I figured I would give some preliminary feedback on the auto hitch & Kubota
L6060
1. Darn nice tractor so far. (40 hours) Plenty of power and sure nice not swatting black flies all day. ****, that AC is cold. :thumbsup:
2. Air ride seat: Don't waste your money. Will travel 17MPH on the road, but don't hit any bumps. Anything not bolted down, will be airborne, including yourself. Would probably be a smooth ride on the Interstate, but not so smooth of back roads. Since I bought if for field work and not taking the family on vacation, I rarely exceed 4-5 MPH, so I don't see much benefit with the air ride.
3. Regeneration: Nothing like driving along and having your new tractor blow white smoke. Gives you an unsettling feeling at first, if not downright panic,:shocked: until you see the "regeneration" on the screen. Needs about 15-20 minutes of high idle and back to normal. And yes, you can keep on working, so long as the idle is high.
4. Autohitch: Directions stink. Most paperwork is useless. Seems changes have not made it to print. Dealer ordering correct manuals when it becomes available.
A: Mounting on tractor: Quite simple, as video shows. You may have to "tweak" the mid mounting brackets after first on/off.
B. Grill guard has to come off, which I dislike. The front mount for the auto hitch goes into the holes where the GG goes. Who wants to unbolt the mount to put GG back on? Guess I have to go to see Paul Short and have him work his magic.
C. 20 hours on front mower and the bearing in the auto hitch driveline came unglued, destroying the male/female clutch shafts. ( not totally - but enough wear/gouging to warrant replacing. Will never know what caused this. Replaced under warranty and back to mowing.
D. 35 hours on mower and pillow bearing on drive side blew apart, eating the belts. No explanation, except a bad cast from new.
E. Ball switch: There is a small ball switch on the side of the auto hitch. It is adjustable and must be all the way depressed (raise hitch fully) to work. Gave me fits wondering why it would not connect. Adjusted it, but it has slid twice already. I see this switch as a future problem (dirt,snow,salt) and should be eliminated. You have to hold down the button inside anyway, so I see it as a needless lawyer switch.
F. It says the switch on the joystick has to be on to connect implement. Wrong! Works with/without. Pick up intended attachment, raise fully, push hitch control box (on dash) and push loader arm forward at the same time. 5 seconds and green light comes on. It is connected. You can hear it connect.
G. Disconnecting: Raise fully, hold button and PULL BACK on the joystick, not forward as the directions say. Once red light is on, it is ready to come off. Getting the timing down, as both steps have to be done at the same exact time, is easy to do.
H. No snow yet in NY, so have not had a chance to use the snowblower. I did use the blade to push some stone around. Worked good.
I. Mower is HEAVY. On soft ground, you will sink if you raise it!
I will give another follow up in a few months. Please do not take my review is negative on the auto hitch. Driving forward way overrides backing up and it is a quality unit. As with anything new, there is a few minor bugs to work out. I will wait for final judgement after a full year of use.
