Wha Extras Do You Wish Your Tractor Had?

[rScotty]

So I'm started wondering about making a list of universal tractor features that all tractors could use as original equipment.

How about it, TBNers? Have you added some favorite feature to your tractor? The kinds of thing that would be OEM if the people designing tractors had ever actually used a tractor themselves?

Things like a REAL TOOLBOX along and some place to store chains & ropes. Maybe even a way to carry a shovel, prybar, and saw.
AFAIK, there hasn't been a tractor made with those basic items in the last 50+ years.

What about a simple electrical outlet to use tractor battery power for other things? Like jumping a vehicle with a flat battery....

How about going full hog and adding an air compressor or water pump as standard equipment?
Those are pretty simple to do, and either one would be handy. Nice selling points, too.

What would you like to see as OEM on every tractor? Maybe we can get the manufacturers to listen.

rS

 

[jwstewar]

Let's start with the basics, how about a cup holder.

 

[oosik]

Mine has a cup holder - I was thinking - - electrically refrigerated cup holder. Hot pop goes flat fast. Ice cubes only last until you arrive at the designated work area - then, hot and flat.Mine has a 12 volt outlet. How about an inverter big enough to run a 15 amp power tool when the tractor is running.What about optional skid plates to cover critical areas.What about steel belted tires that provide added protection to puncture from thorns - as an option.What about REAL grill protection as an option.Air ride seats on open station tractors - as an option.

NO - I'm very happy with my M6040. There are just some changes that could be made and I would not need my ten ton farm wagon every time I go out and about on a project on my property. Maybe I wouldn't look like a pot and pan salesman any longer.

 

[MitchellB]

Heck, I'd be happy if my old 1958 Ford had power steering. Although that was an option back then, I guess the original owner was man enough to be happy with Armstrong steering.

 

[CMV]

Real toolbox - yes!
Good reference documentation free online - yes!
Headlights not obscured by loader frame in typical carry/transport position - yes!

As far as the carry provisions - I wouldn't necessarily want those as standard options. A generic saw holder, chain rack etc...that might not fit MY particular one so would be working around it. however - good provision for adding exactly what you want (weld studs on ROPS, 3/8" pem nuts and a flat on fenders, screw caps for the horizontal loader tube, etc) would be nice.

A lot of the other things like onboard air compressor, water pump, 110V AC outlet, etc, while would be real nice to have at times, some things many wouldn't care to have or ever had need for. So I'd rather it be optional in the end. Already too much of accy's bundled in many cases. "oh, you want this one feature? upgrade to XX model". Was an issue with Ford trucks for a long time (maybe still since mine is 7 y/o now) - you want want little thing but have to get whole lariat package and pay for a bunch of things you don't want for the one thing you do. Anyway, I'd rather the out the door price be $$$ lower than have an onboard air compressor or 110V AC outlet that may or may not provide enough airflow/amps to run what I need anyway.

 

[TractorNH]

They could start by not putting oil filters and wiring where it can be snagged on brush. If they REALLY wanted to make us happy how about adding some skid plates to protect important areas.

 

[Jstpssng]

There is another thread going which asks a similar question. A lot of what some consider necessary someone else might think is an unnecessary expense, which is why a lot of things are options. To me a loader is a necessary item, and when I broke mine it was like cutting the thumbs off both of my hands. Somebody else might not need or want one, so that it would be unnecessary weight and a $4000 lawn ornament.

One Kubota dealer downstate includes a rear worklight, block heater, and fluids and filters for the first service as standard equipment. Most likely these are things which they've found most customers want. Many people here feel that loaded tires are a necessity, while many dealers will load the rear tires at their cost; they feel it is important for safety reasons. Yet I have never run a tractor with loaded tires and until I bought this tractor I never felt that it was needed. I would NOT be happy if I wasn't given that choice.

 

[Thomas]

Exports,Toolbox.

 

[sdquick]

I will play.... These are the items I have added that I think should be standard because everyone needs them.
Came from my dealer with filled tires
Chain hooks on FEL
ROPs light set with forward and rear LED work lights.
2X on the real tool box
Right side fender handle (cheap Kubota, although I do have a cup holder:laughing

 

[ovrszd]

Adjustable track width front and rear.

 

[Jstpssng]

I will play.... These are the items I have added that I think should be standard because everyone needs them.
Came from my dealer with filled tires
Chain hooks on FEL
ROPs light set with forward and rear LED work lights.
2X on the real tool box
Right side fender handle (cheap Kubota, although I do have a cup holder:laughing

See my comment above about the loaded tires.

 

[Utopia Texas]

A reminder screen option on the dash that lists what maintenance needs to be done at what hours and the current pressure in the tires....

 

[Rock Crawler]

An A and B hour meter that can be reset like the odometer on your car.
This way I can set A per job to track run time per task/job/invoice. Then I can set B at each service or whatever I wish. And then the main just to track total machine hours. It would so simple to do this now that just about every machine sold today has a digital hour meter.

Rear differential lock should be able to be literally engaged and left on. My B2650 diff lock sucks donkey balls when it comes to the diff lock. If I REALLY need it, like I am facing down hill, spinning in reverse and using the loader in an attempt to push myself backwards up a steep rocky incline.... I have no choice but to stand on the diff lock lever. And even then it will lift me up and skip with a bang to the next engagement point as I am spinning backwards. Some day it is going to break. If the dang P.O.S. thing would actually engage hard and stay until I am un-F'ed, it would not be banging and skipping. Let me push/pull/step on/switch or whatever method you desire for the diff lock and just leave it fully engaged and fully seated until I un-do whatever that was while I was trying not to die. Is that too much too ask?

Put headlights in the dang thing that are brighter than 2 BIC lighters. What Kubota puts in this thing are some sort of joke that accidentally went to production. It's 2018, put some projectors in there or some nice DOT class LED headlights with actual reflectors behind them.

Why do loader and backhoe buckets come with no chain hooks on them? Every tractor sold on God's green Earth gets home from a dealer when new and the buyer jerks out the welder and glues some chain hooks to the buckets. Add $50 to the retail cost and jam a few china sourced chain hooks to the loader and backhoe buckets. Come on!

Heck, while at it.... Chain hooks for tying down to a trailer. Come on dudes... this should be standard fair for ALL equipment. This does not take a mental giant to come up with this idea.

Dedicate a place for secure cell phone storage. You gave me a 12V outlet, and I appreciate it a great deal. Thank you momma Kubota. But now where do I jam the phone? In that little rectangle pocket? Yea... tried that. Phone bounces out, catches on tire before noticed, rips charger cord out sideways and destroys the $30 charger before the phone gets trampled into rubble by the 500 lb tire.
F me.
Twice.

Would a few digital gages on the digital display kill you? Oil temp? Oil Pressure? Volts? HST Fluid temps? No...? Why the heck not!?!?!? I get a big fancy digital panel in the dash and all it tells me is water temp and fuel level. What a waste of potential! Let me select to display valid information. This isn't rocket science here.

By the way, do not get me wrong. I love my Kubota B2650. It's the absolute best bad product on the market for my needs and at my price point. There is no other machine at this size/weight/price that I would consider. But she could have been a frigging Cadillac I tell you! All she needed to go from acceptable to a literal out of the park home run is some thoughtfulness from the engineering dept. Maybe some actual *** time by the engineers... you know.... get them out of the offices and out using these machines and see what grates at you.

 

[Industrial Toys]

And you wonder why consumers are plagued by malfunctioning GIMMICKS. People seem to want stuff like that.

Here's one! An auto engine shut down for critical conditions. Maybe a loud buzzer first. Good when you don't watch your gauges every ten seconds (some people insist they do, I insist they lie) or for unattended PTO operation. With almost all modern tractors having fuel solenoid keyswitch operation, it would not be expensive to do.

 

[GirlWhoWantsTractor]

Amen to almost everything mentioned.

The total lack of storage, like even a place for a cell phone, is ridiculous. How about a small glove compartment? I always end up stuffing my work gloves in my back pocket and one always seems to manage to fall out....

Maintenance items more accessible would be nice too. But if that's not possible, how about a one-piece hood? Or the old style kind that folds up from either side? And while we're at it, gas refill placed somewhere lower would be great.

 

[oosik]

GirlWhoWantsTractor - - hey, lifting 5 gallon jerry cans full of diesel builds muscle and character - so I'm told. I've also been told I'm already quite a character.

But you are VERY correct. One of these days as I lift and hold one of my jerry cans up to fill - - something serious is going to happen. I just hope I find an alternate BEFORE it happens.

 

[Jstpssng]

I carry my spare fuel in 5 gallon cans, and have given up on those censored ventless spouts. Instead I have a place where I can park my pickup higher than the tractor, set the can on the side of the bed and transfer with a siphon hose.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Why should your tractor have storage space? My well equipped (with Gimmicks) GMC 2500 SLT Doesn't even have a place for my sun glasses! And I don't own a baseball hat to store them on. So mostly I don't wear any.

Problem with storage areas on equipment is they quickly get terribly dirty and full of useless junk and debris.

 

[TractorNH]

I carry my spare fuel in 5 gallon cans, and have given up on those censored ventless spouts. Instead I have a place where I can park my pickup higher than the tractor, set the can on the side of the bed and transfer with a siphon hose.

Depending on what cans you have you can get good spouts from EZPourSpout.com, and depending on what state you live in you might have to buy spouts for "water" cans instead of "fuel" cans. You can also buy vents (I think I got some on Amazon) that you just drill a hole in the plastic can and pop them in.

 

[oosik]

My Jerry cans are the real WWll thing. The spouts are WWll also. Still doesn't make 5 gallons of diesel any lighter. However - without all the federally mandated BS - they will empty their contents VERY rapidly. Like before the bad guy up on the ridge can get a bead on you and make life a real pain.