the strength of the drawbar connection it would vary depending on your particular tractor. To give you an idea of how to think about it, consider this: On tractors that have draft control, it is actuated when the top link is put into compression. And since that normally happens when the lower arms are being forced up, it means that you will have to add the appropriate forces that the backhoe can put into the lift arms together with the normal lifting force of the 3pt in order to figure the strength of the restraint that you are going to build.
It does sound like a great project! I hope you go for it....

Question on 3 ph backhoes
Loaders Back Hoes
Replies 9 Post by Roger L.

I think the most abusive thing I've ever done with my backhoe was levering large rocks out of the ground....although I imagine that tree roots could also stress it. Damage to the hoe has included ripping a bucket and warping/flexing the boom far enough that some of the pivot pins sheared. All easily repaired with a welder and using the backhoe's own hydraulics plus some heavy chain to cause it to bend itself back into shape.
I agree with Tom that the most probable cause is that someone pulled the lever. And also with the general comments about the 3pt hitch setup. It does require constant tinkering, and a much better connection would be some sort of subframe that would stay mounted and out of the way. The fear of the lift arms actuating accidentally is very real. It happened to me once. They must be locked firmly. Still, my next backhoe will be a three point type for the convenience.

Backhoe purchase decision
Loaders Back Hoes
Replies 13 Post by Roger L.

People get fluids mixed like that all the time and I've never heard of it being a problem.

Hydraulic Fluid from a log splitter
Operating and Attachments
Replies 5 Post by Roger L.

A couple of years ago JD was still selling the power steering kit complete for that tractor. The cost was around $850....and probably worth it as the kit was extremely complete. Ask your JD dealer. I've never seen another type that was as good or even that was less expensive.
As for loaders, there are many companies that make them and I think they are all more or less the same. If any one make is distinctly better or worse than another I've never run across it. The same size loader is often sold for a variety of tractors and the only thing that matters is if they make a mounting kit to fit the JD750. Any good mounting system will bolt right up. Just ask if they make one to fit the JD750. And it is important to tell then that your tractor has "open center" hydraulics. More modern JDs use a different hydraulic system.

loader for a JD 750
Loaders Back Hoes
Replies 5 Post by Roger L.

Yes Art, I'm afraid you are right about the price. I was a little low. I went and checked my receipts - there are very few of them for as many years as I've owned compacts, so they all live in a thin folder. Yes, the heaters I bought are the factory type and the one for $25.00 was in 1981.... :-)... and included installation! The latest one I bought was last year and was $37.26 + $6 for shipping.
I'm a real believer in pre-heating an engine in cold weather. Also in pre-lubing if you can pull it off. Right after that is seeing the engine start quickly so that fuel doesn't accumulate to run down the cylinder walls - washing them free of lube and ending up in the sump. High cranking speed leads to quick starts. I replace those little tractor batteries with as heavy duty of a battery as I can fit into the space. Usually a small car type.
Roger

Block heaters do I need one
Parts and Repair
Replies 27 Post by Roger L.

Well, don't feel all alone; that clock tricked me in exactly the same way. But on mine it turns out that if you run for one hour at the rated PTO speed - usually about 2700 RPM - then you will add one hour to the clock. If you run for an hour at only half that RPM you will only add half an hour to the clock. Keep in mind that the tractor tach/clock are not high precision instruments...even when compared to an inexpensive wristwatch.

how are hours figured
John Deere Tractors
Replies 6 Post by Roger L.

charlie, I don't think Danny's problem is exactly what the weight is as much as the tractor not being able to lift it. By the way, what is a brillion?

3 point hitch
Kubota Tractors
Replies 6 Post by Roger L.

I've always been fascinated by back blades. Right now I own 4 back blades and 2 box blades... and plan on getting another back blade this Fall. No, I'm not a dealer; just a gadget kind of guy. My ground is steep, rocky, and snowy. I use the blades for maintaining the dirt road as well as removing snow.
I've had two rakes. They did not do well on my ground because the teeth quickly clogged with rocks, twigs, and weeds. Given the friction of the teeth to moving the material down the rake's length, no angle seems steep enough to shed the debris. When I do get it to work right the result is a windrow which has to be picked up by hand. If you can scoop this stuff up with your loader bucket then my hat is off to you. So rakes haven't worked for me. It could be my ground. The only time I've seen them work is when spreading gravel on a clean surface.
I think a good blade is second only to a loader as a versatile tool. There are two groups of blades. One at around the $300 dollar range and one for about the $900 dollar range. So far I haven't found a really good one at the inexpensive end. And nothing I wanted in the middle. I think there ought to be one at the 500/600 dollar range but I've not found it. I've an Excel spread sheet that I started to make up just to compare some blades for my own use. You might find it useful.
Your 4100 would do well with a 5 or 6 foot blade. No larger. Regardless of price, all blades should be able to reverse cleanly without fouling the tires or lift arms or changing the blade attack angle. There just isn't any excuse for a design that won't do those things. The better blades have quick pivoting adjustments for angle, tilt, and offset. I'm a believer in end caps which are useful in dirt for countouring and sloping roadways. I've never seen a flat blade and can see no advantage in it....but can tell you that subtle differences in the curvature of a blade can make a big difference in performance.
I plow snow just like anything else, by pulling the blade through it. Deep snow requires chains. If it is slushy or heavy the blade angle has to be steeper and then one quickly discovers the value of a blade with swinging offset. A reversed blade is used for backing into very heavy loads such as piles of compacted snow or rocks. The tractor has tremendous traction in this mode and you can break drivetrains by trying too hard. Its useful for shifting a big pile a short distance though. You can also pull a reversed blade in the forward direction for fine finish work. We do it this way to manicure the local baseball field in the Spring.

Rake or Blade
John Deere Tractors
Replies 7 Post by Roger L.

Tractor wheels are much more standard than car wheels. Chances are yours uses a standard wheel. Take a look at the wheel and rim page at www.millertire.com. When I was looking to change over they quoted me a price for tires and rims that was very reasonable.

Cub Cadet
Parts and Repair
Replies 4 Post by Roger L.

Joseph, I have a feeling that you fit the profile of the typical compact tractor owner even better than you know. A few of the guys here are farmers, but most of us seem to be more of the project-oriented type of guys. Like you, I view my compact tractor more as a construction tool than as an agricultural machine.
Whichever you get, it will be even more handy than you can imagine. The dedicated construction machines are extremely impressive, but even the little 20 horse tractors can do more work than half a dozen guys going full speed with shovels and wheelbarrows. Whatever you get, don't let anyone talk you out of a loader and powersteering. Then put something on the back for counterbalance - We would all like for the counterbalance to be a backhoe, but a four foot box scraper with a couple of hundred pound bags of sand on top of it for more weight works just fine too.

Choosing a Tractor Backhoe
Articulated Tractors
Replies 7 Post by Roger L.

Yep, my linkage is close on the front tires too. I use a set of chains on the front which have fairly small links and fit very well.

2 or 4 chains
Snowblowers / Snow Plows
Replies 13 Post by Roger L.

Congratulations; it sounds like you fixed it. That wire - or some other POC - would certainly explain the inability to reach full extention on the rams and also the slow leakdown.
It is normal for the relief valve to squeal when any hydraulic ram is fully contracted or extended "against the stops". That includes the backhoe, loader, 3pt, and power steering plus any other hydraulics that might be there. It sounds like yours is doing what it is supposed to now.

Hydraulics
John Deere Tractors
Replies 11 Post by Roger L.