v8dave
Platinum Member
Here is a 60 hour report on my Kubota B7610 TLB. Started out as a 50 hour report several months ago, but time seemed to get away.
I bought this tractor for some extensive landscape and construction work at our home in the foothills of California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains. It is equipped with a LA352 loader, B4672 Backhoe (12” bucket), a Gearmore box scraper, R4 tires, and top ‘n tilt controls. The dealer filled the tires and welded two chain hooks to the loader. I also have a cutting bar for the loader bucket. The work being done hasn’t needed the scraper or cutting bar--yet. I put the first 50 hours on in five months and only 10 in the next seven months. Something about you don’t need a tractor too much to do the finish work on a shop.
I had the dealer weld the chain hooks on the bucket mostly because of TBN posters saying how useful they were. I had no idea what to use ‘em for, but I got them anyway. Turns out they have been real handy for boulders. The boulders have been too big to fit completely in the loader. So, I get the lower lip of the bucket under the boulder and loop a chain around ‘em and tilt back to grab the boulder. About half the time the boulders drop into the bucket and seem secure. But, just to be sure, the chain gets readjusted to keep it there while being transported. About 200 boulders were moved with this approach. I’ve been amazed at the size of the boulders the LA352 loader can pick up.
I’m gaining experience in smooth operating of the backhoe. While swinging back from the spoils pile, I can now also operating several other functions at the same time, i.e., start extending the boom, dipper and bucket for the next scoop of material. This multiple use diverts some of the hydraulic fluid away from the swing and makes it much smoother to operate. On the occasions I use the swing alone I notice the operation gets jerky. The left-right operation of the joy stick [for boom swing] is less natural than forward-backward, of the other controls, for the really fine feathering of the joy stick valves necessary for smoother operation.
I choose to run the backhoe with the tractor engine at rated PTO speed. When run slower, the time to move the bucket between the hole and the dump pile takes too long. It’s not going to wear this tractor out in my life-time of homeowner use.
On the humorous side, I caught myself pulling real hard on the backhoe controls in tough digging--to try and “help” the tractor dig. It doesn’t seem to help the tractor much and it does wear me out, I got a stiff neck, sore shoulders and back. I’ve learned to ease-up on the controls, it makes the whole job easier.
Operating at the tractor at anything above 1,500 rpm, I use hearing protection. I already have a hearing loss and don’t wish to make it any worse. For all practical purposes this means as soon as the tractor is moved to a work location hearing protectors go on. I use alternately a hard had with ear muffs or soft plugs in the ear channel. The hard hat with the muffs is used whenever I have somebody else around and have to talk to them. I can lift a muff easily to hear. But, after a while the clamp on the ears gets tiring. So, when I don’t have to talk and listen much I use the plugs, for me they are more comfortable for multiple hour use.
Lubricating the tractor after each ten hours of operation uses up the grease. Each fitting takes at least two pumps. There are 11 or 12 fittings on the backhoe and 12 on the loader. It’s a minor thing but you need to plan ahead and have some spare cartridges available. Because some joint pins are tight it’s necessary to hold the grease gun coupler on the tractor Zerk fitting to get the grease in. My grease gun had a flexible hose between the gun and the Zerk coupler. It was awkward to use at times because you need to use both hands to work the pump and a third hand to hold the coupler on the Zerk fitting. I placed a rigid connector on the grease gun. That way I can force the connector on the Zerk while working the pump with the normal set of two hands.
I am now used to getting on and off the tractor and have mostly stopped snagging pockets and jackets on the tractor’s posts and levers. Since putting on the TNT, its controls further crowd the right side of the tractor. So, I mostly use the left side to board and exit the tractor.
I finally stopped driving off with the parking brake still set [on]. I attribute that to the always using the brake when stopped and therefore getting used to setting and releasing it. I also can tell by the engine sound the brake is still on--right away--when I drive off with the brake still on. Even with the hearing protection in/on.
I broke one of the three point lower tie chains. The dealer replaced it under warranty. The chains were a pain to adjust and I liked the TBN posts about changing to a drawbar set-up. So, I ordered $105.00 worth of B2910 parts from TractorSmart and replaced the chains with a drawbar.
Super UDT is specified for use in the transmission/hydraulic system. My dealer put UDT in instead of Super UDT at the 50 hour service. Later, I noticed a loss of power in the front loader. I couldn’t lift boulders I had previously lifted and moved, when it came time to move them again. The dealer made good with replacing the UDT with Super UDT. I can now lift the boulders again, but not as easy as I recall it was before. Let me clarify a point though, these boulders clearly weigh more than the rated capacity of the loader. The tractor loader quite easily lifted and moved a generator set on a chain sling hanging from the bucket. The generator set weighed nearly the “rated” capacity of the bucket. Maybe it isn’t the SUDT vs UDT. Maybe I’ve just broke in the seals, pump and pressure release valve. Maybe it was cooler/hotter day, maybe a full moon, who knows? But you know, I got used to that extra capacity and I’d like it back again.
As noted by lots of TBN posters, a cup holder would be real nice. I’ve also come to appreciate the need for a chain bucket. One of these days those are going to be fabricated and added.
I bought this tractor for some extensive landscape and construction work at our home in the foothills of California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains. It is equipped with a LA352 loader, B4672 Backhoe (12” bucket), a Gearmore box scraper, R4 tires, and top ‘n tilt controls. The dealer filled the tires and welded two chain hooks to the loader. I also have a cutting bar for the loader bucket. The work being done hasn’t needed the scraper or cutting bar--yet. I put the first 50 hours on in five months and only 10 in the next seven months. Something about you don’t need a tractor too much to do the finish work on a shop.
I had the dealer weld the chain hooks on the bucket mostly because of TBN posters saying how useful they were. I had no idea what to use ‘em for, but I got them anyway. Turns out they have been real handy for boulders. The boulders have been too big to fit completely in the loader. So, I get the lower lip of the bucket under the boulder and loop a chain around ‘em and tilt back to grab the boulder. About half the time the boulders drop into the bucket and seem secure. But, just to be sure, the chain gets readjusted to keep it there while being transported. About 200 boulders were moved with this approach. I’ve been amazed at the size of the boulders the LA352 loader can pick up.
I’m gaining experience in smooth operating of the backhoe. While swinging back from the spoils pile, I can now also operating several other functions at the same time, i.e., start extending the boom, dipper and bucket for the next scoop of material. This multiple use diverts some of the hydraulic fluid away from the swing and makes it much smoother to operate. On the occasions I use the swing alone I notice the operation gets jerky. The left-right operation of the joy stick [for boom swing] is less natural than forward-backward, of the other controls, for the really fine feathering of the joy stick valves necessary for smoother operation.
I choose to run the backhoe with the tractor engine at rated PTO speed. When run slower, the time to move the bucket between the hole and the dump pile takes too long. It’s not going to wear this tractor out in my life-time of homeowner use.
On the humorous side, I caught myself pulling real hard on the backhoe controls in tough digging--to try and “help” the tractor dig. It doesn’t seem to help the tractor much and it does wear me out, I got a stiff neck, sore shoulders and back. I’ve learned to ease-up on the controls, it makes the whole job easier.
Operating at the tractor at anything above 1,500 rpm, I use hearing protection. I already have a hearing loss and don’t wish to make it any worse. For all practical purposes this means as soon as the tractor is moved to a work location hearing protectors go on. I use alternately a hard had with ear muffs or soft plugs in the ear channel. The hard hat with the muffs is used whenever I have somebody else around and have to talk to them. I can lift a muff easily to hear. But, after a while the clamp on the ears gets tiring. So, when I don’t have to talk and listen much I use the plugs, for me they are more comfortable for multiple hour use.
Lubricating the tractor after each ten hours of operation uses up the grease. Each fitting takes at least two pumps. There are 11 or 12 fittings on the backhoe and 12 on the loader. It’s a minor thing but you need to plan ahead and have some spare cartridges available. Because some joint pins are tight it’s necessary to hold the grease gun coupler on the tractor Zerk fitting to get the grease in. My grease gun had a flexible hose between the gun and the Zerk coupler. It was awkward to use at times because you need to use both hands to work the pump and a third hand to hold the coupler on the Zerk fitting. I placed a rigid connector on the grease gun. That way I can force the connector on the Zerk while working the pump with the normal set of two hands.
I am now used to getting on and off the tractor and have mostly stopped snagging pockets and jackets on the tractor’s posts and levers. Since putting on the TNT, its controls further crowd the right side of the tractor. So, I mostly use the left side to board and exit the tractor.
I finally stopped driving off with the parking brake still set [on]. I attribute that to the always using the brake when stopped and therefore getting used to setting and releasing it. I also can tell by the engine sound the brake is still on--right away--when I drive off with the brake still on. Even with the hearing protection in/on.
I broke one of the three point lower tie chains. The dealer replaced it under warranty. The chains were a pain to adjust and I liked the TBN posts about changing to a drawbar set-up. So, I ordered $105.00 worth of B2910 parts from TractorSmart and replaced the chains with a drawbar.
Super UDT is specified for use in the transmission/hydraulic system. My dealer put UDT in instead of Super UDT at the 50 hour service. Later, I noticed a loss of power in the front loader. I couldn’t lift boulders I had previously lifted and moved, when it came time to move them again. The dealer made good with replacing the UDT with Super UDT. I can now lift the boulders again, but not as easy as I recall it was before. Let me clarify a point though, these boulders clearly weigh more than the rated capacity of the loader. The tractor loader quite easily lifted and moved a generator set on a chain sling hanging from the bucket. The generator set weighed nearly the “rated” capacity of the bucket. Maybe it isn’t the SUDT vs UDT. Maybe I’ve just broke in the seals, pump and pressure release valve. Maybe it was cooler/hotter day, maybe a full moon, who knows? But you know, I got used to that extra capacity and I’d like it back again.
As noted by lots of TBN posters, a cup holder would be real nice. I’ve also come to appreciate the need for a chain bucket. One of these days those are going to be fabricated and added.
