New to me F3680, first use and impressions

[Barnbuilder]

Well if any of you guys just get disgusted with your orange machine I'd be more than happy to help you get rid of it. I'm tired of reading about how great they are. Its hard to find a used one down this way.

 

[Sigarms]

Well if any of you guys just get disgusted with your orange machine I'd be more than happy to help you get rid of it. I'm tired of reading about how great they are. Its hard to find a used one down this way.

Do what I did, just buy one off of JT. Barlow's shipping price to my place would of been close to probably what it would of cost me in gas to drive and pick it up LOL

 

[jcummins]

Clippings into flower beds, and blowing Clippings into the wind which comes back on you is why I'm looking into a cute blocker.

 

[johncar]

I will have a go at attaching a photo of the steering knuckle wear. I guess the amount of wear for the machines total hours would depend on how and where the mower was used and maintained. Mine is an ex local government machine which are "supposed" to be serviced properly but I have found plenty of signs of inadequate maintenance on this one so I will just go over it and fix what I can. It is in pretty good shape overall though and just hope all the internals and major components are OK. The environment it was used in may have needed lots of maneuvering as well.

If you have a copy of the Workshop Manual the rear axle steering parts I am working on are in section 5 S-12 and it is the steering knuckle bush and support. It is a plastic bush which rotates on a 20mm steel pin. The RHS support pin on mine is worn down to 19mm and the bush out to 21mm so leaving a 2mm or about 1/12" amount of slop. The other side is less at about 1.5mm or 1/16" slop, so both sides far in excess of kubotas specs max allowable limit of 0.4mm. So yeah, a little job to do. I also found my steering ram to be loose at the fixed end so no wonder the mower was wandering around a bit.

In the photos I have shown the support pin wear and secondly the old bush sitting on the worn pin.

 

[johncar]

The rear counter weight on mine is just what seems to be pretty standard around here on the mowers with 72" decks. Don't know the weight of it at this stage but I am guessing around 40-50KG or around 100lbs. I was thinking too that the cutting action of the blades spinning clockwise if you are trying to throw the clippings uphill away from the water or whatever would be encouraging the mower to slide down hill as well which wouldn't be helping the crabbing action. Anyway I had better get off and try and order some parts..

 

[greenrider1]

I discussed this situation with my wife, and she thinks I'm crazy and that I'm being too picky. She's probably right, since she seems to be happy with it and will probably be using it more than me. I do tend to over analyze things, and if something isn't perfect, I look for ways to make it better. Unfortunately, there really isn't a lot of info out there on these things. I did a ton of research before buying, but nearly all the reviews come from only a handful of owners, and they were all glowing. There really isn't a bad review out there, especially when considering durability, which is a great thing. After reading JohnThomas' reviews, I half expected this thing to mow the lawn all by itself while I was at work, make diesel fuel, empty the dishwasher and fold the laundry! Overall, I am very pleased with the machine, and don't regret my decision buying it. Once I get the sidewalks in I won't be mowing right up against the house anyways, so what little grass blows out the left rear corner shouldn't be an issue. I'll just have to remember to keep the hood and radiator screens clean after each use. As far as the clumping is concerned, I only noticed this the last time I mowed, when the grass was fairly high. It didn't clump at all, that I noticed, when my wife mowed, so I guess the key here is to mow a little more often. When I mowed this last time, the grass also seemed to pack and stick under the deck really bad, like it was wet. It was early in the day when I mowed, after a night in the upper 30's temperature wise, so maybe the grass was a little too damp, although it didn't seem wet while cutting it. Maybe I can convince the wife to let me get some more seat time on the new mower, so I can post a follow-up review. Or maybe this really is the perfect mower, since the wife seems to enjoy using it so much, which allows me to tend to other things, like sitting on the porch and enjoying a cold beer while watching her mow the lawn!:drink:

 

[greenrider1]

I'm surprised Kubota would use a nylon bushing in there. Okay on a Barbie Jeep, but not on a commercial mower. I wonder if you could have an oilite bronze bushing machined to fit? I'm surprised the pin would wear too, with a nylon bushing.

 

[jcummins]

I wonder about the weights. Kind of a mixed bag, some with a lot of weights, some without any, except the 'standard' wide weight. I've got 275lbs back there, and with just the deck up there, it may be overkill. BUT after thinking more about it, johncar may be right...the big drive wheels losing grip, forcing you to steer uphill, which drops the rear downhill with the rear steer. One thing I did notice was the main drive wheels spin more than I thought they would. Soooo, maybe better gripping tires on main drive wheels would let the whole thing hold better on slopes.

 

[TailDragon]

Been busy between work and mowing.
1. Like others mentioned try removing the extra weights to avoid the crabbing. Neither F3680 I have has extra weights.
2. Run the engine WOT, it reduces hydro whine and gives faster blade tip speed for better cutting.
3. The front deck wheels should have weight on them, check if the front roller is set for a higher cut. The rear anti-scalp rollers normally do not touch the ground.
4. The bar turf tires I bought thru Kubota whole goods, wheel has a different off-set but works.Did have to notch out the rear discharge flap on the deck.
5. I have wondered if the BX front tires 18x9.5-10 would clear on the rear. Is the bolt pattern the same?
6. My ZD331 side discharge would cover me in clippings and cover the air screen.
7. Not sure about that jamb nut but the wheel shafts have a notch on top that should face the same way. Do not remember front or rear.

 

[jcummins]

Been busy between work and mowing.
1. Like others mentioned try removing the extra weights to avoid the crabbing. Neither F3680 I have has extra weights.
2. Run the engine WOT, it reduces hydro whine and gives faster blade tip speed for better cutting.
3. The front deck wheels should have weight on them, check if the front roller is set for a higher cut. The rear anti-scalp rollers normally do not touch the ground.
4. The bar turf tires I bought thru Kubota whole goods, wheel has a different off-set but works.Did have to notch out the rear discharge flap on the deck.
5. I have wondered if the BX front tires 18x9.5-10 would clear on the rear. Is the bolt pattern the same?
6. My ZD331 side discharge would cover me in clippings and cover the air screen.
7. Not sure about that jamb nut but the wheel shafts have a notch on top that should face the same way. Do not remember front or rear.

1. I've noticed those without the weights like I have, have a different structure there...which I think has some weight to it. So If I remove all the weights, I may end up with less weight than you have. But I've already made up my mind that I'm going to experiment with that.
2. WOT...I will try that. I'm not that far off from it.
3. Hmmm don't notice extra weights on front wheels? I'll look at the roller. Anti scalps are off the ground.
4. Any pictures of the tires? Most important, why did you put them on, for muddy conditions or slope mowing? More grip in the tires....kind of thinking....will help with both situations.
5. Dunno
6. Judgment on just the one mowing I did....the ZD326 spread clippings on me much worse than this F3680. Your simply closer to the chute. I had ripped the cover off the ZD chute, and on the F3680, it was taken off because of clearance on trailing it here. I've left it off, and don't intend to put back on...causes trimming problems. I am considering a chute blocker.
7. Intend to open those nuts up....asked questions before I did so. Sometimes asking questions avoids me getting into something that I shouldn't, soooo I ask. You never know it all.