Ready to pull the trigger on TC33

[BigE_]

Greetings!

Yesterday I went and picked up the trailer with no problems. I was very impressed with the welding job, and with the tor-flex suspension, the trailer sits *very* low to the ground, so that makes loading and unloading a little easier. No weight distributing hitch, but it does have an adjustable coupler to allow me to raiser / lower the tongue to help balance the load between the two axles. Four D-rings on the sides make tieing down the load easy, and there are 2x4 holders every couple of feet if I want to put on some sides. Came with very heavy duty 6' x 16" ramps.

The lights are LEDs, so I shouldn't ever have to worry about them burning out. I opted for the brakes on front and back axles ($100 extra), mainly because I'm currently towing this with a '99 TrailBlazer, and I was worried about stopping distance. (Came in handy a few times -- had to drive back in rush hour traffic, and more than one fool pulled in front of me and slammed on the brakes -- I barely knew I was towing something when I hit the brakes). I had the Prodigy all wired up correctly, and the lights and brakes all worked first shot, so I was happy with that.

The only negative I could find on the trailer was the paint job -- tons of paint in only 1-2 coats, so lots of places where there is sag. But, it is already dirty from the 75 mile trek it made yesterday, so I can overlook that part.

Pulled the trailer to where the tractor was, loaded her up, paid for her, and that was that! Only a slight issue with loading: no blocks under the rear of the trailer meant that the rear of the blazer was lifted up and the rig actually moved forward a few inches. I'm going to make up some 2x4s with pins that will go in the rear to add removable legs so this won't happen in the future.

OK, now for some pictures:

Got it hauled up the hill, parked in the driveway. 25 degree slope in places.
I should've put the rig in 4x4 lo, but pulled in 4x4hi instead. Floored in 1st
gear got down to 3mph in places. Only 1/4 mile driveway, though. Once I
get those tires filled, I think I'll have to drive the tractor up the driveway!
(Yeah, I know, I need a bigger rig).

Katie was enjoying herself!

Dominic gave it a thumbs up.

 

[BigE_]

I still need to replace all the fluids in the tractor, but of course I gave it the obligatory test drive around the place for 15 or so minutes. My observations:

1.) The TC33D is much bigger than the Sears LT4000. No where near as maneuverable, but it will go a lot of places I'd get the LT stuck in. OTOH, I mow sideways on a 25 degree slope with the LT, and the pucker factor kicks in well before that on the TC33D.

2.) I'll definitely be using 4WD mode quite a bit. Had a couple of places where even the differential lock wouldn't get me going, and that was on gravelly dirt. Filling the tires with beet juice should help.

3.) Loader can lift front end of tractor with curl, but not with just loader arms. There is a thread from a few years ago here that explains how to adjust the valve to allow the loader to lift the front end. Apparently, NH didn't bother adjusting these valves in the factory.
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/owning-operating/24123-tweaked-fel-output.html

4.) Man, you guys make using the FEL look easy! I need a sand lot to play in for a while just to get the hang of it.

5.) Hard to remember that I don't need to shift any gears to go forward and reverse. Don't get me wrong, the HST is nice, just takes some getting used to. Also hard to remember to up the throttle -- HST pedal is NOT a gas pedal.

6.) Hour meter isn't working? It didn't budge during my test drive. This isn't a good sign! It was probably just disconnected, so it shouldn't be too hard to fix.

7.) Upon very close inspection, I see traces of green paint. I'm 80% certain that this was a rental tractor in a previous life. It was repainted and new decals were put on it. Paint job wasn't that good. But, I still think it'll hold up to the low hours I'll be putting on it.

8.) I bought the NH service manual on CD in PDF format. But, it is not compatible with Acrobat 8 due to the security. (Figured this out after trying it on 5 different computers.) Spent last night "fixing" the manual so I could use it on all of my computers. (Don't ask for details).

All in all, I'm happy with my purchase, and looking forward to the weekend where I can get more familiar with the fluid changing, and then finally, some good seat time!

 

[jbrumberg]

BigE:
Congratulations on your "new" tractor ! It looks in pretty good shape . Use it safely and well. Jay

 

[daTeacha]

Even without SS, you will find it easy to move around. Take the loader off and you will be surprized how small it is as a mowing machine if you get a belly mower for it.

The switch may be a reflection of some of the problems some posters have with the stock ignition switch rather than a bypass. Check that out before you go changing it out, unless you just buy a new switch.

 

[BigE_]

I did get the loader off it this last weekend, and it is definitely much easier to maneuver it with the loader off. The industrial tires do tear up the lawn a bit, and they aren't loaded yet, so I probably won't be getting a MMM for it. I need the industrials for when I'm working in the woods, and I'll be loading the tires for better traction with the BH.

I'm thinking that at some point in time I'll replace the LT with a little Kubota SCUT, but I'll get a BH for the TC33D first. In the meantime...

Neutral safety switch has definitely been bypassed, as I start the tractor in gear all the time. Is this bad? Doesn't seem to affect it at all, seeing as how it is HST. Might be why the battery seems dead, though!

-Steve

 

[daTeacha]

Kubota makes a low riding small TLB, I believe in the BX series. Maybe you should think about replacing the Sears LT with a Kubota SCUT, probably a BX configured as a TLB with a MMM and HST instead of getting a BH and RFM for the NH. Then, when you run out of letters, you end yo....

 

[BigE_]

LOL. BTW is that enough TLAs?

I checked out the BX24 before I got the TC33D, but I want the BH to help maneuver logs and large branches, and the BX24 BH just wasn't up to the task. The BX24 would've made a nice lawn mower, but I'll probably end up with a BX1500 or maybe a B7100 for a lawn mower, and maybe put a FEL on it for the heck of it.