Oil Color

[MChalkley]

You're not hurting it. You shouldn't work it during those warm-up minutes, though. And go ahead and run it at 1500 rpm instead of 1000 to avoid lugging it during the time you're moving it around. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Mark

 

[Bird]

It's not so much the cost of diesel as my impatience, I suppose, but I frequently don't give my tractor much time to warm up. One thing that strikes me as odd is that my manual says to "Set the throttle lever to about 1/2 way." to start it. That seems too high to me. I always start mine with the throttle lever opened just barely above idle, let it run 5 to 10 seconds, then increase the engine RPMs to about 1400+/-. And I'll probably drive it out of the shop, or move it in the shop to change implements within a couple of minutes. Of course, my tractor and implements are all stored inside a building on a level concrete floor, so there's no load on the engine, and I live in a warm climate, so I don't think any harm is being done.

Bird

 

[Fruitlady]

Thanks for the reassurance, Mark and Bird. Sure would hate to think my impatience and penny saving might hurt my pride and joy. Another question, keeping me up tonight is, the little rod on the right loader arm, that's the float indicator, right? My manual mentions a float indicator but doesn't say how to use it, and when I received the tractor, the delivery man just left the truck running, unloaded it, and asked, "so what do you want to know about it?" Guess that was my training session. Though I think if I called and asked the dealer would explain it to me. It just never occurs to me to do that until 11:30 on a Saturday night--if it was daylight I would be out playing on it, I mean, doing orchard work on it, instead of calling the dealer. Sure would like to know what that little rod is good for before I bust it off in the orchard, so I'll know if it's worth replacing.

 

[MChalkley]

I suspect that is the bucket level indicator, something the smaller tractors don't have /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif. There should be a position on it that you can memorize so you'll know when the bucket is level when the bucket is at ground level. Does that sound like the one you're asking about?

 

[MChalkley]

I'm with you - it's too high to suit me, too. I want that engine to turn over as few times as possible before the oil pressure builds up, so I start mine just off idle, too. It makes my skin crawl to hear an engine start and immediately race! /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif

 

[W5FL]

It is aa bucket level indicator. If the dealer didn't cut it off, then you can do the following to make it very useful.

On a concrete floor, set the bucket exactly flat and level on the concrete. Scratch a mark on the center rod exactly at the top of the outer tube. Lift the bucket up and tilt it back so the scribe line is above the tube. Either paint you a thin white line just BELOW the scribe mark or just use a permanent marker like a Sharpy and put a mark just below the scribe mark.

Now when you just hide the paint line iside the tube, the bucket will be exactly level and you can do it in a jiffy. The adjustment is pretty small, but it works a WHOLE LOT better than guessing when the bucket is level if you are using the loader to scoop up from a pile and don't want to take too much topsoil with it.

The reason it is preferable to mark it rather than cut it off, is that it is different whether you have a bucket, bale spear or pallet forks on the loader. The M Series is a really nice tractor. Hope you enjoy yours.

 

[Fruitlady]

Thanks, Wen, I'll do that. And since I might be using a pallet fork in the near future, I'll mark it instead of cutting it. But I'm still worried that I'll break it off taking it through the trees--I'll lower it as much as I can, and if it looks like it will be a problem I guess I'll think about taking the loader off when I'm spraying. It's quick attach, but still looks like some trouble to reattach. Yeah, so far I'm really pleased with the M4700. I have used 2 JD 2040s to pull my sprayer, which the manual says requires a minimum 40 HP at the PTO. Both tended to overheat after one sprayer load, and I had to let the tractors cool down about 6 hours before I could spray again. I religiously washed the radiators with a pressure washer, and in one I had to replace the water pump, but it still overheated. The M4700 just reaches the midway line on the temp gauge.

 

[Bird]

I don't know about the M4700 loader, but I can easily remove or replace the loader on the B2710, in no hurry and with no physical exertion, in under 3 minutes. In fact, that's easier than changing a 3-point implement. And of course, Wen's right about the bucket level indicator and the reason for marking it. Which smaller tractors don't have one, Mark? My B7100 had one and I cut the top off, instead of just marking it, since I knew I wasn't going to be removing the bucket to put other implements on in its place. Now the B2710 (LA401 loader) has an entirely different indicator.

Bird

 

[MChalkley]

Hmm, perhaps I should have said "larger compact utility" tractors. None of the L-series has one.

 

[PaulB]

Mark - I am giving you a golden opportunity to give a 1 word answer, so try not to blow it. Are you saying that, in your opinion, I am well advised to change my oil and filter at 200 hours or every 2 years whichever comes first? If so, there goes the economic argument against using synthetic as so eloquently put forth by Bird and others - I would do 2 or 3 changes of petroleum and filter in the same time period. (Ignore this aside Mark, lets go for the one worder here, OK)