Mahindra Max 26XL HST - A New Owner's Journal

   / Mahindra Max 26XL HST - A New Owner's Journal #31  
My owners manual is in my purse at all times.:) When someone asks What's new? I whip it out.

The clerk at HF had no idea about the settings.

Understandable. I wouldn't expect a clerk to typically know how something like setting a torque wrench to your tractor's recommended setting(s). I'd drop by the front desk of a local tyre/wheel-alignment shop and ask to be shown Especially if that tyre shop works on tractor tyres... you could be a potential customer in the future. :)
 
   / Mahindra Max 26XL HST - A New Owner's Journal #33  
When you torque your loader frame bolts, etch a mark on the bolt head, and the frame. Doing so will indicate if one or more is loose.

The 'etching' can be accomplished, after you've torqued/tightened, with a permanent marker/"sharpie". (just to clarify AchingBack's suggestion :))
 
   / Mahindra Max 26XL HST - A New Owner's Journal
  • Thread Starter
#34  
So the cheap HF pump-style oil extractor sort of worked. After much pumping I got about 1/4 cup in the glass jar and at least as much on the tire, the ground, and myself. Seemed like enough as it is now just 1/4 inch above full, which is where the dealer said he wanted it. It's a unique tool; might be handy for draining the last bit of gas out of a tank.

As I'm going over the tractor's various bolts, I notice they have all been marked with a slash in either black marker or on the black parts, something like white grease pencil. Possibly the dealer's way of verifying things have been torqued/checked?

Made a few passes over the rest of the driveway with the box blade w/o teeth. I don't really want to tear it up too much in this rainy spell we seem to be in, as it is in pretty good shape overall. Just need to get rid of the center hump of grass/weeds, which encourages the development of two dips on either side that can act as water sluiceways. Having previously worked this driveway with my garden tractor/tiny box-blade, wow, what a difference more power and size makes! Just had time (in between drizzles) for a few passes over the center, which took care of THAT. Can't wait to rework the slope in just a couple of areas, and the ditch in a couple of other places. Such a great feeling to know I finally have the right tool with the power to do it! So I am a very happy camper. :)
 
   / Mahindra Max 26XL HST - A New Owner's Journal
  • Thread Starter
#35  
Day 7. (non)Quick (non)Attach hitch and a lot of implement-on implement-off action.

Managed to wrestle the box blade off (500+#) for the first time. Put the HF QH on. Unfortunately my Mahindra tilt-blade would not go on the QH, as the upper flange or plate on the implement was so wide it jammed against the bolts that allow you to adjust the top hitch up and down. Just wouldn't go in.

Decided to go ahead and put the blade on the regular 3-point. Then discovered that with the blade tilted (it only has 3 tilt positions; left-tilt, right-tilt and no-tilt) the 3-point couldn't raise it high enough to travel; just an inch or so of ground clearance. Very disappointing as I paid extra for the "tilt" function. Of course I can "tilt" it by raising one of the lower links. Am also considering drilling new holes in the implement.

Non-tilted did not work and spoiled some of my formerly perfectly graded driveway. Blade off. Box blade back on. Wanted to switch to no-teeth. Repositioning them tooth-up is a whole 'nother set of wrestling....Just removed all the lynch pins, lift box blade and drive away. Teeth drop to the ground. Fixed the mess I made earlier on the driveway. Argh.

(Sprained my wrist jamming all the linch pins down again and again. WD-40 was in extensive use and made a big difference. Glad I bought a couple extra cans.)

At least I'm getting used to all this wrestling with heavy equipment, and my arm/hand strength will surely improve.

Otherwise, tractor perfect so far. Starts like a champ, runs sweet and easy. HST so simple and quick. I'm already so used to it, the controls are becoming like second nature. The initially somewhat jerky hydro on the FEL and 3-point seem to be smoothing out. Feels MORE stable than my garden tractor, which is such a relief. What can I say? I'm in love. :)
 
   / Mahindra Max 26XL HST - A New Owner's Journal
  • Thread Starter
#36  
Day 9. Fun with the FEL

My Piranha Tooth Bar (PTB) came 3 days ago, and today was the day to put it on. I opted for the stepped drill bit too and was glad I did. Pretty easy job really. So here he is with a new toothy grin:

PTB.jpg

So time to try it out on my mess of a fallow garden full of random compost piles, and very happy weeds. Goal was to move the piles and scrape the surface all into one nice neat compost pile. I've never operated a FEL before so it's a steep learning curve so far.

The tooth bar cuts through dirt like butter. In fact I accidentally sliced about the top 10" of soil off and had to put some back. :) They ought to be OEM.

With moving materials, just like with fixing a driveway, you need to have a plan. So AFTER randomly moving stuff around and making a worse mess than before, decided to move the compost pile to the side so I can drive in one end of the long, narrow garden and drive straight through, then turn to the left, dump stuff, and then circle around back to the beginning.

It is shocking the amount of materials this tractor will push with the FEL in float, or pull behind it. SO FAR it has never failed to have enough power. Sometimes it feels like too much. :)

Fluid Film was much in use today. Really good stuff; makes pins and everything move so much easier. Was pleased to see it actually gets rid of the existing rust too, which I didn't expect. Also non-toxic: win-win-win.

Def will have to concoct some kind of bucket level indicator. That will be a fun project.
 
   / Mahindra Max 26XL HST - A New Owner's Journal #37  
Good report so far. Couple of thoughts: When you park the tractor, I wouldn't roll the bucket under itself like you show in the first pics. You can just put it flat with leading edge and underside tilted slightly off the ground to allow water to drain away, instead of sitting in the bucket.

As far as lynch pins, get a double headed plastic hammer, one end is soft, one is hard plastic. You can also get a pin puller with a curved end at most hardware/auto stores. Carry it, and multi point screwdriver and vice grip pliers and some other essential tools in a small ammo box type plastic toolbox, that you may find a place to bolt to the tractor. I also buy shop towels, a heavy duty paper towel product that comes in a big yellow box. They go a long way further than regular paper towels and are good for everything.

Grease your zerks to the point of three handle pumps, OR when new grease can be seen coming out of the space between the areas being greased. Note if any refuse grease or are broken. Think of grease as the one thing that keeps metal to metal contact from happening at crucial joints. Without it things wear out quickly.

Use a grease pencil or indelible marker to mark tightened bolts for easy reference at a glance. Some bolts that loosen regularly may need a locktite product applied to keep this from happening.

Not only is your oil level important, your HST hydraulic fluid level is absolutely essential. It should always be clear with no foaming or milky color. Check it's level cold and on a level surface.
Also beware: if you ever have a hydraulic fluid leak, NEVER use your hand, ONLY wood or cardboard to see where the leak is coming from. Fluid under pressure can enter one's skin, and worse case cause need for surgery. A rag is not enough protection against high pressure fluid. Find out exactly what fluid your tractor requires and keep some on hand for top off as needed. Do this when tractor is cold and level. Most HSTs require wet brake additives to be used in their fluids, but, YMMV.

I'd keep a box of extra filters for each item, oil filter, HST filter(s), fuel filter and air, from your selling dealer, or a place that can supply all for less $, as recommended by other Max owners here on TBN. Also some zerks too, and so forth.

Try not to let fitment issues get you down, but I would post pics before drilling your equipment. Sometimes things that are supposed to line up easy don't. There is usually a remedy short of drilling or beating something senseless to get them to fit.
Check your tire pressures all round to see where they are at.

In general go slow while the learning curve is steep, and when pushing forward through unknown ground be prepared to stop in case you encounter a buried rock or other obstacle that refuses to move by pushing it out of the ground. Loaders are more susceptible to damage from off angle pushing than most other pushing, like into a pile of sand, manure, etc. where there is most often little push back against the tractor hydraulics.

There's a lot to learn, go slow and enjoy. Engage and use 4WD whenever you think it would be useful. Don't engage it on the fly, and recognize it will make tight circles more difficult to turn.
Always watch your loader when lifting a load. Never allow yourself to be pulling back on the lever unless you're looking at the loader's position, it can rise too quickly to stop material from coming back at you if your're not paying close attention.
Keep your bucket as low as possible whenever possible, or remove it from the FEL. Be careful when crossing slopes and never make any fast turns when doing so. Know the ground under you when traversing, including holes, muddy slippery areas, etc. Wear your seatbelt and keep your ROPS upright. Have someone within earshot or radio call distance when working by yourself.
That's it for now. Meantime enjoy your new rig!:thumbsup:
 
   / Mahindra Max 26XL HST - A New Owner's Journal
  • Thread Starter
#38  
Good report so far. Couple of thoughts: When you park the tractor, I wouldn't roll the bucket under itself like you show in the first pics. You can just put it flat with leading edge and underside tilted slightly off the ground to allow water to drain away, instead of sitting in the bucket.
The dealer did that to keep the rain out. Any particular reason not to?

As far as lynch pins, get a double headed plastic hammer, one end is soft, one is hard plastic. You can also get a pin puller with a curved end at most hardware/auto stores. Carry it, and multi point screwdriver and vice grip pliers and some other essential tools in a small ammo box type plastic toolbox, that you may find a place to bolt to the tractor. I also buy shop towels, a heavy duty paper towel product that comes in a big yellow box. They go a long way further than regular paper towels and are good for everything.
The double-headed plastic hammer sounds like great addition to the toolbox. Been using my foot. :) Got the ammo box; future project to figure out how to bolt it on. SHOP TOWELS, already had them for the cars. Love them.

Grease your zerks to the point of three handle pumps, OR when new grease can be seen coming out of the space between the areas being greased. Note if any refuse grease or are broken. Think of grease as the one thing that keeps metal to metal contact from happening at crucial joints. Without it things wear out quickly.

Use a grease pencil or indelible marker to mark tightened bolts for easy reference at a glance. Some bolts that loosen regularly may need a locktite product applied to keep this from happening.
Have a torque wrench on order and will do that, as many people have recommended.

Not only is your oil level important, your HST hydraulic fluid level is absolutely essential. It should always be clear with no foaming or milky color. Check it's level cold and on a level surface.
Also beware: if you ever have a hydraulic fluid leak, NEVER use your hand, ONLY wood or cardboard to see where the leak is coming from. Fluid under pressure can enter one's skin, and worse case cause need for surgery. A rag is not enough protection against high pressure fluid. Find out exactly what fluid your tractor requires and keep some on hand for top off as needed. Do this when tractor is cold and level. Most HSTs require wet brake additives to be used in their fluids, but, YMMV.

I'd keep a box of extra filters for each item, oil filter, HST filter(s), fuel filter and air, from your selling dealer, or a place that can supply all for less $, as recommended by other Max owners here on TBN. Also some zerks too, and so forth.
Thank you, yes, it is on the list, to get "one of each" of the various fluids and easily replaced filters, etc. The hydro fluid level was fine; looked pretty clear. Engine oil in the glass jar looked light gray-blue, as you would expect during engine break-in.

Try not to let fitment issues get you down, but I would post pics before drilling your equipment. Sometimes things that are supposed to line up easy don't. There is usually a remedy short of drilling or beating something senseless to get them to fit.
Going to research is there is any way to raise the 3-point a little higher. I realize there still needs to be some "play" upwards to protect the mechanism I guess if you hit something.
Check your tire pressures all round to see where they are at.
Still confused on the proper tire pressure when they are filled with antifreeze. ?

In general go slow while the learning curve is steep, and when pushing forward through unknown ground be prepared to stop in case you encounter a buried rock or other obstacle that refuses to move by pushing it out of the ground. Loaders are more susceptible to damage from off angle pushing than most other pushing, like into a pile of sand, manure, etc. where there is most often little push back against the tractor hydraulics.
Thank you, yes, my common sense says go slow.

There's a lot to learn, go slow and enjoy. Engage and use 4WD whenever you think it would be useful. Don't engage it on the fly, and recognize it will make tight circles more difficult to turn.
Always watch your loader when lifting a load. Never allow yourself to be pulling back on the lever unless you're looking at the loader's position, it can rise too quickly to stop material from coming back at you if your're not paying close attention.
Keep your bucket as low as possible whenever possible, or remove it from the FEL. Be careful when crossing slopes and never make any fast turns when doing so. Know the ground under you when traversing, including holes, muddy slippery areas, etc. Wear your seatbelt and keep your ROPS upright. Have someone within earshot or radio call distance when working by yourself.
That's it for now. Meantime enjoy your new rig!:thumbsup:
Yes, I am being very careful. Always keeping the FEL and rear attachment as low as possible. Seatbelt always on. From what I hear a lot of accidents happen when people start getting comfortable. I think that's true of everything. Thank you for your input; it really helps.
 
   / Mahindra Max 26XL HST - A New Owner's Journal
  • Thread Starter
#39  
Day 11. No tractor action today.

Kept thundering all day, but no rain yet. Driveway is now too dry to work. I keep looking at the garden mess from the other day. Funny, after I had made my initial effort, I was like "look at the mess I made!" Jay was there to help that day, and he's like "hold my beer....." :D He made an even bigger mess. Learning curve for sure with the FEL. Didn't mention the garden's on a hill too. Seems to make it slower and harder, trying to plan your moves to stay safe.

Working on a major workshop reorganization partly because of the influx of new tools and such due to the tractor. Plus the fact that I could no longer find anything anyway. 'Course while you're at it, might as well repaint too, right? Next thing you know, a simple re-org is a major 2-week project. So all tools are currently in extreme disarray, can't find anything, which makes doing anything frustrating. :mur:
 
   / Mahindra Max 26XL HST - A New Owner's Journal
  • Thread Starter
#40  
Day 15. More driveway action, and a small accident.

Got a good rain yesterday, so the driveway was moist enough to finish up. So. First, unhook the landscape rake. Then hook up the box blade. Box blade the driveway a few times to re-loosen things up (the fun part; I would almost pay people to let me box blade). Then unhook the box blade. Then I needed to use the tilt-blade to adjust some ditches. Previously, I discovered I couldn't raise it high enough when tilted to get more than an inch of clearance when traveling. Turns out the arms that come down to support the lower links have two holes, and it was set in the lower ones. So pulled the pins out and used the higher holes, gaining me almost 2" in height. Also, finally worked the adjustable side-link loose, greased it up, and now it works like a charm.

So, getting a little tired at this point (here comes the "I love Lucy" moment), I get one of the sidelinks hooked up to the tilt-blade and turn to run around to the other side....and somehow the blade catches me in the shin, flips me over into the ditch, and I land on my chest knocking the wind clean out of me and the blade has apparently nicked the large vein in the front of my shin. Kinda cool, as I haven't had the wind knocked out of me in a couple decades, so made me feel like a kid again, after a few minutes on all fours catching my breath. :) A little pressure bandage on the shin and all was good. But luckily by this time it was happy hour again.

Sheesh, everything on a tractor is so darn heavy (not to mention greasy). In between muscle spasms, my back, shoulder, and arm muscles are getting stronger. My nails are broken and my favorite work shirt and jeans are grimy. All in all a good day, because of figuring out the tilt-blade thing. :)
 

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