What is user UNFRIENDLY on your tractor?

[PhysAssist]

I've posted before that the digital dash on my B2650 is not nearly as easy to read as the analog dash on my B2620. The B2620 you can read at a glance while working. The B2650 I have to really stare at to get a reading on the engine temp and fuel level, especially in sunlight.

And..........the ride (B2650) while mowing is much rougher than the ride on the B2620. Even both have R4 tires (industrial).... Maybe the difference is in suggested tire pressures or the difference between a floating deck (B2620) versus the ground engaging deck on the B2650.

My instrument panel is great during the day- but if you try to use it at night- you better have a supplemental light source, because the in-dash lights that come on with the [so-called] headlights [ooops- another gripe...] are useless and actually make the gauges harder to read...

 

[Threepoint]

I love my open-station 25 y/o Kubota B2150HST and 18 y/o GF1800HST front deck mower. But given the cramped operator stations, the treadle-peddle design for fwd/reverse HST keeps getting more user-unfriendly as I get older.:grumpy: Sometimes my right leg and lower back get so tired after a couple of hours of repetitive loader work or close-quarter mowing, I'll actually have to grab my jeans at the knee and lift with my hand to ease the strain! The newer Kubotas have a redesigned treadle pedal, and even a couple of pedal options. But the side-by-side pedal design on my Kioti have made me a twin-pedal convert.

Several posts have mentioned wanting a clock on the tractor. For open stations, search Amazon or e-Bay for "waterproof stick-on motorcycle clock". There are small clocks (about 1" diameter) with a replaceable AG4 button battery that lasts about a year. Here's a two-pack on Amazon: Amazon.com: Universal Mini Motorcycle Clock Watch Waterproof Stick-On Motorbike Digital Clock Dia. 1.1"- 2 Pack: Sports & Outdoors

Here's one on ebay that looks like the same thing for less than $2, but don't know how long the link will stay active: Mini Bike Motorcycle Clock Watch Waterproof Stick-On Motorbike Digital Clock | eBay

For a cabbed tractor, I've had this on a velcro strip at the bottom of my rear-view mirror for a couple of years:
Bell Automotive | Jumbo LCD Clock | 22-1-377-8
Very easy to see, and it toggles between time and date.

 

[Gordon Gould]

Hey 3point - thanks for the outdoor clock info

gg

 

[Beltzington]

- Grease Zerks always facing the wrong direction
- Seatbelt buckle usually retracts underneath the seat
- 3-point control lever stop won't stay where you put it

and I agree I have worn myself out on a hot day trying to hold-up and connect my PTO shaft to the tractor, the plastic safety cover is a PITA

 

[Billy Jackson]

Setting the parking brake so it stays running, it is on the floor just right of the transmission. It is a pain to reach down there and move the lever while depressing the brake pedal with your right foot.

I have a Kioti 2610 HST like that. I actually just use my left foot to push the lever, let go of the brake with my right foot.

 

[PhysAssist]

I love my open-station 25 y/o Kubota B2150HST and 18 y/o GF1800HST front deck mower. But given the cramped operator stations, the treadle-peddle design for fwd/reverse HST keeps getting more user-unfriendly as I get older.:grumpy: Sometimes my right leg and lower back get so tired after a couple of hours of repetitive loader work or close-quarter mowing, I'll actually have to grab my jeans at the knee and lift with my hand to ease the strain! The newer Kubotas have a redesigned treadle pedal, and even a couple of pedal options. But the side-by-side pedal design on my Kioti have made me a twin-pedal convert.

Several posts have mentioned wanting a clock on the tractor. For open stations, search Amazon or e-Bay for "waterproof stick-on motorcycle clock". There are small clocks (about 1" diameter) with a replaceable AG4 button battery that lasts about a year. Here's a two-pack on Amazon: Amazon.com: Universal Mini Motorcycle Clock Watch Waterproof Stick-On Motorbike Digital Clock Dia. 1.1"- 2 Pack: Sports & Outdoors

Here's one on ebay that looks like the same thing for less than $2, but don't know how long the link will stay active: Mini Bike Motorcycle Clock Watch Waterproof Stick-On Motorbike Digital Clock | eBay

For a cabbed tractor, I've had this on a velcro strip at the bottom of my rear-view mirror for a couple of years:
Bell Automotive | Jumbo LCD Clock | 22-1-377-8
Very easy to see, and it toggles between time and date.

I feel your pain re: the treadle and having to keep it at a constant position- and using the "cruise" speed control is not an option in our topography.

The lucky thing about it for me is that my left knee is the worst one- not so lucky for SWMBO- her's is the right....

A watch like that was one of the first things we bought for out tractor- unfortunately the watch batteries apparently won't tolerate Upstate NY winter- even when I put a brand new one- they just died.

I keep meaning to buy a cheapo Timex-Ironman watch to hang from the steering wheel, and keep forgetting...

Darn CRS

 

[DieselBound]

Yes I understand your point, mine was completely different.

I got it (understood)

On my Kioti...

I hate the radiator screen arrangement. You have to have the loader up. Screens come out only from one side. Rear-most screen (actual radiator screen) goes on tabs/hooks and, on mine anyway, you have to unhook from one side first else the other side you cannot get off (and then you have to remember the sequence in reverse to put it back in): requires running around BOTH sides of the tractor to deal with just this stupid screen.

Fuel filter water drain is a pain. Hoses are conveniently underneath (one should keep diesel off of coolant hoses!), and you cannot easily get a catch container underneath.

 

[DieselBound]

- Grease Zerks always facing the wrong direction
- Seatbelt buckle usually retracts underneath the seat
- 3-point control lever stop won't stay where you put it

and I agree I have worn myself out on a hot day trying to hold-up and connect my PTO shaft to the tractor, the plastic safety cover is a PITA

Check out the Bare Co. PTO guards. They have a mechanism that readily allows you to slip the collars back

Have a couple of zerks on my B7800 that are a bear. They're on the loader boom cylinders, underneath; trying to see them is a pain (and looking up one tends to be looking up into day light, which tends to blind). Zerks on my Kioti are all pretty convenient.

 

[GirlWhoWantsTractor]

- Seatbelt buckle usually retracts underneath the seat

Yep. The seatbelts fall--wherever. I think they should retract. Let's face it, we're getting picky in our old age.

I love the pedal arrangement on my Mahindra. No problema at all.

 

[homesteader13]

Love my Massey 1742 but I don't have the same problem you do because as far as I have found, i don't have an mph or kph option, i have to use gear, range, rpm to calculate speed.
Cupholder to wide and shallow but easily fixed by a length of pvc pipe.
Retractable seatbelt on this one, so no issues there.
And with the power shuttle, 12 forward and 12 reverse speeds, took a little getting used to from my previous JD hydrostat but now i like it, especially for the price i paid!

 

[Wsmitty]

Mine is the location of the loader lever on my JD790. When I twist to look over my right shoulder my leg hits the lever rotating the bucket to dump. I've unintentionally dug my bucket into the ground when looking over my right shoulder. I'm not a big guy (5'8" 180) but the operator station ids a bit tight.

 

[Rock Crawler]

Kubota B2650 - Getting the left 3-point lower arm on or off is bad, there is a backhoe subframe on my tractor, and the cross bar that you slide the ball ends on to is tighter on the left than the right. When you go to install the lower drag arms to the cross bar, there is about 1/16" to little space between the end of that cross bar and the BH frame, and you just can not quite get the ball end to rotate onto that cross bar. You have to lift the end of that bar, twist it back and forth while rocking up and down, give up and pull it away when you realize that the ball end is cocked and jammed, hit it with a hammer when you realize that you can not pull it away, and then try again. Repeat that for 5 minutes until for some unknown reason it magically defies the physics of earth as we know them to be and the ball... by force of magic... finds a way to fit and twist down on to that stupid rod where you can slide it on and pin it in place.

I keep saying that I am going to remove that cross bar and throw in the lathe and cut 0.100" off of each end and cut a new chamfer into it so that that left side arm will go on and off like it should. Why did Kubota not do this though...? With a 0.100" cut, both arms would fly on and off supper quick and easy. Instead, as it is, it is frustrating! (I know, I could also take the grinder to the ball and shave material from it)

 

[cat fever]

No tool box of any kind. I have tools on the floor.

I mean come on, would it be that difficult or add that much cost to add a decent sized tool box from the factory?

 

[buckeyefarmer]

No tool box of any kind. I have tools on the floor.

I mean come on, would it be that difficult or add that much cost to add a decent sized tool box from the factory?

The tool box overflows....

 

[k0ua]

It's not just kubota, My Mahindra Max 25 is the same and so are the Kioti's. Dumbest thing I ever saw. Mine has an accelerator lock so I guess you could lock it full forward and then use the brakes?? Havent tried it...too much to run into around my place...lol

Not my Kioti. twin hydro pedals on the right, Split Brakes on the left (where they should be) and differential lock on the left. Perfection.

Oh, it comes with a toolbox on the back. Also on the back is a handy 3 pt lift lever to use when hooking up. Like I said Kioti perfection. Nothing is unfriendly on a Kioti.

 

[k0ua]

- Grease Zerks always facing the wrong direction
- Seatbelt buckle usually retracts underneath the seat
- 3-point control lever stop won't stay where you put it

and I agree I have worn myself out on a hot day trying to hold-up and connect my PTO shaft to the tractor, the plastic safety cover is a PITA

Two words: Bungee cord.

 

[skipmarcy]

One main item that really irritates me about my 4110 is the 3 range trans shifter is right under my left knee joint when in either low or high ranges and mine is a gear tractor so you have to work the clutch unnaturally around the d--ned thing. When in med range the shifter is just to the left of my knee and is tolerable. I guess me being 6'4" on this Korean-built tractor doesn't match just so but the rest of the controls aren't bad. I may end-up doing to this shifter what I did to my 4x4 shifter years ago - take it off and heat it with a torch to custom bend it to fit me.

 

[Complete Turf Care]

No tool box of any kind. I have tools on the floor.

I mean come on, would it be that difficult or add that much cost to add a decent sized tool box from the factory?

This would be my biggest gripe too. I have a Kubota Grand L6060 and there is no toolbox and no option to add one anywhere. Seems they could put one somewhere on a $50,000 tractor.....

 

[MossRoad]

I can't find anything unfriendly on my machine.

It fits like a glove. In and out from either side. All implements in front where I can see them. No 3pt hitch. Quick attach lets me change implements in less than 15 seconds without leaving the seat. Powered implements require two hydraulic hoses, so add 30 seconds. Easy to work on myself. No plastic fenders or dash. No sheet metal, either. All plate steel construction.

This link to this thread is 17 years old and it's still all relevant.
Compact Tractors are Designed All Wrong
https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums...ct-tractors-designed-all-wrong.html#post51412

I retract that statement... I forgot that I dislike the placement of the battery. It's under the muffler and the only way to get it out is to remove the muffler. About every 6 years when the battery fails I have to remove 4 nuts on the exhaust studs. Last time it happened, the stud snapped off in the head, and I had to weld a nut onto the stub to get it out. Grrrrr..... That's about as user unfriendly as you can get....

When I was done kicking it, I apologized to it and gave it an oil change.

 

[YLee Kioti]

I got it (understood)

On my Kioti...

I hate the radiator screen arrangement. You have to have the loader up. Screens come out only from one side. Rear-most screen (actual radiator screen) goes on tabs/hooks and, on mine anyway, you have to unhook from one side first else the other side you cannot get off (and then you have to remember the sequence in reverse to put it back in): requires running around BOTH sides of the tractor to deal with just this stupid screen.

Fuel filter water drain is a pain. Hoses are conveniently underneath (one should keep diesel off of coolant hoses!), and you cannot easily get a catch container underneath.

Ditto on the fuel bowel for water drain. Having to unplug each time. No Petcock! WTH???

Tie rod protector 3 inches short of covering the rubber boots. Easy fix with an offset, sheesh how lame is that? A few extra inches of metal to reduce rubber boot tear.

Ditto on the screen mesh. Can't blame engineer design....well, yeah I can complicit with bean counters.

After 30+ years in the utility when it comes to pump alignment, weak base mounts, soft foot, blowing seals, mechanical agastat timers instead of digital etc. yeah many times. I've yet to meet one engineer that interned out in the field turning wrenches before they ever got that diploma. Well take it back, one Electrical Engineer and he was fun to work with, probably because he did turn wrenches.
Imagine the enhancements, perfect not in this world, but improvements oh gosh gottah believe yes.