New to me F3680, first use and impressions

[4570Man]

If you change the back wheels you have to keep them the same size as the current wheel. If you don't you mess up the ratio in the transmission when it is in 4wd.

 

[jcummins]

I for one don't know.......... but.....in my mind the more rubber on the road gives a better grip especially with sideways pressure against the tire. Just the way my mind is working, not any experience I've had other than I have the regular turf tires on my home F 4wd and don't have any real traction issues. I usually always prefer turf for mowing machines and industrial tread R4s for my tractors with FELs due to weight load.
There is always the fact that some times the slope can be to steep to maintain except for the up and down method which won't work for you with water at the bottom of the down. A sickle bar mower may be your best option but you'll have to invent one to work on the F.
Maybe others with actual experience will chip in.

I cut that now with a sickle bar, but the cut is not as nice as I'd prefer. Even with my M7040 which has loaded tires, and weights...I mow one pond dam diagonally. Across the slope puckers me to much. Sooo, maybe I'm expecting too much out of the F3680.

 

[jcummins]

Well...just came in from mowing the front/back yard around the house, garden and to the pond. Unlike John Thomas who just uses low range....I used both low and high. Low around house, mowing around things, but I've got some more open areas, and used high....and I quickly found I had it wide open...and it is FAST compared to the ZD326. Mower is in a completely different league. When I say wide open, that's the hst pedal to the stop, with about 3/4 throttle. It's a rough ride going that fast, but a different rough than the ZD326, more controllable. I mowed the ZD326 wide open too, 3/4 throttle.

Now I've got to figure out a different way to work on my tan, since mowing seat time is going to be less. Maybe fishing....yep fishing it will be.

 

[jcummins]

Finished mowing the yard. Use to take me 4 hours..10 mins or so. This mowing with F3680, 3 hours flat. F3680 has cut my mowing time by 25%. AND...I took a stab at mowing that inside pond dam. I got thru it, but I didn't get as close to the water as I wanted...no nerve. I'll get better at it, but that rear does drag down the hill. Feels like a bunch, but probably not as much as I feel.

QUESTION for F series owners:

1. The right front gauge wheel on this 72" deck will go into rotating gyrations the faster you go. Left wheel seems ok. I don't really have amanual on the mower, but did find a F3680 WSW manual that included the mower, but it made no mention at all of any gauage wheel adjustments, other than height. How can I, or can I, fix this? It really catches your eye as you mow, as such finding I was looking at it all the time.

2. Hydraulic whine. It's provably normal, but it is very noticeable on this F3680. I've heard it in HST tractors as well, just none I've owned, and some loud, some aren't. Anything I can check, short of doing a fluid change, as to problems that may be there. Other than the whine, performs great.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

Finished mowing the yard. Use to take me 4 hours..10 mins or so. This mowing with F3680, 3 hours flat. F3680 has cut my mowing time by 25%. AND...I took a stab at mowing that inside pond dam. I got thru it, but I didn't get as close to the water as I wanted...no nerve. I'll get better at it, but that rear does drag down the hill. Feels like a bunch, but probably not as much as I feel.

QUESTION for F series owners:

1. The right front gauge wheel on this 72" deck will go into rotating gyrations the faster you go. Left wheel seems ok. I don't really have amanual on the mower, but did find a F3680 WSW manual that included the mower, but it made no mention at all of any gauage wheel adjustments, other than height. How can I, or can I, fix this? It really catches your eye as you mow, as such finding I was looking at it all the time.

2. Hydraulic whine. It's provably normal, but it is very noticeable on this F3680. I've heard it in HST tractors as well, just none I've owned, and some loud, some aren't. Anything I can check, short of doing a fluid change, as to problems that may be there. Other than the whine, performs great.

The wheel is supposed to be on the ground holding the weight of the deck. Apparently one wheel is and the other one isn't. There are very fine adjustments on th wheel rod. Drop the dancing wheel a bit till it is carrying the equal weight of the deck and I believe your wheel will quit dancing.
Many people on the Kubota tractor forum have tried to save noney and used other than sudt2 and the whine was greater and when they switched back to sudt2 the whine was noticeably less.
The previous owner or user may have tried to save money but it will whine in high gear more than low gear.
Presently in Crossville, Tn. Mariners Pointe with dock at the back door.

 

[Happy Gilmore]

My F2680E was stuck twice so far at my pond lot, but it's 2wd. I just grabbed the RTV and pulled it out. I've only put 10 hours on it these last couple weeks since purchasing it used, but I love it! I find low range to be just fine for the mowing I'm doing. I think once you get used to the HST pedal, you're going to grow to like it and the maneuverability it affords. I have the 72" RD deck on mine.

 

[jcummins]

Oh I love mine too, very happy I traded. But as with everything, there is room for improvement. Some of it is designed in a manner to contain cost...not necessarily the best solution. Low range on trim areas, but no low range out in the open. High range and I GO.

On the gauge wheel spinning. In the barn on the level, bottom edge of the deck is the same height from the floor, both sides. The wheel is looser than the other, kind of looking like more wear. Probably because it's been doing this for awhile. The height adjusters are in the same position both wheels. What is the item I circled in blue on the wheel?



This next picture, is on the smaller pond dam, which I even mowed with the ZD. There is one spot that has a little dip, and I stopped in it, got off and snapped this picture. You can see how the rear is downhill from the front tires....this is what I call crabbing. Have no idea what the proper term is. The other dam pond has long stem fescue on it. If it is not hayed I will cut with sickle, then try to mow it every third mowing or so....to keep it trimmed down. The dam pond in this picture is mowed regular, being adjacent to my driveway. Would the extra weight be pulling the rear down?

 

[jcummins]

I failed to make any mention on the whine. Yes, aware that some machines require SUDT or you get a bad whine. Have no idea what's in it. It looks clean, and the hydraulic filter has been changed. I have some SUDT that was scheduled to be used on the ZD at 400hrs, figured I would use at 400hrs on the F3680....but I may not be content to not change it just so I know it's got the right stuff. Have to think on that. One reason I don't have an HST tractor, didn't want the whine.

I took a small break, and walked out to my dock, threw a spinner bait few times, caught I think 8. All of my fish running smaller than I want, but it use to be quite different. I'm working on changing that. Go catch em John.

 

[johncar]

Hello, congrats on your purchase, I too have just recently picked up one of these second hand with about 480 hours previous use. I am new to this forum and was reading your posts. Could be wrong but I think that the item you circled in blue is indeed a device to inhibit the wheels vertical pivot from free spinning uncontrollably around and around.
Without pulling it apart I assume that there is a spring loaded ball in there that should find an indent on the shaft in the straight ahead position. Mine is barely noticeable due to wear I am sure, but still has some slight effect.

I think that the crabbing effect is something we will both have to live with and just my humble opinion but I don't think it is so much to do with the steering wheels sliding down hill but actually more the drive wheels for every foot forwards depending on the slopes angle and texture will slide downwards a percentage, so to correct this we need to steer in the opposite direction to keep the mower running parallel to the embankment. This means that the rear steering wheels will hang downhill keeping the mower running straight, if that makes sense.

When you think about it, if it was only or mainly the steering wheels that were sliding down hill then to get them to go up hill you would just turn them in that direction but of course you can't because it would then run the front downhill moreso.

Sort of like a boat crossing a flowing river, it will have to steer up current to go directly across and the back end will hang down current to counteract the sliding effect of the current.

So if I were to do anything I am thinking of better grip on the drive wheels although I doubt if there would be a great improvement because unless we are on rails gravity will always cause a bit of a slide as we go. So I will just try and work with what I have I think.

I am liking the mower very much, it seems very capable and easy to operate but it has had a bit of rough treatment from the previous owner so a few things to service and repair. Hoping for nothing major wrong with it. I just found yesterday while changing the rear drive oils that the top steering bushes on the rear axle are worn pretty bad. pulled them down and surprised to see just a 20mm plastic bush in there which seem a bit light duty. The pins they rotate on are worn as well so it will be off to the spare parts man tomorrow. hope it is not too expensive..

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

My front yard where it's steepest appears steeper than your pic and I do some of the crabbig at its steepest part. I have a video posted on this Lawn and Garden forum with angle meter on hood or ground.in low gear and see if your forward speed isn't fast enough with the pedal to the metal. I believe me doing low gear at full out engine is near as fast as you with reduced engine speed and higher gear and you get the extra benefit of the whine you don't like. TyrI'd take the extra weights off and see if it makes a difference.
If the blue circled thing doesn't adjust your wiggle then drop that wheel one slot at a time till it quits doing it.
I run engine full out with the foot pedal determining forward speed and this makes blades spin really fast which is what I want. Try that on yours and see if it doesn't reduce your whine and only use high gear which will produce the loudest whine as part of its makeup.When you need more ground speed. I believe you'll see a big increase in ground speed using full engine throttle and full pedal to the metal in low and lots less whine. I had trouble for years doing the full throttle thing being a gas engine guy all my life but diesel people say that's how diesels are to be run, full out all the time when under load.