M59 Discussion Thread

[Charlesaf3]

funny. Thanks for sharing that.

Security wise, I've thought of putting a few hidden toggle switches in line with the Operator Presence control switches. God knows they drive me nuts when they are having problems, I'm pretty sure a thief would have equal issues diagnosing them. Nice thing is that hotwiring around them is a major pain the way they are set up - probably a good thing, as it keeps me from the temptation to disable useful safety devices...

 

[ManAtArms]

Following in the footsteps of Charles, I decided to purchase an hydraulic auger for use on the backhoe of the M59. I opted for the Belltec H-300 (Hydraulic Augers for high flow applications -- Belltec Industries, Inc.) which I picked up on Friday, complete with 9-inch RAD Rock auger (BELLTEC Industries :: Bullet Tooth Rock Auger) with replaceable carbide cutting teeth.

My rationale for selecting Belltec was the heavy duty construction, high torque, reasonable price, and the ability to drill through solid rock, which exists in great abundance around here.

I decided to run it off of the hydraulic thumb circuit, which should supply 16.1gpm at around 2500psi. I previously added high-flow Faster flat faced couplers to the thumb lines so I could easily connect attachments.

To mount the auger drive to the bucket pin, I had to have a custom adapter fabricated.

Heres the bucket hanger:

I cant weld, so I had to rely on my buddy Ed to fab it. We used 3/4-inch stock all around, sheared the stock to size, drilled holes for the bucket pin and auger pins (conveniently the same size) and welded it all together:

Heres the unprimed hanger:

And the hanger being painted Kubota Orange:

Here it is mounted up:

The Belltec is rated to run between 15-30 GPM. To confirm that the thumb circuit was supplying its rated 16 GPM, I painted a dot on the auger head and ran it for 1 minute, counting 54 turns. This is slightly better than I expected the thumb circuit to supply. I was expecting 47rpm. Belltecs specs for this unit state 3.1rpm per gpm, so 54rpm is more consistent with 17gpm. Needless to say its fine for my use.

Ill report back later this week with an update on its ability to drill through solid rock.

-Mark

 

[Charlesaf3]

wow, cool! That is one beast of an auger. I look forward to hearing about the rock - mine most certainly does not.

Jacketing the hoses is a good idea btw... learned that the hard way. Have you dug any holes? Back of the hoe is a great place for an auger.

 

[rScotty]

rScotty,

I think the procedure to get her started again will be the same one as changing the fuel filter. Just open the bleed vent thumb screw and let her run with for 30 seconds or so then close the vent and you should be good to go. Check in the manual under the procedure for changing the fuel filter.
Let us know how it goes.
-Mark

And that's just what happened. After all my worries, it turned out to be a complete non-event.

What actually happened is that I looked into my owner's manual (page 93) and they said what you said: No tools required, just use fingers to open up the air vent valve on top of the fuel injection pump. BTW, that valve is located a couple of inches above the oil fill cap.
Cranked it for maybe ten seconds and it coughed once and started right up. Let it run for a bit then went around and closed the valve. It runs perfectly again and took maybe one minute start to finish.
Thank you, and thanks to Kubota.
rScotty

 

[Chuck K.]

HI-Beams?? does anyone's Hi-beams work on their M59?? I did some work the other evening and tried mine and no difference between Hi-beam an low-beam

 

[ManAtArms]

Hmmm. I'll go check.

HI-Beams?? does anyone's Hi-beams work on their M59?? I did some work the other evening and tried mine and no difference between Hi-beam an low-beam

 

[ManAtArms]

Nope, no difference here either.

Hmmm. I'll go check.

 

[Chuck K.]

Nope, no difference here either.

Thanks, and that is one awesome post hole digger you got there..

 

[rScotty]

The Belltec is rated to run between 15-30 GPM. To confirm that the thumb circuit was supplying its rated 16 GPM, I painted a dot on the auger head and ran it for 1 minute, counting 54 turns. This is slightly better than I expected the thumb circuit to supply. I was expecting 47rpm. Belltecs specs for this unit state 3.1rpm per gpm, so 54rpm is more consistent with 17gpm. Needless to say its fine for my use.

Ill report back later this week with an update on its ability to drill through solid rock.
-Mark

OK, I can't wait any longer!!....That picture shows an auger bit which is entirely too clean. So how does it work? Isn't rock a bit much for it? Shucks, I'd be satisfied if it drilled through hardpan dirt. We had some 10" holes drilled for pole barn posts, and the last foot was into bedrock. It was sure hard on a great big fancy drill rig truck. Can an M59 handle that much torque?

Oh, and I see from your signature that you have rear remotes, but are powering the drill from the thumb circuit? Why? For the pressure relief valves?

On the hi beam lights that Chuck asked about, that got me curious and I took a look at mine. The switch stalk on the steering post looks like a typical high/low beam type but the switch position makes no difference and then I saw that the front lights themselves only have two wires to them. And since they are mounted on plastic then one wire has got to be a ground. So mine couldn't work dual filament hi/low bulbs even if it did have them.
rScotty

 

[ManAtArms]

Hang in the rScrotty! Here we go:

Vid of drilling into some NJ dirt:


Now for the tough stuff. About 1.5 feet in I hit some rock. Granite:


Here's the proof. I drilled about 1 foot into this stuff in 10 minutes. Not bad.

Overall, very happy. I know, I know...the hole I drilled in the first vid isn't level. It's not easy off the backhoe..anyway, I'll get the hang of it.

The carbide teeth on the auger are incredible. They still look brand new. Except for the paint.

-Mark

OK, I can't wait any longer!!....That picture shows an auger bit which is entirely too clean. So how does it work? Isn't rock a bit much for it? Shucks, I'd be satisfied if it drilled through hardpan dirt. We had some 10" holes drilled for pole barn posts, and the last foot was into bedrock. It was sure hard on a great big fancy drill rig truck. Can an M59 handle that much torque?

Oh, and I see from your signature that you have rear remotes, but are powering the drill from the thumb circuit? Why? For the pressure relief valves?

On the hi beam lights that Chuck asked about, that got me curious and I took a look at mine. The switch stalk on the steering post looks like a typical high/low beam type but the switch position makes no difference and then I saw that the front lights themselves only have two wires to them. And since they are mounted on plastic then one wire has got to be a ground. So mine couldn't work dual filament hi/low bulbs even if it did have them.
rScotty

 

[lhansman]

I do not have an M59 but my B26 has what appears to have a high and low beam switch. When the dealer installed the optional work lights on my B26 they are wired into the "high" beam position. If I turn the switch to the first position, I get the rops mounted lights the B26 comes with only but when I move to the second positon I get the factory headlights plus the optional work lights come on. Perhaps the M59 is setup the same way.

 

[capt_met]

what would you guys say is the actual lift capacity on the loader of the m59? the specs say between 3000 and 3900 lbs. from time to time I have to lift precast block weighing around 3600# and wonder if the front loader would be up to it.

 

[ManAtArms]

it should, however don't forget you need to subtract the weight of the bucket or forks from the lift capacity....

-Mark

 

[rScotty]

Apparently this thread has dropped off of the normal search list.
I'll try to answer the last post (from ManAtArms 12/28/2012)
Maybe doing that will get the thread reinstated.
rScotty - 4/21/2012

 

[doelake]

rScotty,

I think the procedure to get her started again will be the same one as changing the fuel filter. Just open the bleed vent thumb screw and let her run with for 30 seconds or so then close the vent and you should be good to go. Check in the manual under the procedure for changing the fuel filter.

Let us know how it goes.

-Mark

Well I accidentally ran out of diesel, the LCD gauge still read one bar (even though the "low fuel" message was blinking)...so here I am disbelieving that this could happen to me while working, even with my 1500 litre fuel tank just 100' away...I read the manual to prime the system, tried until the battery went flat...then called my friend (owns the marina down the road from my resort) who luckily for me is a diesel, marine and automotive mechanic (thanks Larry)...we had to jump cables from my truck to keep the battery charging and about half an hour of cranking while bleeding the injectors...I will never let my tractor run out of fuel ever again!!! Larry said don't call him again:laughing:

 

[lhansman]

Hi Doelake

Sorry to hear about your running out of fuel problems. I have heard these Kubota's are a pain to restart if you run them out of fuel so I will definitely make sure I don't either.

After almost a year now of trying to decide whether to keep my B26 or trade it, I have decided to get a new L45. The dealer with the used M59 with the Laurin cab on it did drop his price but then dropped my B26 trade in value by a corresponding amount so the delta was still the same.

Kubota has very good interest rates right now on the L45 so I have decided to take advantage of that. The cold snap this weekend has convinced me to add the Laurin cab for the L45 to the deal so I will be warm and comfortable this winter.

I am looking forward to moving more and larger rocks this spring and summer with the L45. If you have any granite boulders you want removed, let me know!

I hope you have a good season at your resort.

Regards,

Lauren

 

[doelake]

Congrats on the new L45, Lauren:thumbsup: I'm sure you will find it to be an improvement with greater strength and capacities than the B26. Just a little bit jealous of the Laurin cab...it's whats missing to make the M59 the perfect machine for my type of business...maybe my wife will let me add it to my wish list:laughing:
Does the L45 have the hydraulic thumb? If it's available, it changes the versatility and I highly recommend it for rock picking:laughing:
Thanks for your kind words, the short winter/early spring has made start up more enjoyable... I have been able to work the campground and even put docks out into the lake...just hope the snow forecasted for the next couple of days turns out to be a non-issue.
Good luck with your landscaping projects with your L45, keep us posted

Anthony

 

[rScotty]

Sorry to hear about your running out of fuel problems. I have heard these Kubota's are a pain to restart if you run them out of fuel so I will definitely make sure I don't either.
Lauren

Well, Kubota has apparently fixed the fuel problem on at least some of their tractors. Congrats on the New L45! The engines are real similar to the M59, so this fuel story might apply to both. When our M59 ran out of fuel last summer it wouldn't start for me after I refilled the tank. So, I just sat there for awhile being completely bummed, and then took the outrageous step of actually looking at the owner's manual and trying it their way....

The fuel pump on these new tractors must be different somehow. Maybe some sort of semi-self bleeding type. First, the manual said to open a kinda hidden finger bleeder valve on the fuel pump, now crank the starter and to my surprise it cranked for not too long and then started up! Wow! Then it says to let it run for half a minute at idle while leaving the bleeder open and it will bleed all of it's own air...I don't know how it does that, but I was watching like a hawk and it didn't squirt any fuel out the bleeder - only puffs of air....so that is why I say that their bleeder is different than the old style on other diesels. Then stop the engine and close the bleeder. And proceed.

Bottom line on the M59 is that after running out of fuel it honestly took less time to bleed the system and have it running right than it has taken to write about it.
Hope you get that cab. There are times I'd like one too. Wouldn't trade it for a thumb, though.
rScotty

 

[Piston]

Rscotty,
I don't have the M59 but I also ran mine out of fuel, checked the owners manual, and bled the system the exact way you described according to the manual. It took less time to bleed and have running than it did to fill the tank, I was amazed.

 

[lhansman]

Hi rScotty

I'm glad to hear that Kubota has an approved bleeding system. My original B21 had a fuel tank that was just slightly over 5 gallons capacity and being lazy I used to try and get it into the red portion of the fuel gauge so that I could lift and dump the entire can of fuel without any spilling on the hood. The B26 tank is a little over 6 gallons which is nice in that I have a larger margin of safety using the same filling technique.

I think the L45 has an 11 gallon tank and I now have my own 100 gallon diesel tank at home with a pump so hopefully I won't get caught short like Anthony did.

Hi Anthony

Having finally put the thumb on my B26 last year there was no way that I was going to purchase another machine without one so the L45 will be delivered this weekend with a thumb and I also ordered it with the 4 in 1 bucket for the front to help pick things up.

I had at one point decided to keep the B26 (which was why I put the thumb on last year) but in the end decided that I really wanted a cab and I was concerned that I would find it very cramped in a B26 with the cab - especially in the back hoe area which is where I spend most of my seat time.

There is a used M59 south of Saint Catherines with the Laurin cab on it that I went down and looked at last November. It was a grey and windy November day and it felt real nice to be in out of the wind. Unfortunately the dealer wanted a ridiculous amount of money for the machine AND offered me an insulting trade-in value for the B26 so I walked away. In the end it was the right decision because the L45 fits nicely in my 14,000 pound dumping trailer both physically and from a weight perspective. I think I would have had to purchase a float trailer too if I had purchased the M59.

I will pick the L45 up this weekend and the Laurin cab has been ordered but it will be 6 - 8 weeks for delivery. We are currently in the middle of the worst snow storm for this winter I believe and I can't wait to move snow next winter in a heated cab!

All the best guys with your M59's. I wished I could have joined that club but I am quite excited about the L45 purchase.

Regards,

Lauren