Rip
Platinum Member
Thanks, Dan ......Will take a close look at my machine and get back to you with perhaps few more questions. Nice clean machine you have there! Finishing packing now and then several days travel, then recovery time. Rip
How difficult to sharpen or replace the blades on a Kubota F model?? See for yourself
- Thread starter JOHNTHOMAS
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Dan W
Silver Member
Travel safely Rip and maybe we'll see you on line once you are settled in.
Tasmania will remain on my list
Dan
Tasmania will remain on my list
Dan
Rip
Platinum Member
Hi Dan, Hope you had a good Christmas.....we got back down to Tasmania and mower doing fine especially after rebuilding bunch of stuff on the rear steer axle (its first 1550 hrs of municipal use took its toll). Have a good notion of how the blower mounts.....what is the purpose or need for the lift travel-limiting bars? How much do you have to fight the main arm springs? Do you back them off and then re-tension them? As I mentioned previously, my goal was to rig-up something like a JohnyBucket that I could quickly swap out for little odd jobs since it is Always mowing season here. Still thinking along these lines though.
Even for mowing I need some more rear counterweight and saw in another thread you added a second factory cast weight......looks like a nice job! I have not taken mine off to inspect, but read that you heavied-up the mount with 1/4" plate.....was this 'just to be safe' or did you really feel it needed it? Another 100 lbs or so would be just about right I figure to have bit better steering control in my more extreme areas. I already loaded the main tires, which along with the 3" spacers added 150 lbs to that axle, but figured I needed more for the rear than just loaded tires would add.
Don't envy your snow & cold right now....been there, done that for too long! Anyway, hope all is well, and Happy New Year! Cheers, Rip
Even for mowing I need some more rear counterweight and saw in another thread you added a second factory cast weight......looks like a nice job! I have not taken mine off to inspect, but read that you heavied-up the mount with 1/4" plate.....was this 'just to be safe' or did you really feel it needed it? Another 100 lbs or so would be just about right I figure to have bit better steering control in my more extreme areas. I already loaded the main tires, which along with the 3" spacers added 150 lbs to that axle, but figured I needed more for the rear than just loaded tires would add.
Don't envy your snow & cold right now....been there, done that for too long! Anyway, hope all is well, and Happy New Year! Cheers, Rip
Dan W
Silver Member
Hello Rip, glad you made it to your winter home safe & sound. I was speaking with my brother on Christmas day, he lives in Perth Au, (I might have mentioned that a while ago) and he was somewhat bragging about the heat-wave there, prawns on the beach etc....
I just check the thermometer out on the deck, we're at -29C right now, at 10 pm, and you are likely at +29...
Thanks for the comment regarding the second counterweight. You're right about the ease of installation. I flipped second one over and placed it on top on the factory one, bolted it to the existing weight and then filled the casting cavities with body filler. As for the rear frame mounting plate, I wanted to make a more substantial lower support shelf at the bottom to support the added 106 Lbs and I had the 1/4" material on hand anyway. As for the springs, I didn't touch them. The lift arms work well as is.... I probably should compare the weight of the mower deck vs the 57" snowblower, they might be about the same weight.
The travel stops are a must in order to prevent the discharge housing from hitting the console when lifting the blower, or in my case, prevent it from smashing the cab windshield.
As for overall weight, my cab weighs in at about 500 Lbs. My property is relatively flat so I really don't need added traction. My overall weight is about 2700, plus driver and fuel. I don't slide too much on ice and snow.
Included a few shots of the blower installed, have good heat, great music (fabricated an overhead console too), installed lots of lights, so lots of fun. I don't consider blowing snow a chore...
Take care Rip...
Dan
I just check the thermometer out on the deck, we're at -29C right now, at 10 pm, and you are likely at +29...
Thanks for the comment regarding the second counterweight. You're right about the ease of installation. I flipped second one over and placed it on top on the factory one, bolted it to the existing weight and then filled the casting cavities with body filler. As for the rear frame mounting plate, I wanted to make a more substantial lower support shelf at the bottom to support the added 106 Lbs and I had the 1/4" material on hand anyway. As for the springs, I didn't touch them. The lift arms work well as is.... I probably should compare the weight of the mower deck vs the 57" snowblower, they might be about the same weight.
The travel stops are a must in order to prevent the discharge housing from hitting the console when lifting the blower, or in my case, prevent it from smashing the cab windshield.
As for overall weight, my cab weighs in at about 500 Lbs. My property is relatively flat so I really don't need added traction. My overall weight is about 2700, plus driver and fuel. I don't slide too much on ice and snow.
Included a few shots of the blower installed, have good heat, great music (fabricated an overhead console too), installed lots of lights, so lots of fun. I don't consider blowing snow a chore...
Take care Rip...
Dan
Dan W
Silver Member
Rip
Platinum Member
Hi Dan, Thanks for the details....luckily (most of the time) Tas is quite a bit cooler than the mainland of AU and especially Perth....we are sunny, breezy and about 17C at the moment!
I have not fully removed my mower deck yet, but figured the springs were there to provide a strong lifting-bias mostly to transfer more weight to the main drive wheels even when the deck was fully lowered. As the lift system is similar to a 3pt tractor hitch - power up, gravity down - figured the springs would be pulling up on the arms when no attachment hooked up. Is this correct or am I wrong? Your arms will stay down while you remove and mount new attachment?
I can see that I would not need any lift-limiting stops for my possible application (JohnyBucket type). I can appreciate your great cab set-up.....I used a Toolcat in BC for snowblowing & sanding and regular PU with straight blade in Colorado for most plowing with a blower on the PowerTrac as back-up (but was only open-station). Colorado plowing was not too bad with the PU (after I build a nice heated shop to mount/demount and store the plow) as icing was never a problem, but in BC, icing (and sanding) was more the issue than the plain snow (steep, north-facing drive). (BC house now under contract and Toolcat has been sold to a neighbor.) Stay warm ! ! ! Cheers, Rip
I have not fully removed my mower deck yet, but figured the springs were there to provide a strong lifting-bias mostly to transfer more weight to the main drive wheels even when the deck was fully lowered. As the lift system is similar to a 3pt tractor hitch - power up, gravity down - figured the springs would be pulling up on the arms when no attachment hooked up. Is this correct or am I wrong? Your arms will stay down while you remove and mount new attachment?
I can see that I would not need any lift-limiting stops for my possible application (JohnyBucket type). I can appreciate your great cab set-up.....I used a Toolcat in BC for snowblowing & sanding and regular PU with straight blade in Colorado for most plowing with a blower on the PowerTrac as back-up (but was only open-station). Colorado plowing was not too bad with the PU (after I build a nice heated shop to mount/demount and store the plow) as icing was never a problem, but in BC, icing (and sanding) was more the issue than the plain snow (steep, north-facing drive). (BC house now under contract and Toolcat has been sold to a neighbor.) Stay warm ! ! ! Cheers, Rip
/ How difficult to sharpen or replace the blades on a Kubota F model?? See for yourself
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JOHNTHOMAS
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One of my blades is not turning, again. So, needed to look at my post about raising deck and will do so to tighten blade down and sharpen blades.
prs
Platinum Member
Have you sharpened the blades and cleaned the deck underside since that original post back in June of 2013?
I typically sharpen three times per season, clean fairly often. I agree that the impact wrench is sweet for loosening the blade nuts, my 84" rear discharge deck has 6 blades (3 CCW and 3 CW). Like Murphy, I purchased a Ventrac 4500 with a Kubota engine. I considered the Front mount Kubota, but my land is sooo steep. The mower is a front mount and hydraulics lift the deck up high, then there is a thumb latch to unlock the deck to let it rotate straight up and lock for cleaning and sharpening. No fluted drive washers to break since it is a belt drive affair. The actual sharpening of the blades is easy on a large belt sander with 60 grade belt.
Work safely, these decks are heavy enough to crush you!
prs
I typically sharpen three times per season, clean fairly often. I agree that the impact wrench is sweet for loosening the blade nuts, my 84" rear discharge deck has 6 blades (3 CCW and 3 CW). Like Murphy, I purchased a Ventrac 4500 with a Kubota engine. I considered the Front mount Kubota, but my land is sooo steep. The mower is a front mount and hydraulics lift the deck up high, then there is a thumb latch to unlock the deck to let it rotate straight up and lock for cleaning and sharpening. No fluted drive washers to break since it is a belt drive affair. The actual sharpening of the blades is easy on a large belt sander with 60 grade belt.
Work safely, these decks are heavy enough to crush you!
prs