Egon
Epic Contributor
Remember not to sleep on it the first night yove got it.
Egon
Egon
Got any soon to be new owner tips?
- Thread starter RCannon
- Start date
- Views: 2414
StanInCalif
Silver Member
- Joined
- Jul 16, 2001
- Messages
- 198
- Location
- Northern Sacramento Valley, Calif.
- Tractor
- JD 300B, JD 4310
BALLAST- Don't use the loader without some form of weight on the rear. There is much info on this in the archives. And, don't loan it out- that destroys equipment and relationships. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
GeneD14
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Jul 29, 2003
- Messages
- 1,458
- Location
- Tennessee
- Tractor
- Kubota B26 TLB, Allis Chalmers D17 series IV, Kubota ZG-23 Mower, Kubota ZD 1211, Kawasaki Mule 610, Stihl 361, Stihl 045 AV Super, and a Stihl 660 Ported and tuned
Always shut the engine off when hooking up the PTO. Never start it while standing along side it. Don't let children ride with you. Hundreds of kids have been killed like this.
Other than that enjoy it and don't try to go play on it on your wedding anniversery! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Other than that enjoy it and don't try to go play on it on your wedding anniversery! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
JohnMiller3
Elite Member
- Joined
- Jan 15, 2001
- Messages
- 2,517
- Location
- Capital District, Upstate New York
- Tractor
- Satoh S650G, MF135, MF165, JD5205
<font color="blue">( any tips )</font>
...and after you complete one of those "impossible" tasks... you never could have done without the tractor... it's normal & ok to give her a pat or rub on the dashboard and "whisper"... "Good girl"... /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
...and after you complete one of those "impossible" tasks... you never could have done without the tractor... it's normal & ok to give her a pat or rub on the dashboard and "whisper"... "Good girl"... /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
NIXON
Veteran Member
Build: shed or barn to store it
<font color="blue"> </font>
That's one of the reasons I'm buying a CUT in the first place /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
I love building things ! <font color="blue"> </font>
Be cautious of "good" neighbors who suddenly have "little" jobs for you.
<font color="blue"> </font>
The first question I was asked by my coworkers is ... Are you getting a trailer too?? /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
<font color="blue"> </font>
That's one of the reasons I'm buying a CUT in the first place /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
I love building things ! <font color="blue"> </font>
Be cautious of "good" neighbors who suddenly have "little" jobs for you.
<font color="blue"> </font>
The first question I was asked by my coworkers is ... Are you getting a trailer too?? /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
shoppintractors
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Jul 31, 2003
- Messages
- 1,219
- Location
- Southeast, Michigan
- Tractor
- Shoppin', Formerly Ford 1220, 7106 FEL, 60
<font color="blue">8. Make sure someone near you knows how to power your stuff down.
</font>
About six years ago my neighbor had climbed up in the seat of his farm tractor. It was parked facing into a wood fence. He had let someone else use the tractor and apparently left the tractor in gear when parking it. When he started it, the tractor lurched forward and he fell off the seat. The tractor couldn't move forward because of the fence and the rear tires kept turning. His wife heard him yelling and came a running. She did not know how to shut the tractor down and ran to get the next door neighbor. The next door neighbor came and shut the tractor down, however it was to late and the story ended sadly.
<font color="red">8. Make sure someone near you knows how to power your stuff down.
</font>
Don
Shoppintractors
</font>
About six years ago my neighbor had climbed up in the seat of his farm tractor. It was parked facing into a wood fence. He had let someone else use the tractor and apparently left the tractor in gear when parking it. When he started it, the tractor lurched forward and he fell off the seat. The tractor couldn't move forward because of the fence and the rear tires kept turning. His wife heard him yelling and came a running. She did not know how to shut the tractor down and ran to get the next door neighbor. The next door neighbor came and shut the tractor down, however it was to late and the story ended sadly.
<font color="red">8. Make sure someone near you knows how to power your stuff down.
</font>
Don
Shoppintractors
VintageRacer
New member
Russ
Like you, I'm a fairly new tractor owner. Since I didn't have much experience in this area, I thought I should use the smarts I have picked up from years of racing vintage formula cars. Here's some thoughts from a racers perspective that you may find are equally applicable to operating tractors:
1. The can kill you and they will kill you if you fail to exercise common sense and maintain awareness at all times. While it's a morbid thought to lead off with, it's the first thing you will hear in any racing school, it's what we remind our drivers before each race weekend, and it's equally applicable to tractors.
2. Get a mentor. We make sure that any driver new to the vintage racing scene, even if they are an experienced driver, is hooked up with someone who can offer advice and coaching, serve as a resource for all those questions, informally monitor their conduct on the track and generally serve as someone who can help them keep the shiny side up. Probably not much different from what we face as new owners with the need for advice and the requirement for a little guidance along the way.
3. When things go to s--t, it happens fast. Know what you will do if you get in trouble, practice it and regularly review it. Emergency situations (like the tractor is tipping over) come upon you in the blink of an eye and your behavior at that point has to be automatic. We use a saying" in a spin, both feet in." That means that you lock up your brakes and keep them locked and put the clutch pedal to the floor. This ensures that your race car does not roll back onto or across the track after you have stopped spinning and you have a high probability that your engine is still running which can help you get out of the way of approaching cars. It has to be instinctive and regularly practiced.
4. Oil pressure is life. Regularly monitor your engine oil pressure. It is the first and best indicator of the state of health of your engine and will help you avoid some costly repairs. You will always discover engine failure when a rod is sticking through the side of the block. Monitoring your oil pressure, especially falling pressure, can get you an early start on an engine problem and give your checkbook some relief.
5. If it can fall off, it will. You can put Loctice and safety wire on fasteners but if left unchecked, they will someday find a way to come undone and ensure that something big, expensive and important can fall off. We torque our lug nuts every time before we go on the track, which is probably overkill for a tractor, but it highlights the importance of keeping the wheels attached. We use Sharpie pens to draw lines across bolt heads and nuts which continue onto the attchment point. If the line is broken, that fastener is working it's way loose. This would be very useful for your wheel lug nuts and it's very easy to check.
6. Clean is good. You can do a much better job of inspecting your equipment if it's not covered in dirt, grease and oil. This goes a long way towards helping you spot problems before they become emergencies. We keep our race car spotless, and even go so far as to park it on a plastic tarp at the track to make it easier to spot any dripping fluids. In any equipment, little problems never stay little.
7.Brakes, baby, brakes. Most problems you are headed into can be avoided if you can stop. Make sure you understand the braking system on your tractor and know how to monitor it's health.
8. Use good fuel. Bad gas (or diesel fuel) will ruin your day. It's a difficult problem to diagnose and one that is easily avoided. Plus, it's one of the cheapest things you can do to make sure your tractor is ready to go when you are. We run Av Gas in the race car and only take fresh gas with us to the track. Old gas goes in the lawn mowers and snow blowers.
9. KISS. Keep it simple. Like racing, it's much more enjoyable (and safer) when you keep it simple. It's easier to get people to help you when they can quickly grasp the jobs that need to be done and this makes it much more enjoyable for you. Most importantly, simple is always safer. Remember, when things go to s--t, it happens fast. How you handle an emergency is much more likely to come out in your favor if the steps you need to take are simple and straight forward.
I alwys close my racing correspondence with the term "Race Safe", so Tractor Safe.
Dan
Like you, I'm a fairly new tractor owner. Since I didn't have much experience in this area, I thought I should use the smarts I have picked up from years of racing vintage formula cars. Here's some thoughts from a racers perspective that you may find are equally applicable to operating tractors:
1. The can kill you and they will kill you if you fail to exercise common sense and maintain awareness at all times. While it's a morbid thought to lead off with, it's the first thing you will hear in any racing school, it's what we remind our drivers before each race weekend, and it's equally applicable to tractors.
2. Get a mentor. We make sure that any driver new to the vintage racing scene, even if they are an experienced driver, is hooked up with someone who can offer advice and coaching, serve as a resource for all those questions, informally monitor their conduct on the track and generally serve as someone who can help them keep the shiny side up. Probably not much different from what we face as new owners with the need for advice and the requirement for a little guidance along the way.
3. When things go to s--t, it happens fast. Know what you will do if you get in trouble, practice it and regularly review it. Emergency situations (like the tractor is tipping over) come upon you in the blink of an eye and your behavior at that point has to be automatic. We use a saying" in a spin, both feet in." That means that you lock up your brakes and keep them locked and put the clutch pedal to the floor. This ensures that your race car does not roll back onto or across the track after you have stopped spinning and you have a high probability that your engine is still running which can help you get out of the way of approaching cars. It has to be instinctive and regularly practiced.
4. Oil pressure is life. Regularly monitor your engine oil pressure. It is the first and best indicator of the state of health of your engine and will help you avoid some costly repairs. You will always discover engine failure when a rod is sticking through the side of the block. Monitoring your oil pressure, especially falling pressure, can get you an early start on an engine problem and give your checkbook some relief.
5. If it can fall off, it will. You can put Loctice and safety wire on fasteners but if left unchecked, they will someday find a way to come undone and ensure that something big, expensive and important can fall off. We torque our lug nuts every time before we go on the track, which is probably overkill for a tractor, but it highlights the importance of keeping the wheels attached. We use Sharpie pens to draw lines across bolt heads and nuts which continue onto the attchment point. If the line is broken, that fastener is working it's way loose. This would be very useful for your wheel lug nuts and it's very easy to check.
6. Clean is good. You can do a much better job of inspecting your equipment if it's not covered in dirt, grease and oil. This goes a long way towards helping you spot problems before they become emergencies. We keep our race car spotless, and even go so far as to park it on a plastic tarp at the track to make it easier to spot any dripping fluids. In any equipment, little problems never stay little.
7.Brakes, baby, brakes. Most problems you are headed into can be avoided if you can stop. Make sure you understand the braking system on your tractor and know how to monitor it's health.
8. Use good fuel. Bad gas (or diesel fuel) will ruin your day. It's a difficult problem to diagnose and one that is easily avoided. Plus, it's one of the cheapest things you can do to make sure your tractor is ready to go when you are. We run Av Gas in the race car and only take fresh gas with us to the track. Old gas goes in the lawn mowers and snow blowers.
9. KISS. Keep it simple. Like racing, it's much more enjoyable (and safer) when you keep it simple. It's easier to get people to help you when they can quickly grasp the jobs that need to be done and this makes it much more enjoyable for you. Most importantly, simple is always safer. Remember, when things go to s--t, it happens fast. How you handle an emergency is much more likely to come out in your favor if the steps you need to take are simple and straight forward.
I alwys close my racing correspondence with the term "Race Safe", so Tractor Safe.
Dan
