A weekend in Montana land

[RobJ]

The grease thing is interesting, I guess enough gets pulled through to keep the heat down and lube it. Might have to try that.

But you have to check the oil whether new or not. And it had a sticker on it!! Assuming it had oil got you into trouble. It's easier to check the oil in the tractor, maybe a sight glass would be nice, the plugs are a chore.

I recently bought a pressure washer at Home depot. Get it home and assemble it. Big honking sticker on the gas cap saying to check the oil. Couldn't find any oil to use so I run to the autoparts. Get home, open it up and it has oil in it!! Better safe than sorry I guess.

I hope you get some help from the dealer. On the bright side, once you put oil in it, you are probably good to go for the next 20 years!

Rob

 

[Sackett2]

Still waiting on the gearbox, expect it soon. Have been busy replacing a wheel bearing on a chevy tracker for some friends, a three day task. She has terminal cancer and no money.
this bearing, Its not my fault! it did have oil!
Got my pat's easy change on th 5th, but haven't had a chance to put them on yet
will reattach the mower to facilitate the gearbox change

 

[rcowan]

Which "Pat's" did you buy? I understand there are several.

-------

Got my pat's easy change on th 5th, but haven't had a chance to put them on yet
will reattach the mower to facilitate the gearbox change

 

[Sackett2]

went directly to the website by way of tbn, the 179.00 set.
started putting them on last night, no major complaints. Had to swap them from left to right sides, there was just a few thousands off for the pin to fit on the left side with my tractor; the swapped fixed it. Still have to adjust it tonight: one drawback is you loose the flexibility of your three point so if you wish to lean the attachment a bit to the left side, so your mowing more to the left than right, can't do that-it locks the end swivel point down.
Still waiting for the gearbox for the mower; have lots to mow yet. May get a rear blade this week

 

[rcowan]

Great on the Pat's. I need to look at one of those.
We are in our Monsoon season and I mowed 2 weeks ago and the weeds are knee high on the horses.
I'm wearing out the lynch pin changing from the box blade to the mower!!

 

[Sackett2]

Thought I would update everyone on my progress with the Montana 4344.
I love this tractor. Have about 30 hours on it now, added a tooth bar as the bucket was already showing stress.
Bought a 6" rear blade with rippers; am learning how to take the holes out of the driveway.
Friday and Saturday Dad and I attacked a tree that fell over in the slew last winter--the problem is it fell into the blackberry bushes. Just drove into the bushes and pulled them away from the tree. Then we chopped up the tree and drug it next to the burn pile, took the branches off threw them onto the pile and loaded the bucked up tree. While it was still work, it was a lot easier than how we had done it in the past.
Yesterday I started cleaning out the slew, the wife's family has used it as a garbage dump for years. Pulling out the oil metal items and making a pile; I'll call a junkman when I get enough out.
Still waiting on the gearbox for the brush hog. Its been over a month. I've called the dealer 3 or 4 times He said it has been "dropped shipped" I reminded him last week it had been a month, and asked him to call Montana and see where it is. I'll call again tomorrow and see if he has an answer.
Anyway, talked to the oil dealer at work, I can get my service fluids at a good cost through him.
Anyway, that's my update.
Steve

 

[JDeerekid]

glad to hear that you are liking and having fun with your tractor. It is amazing what projects you get yourself into with the use of a tractor. Sorry to here that you still dont have a working bush hog. The dealer should have made all the necessary services to the bush hog before selling it. Hope it all works out soon for you.
On a side note why are you getting such small implements for your tractor. You have a 4ft bush hog, your tractor is capable of at least a 6ft. Your blade I assume is a box blade 6ft is fine but you can use a 7ft. If you have a regular back blade you can pull a 7ft and even an 8ft if you have the room to move around. Just wondering.

 

[gemini5362]

If there seems to be this much wait for your gearbox you might want to just try putting new bearings in it and see if you can get it working. I am assuming since you admitted it was your fault and have to pay for it that they are not going to demand you trade your old one in. Gearboxes are not too hard to get apart and you can go to any generic bearing sales and they can try to match the old ones for you. More than likely that is all that you did was to fry the bearings.

 

[Sackett2]

On a side note why are you getting such small implements for your tractor. You have a 4ft bush hog, your tractor is capable of at least a 6ft. Your blade I assume is a box blade 6ft is fine but you can use a 7ft. If you have a regular back blade you can pull a 7ft and even an 8ft if you have the room to move around. Just wondering.

Some is inexperience on my part, some is not having the dealer mention what may be best, some was availability.
The Mower was the only one on the lot; and they sold it to me at cost. When I got it hooked up, I debated upgrading it to a larger one, but some of the hogging I am going to do is in tighter spaces, and having a wider box behind me cuts on the turn radius.
The blade is a backblade, not a boxblade- 6' covers my wheel tracks, and it can offset and do a edge with the tractor in the center of the road; spin it around and drop the diggers and loosen it up. For me the best of both worlds

 

[Sackett2]

If there seems to be this much wait for your gearbox you might want to just try putting new bearings in it and see if you can get it working. I am assuming since you admitted it was your fault and have to pay for it that they are not going to demand you trade your old one in. Gearboxes are not too hard to get apart and you can go to any generic bearing sales and they can try to match the old ones for you. More than likely that is all that you did was to fry the bearings.

the dealer called Montana today to see where it is; when I get the new one i will see about rebuilding the old one; but montana doesn't sell parts for it; and the main input bearing is splined. Why they felt a need to spline a bearing I don't know. My brother-in-law has 3 lathes so some alterations may be necessary if I can't find the bearing