Going to look at a tractor tomorrow, tell me what to look for...

[dieselfuelonly]

I will probably have to rent a trailer to pick the tractor up on. What will be the best way to secure it to the trailer? Any of you that have driven through NC know that the roads are horrible... so it needs to be secured down good.

I was asking about what oil he ran and he said he used the Rotella 30 wt. oil. I run Rotella T 15w-40 in my truck. I've never seen the 30 wt. Is it a special oil or is it the same as the SAE 30 oil that you see everywhere?

When I call the guy Sunday to give him the time that I will be there to pick it up I will request that he does not use the tractor in the morning so that it is cool when I get there. I didn't feel the engine to see if it was warm when I looked at it today, but I don't remember it being warm.

It has 3 warning lights on it, I'm trying to remember what they were for, I think one was for oil pressure, one was for water temp, and I'm not sure about the 3rd one. However I don't trust a light to keep me informed, a bulb could die right before the warning light actually came on, etc., so how hard would it be for me to put some gauges on it? What gauges are recommended? Like I stated I will be mainly using the tractor for bush hogging the fields, but I will probably also be able to use the scraper blade around the area too.

Is there a manual I can download online for the tractor any where? I like to spend time reading up on something new to me before I use it, so if there is something like that any information would be greatly appreciated.

Does anyone know if this tractor has any special features like a diff lock, pto clutch in case the bush hog gets jammed, etc? I don't know much about it at all, so I would like to be a little better informed.

One quick question about operation:

The guy told me it does not have a 2 stage clutch. I know that this means you cannot shift gears while the PTO is running without coming to a stop.

Does this also mean that I have to come to a complete stop before changing gears?

 

[RoyJackson]

I was reading Compact Equipment yesterday and saw an ad for a Cub Cadet/Yanmar. Nice looking machine!

So...that may be another source for parts (if Cub Cadet supports the Yanmars it doesn't sell).

 

[RoyJackson]

Is there a manual I can download online for the tractor any where? I like to spend time reading up on something new to me before I use it, so if there is something like that any information would be greatly appreciated.

Does anyone know if this tractor has any special features like a diff lock, pto clutch in case the bush hog gets jammed, etc? I don't know much about it at all, so I would like to be a little better informed.

One quick question about operation:

The guy told me it does not have a 2 stage clutch. I know that this means you cannot shift gears while the PTO is running without coming to a stop.

Does this also mean that I have to come to a complete stop before changing gears?

As far as the manual and differential lock...those guys in the Yanmar forum will probably be your bast source of information on those. Did you ask the seller about a manual? Also, when you go to pick the tractor up, let him thoroughly explain all the controls. Take a notebook and make notes, as a manual may be hard to come by.

A single stage clutch does stop the PTO as well as the transmission. You'll learn this pretty quick. I think you'll have to come to a stop (or a bare crawl) when shifting, but it's quick.
The rotary cutters have enough momentum (when they're spinning) that you lose little speed when shifting gears. I doubt you even notice any drop in cutter RPM, once you get the hang of it. Using a single stage clutch with a finishing mower is more noticable, but is easily adapted to.
One thing about using your PTO. I've read (no first hand experience) that some of those Yanmars have a two speed PTO (540 RPM and 1000 RPM). Use the 540 RPM speed only!!!! That cutter isn't built for high RPM and it could be extremely dangerous if ran at 1000 RPM.

 

[Grrrr]

One thing about using your PTO. I've read (no first hand experience) that some of those Yanmars have a two speed PTO (540 RPM and 1000 RPM). Use the 540 RPM speed only!!!! That cutter isn't built for high RPM and it could be extremely dangerous if ran at 1000 RPM.

That is a good point. Another poster nearly found out what happened if you run the cutter at 1000 RPM for any length of time the hard way

 

[dieselfuelonly]

The tractor actually had a 3spd PTO. It went 1, N, 2, 3. What are the 2 and 3 speeds?

If I have the PTO in neutral, can I shift gears without coming to a complete stop?

Still trying to figure out how the tranny works .

 

[Grrrr]

The tractor actually had a 3spd PTO. It went 1, N, 2, 3. What are the 2 and 3 speeds?

If I have the PTO in neutral, can I shift gears without coming to a complete stop?

Still trying to figure out how the tranny works .

Yes, you probably will be able to. But you will probably get some grinding if you try to change at a reasnably high speed.

You will probably not find you need to change gear on the go very often anyway.

With a single stage clutch, anytime you press the clutch down, the pto will be disengaged regardless of whether the PTO lever is engaged or not.

I think this is becuase the pto drive shaft is connected to the main drive shaft that comes out of the clutch. When the pto is engaged at the lever, the pto is directly connected to the wheel drive. This is why you get pushed forward. At least that is my understanding of it

This means, that if you have a big blade, like on a rotary cutter on the back that has a lot of momentum, when you press the clutch down, the momentum from the blades will continue to push you forward for a few metres until you can stop.

You will soon get used to pressing the clutch down before you get to the fence, not when you get there

If you want the pto running with the tractor standing still, it needs to be in nuetral.

This is why you need an overunning clutch. It allows the blades to spin fast but the pto shaft to stop

With a two stage clutch or independant pto, the drive is seperate to the pto and you do not have this problem.

 

[dieselfuelonly]

Would it be possible for me to get this kind of clutch for the tractor or is it a feature built into the transmission?

Thanks for your help.

 

[Grrrr]

Would it be possible for me to get this kind of clutch for the tractor or is it a feature built into the transmission?

Thanks for your help.

I don't expect you would be able to change to a two stage clutch, it is pretty much built around it.

The overunning clutch will sort out most of the problems

 

[dieselfuelonly]

Now is that something that the tractor has or something that I can buy?

Sorry I'm new to this .

 

[Grrrr]

Sorry. I haven't explained it well.

Your tractor has a single stage clutch. This means that the bush hog will push the tractor forward when you push down the clutch because of the momentum from the blades.

To overcome this problem you can buy an over running clutch.

Northern Tool Over Running Clutch

This fits onto the pto stub shaft that comes out of the tractor. Your implement pto shaft (like on the cutter) then fits onto the other end to the clutch.

With this thing, you will not be pushed forward when you push down the clutch as it will 'over run'.

Don't be afraid to ask any more questions.