New Blue Owner :)

[W5FL]

Peter,

The problem is that you need a way to keep the mower running when you stop the tractor. In your tractor that is called an Independent PTO.

You should have driven a tractor that had a direct connected PTO and did NOT have an over running PTO. Many a person mowed up to a fence, pushed in the clutch, and the mower PUSHED them right through the fence! There are NO current production tractors that I am aware of made that way anymore. There was an attachment that you could put on the PTO to allow them to continue to run when the tractor was stopped and this allowed the pto driven device to run faster than the PTO was turning.

 

[MChalkley]

Wen - That add-on "overrunning PTO clutch" that fit on the PTO shaft was a real lifesaver, too. You can still get them at pretty much any ag supply store.

Mark

 

[Bird]

There's still enough "old" tractors around to need the "overrunning PTO couplers" that are $68.99 in my 1997 Tractor Supply Co. catalog. I've seen them as high as just under $100 in some places.

Bird

 

[paccorti]

Wen,

Thanks. So basically you are saying that if I just chop the throttle down to idle, I shouldn't damage my PTO drivetrain (if it's engaged of course) because the overrunning PTO will protect it? I guess that "lurch" that I experienced (and it was pretty slight) was not what I thought.

Also played with the loader today. There is some spoil from the well drilling that I thought I'd play with.
Put the loader on float and feathered the bucket to take my first scoop and then boooogggg. I'm in high range! Shift to low and try again. Probably 1/4 bucket full. Tried again digging deeper this time. Still on float the front wheels come off the ground (slightly) and I really filled the bucket. With all the weight in the rear (methanol filled rears, rear wheel weights 150# per tire and the 650# rotary cutter) the tractor has a ton of traction. I have to go to some spot and find undistrubed soil to see how this tractor can really dig!

BTW my manual does not specify much on warm up or cool down. Any geneal pointers here for diesel engines? When cold, I let the engine warm up for at least a full minute (at least for the summer). After hard hogging I always let the engine idle and cool down for at least 3 or more minutes. Seem resonable?

Peter

 

[W5FL]

Keep using your tractor and you will get a little more experience with it. PTO implements are meant to operate at PTO speeds (or a little less). Never saw a modern tractor that did not have a clutch to disengage the PTO. Use it and let the mower run down on it's own accord. I don't know why you would want to chop your throttle down with the PTO still engaged, but if you do, the inertial of the mower will effectively push the engine speed until the braking of the engine slows the mower. I doubt that your tractor has an over running PTO clutch built in.

I thought you had a hydro, which lets you change speeds independent of the engine rpm. Use the hydro pedal to change speed and let the engine run at PTO speed until you are through or about to stop and disengage the PTO clutch.

Hard to see how the front wheels come off the ground in the fload position. If the bucket is LEVEL with the ground and the loader down position is shoved all the way forward into the FLOAT position, the bucket should stay on top of the ground and NOT dig into the ground. That is what you want it to do. When you have pushed into a pile of dirt or gravel, curl the bucket back as you go and lift the bucket to fill it to heaping over the top.

To dig with the loader, you need to get some pressure down on the bucket and take only an inch or two at a time with the bucket just slightly tilted down from level. Box blades with scarfiers dig better, and faster, and safer than loaders - but I already said that.

Warm up of a new tractor should be done for several minutes to allow the lubrication to flow to all points of the engine before putting it to full throttle and going to work. Same is true that to idle and let the heat evenly distribute is good. If you have to make a choice, spend it warming up. You can still move the tractor at idle or a little higher while it is warming up. You don't have to warm it up inside the barn or shed.

 

[W5FL]

p.s. The front tires should NOT be off the ground while diging with the loader. You lose a lot of traction and can't steer either.

 

[jgh]

7/30

Hey Newblueman,

Congrats on getting the right machine!

On warming up your TC35D, if I could go a bit farther than Wen, idle it for at least 3 minutes, preferably 5, at 800-1000 RPM or whatever your dealer or manual recommends. Diesels by their nature use almost no fuel at idle and unlike gas motors, should not be warmed up under load. Cold weather especially demands care. Is yours a turbo? Cooling down properly is also important, which you already know.

Drove a TC35 at Theros Equipment in Fredericksburg (good dealer, ask for Randolph Kinsey), a nice machine. Gaithersburg had a Blue TNF tractor like I bought but I never made it by there when wife & I were browsing located TNFs in late spring.

I had a 1975 diesel car that my sister still has, with around 300,000 miles. Treat 'em right and they last.

Jim

 

[Bird]

Wen, Regarding your comment "Hard to see how the front wheels come off the ground in the fload position."

With these light weight tractors, like the B7100 I used to have and the B2710 I now have, when the loader is in the float position, regardless of whether the bucket is level or even curled back, when it hits a small irregularity on the ground, it's quite likely to stop, and the tractor will try to climb over it, which means the front wheels come right off the ground. It's so common that it's the reason I do most of my final smoothing by dragging the bucket backwards with it in the float position.

Bird

 

[paccorti]

Bird,

I think you summed it up well. As soon as I dug in, the front wheels came off the ground. Admittedly I was pretty aggressive (not with speed, with bucket bite) and I really grabbed a good portion of the pile. Actually I thought the whole affair was pretty cool.

In case anyone is interested, I am not in the habit of chopping the throttle with the PTO engaged. I just wanted to make a mental note of things to do/not do that might harm the tractor. Now I just disengage the PTO at RPM and then slow the engine down. Seems easy, seems safe and does not put strain on the PTO drivetrain. Thanks for explaining the purpose of the over running PTO to me.

Peter

 

[MChalkley]

The trick is to take the loader out of float as soon as the bucket starts to dig in. Then, the tendency of the front end to lift will be counteracted by the weight of and in the bucket. This will even work if you're operating with the bucket below ground level. There is almost no way to ballast any tractor enough to keep the front end on the ground if you leave the loader in float position.

Mark