New Owner - Basic Questions

[nhtzer]

Just purchased TZ25DA with 54"MMM and FEL and have some questions...

How much weight should I put in the ballast box?

Should I use bricks or cement or something else?

Do I need to "break-in" the engine?

Does anyone have the mulching-kit? If so how is the cut on it?

Off-road diesel; how do I get it and how much do I need to buy? Does it go bad?

I'm sure I'll have plenty of other questions.. I'll post some pictures of it as well.

Thanks!!!

 

[jimg]

>>How much weight should I put in the ballast box?
Itll depend on whether your tires are loaded/have weights. If it were me Id just add weight and see how it performed w/ the loader filled w/ whatever was being moved at the time. Just go slow and see how its working. I had loaded tires and implements as counter weights.

>>Should I use bricks or cement or something else?
Id pick something w/o voids or air spaces that could be loaded/unloaded easily. Concrete block w/ filled voids are a good bet. However just about anything thats dense will be OK.

>>Do I need to "break-in" the engine?
The owners manual would have that info

>>Off-road diesel; how do I get it and how much do I need to buy? Does it
>>go bad?
I get it at the farmers coop where I live. I guess it depends on how rural your area is. If youre in a warm climate crud will grow in the fuel if its stored for long periods so itll need to be treated. If your climate is very cold in the winter youll want to keep a winter blend and treat it so the wax doesnt separate (in the storage tank or your tractors fuel system). There are many off the shelf additives which inhibit both situations. I owned a 24d and found that I never needed to keep more than 5gals of fuel. Your machine is amazing fuel efficient and wont consume much fuel.

 

[Soundguy]

I'm with JIMG... Check your owners manual for break in routines and maintenance. You might want to check if there is any documentation with that loader as well.. many times they mention what amount of rear ballast or weights you need. I know my old ford loader manuals specified that.. and usually the rear ballast was most or all of whatever the loader lift spec was... double check yours. Box blades make a great loader ballast.. plus they are a useable tool.. and you can hang things on them for extra weight if needed. If you need more maneuverability.. you can always make a tucked in low profile weight tub on the cheap with concrete and some hardware store items.. and about a half an hour to kill one day.

Diesel... I don't like storing diesel for more than 2 months MAX. If you have farm stores.. or offroad suppliers in your area you -may- be able to buy dyed diesel.. maybee not. No matter what you use.. you should consider treating it with a biocide if you keep it for any length of time.. and if you keep it into a cold month.. then use a gel inhibitor. I also like to use a conditioner that i add when refueling the tractor. in some cases you can get combo products that handle some or all of these needs in 1-2 bottles. I like power service for lubricity.. and there are 911 products for gelled fuel.. etc..

Refill your tank when you are done with it.. this keeps an air void out and helps prevent condensation in the tank.

Soundguy

 

[daTeacha]

For mowing, you will probably want to take the FEL off and not add weight. The lighter machine will be easier on the lawn.

BTW, welcome to the site. There are lots of people with more answers than you'll have questions for! Post those pics.

 

[nhtzer]

Tractor arrived yesterday...

Love the power-steering, cut quality and am very impressed with the power and quiteness of the engine. Neighbor has a BX2230 and he commented on the size, quiteness and general ergonomics of the tractor. I drove his last night and it's definetly not a TZ!!

Buying bricks for the ballast box. Already had the loader off and back on very easy to do. Going to drop the mmm tonight and spread 14 yds of topsoil I am having delivered today.

Should have bought this years ago....

 

[daTeacha]

There's something not quite right about that thing. Wait a minute, I've got it -- you need to get it dirty!

Very nice looking machine! Have fun.

 

[jimg]

Something to consider...I think block will be cheaper than brick, quicker to load/unload and the voids in the block can be filled w/ concrete to add xtra weight. I went that route and am certain they weighed well more than 60lbs/. Before filling the voids I drilled a hole across both voids (thru the side walls) about centred on its H & W and stuck a scrap rod thru it and a loop of junk chain I had laying around. The void got filled w/ the chain embedded in it which made handling them pretty easy. Just a thought in case it sounds interesting....

Youll be pleasantly surprised how small 14yds of dirt turn out to be esp if youve moved a few yds by hand. When I had my 24d I could be done w/ 25yds of stone right quick! Then again I also had the use of a box blade to help smooth/grade.

I can really relate to the 'I should have bought this yrs ago' comment!!!

BTW are your tires filled?

 

[nhtzer]

No.. I didn't get the tires filled; I have some wheel weights I'll put on in the winter and will use the ballast box.

Question for people -> How many hours do you get on a tank of gas? I've run it about 2.5 hours so far and the gas gauge is still on F and when I took the cap off and looked in it's pretty filled up to the top.

I figured 1GAL = 1 Hour but that doesn't seem to be case; what do you guys get?

 

[daTeacha]

Depends on how fast I run the engine, but I never really paid much attention. I will state that the DX29 uses a lot more fuel than the B7100 did.

The business of how fast you run the engine is a topic of some debate around here. One camp says run it at PTO speed whenever it's working and the other says run it at the lowest speed that lets you do the job at hand without making the hydro whine or engine lug. Being a former gear tractor, foot throttle owner, I'm among the latter group even though my DX is hydro and has no foot throttle. Guys who run construction equipment, however, tend to favor the PTO speed all the time philosophy. There is a certain amount of logic to both approaches, as in most debate topics here.