Compact sub compact?

[tacticalturnip]

I really am looking forward to your reviews on it's mowing abilities. An insane part of me wants to one day have a subcompact again, just for mowing.

 

[Too many Kubotas]

Wouldn't it be possible to put a mower on a mobility scooter and shrink the footprint by another six square inches?

 

[arrow]

May your new tractor be blessed with good fortune.

 

[jjeff]

So far so good my tiny tractor is one of those things you wonder why the heck you didn't buy sooner, handles mowing the hills amazing sure beats the pants off my old JD 212 I used for years here. Not much bigger profile minus the loader and frame. According to my self proclaimed mowing expert wife says it cuts really good granted it's new but she thinks it cuts better than her zero turn down state. Mostly sold on hydrostatic drives and pedals, Funny thing I'm constantly trying to grab for a shuttle shift on the column to change direction. lol. More to follow in the winter how I use it move snow up north. Or problems that arise, any questions feel free to ask.

 

[jjeff]

So lost two of the belly mower front mounting nuts during my brief road grader incident before I realized what was happening bent the front mount on mower deck. To my surprise I pretty easily bent it back. Ran to local store to get 16mm nuts, washers, and lock washers if it happens again I'll either double nut it, or use loctite. At least I'm aware of this and will check it over frequently. Other wise this tiny tractor has been great so far for what I need it for.

 

[Texasmark]

Get a lawn mower to mow your lawn and the tractor to do tractor chores. Mower just gets in the way and is a "beach" to clean out spring wet, clogged in the welded deck, grass. Last time I checked you can get a good ZT mower for what the tractor MMM costs.

 

[jjeff]

Get a lawn mower to mow your lawn and the tractor to do tractor chores. Mower just gets in the way and is a "beach" to clean out spring wet, clogged in the welded deck, grass. Last time I checked you can get a good ZT mower for what the tractor MMM costs.

Fortunatelyy for me anyway my "Swiss army" knife tiny tractor is performing almost exactly like I envisioned it, on my hilly recreational property, was able to down size other older lawn care and snow removal equipment up there. Anticipating similar results for using it for snow removal up there this winter weather or not I have to chain the front tires hopefully not the rears. Btw I can't stand the zero turn I bought my wife almost a decade ago, granted it cuts great , quickly, and is much more maneuverable than any subcompact or lawn tractor I've ever owned or used I stubbornly just don't like them or the prices they get for one with commercial hydrostatic drives.

 

[Shawn T. W.]

Too late for tractor recommendations ... But BXPANDED makes both a manual and hydraulic optioned front SSQA blade ...

I too didn't think I'd like a hydrostatic transmission ... But within the first 50 hours I'd not want anything else on a SCUT! And haven't changed my mind in just over 3 years ... And quite a few more hours!

 

[jjeff]

So quick update my tiny tractor is a great asset no regrets buying that size of a tractor for what I wanted it for. Can't believe filling the small rear tires with beet juice makes a very noticeable difference when using fel. however recently noticed hydraulic fluid leaking out of it so somewhat discouraged I bought a oil based uv dye and light. (That was quite the time consuming challenging adventure finding a uv light up here) lol Turned out it was leaking out of breather hole on filler cap when fluid heated up. Cuz when they did initial commissioning they overfilled hydraulic, hydro drive fluid. Me anyway can barely tell new fluid levels looking in a sight glass. For fifty hr service I'll add non uv oil based dye to reservoir, I definitely prefer dipsticks instead. It was over filled by about a gallon which I drained to proper level and no more leaking. So my point is even if you buy new check over everything including fluid levels, nuts, and bolts. Usually do but was to jumpy to test this thing out on my hills, I also wear my free rural king tractor hat frequently with growing confidence

 

[WinterDeere]

Me anyway can barely tell new fluid levels looking in a sight glass... I definitely prefer dipsticks instead.

Heck... I can barely tell new fluid level on a dipstick, half the time. I'm always flipping the thing over to the smooth (non-hashed) side, and holding it in a reflective light, just to find the wet mark.

 

[jjeff]

Heck... I can barely tell new fluid level on a dipstick, half the time. I'm always flipping the thing over to the smooth (non-hashed) side, and holding it in a reflective light, just to find the wet mark.

You could stop changing it on recommended pm schedule so it gets thick and black

 

[WinterDeere]

You could stop changing it on recommended pm schedule so it gets thick and black

Well, that's one of the problems. I change it yearly, but that's only ~100 hours here, so nothing ever has a chance to get very dirty.

 

[dodge man]

If you do much loader work you are going to want a ballast box or some other kind of ballast.

 

[jjeff]

Well, that's one of the problems. I change it yearly, but that's only ~100 hours here, so nothing ever has a chance to get very dirty.

Used to change my old used up kubotas yearly usually in fall or spring then realized how clean fluid always was, amount of hrs I was putting on them and cash I was spending on filters and fluids so i changed my pm schedule to once every 2-3 yrs both still running strong with no noticeable difference except my bank account . Still grease and check fluid levels every time before I'm going to use them though.

 

[WinterDeere]

Used to change my old used up kubotas yearly usually in fall or spring then realized how clean fluid always was, amount of hrs I was putting on them and cash I was spending on filters and fluids so i changed my pm schedule to once every 2-3 yrs both still running strong with no noticeable difference except my bank account . Still grease and check fluid levels every time before I'm going to use them though.

I probably could get away with less frequent, but it brings me peace of mind, makes me look over everything else at least once per year, and really isn't costing me much.

I was always told it was best to change oil at least 2x per year to flush out any corrosive combustion deposits that collect in the oil. I don't know if that's even applicable to diesel engines, or just gasoline, but I figure once per year is a reasonable compromise.

YMMV!

 

[jjeff]

If you do much loader work you are going to want a ballast box or some other kind of ballast.

Probably build something off my tph trailer mover attachment I made. Bought a cheap blank 1/4" qa plate welded a piece of square tubing on it with 7018 and a gusset, to take hitches and move my trailers up here pushing them. Instead of pulling with tph . Might get another cheap qa plate hopefully find a used 60" manually rotating ATv or sxs plow and configure a way to mount that securely on qa loader plate. Don't like doing much loader work on soil with the mower deck attached anyway, and it's definitely more involved removing and putting it back on than jd 1 series I was looking at.

 

[jjeff]

I probably could get away with less frequent, but it brings me peace of mind, makes me look over everything else at least once per year, and really isn't costing me much.

I was always told it was best to change oil at least 2x per year to flush out any corrosive combustion deposits that collect in the oil. I don't know if that's even applicable to diesel engines, or just gasoline, but I figure once per year is a reasonable compromise.

YMMV!

When I got my first old used Kubota I changed fluids and filters in it 2x a year. For peace of mind. I scratch my head wondering what I was thinking back then. Been told if I start my old tractors they should be ran long enough to get rid of the built up moisture in crankcase.

 

[WinterDeere]

Been told if I start my old tractors they should be ran long enough to get rid of the built up moisture in crankcase.

That's definitely a problem, here. With DPF, you don't exactly want to leave the thing indling uselessly in the driveway. But I'm frequently starting the tractor to just move one object, such as unloading two pallets off a truck yesterday, or even just to move it out of the way to access my mower. Run time might be 60 seconds or less, most times I start it.

 

[jjeff]

That's definitely a problem, here. With DPF, you don't exactly want to leave the thing indling uselessly in the driveway. But I'm frequently starting the tractor to just move one object, such as unloading two pallets off a truck yesterday, or even just to move it out of the way to access my mower. Run time might be 60 seconds or less, most times I start it.

Had dpf on my
326 ss before I sold it hated starting it to do something quickly and it started regen. Didn't like short cycling a regen cycle weather or not jd allowed it. Engine rpms would automatically increase and I swear I could watch the fuel needle drop. I somewhat mitigated frequency of regen cycles by running it almost full throttle for most activities I performed with it, unfortunately I did what I thought was yrs of work in months and ran out of work to use a machine that big for.

 

[RjCorazza]

I change my oil strictly based on hours. I do make certain to get them up to temperature, and don't short cycle them.
For regens also, I save a few odd tractor jobs to do so it always gets put away hot.