4X4 indicator Mod #2

[4shorts]

One thing that always bugged me owning the two Kubota's that I had was the 4X4 leaver. I had to try and remember if 4X4 was down or up. Sometimes I'd leave it in and sometimes I'd leave it out. Why didn't Kubota put an indicator showing with the system was in 4X4?

Well I decided to do it myself. I bid and won an indicator off an old dodge truck on eBay. I picked up a switch and mounted it to the 4X4 leaver and did the wiring. The switch can be wired normally open or closed so I went open for this application. I didn't like the old indicator housing so I took a LED marker light and adapted the indicator to it. Used two way tape on the back and stuck it to the windshield. Now I'm happy Here's a few photo's.

Here I'm getting ready to paint the outer areas black

Not in 4X4

In 4X4

 

[kubotacres]

Not bad.:thumbsup:

 

[reggiejr]

Great idea i need to do that for my parking brake on my kubota.
I always forget if dang thing is off or on really bugs me that there's no indicator light.
Always enjoy reading your threads thanks.

 

[varmint]

Nice project, Paul. Good idea, well executed, and worth your time and probably modest investment. I have sometimes had to think about whether or not I was in 4WD, and look at the lever twice.

 

[texasjohn]

I have indicator envy!!!

I do shredding of tall weeds and brush....in that environment, wouldn't there be a risk of something reaching in from underneath and tugging on the lever and messing it up??

 

[Bob77064]

Great idea!

 

[RaydaKub]

Outstanding!

 

[4shorts]

Not bad.:thumbsup:

Thanks!

Great idea i need to do that for my parking brake on my kubota.
I always forget if dang thing is off or on really bugs me that there's no indicator light.
Always enjoy reading your threads thanks.

Been there, done that. We've all done it I think. Check out my video on the issue. Glad you enjoy my threads. That's nice to hear

YouTube - Park brake warning.MPG

Nice project, Paul. Good idea, well executed, and worth your time and probably modest investment. I have sometimes had to think about whether or not I was in 4WD, and look at the lever twice.

Thanks my friend. I think it will be beneficial for me. When I'm out snow clearing in the wee hours of the night and can't see the leaver on the floor the indicator will sure be nice. Wish Kubota had the indicator in the dash. These Grand L's have been out for a number of years with very little improvement in the way of things like this. Thanks for commenting :thumbsup:

I have indicator envy!!!

I do shredding of tall weeds and brush....in that environment, wouldn't there be a risk of something reaching in from underneath and tugging on the lever and messing it up??

John that long leaver you see on the switch is actually a stiff spring so if grass did get tangled up there I doubt it would damage it. That being said, if I were operating in grass I might have added a box around the switch or even put a micro switch inside to avoid the possibility. In my case using the machine in snow posses little to no risk. Thanks for commenting :thumbsup:

Great idea!

Thank you.

Outstanding!

Much appreciated!

The other two mods will be posted in the customization section tonight. I'll post them there because they can apply to all makes of tractors. The thread will be picture heavy as well so it takes time to reduce their size but I think some will enjoy seeing them.

 

[AStanton]

Great idea and nice job. With my old eyes, and using low-tech methods, I did this on my B3030. I noticed that the 4-wheel lever on the B3030 is opposite of the BX25.

 

[4shorts]

Great idea and nice job. With my old eyes, and using low-tech methods, I did this on my B3030. I noticed that the 4-wheel lever on the B3030 is opposite of the BX25.

That's a good idea as well. That drawing they have on those sticks are hard to read. Thanks!

 

[TripleR]

Very nice indeed, our M8540 has the 4WD indicator on the dash and I sure miss it on our L5740. I usually don't operate at night and a quick look down tells me if I am in 4WD, but there is that whole remembering to look down thing...

 

[big bubba]

One thing that always bugged me owning the two Kubota's that I had was the 4X4 leaver. I had to try and remember if 4X4 was down or up. Sometimes I'd leave it in and sometimes I'd leave it out. Why didn't Kubota put an indicator showing with the system was in 4X4?

Well I decided to do it myself. I bid and won an indicator off an old dodge truck on eBay. I picked up a switch and mounted it to the 4X4 leaver and did the wiring. The switch can be wired normally open or closed so I went open for this application. I didn't like the old indicator housing so I took a LED marker light and adapted the indicator to it. Used two way tape on the back and stuck it to the windshield. Now I'm happy Here's a few photo's.

Here I'm getting ready to paint the outer areas black

Not in 4X4

In 4X4

well done. probably cleaner job than what i would have done. keep it up. & glad to see we all have plenty of time on our hands to tackle these challenges

 

[Grateful11]

Nice Man! I really like it.

 

[4shorts]

well done. probably cleaner job than what i would have done. keep it up. & glad to see we all have plenty of time on our hands to tackle these challenges

Thanks. Not sure I agree with the plenty of time comment. My projects are usually done after a 60 hour work week. In this case I did these last few projects while I was supposed to be resting because of a real bad case of bursitis in my right shoulder that was so painful that I had to be taken to the ER at 1:30 am to get a needle in my back to kill the pain. It caused me to loose my first day in 17 years in business to rest up. Glad you liked the mod though.

Nice Man! I really like it.

Thank you very much. :thumbsup:

 

[creekbend]

Very innovative. :thumbsup:

 

[big bubba]

Thanks. Not sure I agree with the plenty of time comment. My projects are usually done after a 60 hour work week. In this case I did these last few projects while I was supposed to be resting because of a real bad case of bursitis in my right shoulder that was so painful that I had to be taken to the ER at 1:30 am to get a needle in my back to kill the pain. It caused me to loose my first day in 17 years in business to rest up. Glad you liked the mod though.



Thank you very much. :thumbsup:

4 shorts: geez, sorry it came across like that....i just meant that your project reflects a lot of thought & time compared to my occasional rush stuff....actually sounds like you are far busier than my retired schedule of farm/house maintenance & small landscaping business. anyway, looks like a pro job, keep it up. :cool2:

 

[4shorts]

Very innovative. :thumbsup:

Thanks!

4 shorts: geez, sorry it came across like that....i just meant that your project reflects a lot of thought & time compared to my occasional rush stuff....actually sounds like you are far busier than my retired schedule of farm/house maintenance & small landscaping business. anyway, looks like a pro job, keep it up. :cool2:

Oh my friend. No offense taken. I've had that statement said to me before and the fact is I work until the wee hours of the night to get these projects done so they don't bite into my work time. If you click on the link below for my restoration work, I did all of that on my weekends, holidays and nights. Wife thinks I'm crazy and maybe she's right :laughing:
Thanks again. Happy you like what I've done

 

[TripleR]

Paul you remind me of my younger brother, just turned 62, he works a full time job, often overtime then comes home and works around one of the farms or out in his shop; projects are his way of spending his "extra time" extra time meaning the time he is not asleep. He plans to retire next year maybe. In preparation for "retirement", he has purchased a new tractor and trailer to haul it around with and is thinking about building on to his shop. Lights will still be burning late into the night.

Now I, on the other hand...

 

[4shorts]

Paul you remind me of my younger brother, just turned 62, he works a full time job, often overtime then comes home and works around one of the farms or out in his shop; projects are his way of spending his "extra time" extra time meaning the time he is not asleep. He plans to retire next year maybe. In preparation for "retirement", he has purchased a new tractor and trailer to haul it around with and is thinking about building on to his shop. Lights will still be burning late into the night.

Now I, on the other hand...

Very cool. I'm that way as well. My sister emailed me the other day and last night she called me asking why I answered her email at 3:15 in the morning. I told her that was the only spare time I had :laughing:

You just know your brother is not going to retire :laughing:

 

[TripleR]

Very cool. I'm that way as well. My sister emailed me the other day and last night she called me asking why I answered her email at 3:15 in the morning. I told her that was the only spare time I had :laughing:

You just know your brother is not going to retire :laughing:

Well actually he is going to trade one job for another, he will retire from his present position to allow his son to take it over; has been grooming him for some time, several years after graduation.

He started out working in HS in a funeral home and auto repair shop. Eventually owned his own business with several mechanics then sold it and went into industrial machinery maintenance, fabrication, modification etc.

In a typical day he will work inside a -40 cold room, 120+ engine room, among compressors pumps, high pressure anhydrous ammonia lines, climb ladders, work on roof units etc.; getting a little harder in his 60's.

His "retirement" will be driving tractors, maybe a backhoe after he rebuilds it, working on equipment, cars, trucks, motorcycles and whatever comes to his mind.

My dad drove a truck into his seventies when cancer took him out of the cab then he worked on the farm until he passed.