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Thanks! Paint- applied with a brush! I left the powder coat showing on the original frame. An oil primer was applied under the green enamel I got at JD for the new parts. I run Pro/E software... same as I ran as an engineer at JD for 30 years. ;<)

Both spindles counter-rotate and spaced to back-sweep BOTH tire tracks? Wish I had enough tractor to run something like that.... or somebody made a smaller mower like it. That would be sweet!

I've lost a few 100 year old Sugar Maples this spring. They'll process and burn well. From memory though, they are not robust once contacting the ground and can turn punky faster than my other hardwoods? They're on the log pile now stacked on top of more robust woods. They've been on this...

Thanks for the nice words guys! I started by modeling the existing factory guard then adding in the vertical grille bars until I thought the proportions looked right (3/8" dia bars on 1" centers). Looks like I didn't bother adding in the RH side. The vertical bars needed to follow the...

Yeah, it's mainly ash. Have lost alot of trees in the last few years due to the Emerald Ash Borer. Ha! Took the shot when we finished up in April. That was our staging area... lined up like Rockettes!

Spent 30 yrs at JD putting many tractors and mowers into production. Mowers look easy but are very tough to design. Finish mowers, rotary cutters, and flails all 'impact cut': you hit the plant fast enough to cut it before it moves (usually >12000 fpm). Its easiest to do that when the plant...

Finished processing 8 cord in April and loading into 32 pods. This is our 6th season using the pods. No repairs to the pods at all once I affixed cleats to their bottoms and set them on treated 2x4s (that sink flush to the ground).

Had some close calls in the last few years using the forks w/ FEL handling wood. A few branches snuck past the factory guard and dented up the grille. Was able to bend back though; that's a $450 part! So had some time this winter to model up a design on CAD adding reinforcement to the factory...

Retired tractor engineer here. Power = Torque x rpm The weak link on smaller tractors (especially with hst) is the transmission. High rpms dont hurt a thing. High torque is what causes wear and breakage. It is much better on your machine to error running high rpms during loading, lifting...

Finish mowers are designed to cut no more than 1/3 of the plant off.... 6" grass cut to 4" for example.

GX tractors use an Ogura PTO clutch. As the brake that stops the mower wears, the air gap increases inside the clutch. At some point the gap becomes large enough that the electomagnet that operates the clutch cannot hold the clutch engaged. As your experiencing, it happens sporadically. Your...

Allied Systems??? A trucking company? So wheel bolts??? Really? This is exactly why myself and other tractor industry people I know dont come here anymore...

Industries have always developed, maintained, and shared best practices. The chart above though, with no source or specific application, posted on a tractor forum... is frightening. The readers here vary widely in experience and the applications of bolts joints used on tractors range from the...

Pushing the mower was a great test. From your original post, the right side cut well, the left side cut poorly. Correct? This makes sense for a CW cutter. A few things come to mind. Like the above comment, low tip speed seems very possible. 17 hp on a 52" rough cutter is light anyway...

The weakest portion of the cut in a rotary impact mower are the 'forward sweep' portions of the blades (the blade half that is traveling forward). Why? The mower housing is bending the grass forward before being cut. It is difficult to mechanically lift it when the blades are going in the...

You can find most everything on the internet. The chart above should have been left where it was found though. I'm a retired tractor engineer and one of my first training assignments was running the bolt lab for our construction machine division. A sign was in the lab: "torque is what we do...

Your neighbors DR look like this one? See why this DR wouldn't Tire Track? Those DR guys are fart smellers! Maybe just a tweak to your tow bar. Note: they are careful to keep the LH caster in the previously cut path too... it's called Marketing.

"Hold on there Baba Looey!" Before you turn 'Jack the Ripper' loose on some other poor soul, try this test: Try backing your mower into tall grass (essentially turning it into a front mount mower). I suspect the cut will be good across the full width. Report your findings please. Mowing...

I'm a retired mower engineer. I'm sorry but your post makes me smile. I haven't visited here in some time but I think I can help you. Mowers are tough to design; they each have a "personality". The guys at Swisher know what is going on... but won't tell you that one of their 'children' is...

I had a 5' Land Pride landplane for years (sold when I blacktopped my 1/4 mile drive). It came setup with the cutting edges ~1/4" below the sole and ran well. The cutting edges were also skewed like the EA pic above so the material would propagate to the left going forward. I'd operate it on...

Yes! The belleville washer transmits the clamp force from the blade bolt to the outer rim of the spindle so it can effectively drive the blade(s). If the blade has just a round hole (not a star shaped mechanical driver) the install torque is not a big deal because the joint is self tightening...

Haven't got much snow yet this year but clearing off my 1/4 mile long blacktop lane gets the Sun on it and really accelerates melting. The poly edge is new for this year. Chatters on the dry pavement but behaves nicely once loaded. Still learning with it. The Rhino 5006 handles ~%80 of...

Do I sense mower deck frustration??? Ha! Thanks for the post! You have no idea... I've been close to leaving this site multiple times but your post reminds me that there are people here that understand the equipment they talk about. Yes, Deere hasn't had the greatest reputation in decks...

Wow... you two need to chill. I am just giving you the background into tractor design and production because you clearly have no clue. There is no 'motivation' to use only 'special' parts. JD is no different than Ford, GM, or Toro in this regard. In my 30 years at JD, I only had to design a...

I'm a retired JD engineer... my name is on a lot of belt drawings. Sorry, but creating 'special', non-standard parts (whatever that is) is not a motivation.... lol. Deere has very high life goals for it's components... especially belt drives. So first, the drive is modeled on CAD and hand...

It's the small light tractors that especially need an efficient tool! Not commenting on the 'light' or 'cheap'... the moldboard shape is terrible for snow! I wouldn't have known the difference if I hadn't started with that old Land Pride blade. My tractor would fly. Bought the Frontier (flat...

Just stopped by there a month ago coming back from Nashville and chatted.... they make Frontier rotary cutters and blades for many including Tractor Supply. If you look at Tarter's web site they even list Tractor Supply as their retailer... doesn't matter though. The moldboard on their...

Oh man... no!!! The Tractor Supply blades are made by Tarter Manufacturing, Dunnville, KY. The Tractor Supply blades looks way worse than the Frontier RB2072 I sold! Seriously, not good.

My wife and I used to watch TTWT a few years back. Best ones to us were the gardening and passing on corn growing wisdom. Electrifying your corn against racoons #1! I'm a retired Deere engineer so I found your take on measuring turn circles interesting... pretty dang close to what we do in...

I have an asphalt drive (3 years old) and had it sealed this year. The seal guy suggested going to poly or rubber so I just installed a 1" FallLine edge too... good to hear you like it. Fingers crossed. Yeah!... that is a beast! Nice moldboard shape. So anybody out there looking for a...

Great to know! I feel terrible saying 'I hated the product' but feel better knowing they have some good ones too!

It all depends on the property. There are sections around my place that the FEL would be ideal... but the long lane drives the rear blade and SB on front for me. NOBODY is challenging anyone's snow weapon choices! I've had 3 different blades trying to get the right one. My first one was an...

Yes... I like your logic better than the dealers. Also consider shorter length if you work in a confined space much. I have 36" forks. They handle pallets fine, allow better maneuverability, lighter, and they can dig like a wood chuck!

Exactly!!! I have a long lane with ditches on both sides. I certainly have a FEL but turning to unload it can put you in real jeopardy of getting stuck. The rear blade will unload itself and allow the tractor to stay on the road. It all depends on the property!

Hi jweedz, Re-installed my OTC yesterday for the first time after it's initial assembly last year. It went great! Here are the details I posted in the Snow Removal forum: https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/threads/original-tractor-cab-install-removal-techniques.444070/post-6141221 Hope...

Thanks for the responses everyone! It really helped. I like the idea of keeping the cab together and since a few of you have had success lifting and lowering the cab... here's where I landed. I added a box rail (for barn doors) to the ceiling of my shop this week. A single truck supports a...

This site is a bit of an echo chamber... somebody starts talking filled tires then soon it bounces to "A compact tractor with a loader absolutely needs loaded tires." Well that is just not true and I'm tired of these statements. Like I said, I've had loaded tires in previous tractors and I...

Have had loaded tires before. I use my compact mainly for mowing and snow removal. Wouldn't THINK of loading the tires on it.... compact the soil... rides like crap. Use a weight box with the FEL. Like you said the first time: depends on the use.

They are putting out content because they want us to watch it. Most are trying to be 'influencers'; some want to sell me crap too. Scanning the comments is just like reading the posts here... you can see the drivel pretty quickly but some of it is as good as the video running. I once made a...

This goes for the comment section too. I like to scan the comments for different points of view (and fantastic humor). To me, it is really dishonest when channels allow only the giddy, back slapping "oh, you're the greatest..." comments followed by a string of little red hearts. You make a...

I served my wood patternmaking apprenticeship at Caterpillar in the early 80's. The pattern shop was attached to the foundry but light years away in conditions... well lit, air conditioned, and quiet. Walking into the foundry was like entering another world. The new guys were put to work on...

I edited it out to make you feel better Torvy. Did Whitewater ever get accredited? ;)

Hi, I'm surprised that nobody has responded to your question. I don't have a Kubota but I can't imagine the design varies too much from the OTC on my JD2520. I got it last year just before a sub-zero cold snap. Wow... should have done that years ago! My 2520 is comparable to your L2501...

Lol. "What we have here is failure to communicate" I LISTED one for you above and gave the data source. So again: Not cheap stuff! Here's another Very poor performing; same money can easily buy >100k psi You're right oosik... this thread IS getting old. I'm done with it.

I run Deere oil because, as an engineer, we test product at Deere using it, the farmers around me run it in their machinery, and contractors I know run it in their entire fleets.... but I've never seen test data on it. Deere's oil 'brain trust' is at the Tech Center... never talked to them. If...

I'm an engineer, use Amsoil in my go-fast car, use Deere diesel oil in my CUTs, but don't have a dog in this fight. I like data. I got this test data blog from fellow engineers at JD Horicon Works before retirement. 540 RAT too is an engineer and KNOWS his stuff. Rankings start about 1/8 of...

Lol What is stunning is the WORST oil on 540 Rat's list... and how bad it is!

https://540ratblog.wordpress.com/ Per 540 Rat rankings: 2) 5W30 Amsoil Signature Series 100% Synthetic, has no certification labels, but claims it can be used in applications that require GM dexos1-Gen2, ILSAC GF-6A, API SP = 141,851 psi This oil was tested in Spring 2021. zinc = TBD phos =...

My wife ordered me an Original tractor cab last year just in time to install before a 1 1/2 week long, below zero cold snap. Wow... should have done that years back! No more 'reading the wind' before pointing the SB spout or getting frosted by a sudden wind shift. So, the cab was initially...

Studies show high weight oils offer better protection at critically high temps. This is the best test data I have ever found on oil. Oil rankings start about 1/8 the way down. Make a link to it because it gets updated as new oils come out. https://540ratblog.wordpress.com/ I keep waiting...

I'm a retired tractor engineer. Your statement not only does not address the OP's "oil in hot weather" question but doesn't even pass the 'smell test'. Tractors live in an environment where they will often get fouled during a session. It's not if they'll get hot it's when they'll get hot...

Oil temperature is NOT just set by the thermostat. Tractors get put in numerous situations where the screens get plugged with debris and limit cooling. Then the thermostat is open and you're running on whatever cooling capacity you have left. Many tractors don't have much cooling headroom...

I apprenticed in my father's mill/cabinet shop right out of high school. Got sent out for cabinet installs and trim carpenter work quite a bit too. My dad called this operation "returning a molding to itself". Cut the 45 deg miter first on your miter box. Next, straight cut the return...

My machines live in a heated shop so 'cold' start is a non-issue. I put less than 50 hrs/yr on them so change oil once/year. The OM shows XXw30 operating range to 100 deg F. XXw40 pushes that to 125 deg F. I do plenty of hot Spring/Summer mowing where the hood and radiator screens become...

This is very helpful info... your B2620 is similar weight/power to my 2520. I see that many users seem to use their grinders without a quick hitch. I have one and would be reluctant to remove just to grind stumps. The increased overhang couldn't help things though. Do you run your WG24 with...

Like Rat says in his blog... "Motor Oil Industry is the worst for fraudulent claims and false advertising. Buyer beware…" It can really be confusing. I've been waiting for years for him to do a full shoot-out on diesel oils so I can see the rankings on Deere oil, Cat, etc. I'm a retired...

I served my apprenticeship and worked as a journeyman patternmaker at CAT in the 80's. A disk IS the tool to straighten a metal edge. You don't just shove it up to the disk. The workpiece is started with only several inches on the disk and then lightly slid across... much like feeding wood...

DISK sander/grinder... not a belt. Belts don't sand flat/straight; disk sanders do. READ. Or you can goober you're DP and have 2 projects...

Really a bad idea. Drill presses are not designed for the large side loads at the chuck... as stated above you'll damage the taper or bend a spindle. I had an old Palmgren XY rotary table... good for precision drilling only. I have a mill so never used it. Snag a disc sander/grinder. A 12"...

Good to know. I've been hiring it done for the last two Springs. Had 40 Ash stumps ground this year 12"-36". The tree service had two machines (a stand on Vermeer and a big dog pulled behind a medium duty truck) at my place for 6 hrs. Cost $800. I would love to do it myself but am concerned...

Lol... ANYTHING with a K71 is NOT a lawn tractor. Very capable ground engagers: garden tractor. OP wants to mow too. Old Wheel Horse and Gravely mowers are not very good... certainly nowhere near Simplicity's cut quality.

Hi... I retired from John Deere Horicon Works in '16. Oh yeah, SB's really add to the steering effort... using power steering/lift with a SB or blade is HUGE. I know which one I'd pick ;<)

First off... welcome to TBN! I'm new here too. I used to engineer tractors in another life (before retirement). I think I can help. Know that the weakest link in most any consumer tractor is the transaxle. Component life comes down to how much torque is routinely placed on the rear axle...

REALLY good advice given so far... You mention wanting to get young children involved so hopefully I can add something useful. Please be aware of an accident scenario which is more common than you think: child back over. I used to have a job where I would see these cases. Child back over...

Years ago another engineer at Deere sent this link to me on all things oil. Fantastic data! Changed the way I service my own cars/trucks. The oil rankings start about 1/8 of the way down. He discusses break-in oil (not a good thing!) I still reference his rankings now and then as it is...

I agree! Someone in Deere Engineering sent me this link years ago. Really valuable data; I have changed to different oils in my own cars/trucks because of it. Tractors? I still use Deere oil. I figure if it's good enough for a $200k combine or $300k excavator... good enough for my CUTs...

As mentioned, intake noise can be considerable but is normally drawn with the cooling air because it is introduced to the tractor in the cleanest area possible. The cooling air sound is more offending yet. The safety standards (governing a tractor in the 430's class) dictate that they pass an...

Oh man... sorry you've had trouble. It's like hearing one of your children is out terrorizing the countryside.... "what has he done now?" It's been 30 years; I had just transferred to Horicon Works. I remember working with Yanmar engineers to get it solved (I thought). I ordered high...

Is the muffler on your Kioti mounted to the engine? Diesel? If so... you may reconsider touching it. I worked on a muffler problem back in '93 on the John Deere 430 garden tractor. The muffler had a high service part usage and it needed to be investigated. The mufflers were cracking through...

I seriously doubt that you've hurt your tractor in any way. I'm a retired JD tractor/mower engineer. The reason mid-mowers don't have a mechanical 'fuse' in the system is that it wouldn't help. Most of the system's energy is in the running mower; the drivetrain is seeing high rpms but low...

Dang... you've unknowingly given your mower the 'stake test'. It's a safety standards test we do when developing mowers to make sure nothing flies out or skitters across the ground when a mower contacts something hard... injuring someone. In this country (ANSI B71.1 test) a 1" steel rod is...

Thanx for the nice words everybody... fun to be here! I hear you about the durability of using pallet based pods. I've been ready to bring the broken ones into the shop when empty for 'rework' but haven't needed to work on any yet. Broke 2 that first year when they froze down... nothing...

I'm new to this forum; a TON of knowledge here! Like so many here I do use my tractor to process wood; here is our story. My JD 2520 (and my wife's help!) is indispensable in doing this job. After felling, I typically skid the trunk and top together (if possible) out of our woods and...

Dead on... The bucket force is designed to overcome the crowd which can in-turn overpower the boom. That way the operator always has one more trick in his bag and doesn't get the bucket stuck.

Wow... I'm impressed with all of your experimentation! In my 25 years as an engineer at Deere, I spent about 8 years in the mower group developing finish mowers. That's how it's done... experimenting. It's a "black art". I made Senior Engineer when I was a 'deck head' and immediately set out...

Sorry but your 1977 JD 300 shouldn't be put in the same sentence with a newer 100 series with K46 transaxle (L, X300, or X350). The old Sundstrand transaxle and horizontal shaft drive has a design life WAY beyond 350 hrs. To the OP's question of engine choice... it doesn't matter. Any engine...

Agreed... for ~350 hours.

You're focusing on the wrong end of the tractor IMHO. The transmission is the weak link in any lawn tractor. Deere tractors have 3 levels of transaxles: K46, K58, K72. All are made by Tuff Torq in Tennessee. Because the tractors all look similar in size, buyers tend to overlook the...

Thx for the greeting! Geese are still here... goose poo abounds. Have found a mower blade that can pick it up yet!

I'm a retired JD engineer. I put many of the tractors/mowers discussed here into production. I was just giving some insight into why OEM's do what they do. My Meg-Mo comment is just an opinion... and you know what they say about opinions! ;<)

As previously mentioned most mower blades are made from medium carbon steel... 10B38 actually. It has a high boron content which allows easier cold or hot forming but can be through hardened to that magical HRc 40-45 tough range. Why don't the OEM's use something harder? They would except...

I'm a retired tractor engineer and worked on many of the machines routinely discussed here. It is hard to design power equipment for the masses as there are always people on the 'fringe' that really DO need every bit of safety you can design into a product. Some safety devices (like a seat...

When I bought my JD2520 in 2011 I also bought a new Frontier RB2072 rear blade to clear snow from my 1/4 mile lane. It could only offset by unbolting the blade, shifting, and re-attaching. What a pain. I had it a few years but ended up selling. While looking for an offset blade, I borrowed...

I was an engineer on the 400 series Deere tractors back in the early '90's... completely forgot about the 415! It was an attempt to offer Europe a cost reduced 400 series that also met their demand for collection. It was pretty low volume (400/yr?) so cutting costs from its bigger brother...