New Tractor, Must Do's?

[oosik]

I'll definitely second the "in building" storage. Not so worried about sun faded paint as the damage the sun will do to the tires and other rubber/plastic items. My tractors have always been stored in one of my carport bays. Its three sided and keeps the sun off the tractor. In 2009 when I traded in my Ford 1700 for my Kubota M6040 - the original tires on the 'ol Ford had no cracking, fading or any other damage due to the sun. I bought the Ford, new, in 1982.

 

[PJSprog]

Just a gentle reminder to check the torque on your wheel lugs.

Trust but verify.

... as well as loader arms and mounts. I found about 75% of the fasteners on my new tractor needed a fair amount of tightening. Check everything.

Also, check all of your fluid levels.

 

[Indygunworks]

Tractor will be stored in a pole barn during the summer and heated garage in the winter.

Are the rear tires being fluid filled enough rear ballast?

 

[ericm979]

Not for a heavy load on the loader or a lighter one while going down steep hills. Tractor brakes are only on the rear wheels. It's a nasty surprise to be going down hill and find that your brakes don't slow you down. Being in four wheel drive is one way to adress the brake problem but it doesn't help the rear end being too light. Weight behind the rear wheels takes weight off the front wheels (think see-saw with the rear axle as the pivot). Tractor front axles and wheels are not as robust as the rears. You can find a number of posts here about broken front axles. Weight behind the rear wheels can help that. A weight box is nice because it's compact but if you don't have one a box blade or other implement works, though it's often not as heavy as a weight box can be. I'll get a weight box one of these days. For now I use the box blade.

The rears are filled on my 3725 but I don't go anywhere without something on the back. (my property is hilly- going anywhere means hills)

 

[ovrszd]

Tractor will be stored in a pole barn during the summer and heated garage in the winter.

Are the rear tires being fluid filled enough rear ballast?

When just using your bucket, probably. When using your Grapple, not as likely.

 

[plowhog]

My dealer delivered my Massey GC1710 a while ago.

I asked: "what is the most important thing you recommend to do?"

He said: "My most important recommendation is what *not* to do. Don't loan it to your neighbor."

 

[oosik]

The dealer makes an excellent point. There is nobody that cares as much about your tractor as you. Soon, there will nobody that understands your tractor as you do. If you are so inclined and your neighbor wants a job done - you may take your tractor to his property and do the job for him.

This "not loaning" goes beyond neighbors to relatives also. Remember, to most, your tractor is just a big toy to have fun on. They will not understand how to operate it, they have little regard for any damage that may happen and in the worst scenario they may hurt themselves or others. In the end, you will have to repair any damage done and don't expect any financial assistance from anybody in this matter.

I know this sounds harsh but it is found over & over again in posts here on TBN. It just a plain & simple fact - while most adults can operate autos - very few understand, have any experience or can operate a tractor with implements.

 

[adventure bob]

most important : use it!

 

[Gary Fowler]

Rear tires are fluid filled and probably add just under 1000 pounds of rear ballast. Is that not enough?

With the backhoe on it, it should be enough weigh even without loading the tires. In fact my Kubota B26 OEM says not to load the tires when using the back hoe. I don't know of anyone who loads and unloads tires when not using/ using the back hoe. It wont be an issue as long as you don't try to lift the wheels off the ground although there are times when you may need to lift at least one wheel in order to level the tractor.

When moving heavy loads with the FEL, you want about the same amount of rear weight as you will be picking up. Note: you want the weight behind the rear axle-loaded tires and wheel weights do nothing for removing weight from the front axle. Actually loaded tires and rear wheel weights will allow you to pick up more weight with the FEL will maintaining rear wheel contact but it also can make you overstress the front wheels if you get too much wheel weight and not enough weight behind the rear axle. If you have the back hoe on, that is as good a counter weight as you can have. Without it, a heavy disk, bush hog or other heavy 3 PH implement works fine if you don't have a ballast box. Remember, the further back the weight is from your rear axle, the more influence it has for a counter weight (think teeter totter)

 

[Gary Fowler]

As for things to do, check every bolt on the machine for tightness especially the wheel lug bolts and your FEL/Backhoe frame mounting bolts. IF it is hard to get too, it is more than likely loose. I found two on my LS loader frame that were up behind the fuel tank that were not even hand tight. Most bolts will stretch a bit upon initial tightening and loosen up a bit. Check when you first get your tractor and again at 50 hours and then again every 100 hours of use.
If traction is an issue, check the tire pressures. Most tractors seem to be shipped with max allowed working pressure in the tires. This may be ok for the fronts when you anticipate heavy loading with the FEL but the rears generally run better at 10-12PSI. You can verify the best tire pressure by checking the lug contact area. This is easily done if you have a flat concrete driveway or parking slab. Just dampening the concrete then drive your tractor over the damp (not standing water) and see how much of the lug is wetted. Lower the tire pressure till you have all or most of the lugs wetted.