Congratulations on the new tractor, I'm in WV as well and just recently traded my
L3940 with BH92 backhoe and loader for a new HSTC6060, I got the LA1055 loader with 3rd function and 3 rear remotes.
I have hardly used my backhoe for the last few years so I decided not to go with a backhoe on this tractor.
I replaced the work lights with LED light bars and upgraded the headlight bulbs to LED as well, it makes a BIG difference and provides so much more light.
I've attached a pic of what I did with my 3rd function switch as I did not like it mounted to the lever with the clamp either, my switch was actually bad and the dealer gave me a new one to replace and I decided to drill a hole and mount it as pictured...
First, nice setup. Awesome to see someone else in WV with the grand series tractor, let alone a cab. When I was shopping it seemed the grand series were rare to be seen. Does the LED bar on the front add any light on the side? I always thought about putting rock/puddle lamps on my last tractor as one of my pet peeves is not being able to see the tires at night. The current cab lights on the Kubota are at least bright enough to dimly light where the tires are running.
I notice you are running chains. Have you found you need them? Thus far I haven't had any slippage on my R4s other than when I've had the loader down too aggressive when pushing snow. The tractor seems to be very stable on my driveway which really impresses me because I was afraid of the R1s on my last tractor in the snow.
I love what you did with the 3rd function switch. That looks so much better, honestly looks like how it should be from the factory. My hats off to you for this, and I'll likely do that when it gets warmer. I notice too you have a little bit of separation on the trim like I had mentioned initially, so perhaps that is just normal for these tractors.
Just a few more things I noticed from today's snow removal not related to your post:
Tractor does gulp diesel, the dash says about .5gal/hour which seems about right for where the gauge is. My dealer was kind enough to send it to me with a full tank when they delivered. I haven't even be running it hard. Thankfully the location for fueling will make it a thousand times easier than my last tractor, where the fill cap was on the hood in front of the dash.
The defogger wires on the left rear window keep coming undone when I open that window. It's rather frustrating. I tugged on the wires some today again to try to get some slack, but I'm afraid to pull on them too much as I don't know what is above in the cab liner that I could break.
The mirrors are so nice to have. Saves a lot of turning around to look back. I noticed the mirrors are spring loaded so they would break away if you tap them on anything, which is really nice.
I realized if I use the 15 degree seat tilt and tilt to the right and lean out the back glass, I can reach the backhoe swing lever without turning all the way around in the cab. I have been swinging the hoe to the side when I park it because it is parked under my lean to where half of the lean to is tractor space, and half is the horses' run in spot. There is a gate between the horses and tractor space, and when I first got the tractor and parked it there and came back inside, I saw them out the window trying to figure out what was there. They licked the hydraulic cylinder and of course that iced over. I am surprised they didn't end up like Ralphy as cold as it is.
It was 4 degrees this morning when I started it. No issues, I let it run for about 10 minutes while my wife and I cleaned the barn. I'd like to play with the backhoe, but it is 10 degrees F outside right now, and I wave the white flag when it is below 20 F when it comes to outside work for long periods.
The tractor seems to have some sort of magical spell over the weather. Every time I clear the driveway, about an hour later it starts to snow. My mother in law told me to stop plowing the driveway because she's sick of the snow. Honestly if I had the rear blade on, I wouldn't care. But the loader is tearing up the driveway with no help from me since I'm still getting a feel for the loader. If it keeps this white stuff up, I might have to give up and drop the hoe and put the three point on.
Matt
