Online Manuals

   / Online Manuals #1  

Harv

Elite Member
Joined
Aug 22, 2000
Messages
3,371
Location
California - S.F. East Bay & Sierra foothills
Tractor
Kubota L2500DT Standard Transmission
Following a tip in ClayG's post in the "Tip 'N' Tilt" thread, I just spent the last half hour downloading and reading through the operator's manuals for various Bush Hog implements.

I don't own any Bush Hog implements (yet), but these online manuals are chock full of useful information and descriptions that I found fascinating. I learned more about hydraulic hookups, discovered "Roll Over Box Blades", and finally got a good look at landscape rakes -- something I've been considering for my property, but didn't know enough about to be sure.

None of the implements that I bought new came with manuals. With a little whining to my supplier, I eventually got the manual for my rotary cutter, and I will probably write to Howse to see if I can get a manual for my box blade. I guess the assumption is that there's not much to know about some implements, but I don't like having my ignorance underestimated. /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif

Anyway, I have always loved the idea of online manuals, which is becoming more and more common for computer hardware and software, and I'm really glad to see at least some tractor-related manuals showing up on the net. I hope more manufacturers wake up and realize that providing electronic manuals is a lot cheaper and less hassle for themselves, as well as offering added value and visibility for their products.

So if anybody knows of other such manuals for tractors and/or implements that are available on the net, please post the appropriate URLs so we may all benefit. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

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   / Online Manuals #2  
Harv, like you, I'm finding more and more manuals on the Internet. I just found a couple of days ago that you can get parts breakdowns on Briggs & Stratton engines, and I printed out a couple for my engines. They're at http://www.briggsandstratton.com Ingersoll Rand also has exploded views and parts lists for a lot of their current air tools now, also, and Sears has exploded views and parts lists for lots of their appliances, power tools, etc.

Bird
 
   / Online Manuals #5  
Harv,

On-line manuals and computers! A friend of mine recently purchased a new Dell computer. Upon opening the box and unpacking his new toy he realized there were "NO" manuals at all! Well he called Dell and asked if they had forgotten them. They informed him that all documentation could be accessed via there web site. I asked him what one does if they don't have internet access or, perish the thought, the computer is not functioning! /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif Since I sell books for a living I sort of like the idea of printed material! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif I also like the idea of on-line documentation and parts list. This could save a lot of time on the phone.

I recently went through this with Uniden. Tried ordering a part for a scanner. After three attempts I was informed that the only way to fix mine was to send it in and for 50 bucks they would replace the $15.00 part that I could have replaced myself. They had the part but wouldn't sell it to me. Talk about a rip-off!

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   / Online Manuals #6  
jensales@jensales.com Have some new tractor manuals plus yesterday tractor manuals.

TractorSmart.com They seem to have good manuals plus attachments.

Thomas..NH /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif
 
   / Online Manuals
  • Thread Starter
#7  
Cliff -

I should probably qualify my statements about online manuals. Yes, I do love the concept, but only in cases where it makes sense. When I signed up with my very first ISP (internet service provider), for example, I did it over the phone, whereupon I was told I could get full instructions for setting up my computer and modem from their web site. /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif It actually took some persuading on my part to convince them we had a chicken and egg problem here. In the end, they faxed me the instructions. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

The worst extreme I ever saw was when I was working for Novell. Their main product was a $40,000 NetWare package. Imagine when the customer took delivery and all they got was a single CD-Rom. /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif All of the manuals were on the disk, and if they wanted the hardcopy version it would cost them another $500!

I am also very much in favor of hardcopy books and manuals for anything over, say, 50 pages, although there is much to be said for some of the online programming manuals I refer to frequently. Rather than a download format, they are in HTML (web page style) and are sprinkled liberally with hyperlinks and are searchable. Very useful. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Oh, and John, Bird -- the links you have provided so far are pure gold! /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

Thomas -- Maybe I didn't look closely enough, but I didn't see any online manuals at JenSales, but they will let you order just about anything. Likewise with TractorSmart -- no manuals, but a lot of good information. Did I overlook something?

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   / Online Manuals #8  
Harv,
I believe Jensales manuals one needs to look under catalog on line section...sorry about that. /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

Thomas..NH /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif
 
   / Online Manuals #9  
Harv, I gave the URL for Briggs & Stratton, but guess if you're interested in tools, Ingersoll Rand tools can be found at http://www.irtools.com, Texas Pneumatic is at http://www.airtools.com, and Chicago Pneumatic is at http://www.chicagopneumatic.com and of course, Sears is just http://www.sears.com and then click on "Parts". I first signed up for Internet service when I started working on air tools and had heard you could find anything on the Internet, so I thought it might help me find manuals and parts. I was wrong; no help at that time, but now the different companies are getting there./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif The only problem with some, not all, of them is that they only show current tools, not the old ones they no longer make, but that they still have parts for.

Bird
 
   / Online Manuals
  • Thread Starter
#10  
<font color=blue>no help at that time</font color=blue>

That's the drawback of being a visionary, Bird -- you have to wait for the world to catch up. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

<font color=blue>they only show current tools</font color=blue>

That's one of my gripes with the Kubota web site. They only have specs on models for the last few years. It would take relatively little effort on their part to have their entire lineage online, but NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! /w3tcompact/icons/tongue.gif

Too bad they don't have a webmaster like Muhammad. /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Thanks for the new links.

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