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Photos would help.,,,,maybe. SurplusCenter.com has some excellent drawings in their hydraulic device sales online. You might even find yours there. There are different types of divider valves. Your test will work differently for a priority divider versus a percentage flow divider. We don't...

Lots of rural people use their tractor more as tool for lifting and carrying. They aren't growing crops, just enjoying living remotely. The tractor is more for building and landscaping, hence the loader. It's a little off that there is a whole industry built around adding loaders to machines...

I like the hydraulics myself, but confess to also being fascinated by the mechanicals on loaders. Having now had half a dozen loaders on various tractors I agree with you: Sometimes a loader is just a loader. Our factory JD loader is that way and it has worked fine for decades. A couple of...

When we only had the one little Yanmar tractor and FEL, we bought an inexpensive small 4 foot wide landscape box mostly for use as a tool carrier and portable workbench. The idea was to find something small, strong, and tucked in close We drilled it and put some 2x4s on the bottom to support...

If all else is equal, put the doors on the end away from the prevailing winds.

You are on the right track. The configuration you are explaining is fine. It sounds to me like you basically understand it. I will try to help be frugal, but make sure that when you get the two spool control valve that you buy one that has the Power Beyond Port - and be sure to pay the extra...

I know all that. I'm old. I've been successful at business for longer than most people live, and grateful for every minute. One of the things I've learned is that there are some times when it is better to not say anything & just let the person think about it. rScotty

They shouldn't need sealants if the world was perfect and static, but it isn't and they do. Any connection that vibrates or has relative movement benefits from a sealant.

Certainly it will. Apparently you don't think so. I typically re-negotiate every contract before I sign it. Don't you? If not, then you might want to consider changing how you do business. I write my own contracts when I take a job, for any consulting work that I do, for loans, for rentals, for...

I would go right to the source. Call the building dept. or FEMA and find out who the FEMA rep is for your area and let him do the legwork. It's what they do. FEMA is in the business of selling insurance. Let them do the work. BTW. When I built, FEMA required that I raise the foundation one...

My buddy still has his vintage race bike - an AJS 7R. It is now a living room sculpture. No, it doen't leak; no oil. The drip pan underneath is just for ambiance. rScotty - still missing the old Gold Star twin. But it couldn't possibly have been as good as the memories it left.

Nice house. Love the design. rScotty

I just went through this. 2010 FEMA maps may be out of date today. FEMA has changed since then and they are constantly changing the way that they calculate flood zones. It doesn't cost anything to check. The next upcoming change in the way FEMA calculates flood insurance is is anticipated to...

Gotta agree with that. I don't want to hear a dealer talk about the competition, I want to hear about his advantages. And if the advantages are real, I expect to see those advantages reflected both in the price and in the warranty. Otherwise it's just a sales man talking about tractors -...

I'm not surprised at that. Lots of companies made simple basic tractors like that back then and they do tend to last nearly forever. 5000 to 10,000 hours before a rebuild is what we used to figure on 20 to 50 years ago. Tractor Data says your Kioti DK35 is a three cylinder, pre-computer...

Can you cut that in half if you do some of the work yourself and hire contractors? There was a time you could. We did. Drew it up and had an architect turn it into building plans and then to an engineer for his stamp. Working on it evenings, the build took 5 years. Not a problem, that enabled...

SNIP... Now that is fascinating We hear all the time that a warranty is one of the big reasons people buy new, but I don't believe in all my years on TBN that I've seen a discussion of the difference in warranties. Lots on HP & loader capacity; little on warranty differences. All I recall...

I took the technical route to fuel resistant sealers. From my motorcycle & boating days I had done a lot of experimening with sealing gas tanks suspended over hot engines. The cured material has follow threads, stay flexible, and resist petroleum based fuels plus various alcohols forever...

Now I know why that sounds familiar. I recall going through a similar problem a couple of years ago on our1958 John Deere 2 cylinder. BTW, that task led me to find out which gasket & thread sealers that are impervious to gasoline. Many are not. rScotty

I sure like the size of the L39 and was surprised when they discontinued it. Lots of stuff on your list was cured on the M59 - especially the controls. They are simply the best and most sensitive BH controls I've ever used on any machine. It is easy to reliably move the bucket tip a fraction of...

I'm curious why you would not simply use a brass thread adapter?

Some mid 80s vintage US Yanmars ran the FEL or accessory hydraulics via a small pump driven by a shaft that extended forward from the front of the crankshaft pulley. Connection was by a flexible shaft to shaft connector. You might look to see if your crankshaft pulley has a couple of threaded...

Tandem pumps are expensive. of course you can make adaprter plates and shaft connectors to run anything to anything, but why not just put a 15 gallon/minute accessory pump on the PTO shaft and run the whole tractor from it? I'm afraid you will find that you need to have to have an adjustable...

I'd buy an old commercial backhoe/loader like a Kubota M59 or JD310 for the serious amount of big machine work you just listed. Consider a simpleself-propelled lawn mower for the lawn. HD has a Honda single speed HST with electric start, and cost about $800. When the big work is done, sell both...

That is the way that Yanmar did it with their hydrostatic power steering. Before the FEL They used an adjustable divider with a priority circuit. Universal priority valves with adjustable percentage flow plus a relief valve are reasonably priced at hydraulic outlets like surpluscenter.com I...

McAntics like things that move and all manner mechanical things for their own sake - not because they save time or money. In fact, I agree with what you say - I'm still not at all sure that they really do save appreciable amounts of either one. It's just fun to see how many different ways...

That's the way I run them too. Low and slow.

Everyone works at their own pace. I'll happily spend a week rebuilding an old machine to do a job in one day that could have been done by hand in two No Vise? There is no excuse.... take a couple of pieces of wood, a strap hinge, and a big nut and bolt pair. A hour's work will make a nice...

A lot of times the roll pin end is expanded. They are real hard steel. Best way is to make sure the off-center hole goes all the way thru, then grind the roll pin down flush with the yoke and use a roll pin punch for sure. If you do not, and then you booger it again as it is being forced past...

Books on anything & everything - this house is like a library. Hobbies range from pocket knife collection to surveying to falconry to microscopes & binoculars. Fascinated by oddball old hand tools, especially pliers. Used to sail and build boats. Old machinery, magnetism, fancy brazing, trees...

There is so much to learn here that I don't have any idea where a person would begin. One thing does stand out, though. If dealers are important to a fellow's tractoring, then local dealers are even more so.

A lot of our TBNers in the US & Canada with compact/utility tractors are new to their land. They are still working to shape the land and build things like roads, barns, & fences. Right now their "farm" may be a house, small barn, large garden, and a few animals - but with little or no tillable...

Thanks, but I have no idea about the Longs. My special interest is in popular older machinery - including tractors - which were have stood the test of time. I think the ones worth considering are - just to give some examples - are the old Fords, older JDs, Farmalls, Yanmars and Masseys etc...

Well, I just heard back from a guy I trust. He used to have many warehouses full of tires and wheels and would deal in odd combos. He said we are both wrong - but both of us were once right - back before the days of super wide and low profile tires changed the way tires are rated. He says that...

Tires will fit on different width wheels - but that will change the rolling circumference dramatically. The width used in the tech spec is the one specified on the tire.

I believe it is 12.4 inches measured inside to inside at the outer radial face of the sealing area.

No.

I just go to the manufacturer's site and look in their technical specs. Rolling circumference is important for part time 4wd, and has to be measured rather than calculated. So it is usually in their tech specs. But hardly ever mentioned in their sales specs. And Rolling Circumference is...

The first number does. Also read the first sentence in Lou's reply (#2). He and I are saying the same thing.

It's simple. Both numbers are wheel numbers. They tell you the size wheel that tire fits best and is the wheel size the manufacturer used when making all the other measurements like distance from the ground and rolling circumference and diameter. The first number you are asking about is the...

Yes, that is a wonderful resource. I bet it saves them a lot of time, too. Messick's parts books are my favorite resource for parts and for deducing how parts go together - especially mechanical parts. They even have current price and availability right next to the description - where they...

Sure, a video would help a lot. Make sure the fluid is clear, not milky Air in the fluid is rare, but in the BX24 it may be a good clue. Usually air goes away by itself when you run it a bit. If not, it usually comes via a suction side leak between sump and inlet to the hydraulic pump. That...

Hello Sam. Nice tractor. I might end up with one of those B26s myself. Tell us a little about yours. And indulge me for a minute because now I'm curious. I always get the printed shop manual and the printed parts manual for any machine I own. I consider it part of the price. When I sell...

And nice to see It's just the shifter, not the transmission gears. Not uncommon for that shifting system to wear or break. Usually it involves someone tripping over the shift lever one too many times and bending or breaking the little round ball on the bottom of the gear shifter #13. Or...

You are lucky, That's a real common and universal manual transmission design. It's been around since I was a kid. Take out the 4 bolts - the problem and solution should be right there staring at you. Any broken piece might be sitting on the shifting rails. If not, fish for it. We used to pull...

I'm afraid you are right. I know a young couple who bought a house they could afford to make payments on. In a few years they sold it at a profit to buy a larger one - and that worked so well they did it yet again. In the process they've gone from a reasonable position to a precarious one...

Agree completely. Go with the flow. Move the road over and improve the banks to develop your nice little pond. Build the banks up and plant them. Leave access at one end of the pond for cleaning it out and enjoy the feature. You are lucky to have it. We did the same and put up a camera and are...

We did roughly the same. Started with a small compact 4wd and used it a bunch. Over the years our land stayed the same but the tractors and projects got larger. That's when we discovered that big tractors can do little jobs, but the reverse isn't true. Eventually we get older and the little...

I wonder how long it will be before oversupply leads to price cuts. Or if it will.

Interesting opinions. Since opinions interest you - and all these are the 50/50 type - consider deliberately making each decision the other way next time you buy. Then reverse and repeat. Eliminate the obvious mistakes as you go. It's how we learn. rScotty

It happens. The local hydraulic shop replaces seals by size & has a selection. For rebuilding cylinders they have a huge old lathe - I don't know if it even runs, but it is perfect for holding cylinders, taking off the glands and pressing seals. I haven't been there in years now, but a decade...

If it's too far to go to inspect then it is way too far for a warranty to do any good. That model was not sold on this side of the world, so it is a grey-market. So it is a tractor that was traded in on another by the original user - probably a ricefield farmer in Asia. He didn't want to keep...

I've welded things for 50 years. Very good with gas, and passable with arc, tig, & mig. All self taught, but truth is I'm not a particularly good teacher - even to myself. I bet I could learn a lot of new things by taking some classes. Thanks for the idea. rScotty

I've found for the price of the kits and hassle it's easier to just let a hydraulic shop do them. Kubota didn't make the cylinders; they will be standard but probably metric. Did you ask at a commercial shop to see who does theirs? Commercial being the yellow paint JD shop. Around here most...

Ok. Sounds like you have some other problems than not getting up to heat. Best fix those first.

Does it have a temperature gauge on the dash that reads out in degrees? If not, consider going down to the Car Parts or Amazon and get a gauge kit. Then at least you will know if your changes are making a difference. I did that to mine. Came with everything including the right brass thread...

Something is off. The price is too low. So you are right to be suspicious. However..... It's not the hours, it's the condition. A diesel with 5000 hours is getting old - but that just means that the eventual total rebuild is closer than it was with half that many hours. It doesn't mean that it...

Nice research. It's kind of what I figured, but I never took the time to do the work that you did. Those costs are all close enough that I doubt price alone is going to make the decision.

How long before the hydraulics stopped working? Sometimes it helps to go back to what happened right before something changed. At least one of the hydraulic filters is on the suction side.

One simple thing to check is the suction hose from hydraulic sump to the hydraulic pump inlet. On some tractors - especially HSTs - that suction line is an inaccessible internal passage, but on many models the suction line is an actual external hose. Even the smallest pinhole air leak can...

The travel is short and always connected to the brake lever by an extension spring so that the brakes light will turn on even when the brake lever throw is adjusted for very little free play...but not pull the switch apart when adjusted for longer throw. Usually the spring comes with the switch...

That's the same as for the hand brake on our 2007 vintage M59. Last summer I decided to take a look at the hand brake system to see if there was some problem. Why was the hand brake so hard to pull but did so little? And could I mount a solenoid for electric control? I disconnected one cable...

First thought is that it has some two stroke oil in the gas. Or some other kind of gas additive either as a mistake or as a break-in lube that is making it smoke. Whatever it is, it has done its job by now..... if it even had one to do. So drain the gas completely. Put in half a tank of fresh...

I just watched Dave Gordon's video. It is fascinating. Excellent. Thanks to Strantor for recommending it. For anyone who watches it, there is a slight chance of misunderstanding at roughly 12:07 minutes into his video where he uses the words "180 degrees out of phase" when he is clearly talking...

OK. I hear the same thing from my friends. Apparently I don't explain well either. My tractor seems to understand me well enough; my old dog less so. The cat doesn't even try. rScotty

Thank you, Albert. rScotty

Is it just me or are these terrible videos? I sat down to enjoy them, and and quickly realized either they don't understand what they are talking about or can't explain it. Maybe both. rScotty

The power company doesn't go nearly that deep. I was surprised at how shallow that power poles are set into the ground and how loose the fit. Not at all what I expected. Check it out with your local utility. None in our area are anywhere near ten feet. I agree on the elastomers. There are lots...

Sure, you can do that. Yes, there is a little more stress on the outboard parts of the front axle but many of have done it. The main thing to check is how the lug bolts/nuts fit up. From the parts book it looks like you are OK there. No bevels that I can see, and both sides look to be flat...

Sounds like there is a problem in the control valve and the lever is not moving the sliding control valve far enough to open the return hose port. It there by any chance a relief valve on the bottom of the boom slider on the control valve? If so, I'd look there first. If you loosen the boom...

Yes, it's pretty rare for an OP to stay with a subject once started. He did stick with it for awhile. Maybe he will digest some of this and come back with more info and thoughts. This TBN group has a lot of knowledge but too often we end up talking to ourselves - and like you say, a lot...

Right you are about the E brake. No matter how I contort to get enough leverage to set either manual parking brake lever on the Kubota M59 I can easily drive off with it on. Don't ask how I know.... The JD 310 has a solenoid actuated E brake parking brake. For operator convenience, it's just...

Oh, you may be right. Actually I'm glad you brought that up. The one thing that will cause me to walk away without even looking at an old machine is new paint - especially if they have painted the wiring and the hoses. Do that, and I'm not even going to waste our time. What I am impressed by...

What's a 5 gallon overhaul? It's not a term I've heard before. Usually when buying an old piece of machinery I just talk to the person to find out exactly what shape it's in. Usually they are real helpful. I've bought old machines my whole life. Nobody has ever lied to me or AFAIK attempted...

Exactly what I'm recommending. I wonder if it could possibly run anywhere near as good as it looks? What it looks like for that price is if it runs and works it is pretty close to a steal. A guy could use that 580 for a couple of years and sell it for same. Both the Case 580 and JD 310 of that...

OK. Those are HEAVY projects. For those projects and at that price my opinion is that you are looking at a well used - hopefully not too much abused - larger tractor. Either an older Ag tractor with a Front End Loader, 3pt, and power steering..... or a retired commercial tractor/loader/backhoe...

I have in floor heat. I will never pour concrete without putting the special flexible pex pipe in. The pipe is cheap & doesn't have to be hooked up. But without it there is no chance. In 2008 I built a new house and installed inexpensive in-floor heat with at twist.... We don't use it for...

I rarely use a torque wrench. All they do is measure resistance to turning, and that is too often affected by things like thread wear, different materials - steel bolt into an aluminum pan, type of washer - or not, type of lube or not, dirt, and wrench angle. There comes a time for old...

Higher Quality?? He has an M59... and medium size tractors just don't come any higher quality than that - though I might be a wee bit prejudiced. Or maybe just spoiled. Pre-emisions industrial engine, 6 speed hydrostat, super heavy construction. Even the FEL specs are amazing. We use ours...

that sounds about right.

That looks about perfect. I'd like to find one myself. rScotty

No HP, and no real change in how it runs. Nothing noticible to you as a tractor owner. There are advantages, but they are tiny. A coil is easier to diagnose if it goes wrong. I'd stick with just changing the ignition coil to 12 volt for now. You can always go to electronic ignition later...

Well, in the spirit of something is better than nothing - here is the low dollar seat improvement from 2008. Still works fine. Universal... Only problem with this low dollar improvement is it works best with young low dollar backs. I'm going to look for a genuine Grammer seat myself. If you...

Does this floating style top link work like a chain toplink? I never did understand what good using a chain would do, but tried it. With the rigid top link, when the trailing wheels go over a bump the whole rake goes up but stays parallel to the ground. The rake is harder to lift this way...

I used to clean hydraulic cylinder bores up with a strip of 320 grit wetordry sandpaper wound around the end of a 5/8 dowel rod. A coping saw cut into the end of the dowel rod held the sandpaper into the cut and I wound a half dozen or more wraps - enough so it would clean up the bore and not...

I agree. Most all of those old ones are made for simple, quiet, and economical pulling or maybe a bit of transmission-driven PTO work. They don't upgrade to a FEL loader well at all, because they don't have the sturdy front axle, PS, and the full length frame a FEL needs. That doen't mean they...

Which model EA rake? They show several.

We span the years beginning with an old John Deere two cylinder - similar to your 8N - and now have modern 4wd power everything tractors with loaders. But we kept the old JD and it still gets used. Last time was last year pulling a landscape rake in the fall. Otherwise it sleeps. So keep the...

I found on my Woods rake that I was better off replacing teeth than heating & re-bending them. That was back when I was still trying to get it to de-rock an acre. No go.... I'll accept some bend as you can see in those old photos of our Woods in earlier posts. Hey! All all rake teeth the same...

It sounds like a bad battery, but everyone is going to say to check the battery terminal connections first. We say "check", but what that means is you want to loosen the bolt enough to slip the connector loose from the battery post. Then clean it up and put it back on. Checking that both...

The ones I was looking at here are called road barriers. They come in 4, 5, 6, and 8 foot lengths and weigh from 2000 to 4000 lbs. these had rebar loops cast into the top. New cost is expensive, but I sometimes see them for sale for $200 apiece for 8 footers in the places that sell used building...

OK. Good luck. It's always interesting to see about new designs happen.

I wouldn't move the valve spool parts. Each spool is fitted to be where it is. If you want the bucket to float instead of the arms, just move the hoses. But I'm not understanding what is gained by floating the bucket. I do float sometimes when backdragging to smooth things out on the last...

You are certainly welcome. And you bring up a good point that it is becoming hard to impossible to find good used implements. But they have to be out there somewhere. Maybe we just haven't stumbled on the right searching technique yet. Frankly I wouldn't waste my time with chasing advertisements...

I'd agree. Before I used our landscape rake - the old Woods in all the photos above - I had the idea that I would go over an acre of dirt and rocks and somehow magically turn it into cleaned dirt with neat windrows of rocks conveniently stacked off to the side. Well, a landscape rake doesn't do...

The Woods wheels on mine may be expensive, but the quality is there. Ball bearings, cast rims, industrial tires, height adjustable. They just need to sit farther back. It would surprise me if the springs were different at all. Here is a closeup of the Woods landscape spring tines from some...

I guess that's another argument for looking for used 3pt accessories. I see used box blades for $300 and new ones for close to $1000 - and it beats me what could possibly be different about a new box blade versus a used one. Maybe the paint? Probably we shouldn't even look at the price for the...

Mikester, what are the pros and cons now after a year of use? Your mods are making my M59 jealous. I was going to put an air ride seat in our M59 - although that project is on hold until I fix the air leak on the JD310's air seat. That's the un-mentioned down side of an air ride seat.... if...

Sure you can - if local regs let you get away with it. How many do you think it will take to do the job? I expect you'll place them side by side so they are end-on to the water. And that makes it easy to chain them together. The other way with the flat side to the water doesn't make much sense...

I have to agee with that. 3pt accessories haven't changed much in the last 20 years or more - unless you believe there has been a change in quality of materials and workmanship. Most of 3pt attachments are simple enough that the average person can do anything needed in an afternoon with hand...

It looks like a home-made load leveler made out of an old 3pt draw bar and some scap. Used for lifting anything from logs to motor blocks where you need to easily make small adjustments when lifting at the center of two lifting chains. Small adjustments are necessary to keep the load level. Its...

Yes, that's exactly what happened to us. We watched from a hillside as a whole town's bridges and culverts washed away for different reasons - but the most common cause seemed to be that as the creek became a river, it would cut channels around obstructions in moments, undermine them, and then...

If you ever have that problem again, you can buy a universal PTO-driven hydraulic pump and plumb it in so you can use the tractor while you wait for the OEM pump to arrive. Get the kind of PTO pump that allows for a through shaft and you can also use normal PTO-driven implements with the pump...

I see the problem...that the bolt is interfering with the tab. The SSQA lever cannot move on over to its proper over center position. I'd say, that it is NOT safe to use it as is because the RH lever needs to move far enough CCW to go over center so that the lever will self-lock. But I'm not...

Rebuilding a carb doesn't hurt. I keep all the old and new parts in a shoe box and can replace all the parts that could benefit quicker than I can upbolt and rebolt the carb. The old Norton Amal carbs has tiny passages that benefit from harsh chemical carb soaking, but the old JD just gets a...

Old gas taps and carburetors will form internal varnish as the gas evaporates. That makes floats heavier and will narrow fuel passages. But that you see more at idle than at throttle. I'm not sure about the type of gas tap -there were two I know of. The type that turns on automatically via oil...

I would go with that. There have to be some times where normal mounting clearances and loose fasteners have allowed the clamping to rotate somewhere in the mounting system - and that can certainly cause an uneven bucket. And as you say, it is likely to be all the way back at the farthermost...

My impression is that front loaders get uneven because metal got bent or tweaked. I can't ever recall it being simply loose bolts, corroded pins, or hydraulics. Metal stretches when it bends, which is why it can't be bent back.... it can't "unstretch". So it has can be bent somewhere else to...

Wow! That looks like a real nice find! What's the history on that old JD?

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say I've never seen it, but it it isn't technique then maybe you do have a worn out curl cylinder. It could be that the cylinder is worn in the middle of the range and only seals well internally when the piston gets out toward the ends. You could test it by...

I don't know if they still do, but I know what you are talking about. Yanmar and Kubota - and about a dozen others - used to make tiny versions of their larger tractors. They had all the same features as much larger tractors, but were under 15 hp and weighed about 1100 lbs. Very popular in the...

I like to use a larger fitting than a tire valve so that a greater volume of air gets into the pipe quickly to get the water moving. You want lots of volume of air quickly. I usually just use a rubber air hose nozzle and push it against an open spigot at a high point in my plumbing. Open a...

I think a lot of people feel like you do about the savings in time being important. At one time I would have too. It became different when I are retired, and you are correct - I should have mentioned that. So much of what rural folks do does change with age. I agree that there are much faster...

We use our tractor for heavy jobs that we used to do with muscle power. Lifting, carrying, digging holes, moving snow - chores like that. For an acre or so of mowing grass a tractor is debateable. I find it easier to simply use a self-propelled lawnmower. Some people prefer a mower on the...

Or twice the fun...

Thanks. It seems to be working now. I wonder what happened? I tried two different computers yesterday and today plus several different browsers. No change. Then all of a sudden it works. It could just be my computer or OS. Always possible. rScotty

I noticed that I cannot get past the last message posted to the thread "home shop lathe" in the "Build-it Yourself Forum. Why? How to fix?

OK. This is the OP, and I thought I'd bring my own shop crane search up to date. After looking at all the fascinating cranes that people posted, I did something new and bought one from Harbor Freight. My first tool ever from there. The store had the 1 ton and 2 tons both on the floor and...

Hmmm... with that many high HP motors in a small shop have you ever thought about mapping the magnetic field density in there? EMF meters that will measure in volts/meter or uT (electric and magnetic field density) are inexpensive - decent ones are less than $50 on Amazon.. Not much is known...

Yep. I agree. That was poorly worded... I should have written, "Available and affordable". I personally wouldn't want an old one that was simply "cheap" either. But you can get a lot of work out of a machine that is just old, tired, down on power, and with a few idiosyncrasies - but...

You may be right. I'd like to think that both started out with higher motives - JD to make farming more efficient and the EPA to improve people's health & life. But if so, they've both changed to concentrate more on the mundane. More on profits and power and less on being a benefit to the...

I hope it is true that people are beginning to be repairing rather than buying new. That would be good for everything: people, the earth, and a pretty good way to deal with inflation too. It's hard to lose a lot of money on an old tractor and a guy might even break even. There are still lots...

One motivated by profit, the other by health.

It's not a lawn mower, but I'm not sure that there is anything on the market to compare with the small old style Farmall tractor for doing large gardens. Especially in clay soil. Luckily there are lots of used ones on the market and they are so simple they last forever. If you go that route, get...

The best spark plug wires have three insulation coatings and a stranded copper wire that is soldered to the ends caps. Hotrodders and racers have known that they have to make them right that way for years. But even those parts are hard to come by. When I went to automotive stores - includng...

Creating a nice looking random pattern has got to be an art. Quilters, roofers, and stone masons do a lot of that sort of design. Some do it right from the start and others - like me - are still trying to put up a dry stone wall that doesn't look like it was stacked with a dump truck. Looking...

Well, that's sad. Those doglegs at property boundaries are kind of a giveaway. Especially with a road involved. But I didn't know myself until it happened to some locals. It can mean that the creek was moved laterally on one side of the road of the other, and the ditch next to the road makes a...

You are right. A MOU - as it is known - has no power to bind the parties. But it is a document requiring signatures and stating that all parties have agreed to work together in good faith to accomplish a specific goal. When signed, an MOU is a legal document in that sense and also in the sense...

That dogleg sure does look familiar! A dogleg just like that caused a problem locally. Ultimately that dogleg was caused some 40 years before when a farmer decided to use his bulldozer to move the creek on his land. The creek was tiny, seasonal, and nobody cared. The original farmer had moved...

Another vote for the 4 post canopy. It's double thick canopy gives some protection from weather & sun. But what I like best are those front posts. They've deflected some serious branches that I didn't see in time. Also handy for grabbing to get on and off the tractor in one smooth motion that...

The transmission case does double duty as the hydraulic sump, so hydraulic fluid is constantly being returned to that sump, and then forward by suction to the hydraulic pump for another trip around the hydraulics. And inside the transmission itself there is pressure that is used to run the...

The "plenty high enough" is a real difficult thing to measure. A good rule of thumb to start with is that a road should slope up to get to a bridge crossing. When the road slopes down, both the road and the bridge are already within the channel made by a previous flood. rScotty

Neither one is cheap, my experience is that cheap crossings don't last long. Large diameter culverts and boulders are within reach of a person with a pickup truck and tractor with loader and hoe.. A trailer helps. A railroad car is a whole different level. A low water crossing is a low tech...

We designed several low water crossings of roughly the same size you are doing. The smallest one started with two 4' culverts and ended up using three 5 foot diameter culverts each 20 feet long. The idea behind a low water crossing is that water and debris will be deflected over the top during...

Well, you probably don't want to use the original part as the pattern anyway. It might not work so well. Wrong draft and all. I think a patternmaker would measure it & then go make a wooden pattern Some woodworkers used to make patterns as a side business. It would be fun to try. Many years ago...

HST+ is nice. But in a larger tractor, if HST+ wasn't available it wouldn't trouble me to go for shuttle shift over a standard 3 range HST. Does that make sense? rScotty

OP here - And I never thought that there would be so many different types of lifting devices .... or that so many TBNers already had one in their shop. Not sure what our final solution here will be, but I now know a lot more about what is available. My machine/fab shop is small but high...

That looks like a reasonable grill.... Nice you still have it. I'd probably value the story more than the original nose. Up until a few years ago there were several small iron foundaries in the Denver area that would cast whatever you wanted from your pattern. Prices were reasonable. Several...

It's a fair assessment when Hay Dude says, "Kubota just isn't there yet". Kubota is usable for light commercial/Ag duty and that's why it costs half or less what he calls a "Legacy" machine does. He's talking Utility vs Commercial. A Legacy machine needs to be a good design, with good...

Say, this is for those of you who have the Harbor Freight shop crane..... It seems that they all leak down, and everyone hates it but puts up with it because of the price. Is there some sort of cam or support that people use to hold the arm up? Gotta be something.... A 2x4? rScotty

Wish we still had our old red Willys here on the place. My parents first car was the larger version. A WWII open Command Car. Mom hated it, Dad loved it. Don't think I've ever seen another.

Our M59 has 1200 hours, OK maintenance, nothing special. It is now 15 years old. It lives outside - tarped. That's as close to 100 hrs a year as makes no difference. So we don't put a lot of hours on it, but when it works it works hard. Not unusual for it to idle for an hour or more while we do...

The first thing I would do is look at the type of clamp that is being used, and ask myself if it is right for the application. A surprising number of hoses are poorly clamped. That will work for awhile, but eventually will leak. Maybe not much, but a little. And it's preventable. Coolant system...

Sounds like the coolant level is perfect. Not unusual for a few drops or spoonfuls to be thrown out when working. Check clamps. Clean up drops to protect our furry friends - it's sweet tasting poison.

Oh, sorry. I was using "more than" as a southernism. Really ought to look first to see where the message is going. So to be more definite - you imply that you would be willing to sell for 450. I would have considered your 2/3 calculation of 480 to be a fair price if indeed there is little wear...

OK. Guys, for me it is getting to that point where I need to sit down and draw out a sketch of the system as it is - and at the same time I also try to find a good flow diagram of the original as it was made. It takes longer than you would think to do it properly - but it is time and money...

More than fair.

That's right. The problem with all of the arguments in favor of electrical control devices vs mechanical control devices is the level of supporting technology involved. It's not a matter of "just another type of part". A mechanical device can be refurbished using simple technology, tools, and...

That's actually good. The binding would be easily noticible if the problem was caused by drivetrain windup in 4wd. So from your description I'm inclined to think that "Tractor Tec" has the best idea with his adjustment of the shifting cables. But even adjusted perfectly it can still be...

Does that happen more in 4wd than in 2wd?

Right. It could certainly have a manual diverter valve so that the operator could choose either the loader or the backhoe - but not each at the same time. Massey used a similar thing. So it is worth looking at to see if that is his problem. Number 4 on the list of probabilities. Good catch...

I think you are on the right track. Lets talk about hydraulic fluid for a moment. The problem with hydraulic fluid is that there is no governing body.... no universally accepted requirements or even preferred chemistry. All the societal and governmental constraints like SAE and Oil Institute...

No, that's not entirely right. Or at least the part about patents is not complete. I agree with your point that when you buy something it is yours to do with as you please. The only thing you cannot do with an existing patent (or copyright) is duplicate it for profit. Interestingly, with a...

I never dreamed there were so many options for shop cranes! Hoyer & Skyhook both look great - at roughly 10 to 20 times the price of the H.F.... er....Harbor Fright. The ones that mount on 3pt hitch or SSQA are amazing. TBN is great. I can see a trolly and overhead beam in the future. But...

Category 0 is similar to cat 1. Just slightly lighter duty. You can google specs.

Had to have a new engine computer in our late model JD last year. Installation is two screws and one plug. It doesn't even require removing a panel for access. Time: two minutes. Diagnosis is done by proprietary software at the dealer. Refurbished (reprogrammed) part is $2000. Dealer gets the...

If you can build it yourself you can fix up a non-running tractor that you can buy for less than the metal to make one. And that way you get all the R&D for free. Fix an old one. Cheaper, faster, better, ecological - and make your own implements for it.

Did you know him well enough to be able to speculate on why he bought it? It might have been price - like Jimna... or it might have been that he felt that it was ahead of the rest of the world mechanically. Some European tractors are that good....though not all. My own opinion is that several...

That's interesting. I'll bet when you got those 2 to 4", worked the valves, heard the fluid move, and saw it hold in the new position you thought it was going to be easy... I know I would have. First of all, I don't know. But here are three guesses: 1. One is that the cylinder shafts were...

That's right, but the explanation is not yet complete. Yes, the valves are in series (but there are tricks like proportional fluid paths)..... but for now assume they are all in series because that is simpler. What makes it work is that when you trigger a valve to divert flow, you are only...

It's time for a small shop crane, or something to help me lift things. It's just old age, but I can no longer lift the normal things in the shop. Time for some help. It needn't be all that strong. 500 lbs max would be fine, and 50 more common. But the shop is small and it needs to fold up and...

I can't help but think that you are doing the same jobsthat can be done so much more nicely with a backhoe and thumb.

We have a small place now. But I've worked on some larger ones the past many years. And owned more than a few tractors. I think one tractor is two much of a compromise for your plans. You will probably end up with two - one needs to be handy for firewood, barn work, corrals, and general chores...

What has been posted in the answers so far is correct. Let me just add that the reason why neither of your two original Scenerios is correct is because in both you say that when the hydraulic pump begins to spin there is no flow. That is NOT correct. In an open center circuit - which yours is -...

Something to think about when looking at machine tools: our milling machine probably gets 5x the use as the lathe. It is a Rockwell - smaller than a Bridgeport, but similar quality with an R8 spindle and a 3 phase 220 VFD motor. Mills double as drill presses, too.

No, it's not as nice as a LeBlond or Clausing. I don't really have a use for a real indusrial size lathe, but just like in tractors there is less downside to a large lathe than one would think. Other than pure size of course. In my little shop with 6" concrete floors I could fit and use...

There's not a thing in the world wrong with a gasser. In fact in an old engine I say it was an advantage. Like you say, they are a known quantity. I just redid the tune on our old gasser. It hadn't been responding to the annual carb bowl & main jet clean outs which seems to be required with new...

I agree with all that. Also, something to think about: when I buy an old tractor for cash to do some project, I go in to it knowing that if the machine doesn't work out then that whole project may not move forward immediatley - but ultimately it probably will. Now if I finance a new tractor...

I realize I'm a week late...but glad you got a temporary fix. It sounds like you have done about what any mechanical old timer would have done, which is asked for advice and then patched it up while looking for a plan... It's what I'd have done. Glad it worked. You are lucky to have that local...

I was looking for a nice home shop lathe when I ran across this light duty 12" Atlas with the factory underdrive and long bed. It came with a ton of tooling - 3 and 4 jaw chucks, all the manuals, quick change tool holders.... on and on. Like new condition. It wasn't my first choice - I was...

I'm not sure enough emphasis has been put on the advantages of the HST+ transmission. Before, I was always singing the praises of shuttle and powershift - and I still prefer them for a mostly field work tractor or long distance to travel..... and they are decent for loader work too. But for...

I think you are on the path to a good attachment and one worth building. Having a thumb on the backhoe has changed my life... And one for the loader would be nearly as good. Looking at all the pictures and imagining it in use, I'd rather have a curved thumb. Or better yet, some design with a...

Here's a cheer for dealerships that have a service truck. We've had two dealers now with fully equipped service trucks and each manned by a master mechanic. That is the classy way to go. Hip, hip... rScotty BTW, nice thread.

By the time an engine overheating alarm goes off - if the tractor even has one - most likely the damage is already done. I'm sorry to say that if your broken hose caused it to overheat it doesn't much matter what type repair you do to the radiator. Might as well try something. If it didn't...

If it is in nice shape, I'd first ask around if any of your neighbors want it or know someone. Best of all worlds.... If the hydraulic cylinder is just leaking and not squirting, I'd leave it as is and simply mention it to a prospective buyer. Price? Hydro and shedded with blade and cutter - and...

Sure it is. Much ado about tractor brands is always fun. Seems to me that the OP just wanted to basically say how much he liked his tractor and blow off steam about a SIX YEAR !! warranty - which is nice to have just for bragging rights or hanging on the wall..... even if it doesn't actually...

You probably already know this, but worth mentioning since you say that being mechanically injected is a huge part of your buying decision. It was for me, too. It's easy to tell a mechanically injected engine from a common rail type if you want to check to be sure. The mechanically injected...

You aren't going to be anywhere near the carrier bearing to simply replace an outer axle seal. This is not much more difficult than fixing a flat tire. Of course there is always the chance of a repair being more involved. A bearing that has failed so badly as to causes a seal to leak will also...

That's interesting. Maybe we don't have as many simple extra features on our backhoe buckets as you have over there. Adding a thumb is about as far as we go with common backhoe bucket attachments. I don't think I've seen the "flip over type of back hoe forks" or for that matter a 4n1 BH bucket...

Not that's fast!! Way faster than me. My hat's off to that. I can usually string any job out for a half an hour or longer - and often do so just for the enjoyment. But the point here is that any mechanical case that has oil inside and some sort of rotating shafts sticking out of the case...

Right. It's probably just a front axle seal. You see them all the time. Small outer axle leaks have been common with that axle design ever since it came into general use about 50 years ago. Sometimes that outer lip seal starts leaking just from sitting wrong or getting some dirt under it. That...

Well, 5K for one that starts, runs, and has a loader is about as good as you will ever do. And it is a common model. I just don't know that model well. One friend had the next smaller similar vintage IH for many years and it was always fine. However it runs now is probably just exactly how it...

Yepper. I'm still missing too much info. Don't understand the geometry & need some photos. In fact, not even sure what is breaking where? What got rewelded? Is there a casting involved? And why would this be a Mahindra part rather than a standard bolted joint? Too many questions. Half a dozen...

That's right. Batteries are the technical popular rage right now,& work OK storing energy for things that need to move around - like cars or flashlights. Or even small stationary systems like houses. But as folks point out, batteries aren't a good answer for large power plants. They are sexy for...

Yes! I remember the smokestack "scrubber wars"! In the 70s and 80s I knew people involved with steel production and the scrubbers at Crucible Steel in Syracuse. Another friend ran those plants. That was the era when Crucible Steel was bought out by Colt Industries - a company notorious for...

I agree. Selling price and durabiity are different issues - although not everyone would feel the same. For example, TBNer Torvy comes from an economic background and always makes the point that purchase price is a function of economics and advertising. As in: (price) "....is just another...

I had the same question. It's too easy these days to make up a list and then post it to "prove" any point a person wants. TBN has followed the tractor industry for a long time and this new Deere/Kunje connections seems too much of a stretch. At least it needs a whole lot better proof than one...

I guess I don't see the solution that is "right in front of us". If you mean coal, we tried coal for 100 years - but there was no way to clean up the air. If you are over 70, you remember the way that smog stank and lay as a pall over every city, in every valley, and sometimes whole sections of...

The absolute best implement I can recommend is real nice but spendy even as a manual adjustable type. It's would be a back blade that has angle, tilt, and offset along with a set of bolt on end caps - and also has a blade that reverses (most do that). Box blades are real handy - but not in all...

Locally the large utilities store power by reversing the hydro-electric generators when demand is low, and pumping water to a paired reservoir at a higher elevation. That's a fairly common way to store hydro-electric energy anywhere there is an elevation difference of a few hundred feet or more...

MATK, we are missing something here. I thought in 20 years of talking about mechanical stuff the TBN guys would have covered everything - but I can't remember hearing this problem with any make of loader. You mentioned they were "out of stock", so are these special dealer bolts for this...

I use Oddysey now when I can. Still buy the occasional Interstate. Used to use Optima for 20+ years until their quality became inconsistent. Whatever you get, make it an AGM sealed no maintenance type. AGMs cost 50% more- but have no maintenance or corrosion, and tend to last more than 50%...

When I started our repair shop years ago, one of the things we did was to contract to do the more complicated and time consuming warranty work for local dealers. Several posters above - RickB & artf - poiont out that dealers often can't afford to do their own warranty work. That's true. They do...

Last year the local parts distribution warehouse bought a load of serpentine belts for Toyotas/lexus that are "cryers". They all make a crying noise that the old belts didn't do. It's worse on cold mornings.

Congratulations. Those Wilton bullet vises are simply the best. I've not taken mine apart, but have heard they have a bearing in the front. And they always seem to come with a good story. Maybe it's because they live so long. I bought mine on Ebay 15 years or more ago. It never did show up, and...

It's normal for loaders to drift down. When you have 900 hours on your excellent new tractor instead of 9 hours I bet you will have figured out that it is just one of those things we live with. Since it is a new tractor, here are some things to think about. All loaders drift down - especially...

Birds! None are the same, it seems. I feed them outside away from the barn and plug up the entryways to keep them out of where I don't want birds pooping. It's easy enough to do. I figure that sharing our piece of the world with critters is a large part of country living. It's how I was raised...

Yes, nice repair work. I enjoy torch work - and do quite a bit with the nickle/bronze and sometimes use nickel/silver. I would love to hear some more about Tig brazing work - especially with with nickel alloys on stainless, hastelloy, Ti & others. I was all set up to look into that myself, as a...

If you like your tractor and it works well, I'd do just what you are doing - try to find implements to fit. You have to use the right model number. Your's is a BX2230 - NOT a BX22 ! They are near the same size but are differerent tractors. The LA211 loader is correct for the BX2230, but I'm...