New Member

[Straps]

I just signed on to the forum and thought that I'd post a quick Howdy-do. I'm new to tractors and just bought a (well) used L355 SS and am just learning the ins and outs of operating it.( No operators manual yet and all of the decals and labels are either gone or painted over, still not sure what does what) I'd appreciate any info from anyone that has one of these . I assume that as I get going, I'll be posting some dumb-*** questions so please be kind.I do have a pretty strong background in mechanics and gas engines but Diesels are a bit of a mystery at this point.I have 5 acres in north central Fla. and will mostly use the travctor for mowing and clearing.

My first stupid question is about tire air pressure. The front tires are LT245R16 . The only indication on the sidewall is to inflate to 80 psi only to seal the bead, nothing about normal psi/ When I got the tractor it was running 32 psi. The rears are 14.9-24R3 Ag tires. Max is 20 psi on the sidewall but only had 8 psi in them, which seems low but seemed to run Ok. What should I be running here ?

Thanks for the help.
Rich

 

[Baby Grand]

Welcome aboard, Rich!
I'd get a copy of the owner/user's manual from Messick's - I think they'll have one for you model.
Kubota Parts | Full Service online retailer
They will send you a pdf for free if you fill out the info on their site.
This has been very helpful for keeping my two older tractors running right.

Offhand, the tire pressures that you give sound reasonable. I keep my L3240's rears at 12psi unless I need traction in loose soil or snow. For those conditions I'll drop it 2 to 4psi. The fronts I keep around 26 - 30psi, but that's with a healthy Front End Loader (FEL).

 

[RaydaKub]

Welcome, Straps!

I can't help you a lick on your tractor. But there are some great guys here and I bet somebody else has one of those and will pipe up. Like BG said, Messick's probably can get you a manual pdf. They send out bits and pieces of other manuals too. I needed a set of electrical diagrams for my BX2230, no problem.

There are no stupid questions here. If you don't know, you don't know and it isn't always common sense. I hit this forum at least once a day just for humor, if not great advice. The search isn't always the greatest in my opinion, but there is a huge amount of advice for just about any topic you want to address. Come on in, pour a cup, and start reading. You'll be glad you did.

 

[jerrybob]

Welcome:thumbsup:

 

[MHarryE]

The rears are 6 ply rating tires by the max pressure you say is on the idle wall. Minimum tire pressure recommended by the Tire and Rim Association is 12 psi and at that pressure they can each support 2360 pounds. Your tractor may not be that heavy but the T&R Assn. recommends 12 psi minimum to keep the sidewalls seated when turning, on side hills, etc.

As for the fronts the size you give is a light truck tire. Do they look like used pickup tires somebody had removed and a previous owner installed because they were cheap? I only deal in ag tires but my pickup has LT275R18 tires and the recommended pressure is 40 psi on my pickup.

 

[Larro Darro]

Welcome aboard Straps, from the big city of Altha Fl. There are a lot of smart folks here, as the above post will show. I'm pretty new myself, and they have made me feel at home.

 

[kcender]

Welcome to TBN.

 

[sandyc]

Welcome to TBN! Good luck with your new toy, I mean work related tractor.

 

[Deano]

:welcome:

Shed your thin skin!!! :laughing: Just kidding, great bunch of people here!

 

[mccash40]

Welcome, from your neighbors' summer hangout. I've learned a lot from TBN in the short time I've owned my tractor. You've come to the right place.:thumbsup:

 

[repete]

I sure do like pictures of tractors. hint...

 

[Straps]

As for the fronts the size you give is a light truck tire. Do they look like used pickup tires somebody had removed and a previous owner installed because they were cheap? I only deal in ag tires but my pickup has LT275R18 tires and the recommended pressure is 40 psi on my pickup.

First of all, thanks to all of you for the welcome. Hopefully I won't wear it out....

You're right about the front tires, they do look like a light truck tire. The guy that I bought it from (it was his Dad's tractor and he passed away) didn't know much about it but said that those were the tires that were on there for as far back as he could remember. He said that the rears were replaced @ 3 yrs ago. I don't think I'm in too much trouble at this point though. The only issue that occurs to me that I'll have is not getting much traction if I use the 4WD. Any other issues that I havn't thought of?

I spent the weekend just tooling around and getting familiar with what does what. Som things that I learned:
The knob in front of the seat which I thought was the seat adjustment actually controls how fast the 3 point raises and lowers....
The lever that I thought adjusted the speed of the PTO actually is to shift between Hi and Low range ....(Hmmm thats why I couldn't find all 8 gears...)

Good to know, but now I'm left with 2 other issues......Anyone know how to change the speed of the PTO (supposedly has 2 speeds 500 and 540) and how to adjust the #@*&^ seat ?

New topic : Filters.....I can figure out the air filter. For the crankcase oil there is a spin on filter which lookjs like an automotive one. Is there any difference? Oil looks fresh but I might want to just change the filter since its a FRAM (they are junk IMHO). What about the fuel filter. There is a shuioff above it. Can I just shut the fuel off and unscrew the filter? Is there a replaceable element?
Are there any other filters that I should know about/ What about the hydraulic system? Does that have a filter as well?
Speaking of the hydraulic system....Dumb question...Is there only one system (ie transmission,PTO,3 point 4WD and power steering) or is each independent and need to be checked separately. There is a tank with a dipstick on top of the engine which I'm pretty sure is the power steering resivoir. Also, I found a filler plug on the trans and on the PTO but no way to measure the level. Any ideas??

One last problem, I can't seem to find the Power Window switches.........
Rich

 

[RaydaKub]

One last problem, I can't seem to find the Power Window switches.........

It's next to the electric door locks. :laughing:

Hopefully you can find a manual for this thing. It should tell you what tires to have on it. You really want them matched up so that the front tires are in sync with the rear ones. Typically, tractors come with the front end over-driven by 1-5% so that they maximize their effect and never cause the rear end to push it. You'll want to get the right tires on there so that the factory ration is maintained. And never use the 4WD on dry pavement, only ground where there is some give.

I don't know your tractor at all, but my BX has everything running from the rear end. Steering, pto, fel, 3ph, and ground drive (hst) all use the same tank.

Sounds like you've made some excellent progress in learning your toy. Hang in there! :thumbsup:

 

[Straps]

It's next to the electric door locks. :laughing:

Hopefully you can find a manual for this thing. It should tell you what tires to have on it. You really want them matched up so that the front tires are in sync with the rear ones. Typically, tractors come with the front end over-driven by 1-5% so that they maximize their effect and never cause the rear end to push it. You'll want to get the right tires on there so that the factory ration is maintained. And never use the 4WD on dry pavement, only ground where there is some give.

I don't know your tractor at all, but my BX has everything running from the rear end. Steering, pto, fel, 3ph, and ground drive (hst) all use the same tank.

Sounds like you've made some excellent progress in learning your toy. Hang in there! :thumbsup:

Found the correct size at an on-line site Supposed to have 13.6-24 rear and 8.3-16 on front. This is for a tire with the big "fins" (Don't know the correct term). What I have is 14.9 turf tire in rear and a 245R16 truck tire on front. What then would be the correct tire for the front ?

Also, Messicks does have an owners manual. The manual is 40 pages (probably half in French) and is $21. Shipping is $20 . That's crazy.I'll keep looking.