New TC40 owner

Pacesetter300 · Feb 21, 2003

Told Ya! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
I don't know how many people get to see the Red Green show on PBS. It is up the alley of everyone on this forum. One of his favorite sayings is " Remember Guys, we're all in this together!" in reference to the guys vs gals.
I echo the sentiment.
If I were on my new tractor tomorrow, I would say "rain? what rain? are you sure?? I don't feel a drop!" You only get one second chance to be a kid again - enjoy!
Pacesetter

Bird · Feb 21, 2003

( it is supposed to rain most of the weekend )

Probably will, too, in Missouri since we had light to moderate rain nearly all the time yesterday and today.

jinman · Feb 22, 2003

Hey Pharmboy, congratulations on your TC40. It sounds like you made choices based on "need-to-have" rather than "nice-to-have." I'm sure you will enjoy your tractor and get lots of landscaping done. I've also just recently finished my house and I'm still doing landscaping. My TC45D is definitely my "buddy" for lots of jobs. I am curious about one choice you made on your tractor. Your boxblade is 6' wide, but your loader bucket is only 60". I'm curious about that since my bucket is 72" and I thought that was the standard width on a Class III Boomer. I'm not sure 60" will cover the front wheels when back dragging, but I am sure you will have no trouble pushing that size bucket into a dirt pile. Since you have the quick-attach loader, you could always trade up if you need to. Good luck with your delivery. I hope the weather holds up for you. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

Anonymous Poster · Feb 22, 2003

jinman,

I tried to be practical about the tractor use and the need to have goodies. Since a tractor is such a practical purchase (I made sure I stressed that point to justify the it), the little extras didn't seem to be significant enough to special order the tractor. The dealer had 2 of the TC40's with the gear drive and the only D version was a TC35D. He says in our area they sell 10 gear drive for every hydro. The same situation with the 60 inch bucket. I really wanted a 72", but he had a 16LA in stock with the 60".

I figured he wanted to turn over inventory almost as badly as I wanted the tractor, so I just dealt with him on what he had in stock.

I do think the bigger bucket will be on the list on upgrades when I get serious about the landscaping in the spring. I went down to the creek and picked up a load of gravel as soon as I got her home. It sure is going to take some time to fix the driveway bringing up a bucket at a time (creek is about 1/2 mile from the house).

It is raining like crazy here, but I still managed to log 2 hours on her this morning. It was too muddy to do much, but I just had to try her out a little!! /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

Tim

jinman · Feb 23, 2003

It sure is going to take some time to fix the driveway bringing up a bucket at a time (creek is about 1/2 mile from the house).


We all discover quickly that or little tractors are far superior to a wheelbarrow, yet very inferior to a dump truck. I try to limit my material hauling to 500' or less for repetitive trips. My land is sloping and I've built several terraces, but on all of these my dirt has come from 100' to 200' away. I can sure sympathize with you about the half-mile trip, but after justifying your new tractor purchase, you might have a tough time convincing your wife that you need a dump truck too. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

buckeye · Feb 23, 2003

I've had the setup described since last June. The tractor seems to sip the fuel. I've never really tried to track fuel usage since I try to fill the tank immediately after use to prevent condensation in the evening. I'll guess I'll try to track it more closely this year, but it seemed so small to me I never really gave it a second thought.

The one thing I would add to your list, would be some ballast system for the back end while using the loader. Right now I use one of my mowers, but I'm fixin' to either make a ballast box or find one at a sale or something.

Anonymous Poster · Feb 28, 2003

buckeye,

I found out what you were getting at the other day. Since we built a new house this past year, there is a lot of work to be done. I am currently bringing gravel in from the creek to cover the clay driveway. After a few trial runs, I managed to pick up a really full bucket of gravel. Even with the box blade on the 3 point, it pick the back tires up for a second. I am going to have some fluid put in them when it goes in for the 50 hour service.

Now on to the good part. I love this little tractor. I am still learning the control locations, but overall it is set up very nice. The only problem that I have had, is that it keeps doing what I tell it now instead of what I want it to.

I guess I'll have to practice this weekend. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

jinman · Mar 1, 2003

Tim, until you get that ballast in your tires, keep your bucket low and your hand on the joystick, ready to drop the bucket to the ground. I routinely get "light in the rear" with my tractor since I don't have ballast in my tires. In the attachment, I was moving dirt on a sloping hillside from the excavation for my new house. By keeping the bucket low, I had no problem. Just remember that ballast is going to add a lot of total weight to your tractor. In my case, I would overload my trailer if I added ballast. ...just a thought.

thcri · Mar 1, 2003

Nice pic Jinman,

Being on the side hill like that with a loader is dangerous. Yes keep your hands on that joystick. I had a TC21D at first and on myside hill I couldn't lift the bucket with any weight. It would only bring the back tires up even with tire weights. If I could get the bucket up by taking smaller loads then if I turned the steering wheel the tractor would tip to one side. I sure am glad I got a bigger tractor.

Murph

Anonymous Poster · Mar 1, 2003

Murph,

My Ford 1220 is similar to the TC21 and I use a TSC carryall with a wood box 48" across filled with cinder blocks for rear ballast. (rear tires are not loaded) Makes a world of difference in stability not only front to back but side to side....