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In my experience, HST is excellent for light work like mowing and blowing, but for heavy work like pushing out stumps, hauling heavy loads, landscaping- the manual transmission will give you 25% more power at the wheels.

You're right, John. I should have been more specific on bar/chain wear. My original Husky has cut over 100 cords to firewood lengths, my Pro Husky has cut over 200 cords. I've replaced one bar total so wear is not costing much extra. Yes, it does leave a black residue in the saw around the drive...

It sounds like one of your battery cables were hot after the L275 sat for 2 hours. This says that your tractor is drawing current when shut off. My first guess would be worn insulation or a pinched wire on a 12 volt supply cable somewhere, causing a partial short even with the tractor ignition...

Of course a battery disconnect switch will reset all computers on a car or truck. This switch is best used on lawn mowers, etc that don't have a clock, etc.

In New Brunswick, Canada we have lots of sandstone, a sedimentary rock that lays in sheets around one to four inches thick. An excavator digs out the sandstone and this breaks it up a bit with pieces 1' square or so and 3 to 4" thick. It is digs out to beautiful flagstone sometimes. We dump this...

I've only done one Regen in 5 years with my RX7320 Kioti (shuttle shift). That was after spending a lot of work doing short jobs and building a cab where the tractor was run and shut off continually. The trick is to run your tractor at 1500 RPM minimum speed. Then it might do a Regen while...

Similar to BoylermanCT, my old half-ton plow is mounted with two receivers on the bottom of the bucket (just two pins to secure). These receivers allow the plow to move up and down considerably. Then a chain is used to allow the plow to hang with just the weight of the plow when touching the...

We've watched how technological advances have quickly changed our world in the last few decades. Yes, there are obstacles to switching vehicles to a new energy source but man always finds ways to improve. EV adaption hinges on battery efficiency and that is improving very quickly. One decade...

I drove a John Deere zero turn 4 years ago and decided zero turns were not for me. It was way too jumpy on the controls. but three years ago I bought a Toro Timecutter 5425 (4.5' cut) while it was still in the delivery crate. It was $5000 marked down a grand to $4000 in November. We don't mow...

I bought an Oliver tractor with 38" tires at an auction years ago. It worked great but had been used for tractor pulls and the rear tires were unknowingly filled with water. When they froze I drove about 100 yards and the tubes got pulverized by the ice frozen solid inside the tires and the...

I struggled with torches also and did several hours research. The Bernzomatic TS8000 had rave reviews and they are right. Don't cheap out on your torch. This one lights instantly, heats quickly, has a flow control valve, and with it's special "swirl" technology it even sounds aggressive. It is...

Considering HST vs manual shuttle shift, the primary concern is 25-30% loss of power with HST. If you are doing light work such as blowing and mowing, HST is the choice. For heavy work like bushwhacking, the shuttle shift wins hands down.

Your main problem is the hydrostatic drive. These tractors are built for convenience but you lose about 35% of your power just to run the transmission. Shuttle shift is actually quite convenient once you adapt and it's more reliable and quieter.

Popular Science Magazine did a review on penetrating oils a couple of decades ago. Since they I have used their winning choice successfully many times. Make a 50/50 mix of Acetone and Automatic Transmission Fluid. Shake the mixture in a squeeze bottle and apply immediately after shaking, before...

Hi Oaktree, I also had trouble finding good grindstones for the Oregon sharpener. The 3 stones Oregon supplied with their sharpener (3 sizes) worked great, but the Oregon stones purchased later turned shiny on first use because they had no grit, but they would never break. They were too hard...

Hi John. Since using engine oil for hundreds of cords was not causing any bar wear, it seems logical that there is little difference in either oil. If there was a bar lubrication problem with engine oil, wouldn't it cause a bar to wear out prematurely? That has not been my experience.

My 346XP Pro Husqvarna has cut over 200 cords of firewood in 16" lengths, using only used engine oil. My second saw has maybe cut 100 cords. I file with an Oregon dremel style grinding sharpener and each chain functions well until it is worn down until the teeth start to break off. They cut...

Oregon makes a dremel style chain grinder that comes with different size stones. Once you try it you'll be hooked. It sharpens the chain in one third the time and does a great job. It runs off 12V so you can sharpen at your work bench with an old battery charger or anywhere in the field with...

After 50 years of tractor experience my vote is like most people here- a cab is a must. There are many individual considerations, however. Factory Cab Cons: #1- Window fogging. Any cabbed tractor I've blown snow with here in Canada well below freezing will result in fogged windows. The...

Hydrostatic drive transmissions are sacrificing 20 to 30 % of your engine power. I used a friend's John Deere (about 30 HP) hydrostatic tractor (vintage about 10 years ago) to pull a cord of wood up my mountain. In low range it would rev up, move forward a bit and the engine would die down and...

I owned a L275 (27 HP) tractor for 20 years and loved it, but since then have had an International and two Kiotis. All tractors were great. The major difference was the cost. Kubota is about 25% higher in price but does the same thing as my Kioti and the Kioti dealers don't have their hand out...

As several folks have mentioned, it sounds like an intermittent switch with high resistance or a switch that's in marginal adjustment. Find every switch possible and saturate them with WD-40 and then actuate each switch a couple of dozen times to clean the switch contacts. You will likely find a...

When my "used" DS4510 was initially delivered, it wouldn't start to get the tractor off the delivery trailer. After many attempts if finally started but it continued to have starting problems. Long story short, I got the dealer to replace the "Kill Solenoid" under warranty and it worked fine for...

The general consensus here in 7 pages of comments is that there is little difference in the Kioti vs Kubota brands and I agree. I had an L275 Kubota for 20 years and it was flawless. Then upgraded to a DS4510 Kioti. I now have a Kioti 7320 that pulls stumps and builds roads like a king. In...

My thoughts on Kubota vs Kioti- I had an L275 (heavy frame 27 HP) for 20 years with shuttle shift but no tire loading. It performed flawlessly even with an oversized Allied Loader. It was sold (marriage breakup) and my next tractor, International 254 (heavy frame about 20 HP with tires loaded)...

A couple of cats can fix your problem.

I had an L275 Kubota for 21 years and loved it. I looked at a used MX5100 Kubota a few years ago at the dealership and they were giving it away with only 200 hours use. I agreed to buy it but only after reading up on it on the web. Three people said the same thing, "Do not buy this tractor". You...

Popular Mechanics Magazine had an article 20 years ago that tested many solutions for breaking rusted objects free. It's a simple 50/50 mix of Acetone + Automatic Transmission Fluid. My radial arm saw always cranked up and down with extreme difficulty, though it never seized. I poured the...

Like most of us, I've had a few lawn tractors and push mowers but always stayed clear of zero turn mowers because of the expense for a machine that just mowed lawns. That was a huge mistake. My Toro Timecutter SS5425 zero turn mower is a luxury mower for $3800 CAD. I tried some of the other...

I worked in the construction business doing building foundations. Your situation is worst case with original ground on one side and 3' of loose fill on the other. Yes, your concrete slab will crack if poured on this material, but worse still, it will easily settle 6" on the loose fill side. No...

I had an L275 Kubota for 20 years with no cab. It was outside most of the time and the cockpit suffered from sun and rain. And inclement weather makes one want a cab badly. Next, an International 235 with canopy for 5 years. The canopy with a windshield was a step up to protect the console and...

I had an L275 Kubota for 20 years and loved it, but after two more size upgrades my choice for my present RX7320 Kioti without cab was simple. It was $10,000 CAD cheaper than the competition and my homebuilt cab fits in an 8' high garage door. It's a great stump remover and their regen design is...

Yes, Potassium nitrate will make it disappear. I used "Stump-Out" on a 3' diameter stump next to my house. Cut the tree down leaving the stump 4" above the ground, drilled a dozen 1" holes 8" deep and filled them with stump-out, added diesel fuel a few times over a month period, all per the...

As everyone says, the zero turn will be much much faster and a joy to ride. One caution, try out competitors if you chose a zero turn. The John Deere zero turns are more expensive and difficult to control; they are too quick on the controls. I have a 54" Toro Timecutter and it is intuitive from...

Yes, agree on keeping your ground clamp close to your weld. When building a cab on my Kioti 7320, welding for 20+ hours with the battery connected caused no problem. But having said that, there is always a risk. It's a personal choice. If you change your toothbrush every 2 weeks you'll want to...

On two occasions, a friend gave me 100 gallons of furnace fuel (200 gallons in total) from two different 200 gallon furnace oil tanks. It had lots of water in it from decades of absorbing air moisture. Pouring one gallon into several clear plastic containers (100-DVD cases) and letting it settle...

Same here. I've used one for 5 years and it works perfectly. Start the pump and walk away for about 6-7 minutes. It's pumped about 25 cans (5 gallon- 23 L) and the battery still works.

My cans are all 33mm at the throat (Canada). These pumps are 38mm- too large to go in the can.

HST tractors are designed for convenience and are the only way to go if you are just pushing snow or mowing grass. If you want to work the tractor your best choice is a manual transmission with shuttle shift. Many of these models have syncro-meshed gears with the range you have selected- low...

I'll second that. You will miss your stick welder. Cranking the heat to max will often cut things with a 6011 rod that you cannot reach with acetylene and MIG welding works poorly in a windy location. Also, your stick welder will melt metal using a carbon arc torch attachment.

Great choice. I've used acetone/ATF for years. Popular Mechanics did a review of commercial rust removal products and ATF won hands down. Let it soak in for an hour and it should come free.

I don't get much used oil but use it for bar lubricating oil in a chainsaw.

The biggest issue with ethanol in gasoline is that it converts moisture in the air to water in your gasoline. This will happen over a period of time so most automobiles use enough gas that this is not an issue. However, your lawnmower for example, may sit for 6 months unused and water will...

I had a Kubota L275 from 1980-2001 and it worked perfectly, though all I did was cut 10 cords of firewood each year and landscaped a bit. I hear the 5100 Kubota has numerous troubles, so you can't just depend on any brand. And any decent tractor will likely not lose value unless it's one of...