Ready to pull the trigger on 1026r and need reassurance.

madmax12 · Sep 9, 2012

Nice :thumbsup:

finley31 · Sep 9, 2012

I guess I broke it in pretty good today. I put about 8 hours on it mowing off some sections of our property, then when I was putting the FEL and BH on at the end of the day I backed into one of the hydraulic fittings on the BH and broke it right into. So I guess I'll be making a trip to the dealer tomorrow to get a new hose made, and for some hydraulic fluid to replace what was lost.

swick1 · Sep 9, 2012

Oops! Its all part of the process. I once unhooked my hoe and drove off with the hoses still attached! Somehow they didn't break!

madmax12 · Sep 9, 2012

Not as nice :duh:

Now, you're one of us.

Well, you're now one of me, anyway. :newhere:

Don't fret. Get back on and RIDE!!! :cool2:

finley31 · Sep 13, 2012

The salesman and a tech paid me a visit yesterday to deliver and install what I thought was going to be the 12" bucket that I ordered, but instead showed up with a 16" bucket. It was a pleasant surprise and after trying it out I'm glad that I got the free upgrade.

I also had a small scare when I was first trying the new bucket out. I hopped on the back and swung the bucket down and the whole attachment lost hydraulic pressure. None of the controls would do anything, but the FEL still worked fine. I unhooked the two hoses for the BH then tried to hook them back up but there was so much pressure on them I couldn't. I had to bleed them off by unscrewing the QD slightly to relieve the pressure, and after I hooked them back up the BH worked perfectly.

swines · Sep 13, 2012

I would not use the mid-mount mower for anything but the grass around your house. Personally, I'd get the 2520 with the FEL and a 48-inch flail mower. You can chop weeds with it and it will leave a fairly nice finish on mowed areas.

As for the backhoe, a small tractor backhoe is of limited use. I have a 3320 with the 485 backhoe and that's about the smallest I would call "useful."

rrjii2000 · Sep 16, 2012

I'm in Gilmer County WV and recently purchased a 1026R with the FEL. Had it for a few weeks and love it. I do all my yard work with it, had the same scalping probs like everyone else but eventualy got it setup correctly. Like others said, BE CAREFULL on horizontal slopes, particulary with the FEL attached. It does not take much azimuth angle to scare the **** out of yourself. My first evening with the 1026, I was loading gravel and probably not more than 10-12deg of sideways terrian made a rear wheel come up when lifting the load. Luckly I was operating slowly and a quick drop of the bucket saved me. I'm looking to get some 2" spacers for the rear wheels. My tires are loaded but the machine could still use some rear ballist when using the FEL. I didn't splurge for the backhoe, sice I have a 485 hoe on my JD 4720. Enjoy, but Enjoy safely.

finley31 · Sep 16, 2012

I've already found that taking off both the FEL and BH make me feel most comfortable when mowing with it. One of the hard line hydraulic fittings started leaking today, so I'm going to give the dealer a call tomorrow and see what they can do. Other than that, it has been perfect so far for what I need.

CinderSchnauzer · Sep 17, 2012

finley31 said:
I unhooked the two hoses for the BH then tried to hook them back up but there was so much pressure on them I couldn't. I had to bleed them off by unscrewing the QD slightly to relieve the pressure, and after I hooked them back up the BH worked perfectly.

If I understand what you are saying, next time that happens, get a rag or paper towel (to catch the oil) and press the "pin" in the middle of the male connector on a hard smooth surface to relieve the pressure. No need to unscrew the connector.

kb2520 · Sep 17, 2012

CinderSchnauzer said:
If I understand what you are saying, next time that happens, get a rag or paper towel (to catch the oil) and press the "pin" in the middle of the male connector on a hard smooth surface to relieve the pressure. No need to unscrew the connector.

I agree with your experience. When this happens I put a thick towel over the male connector and peck it with a rubber mallet. This releases the pressure so I can change the connectors easily, without unscrewing anything.