Got my new 3535 with FEL and BH (with Thumb) yesterday!

[ameador1]

Well, now that all the searching, researching, and financing is done - I GOT IT! YEAH!!!
Figured I'd post pics - especially with the thumb of the BH - hard to find pics with this model with one installed.
Oh, and the model sticker on the BH is a 485 - although the paperwork has the new model number of ATI 50 BC listed. Anyway here's the pics:





I put about 7 hours on it so far and have gotten better with the tractor and its controls and have moved a lot of dirt already!
I really like it so far!

 

[Citydude]

Congrats and nice tractor!

 

[jimpen]

Congratulations! :cool2: Have fun getting all the work done. :thumbsup:

 

[trev04]

Hey, congrats....looks good. Been out all day using my backhoe.....awesome .

 

[Bob77064]

Congrats looks great.

 

[lantxinNETX]

Bet it doesn't look that clean after 7 hours!

The thumb - is it adjustable? Looking like you can pull that pin to adjust the length. Or is there only one position?
And it that a 10" bucket?

And I see that one hydraulic hose rubbing on the fact of the PTO shield. Might want to watch that. When my dealer installed my 485 on my 4035 tractor he unbolted the PTO shield so it did not rub.

 

[ameador1]

Bet it doesn't look that clean after 7 hours!

The thumb - is it adjustable? Looking like you can pull that pin to adjust the length. Or is there only one position?
And it that a 10" bucket?

And I see that one hydraulic hose rubbing on the fact of the PTO shield. Might want to watch that. When my dealer installed my 485 on my 4035 tractor he unbolted the PTO shield so it did not rub.

The bucket is a 12" bucket. And yes, the thumb is adjustable - pull the pin, and move to one of three positions. Only moved it once so far and it was easy to adjust.

I'll check the hose - I hadn't noticed it rubbing on the PTO shield - thanks for the heads up. Mostly used the FEL yesterday, and today I did a batch of work with the BH too. Both work very nice and have plenty of power!

:cool2:

 

[ameador1]

Liking this machine really well so far. Have about 47 hours on it so far. The thumb has really been useful. Have moved a few large piece of concrete (big concrete balls around posts for house foundation - house built on posts) and have moved a batch of logs for firewood. It has had a problem lifting some green maple logs about 14 inches thick at 11' long, but managed it - barely, just slightly smaller stuff it handles great. I grab these logs and swing them around to the side - parallel to the tractor and haul them to the log pile, then drop them just past the main pile, perpendicular to the main log pile. After getting a small pile together, I pull up with the backhoe facing the center of the main log pile - perpendicular to it and parallel to the smaller pile, then move the smaller pile onto the main pile. More steps than an excavator - but travels faster and can do things the excavator cannot - so still happy!

My only real complaint so far - which I think is a design issue - is the lever to activate the rear hydraulics to run the backhoe. I has this little hook like piece of metal that you hook onto the lever at its base - but it frequently slips off while using the backhoe. I assume from vibrations and such, but it's really annoying when working with the hoe and all of a sudden, complete loss of operating. It's hard from the back seat to reach around and re-engage the clip onto the lever before being able to continue working. I have rigged it up with a bungee cord so this does not happen anymore, but it's a rig - not proper design. Another issue I'm having is the "parking brake" does not engage hard enough to actually hold the tractor back - if I'm on even a light slope, I have to use the FEL and wheel block to hold it in place. I a steep slope, I use the FEL and put the legs of the backhoe down to make sure it stays put. I'm sure this is adjustable, but I haven't been able to find documentation on how.

Since I have work arounds to my issues - and I know one is surely an adjustment issue, I'm still very happy. It has done a lot of work I'm glad I did not have to do by hand or rent a machine and throw the money away.

 

[Sysop]

My 4035 is a very similar tractor in the way it's built. On any sort of slope it takes a VERY hard press on the pedals to hold the tractor (they are not like powered brakes on a car). Make sure you are pushing hard enough to hold the tractor, and when you lift the parking brake lever, give the pedals a little extra oomph, there are several "notches" throughout the pedal travel the parking brake will lock it at. You want to be sure you are pressing hard enough to hold the tractor, but simply lifting the lever for the parking brake and letting off, the pedals release to the nearest notch and that does no good. You need to continue to press past the point it holds the tractor as you lift the lever. On a steep hill I generally feel like I am going to bend the seat frame if I press on the pedals much harder. Most tractors I've ran, to use the brakes feels like panic braking in an old 40s-50s era sedan with manual brakes...

Our units also have the same setup for the remote lever that has the catch on it to hold it "on" for the backhoe or other implements that need full time flow. I'd guess that something is misaligned as I've never experienced that issue.

I want your thumb.

 

[ameador1]

My 4035 is a very similar tractor in the way it's built. On any sort of slope it takes a VERY hard press on the pedals to hold the tractor (they are not like powered brakes on a car). Make sure you are pushing hard enough to hold the tractor, and when you lift the parking brake lever, give the pedals a little extra oomph, there are several "notches" throughout the pedal travel the parking brake will lock it at. You want to be sure you are pressing hard enough to hold the tractor, but simply lifting the lever for the parking brake and letting off, the pedals release to the nearest notch and that does no good. You need to continue to press past the point it holds the tractor as you lift the lever. On a steep hill I generally feel like I am going to bend the seat frame if I press on the pedals much harder. Most tractors I've ran, to use the brakes feels like panic braking in an old 40s-50s era sedan with manual brakes...

Our units also have the same setup for the remote lever that has the catch on it to hold it "on" for the backhoe or other implements that need full time flow. I'd guess that something is misaligned as I've never experienced that issue.

I want your thumb.

I'll try that with the brake. I just push the brake in, pull up on the brake locking lever, and then let off the brake. I don't have a problem with the brakes doing what I want when pressing the pedals - it responds ok and will hold the tractor in place even on the stepper slopes without too much force (not much more than our vehicles), it's just the locking thing not holding them at the same point. I had never tried pushing harder to reach another locking point though.

Here are pics of my back hydraulic locking mechanism unlocked and locked (as well as my super cool bungee rig-up):
Locked:
Unlocked: