Rod in Forfar
Platinum Member
- Joined
- Apr 10, 2010
- Messages
- 568
- Location
- Forfar, Ontario, Canada
- Tractor
- 1960 Massey Ferguson 35 (Perkins), 1995 TAFE 35DI, 1980 Bolens G174, 2005 Kubota B7510, 2020 Kioti Mechron 2200ps UTV Troy-Bilt Horse 2 1988 Case IH 255 4WD with loader and cab
Today I prepared the B7510 for mowing around some of the 15,000 little trees on the farm. That involved removing the five-foot mid-mount mower and hooking on the 48" rotary mower. The off-brand mower normally mounts on my Bolens G174 where height control is achieved by means of a pair of chains to the upper bolt on the 3 pt hitch. The fittings came with the 4' Woods finish mower and it seemed reasonable to add the chains when I bought the bush hog new.
Removing the MMM turned out to be a handful because I have it set for a 4" cut and didn't want to change it. That reduced clearance underneath, so I lifted the front with a floor jack. The little clips which hold the trailing arms for the mower had been mangled by frequent lifts and hydraulic force. I had to remove one and blacksmith it back into shape. Apart from that the dis-assembly went well.
Hitching the Kubota up to a stationary implement was a pleasant surprise. The arms of the hitch arch together and above the implement, making it easy to centre things. When I lowered the hoist, I watched the arms spread out to about where they needed to be. Minor adjustments to position can be done from the ground by discreet pressure on the go and reverse pedals. This was real bonus. Hitching up the idling tractor was surprisingly easy.
The 7510 doesn't seem to need suitcase weights to balance the 405 pounds of the mower on the 3 pt. hitch. The chains were unnecessary so I taped them securely out of the way. The lift height control seems quite precise and it holds its position well. While I always used 4WD with the Bolens to allow it to turn, the 'Bota gets along well in 2Wd on the rough field.
Mowing long rows of seedlings goes much more quickly on the Kubota than on the Bolens.
From two hours of field work, the B7510 seems poised to boot the Bolens out of the garage. At the moment I can't think of anything the 1980 G174 can do which the '05 Bota can't do better, and with insolent ease.
Removing the MMM turned out to be a handful because I have it set for a 4" cut and didn't want to change it. That reduced clearance underneath, so I lifted the front with a floor jack. The little clips which hold the trailing arms for the mower had been mangled by frequent lifts and hydraulic force. I had to remove one and blacksmith it back into shape. Apart from that the dis-assembly went well.
Hitching the Kubota up to a stationary implement was a pleasant surprise. The arms of the hitch arch together and above the implement, making it easy to centre things. When I lowered the hoist, I watched the arms spread out to about where they needed to be. Minor adjustments to position can be done from the ground by discreet pressure on the go and reverse pedals. This was real bonus. Hitching up the idling tractor was surprisingly easy.
The 7510 doesn't seem to need suitcase weights to balance the 405 pounds of the mower on the 3 pt. hitch. The chains were unnecessary so I taped them securely out of the way. The lift height control seems quite precise and it holds its position well. While I always used 4WD with the Bolens to allow it to turn, the 'Bota gets along well in 2Wd on the rough field.
Mowing long rows of seedlings goes much more quickly on the Kubota than on the Bolens.
From two hours of field work, the B7510 seems poised to boot the Bolens out of the garage. At the moment I can't think of anything the 1980 G174 can do which the '05 Bota can't do better, and with insolent ease.
