Started to learn to use my tractor today!

[3RRL]

I think it's just great to see you enjoying your tractor. Your posts shows it. Now with a little more experience working it, you'll feel better and better about it. Pretty soon you'll be a pro.

 

[BTDT]

In case you haven't done this already, now might be a good time to check the injector return line hoses, and any other hoses (coolant, etc). so they don't fail on you in the field. Looks like a nice tiller, is it one of the ones with the funny looking curved blades for rice?

 

[Ductape]

DFO,
Soon enough, all this stuff will be second nature to you. Hooking up implements will take half the time, you won't have to think about which lever does what, etc. Practice,practice,practice ! Have fun with your new tool !!!

 

[Adiredneck]

As for dealing with the better half:

Make sure to always grimace, or wince when you have to go "work" with the tractor. Make it sound like it is agonizing. It gets me a lot more seat time.

 

[flusher]

Here's todays update.
Anyway, after filling the tank back up with fuel, I went on and decided to try out my tiller. Two things I have learned: It is near impossible to back the tractor right up to the implement and be able to connect it in the first try. I ended up having the manhandle the tiller around until I was able to get the pins through. Wasn't that bad actually.

Before connecting the pins though I had to put the PTO shaft for the tiller back together, it had separated where the the shaft can slide along to extend or retract. That wasn't fun. After covering my hands in grease (next time I'll wear gloves) I managed to get it on there. Hooked the shaft up to the tractor and went on my way to a spot to try out out.

(Note that this spot was FAR FAR away from any part of the property that could get me yelled at if I tilled it up, thanks for the heads up guys LOL).

Tilled for a couple feet just to test it out, I will maybe start working on a littler garden tomorrow. Tiller works great!

Anyway, sorry for the really long post, thought I would just share my experience with you all and post a couple pics.

Trying to see if fuel would light like gasoline, thankfully it didn't!


Congrats on your new tractor. Have a ball with it.

Bleeding the fuel line is one of those chores that diesel tractor owners have to master. Looks like you're a quick study.

Nice looking tiller. Does it have a slip clutch, shear pins, or both?

I have a pre-owned Yanmar RS-1200 tiller (48" wide) that I use with my Kubota B7510HST (21 hp engine, 17 hp pto). Works fine.

Since the ground around here in the North Valley is usually pretty dry, I usually break up the soil with my middle buster plow ($140 from Tractor Supply) before rototilling. Takes a little longer to do the job, but makes it easier on the tiller and the tractor.

 

[jbrumberg]

Dieselfuelonly:

I wish that TBN was around 20+ years ago for me. You are going through what most of us have had to go through on our own (welcome to the club !). You are doing everything that you need to do appropriately and you are definitely meeting my "parameters of expectation" (for whatever that is worth). Keep using your tractor, and try to adhere to the sage advise of the membership. Use your tractor safely and well, get comfortable with it, but not too comfortable (that's when bad things happen!). Keep the posts coming- Jay

 

[dieselfuelonly]

Here's todays update.
Anyway, after filling the tank back up with fuel, I went on and decided to try out my tiller. Two things I have learned: It is near impossible to back the tractor right up to the implement and be able to connect it in the first try. I ended up having the manhandle the tiller around until I was able to get the pins through. Wasn't that bad actually.

Before connecting the pins though I had to put the PTO shaft for the tiller back together, it had separated where the the shaft can slide along to extend or retract. That wasn't fun. After covering my hands in grease (next time I'll wear gloves) I managed to get it on there. Hooked the shaft up to the tractor and went on my way to a spot to try out out.

(Note that this spot was FAR FAR away from any part of the property that could get me yelled at if I tilled it up, thanks for the heads up guys LOL).

Tilled for a couple feet just to test it out, I will maybe start working on a littler garden tomorrow. Tiller works great!

Anyway, sorry for the really long post, thought I would just share my experience with you all and post a couple pics.

Trying to see if fuel would light like gasoline, thankfully it didn't!


Congrats on your new tractor. Have a ball with it.

Bleeding the fuel line is one of those chores that diesel tractor owners have to master. Looks like you're a quick study.

Nice looking tiller. Does it have a slip clutch, shear pins, or both?

I have a pre-owned Yanmar RS-1200 tiller (48" wide) that I use with my Kubota B7510HST (21 hp engine, 17 hp pto). Works fine.

Since the ground around here in the North Valley is usually pretty dry, I usually break up the soil with my middle buster plow ($140 from Tractor Supply) before rototilling. Takes a little longer to do the job, but makes it easier on the tiller and the tractor.

The tiller appears to have a clutch on it, and it looks like you can adjust it. I was kind of relieved to see that, because I can online imagine what would happen if I got a rock jammed in there and something had to come to a complete stop real fast!

Thanks for the encouraging support guys, I'll tell you one thing I enjoy every minute that I get to use that tractor.

 

[Spiveyman]

dieselfuelonly, Congrats and welcome to tractor land. You've already gotten some priceless advice here, but I'll throw in a couple items. Mention how hot it is in the summer while you are slaving away to make a better life for your family on that old tractor you saved so much money on. Reverse that for winter time and try to keep a straight face. When you get out of the seat, and have to go in the house, sigh a whole bunch like you are either tired or frustrated - that's a great way to mask the sheer elation of a new tractor.

No worries on the backing up to a 3ph implement. I'm only about a month ahead of you in seat time, just got my baby in July:


The first time I tried to hook up my rotary cutter. I bet it took me 20 minutes and 400 trips back to the seat for a little adjustment. Then as soon as I got her hooked up I popped the sheer bolt so I couldn't even mow!!! Then I tried to hook up the finishing mower. The dang PTO shaft was too short, but I wasn't smart enough to realize this. Also, both of the draw pins were facing the same direction, so not only was the distance between them too narrow for my tractor it was impossible to get the right play between the lift arms to get her hooked up!!!

A month later I can whip it in there in reverse, hook up the 3ph and be off playing... errr, I mean working in a matter of seconds. I'm just excited to be able to change gears without having to look up at the cheat sheet thingy on the dash.

Happy tractoring!

 

[dieselfuelonly]

Thats a really cool lookin' tractor you got there. Thanks for your advice.

How many gears do you have on there?

Mine is simple, though I still put it in 1st sometimes instead of reverse, it just feels natural to pull the gear lever towards you when you want to back up instead of away from you. But I just let the clutch out slowly so that nothing unexpected happens.

My little tractor only has 3 foward gears, and hi/low range.

R 2
1 3

I think.

.

I was a little worried that this would be too few gears, but 1st gear in low range creeps along just great and unless I'm driving around the house to get somewhere I usually just drive in 1st gear high range, I'm never really in much of a hurry to get off the seat .

Here is how hooking up an implement goes for me:

Prepare to back up. Tractor jumps forward. At least thought I was in reverse. Apparently I was in first. Clutch, slow down, brakes. Put in reverse. Let out clutch. Start steering towards implement. Stop somewhere near the hookups. Put in neutral, slowly let off clutch in case I've still got it in gear. Set parking brake. Get off tractor. Move lift arms around. Notice I am no where near implement. Get back on tractor. Repeat lurch forward/slam on brakes, throw in reverse, tear up lawn by letting clutch out too fast process. Go through same process about 3 more times. Give up on trying to get close. Start dragging implement around. Put pins in one side, drag the other side around, somehow manage to get that pin in, struggle to lift the implement to get the top pin in, finally get it in there. Get back on tractor. Put in gear, start driving. Realize parking brake is still on. Stop. Release parking brake. Start driving again. Attempt to put implement nicely on the ground. Still getting used to lift. Nervously move lift lever. Slam implement on ground instead. Kinda get lost for a second. Put tractor in neutral and slowly let off clutch. Attempt to remember what needs to happen. Put PTO in 1st gear. Put tractor in 1st gear. Start moving. Tractor moving way to fast. Stop. Put tractor in low range. Thats better. Remember RPMs are not where they should be. Mess with throttle. Till up a few feet of dirt. Tiller starts bouncing on roots. Stop. Repeat again tomorrow .

So hopefully by the time I really get to know this tractor the above paragraph will be like 2 sentences of operation procedures. One day... one day...

 

[Spiveyman]

Thats a really cool lookin' tractor you got there.

Thanks, I'm a Ford man through and through. I'll need a smaller tractor too, but thought I'd start with that one!

How many gears do you have on there?

It has 4 forward, 1 reverse, and a hi/low. It's laid out like this:

1 2 4
3 R

on the left shifter, then right next to that is:
L
H



I'm sure there's logic there somewhere. I tend to just use 2 and R mostly. In high 2 is pretty fast, 3 gets me bouncing out of the seat - or rather to the point where the seat belt jerks me back into the seat. 4 is crazy fast for off road. In low that thing just crawls. You feel like you could tow a house with all the power, but she's slow.

Mine is simple, though I still put it in 1st sometimes instead of reverse, it just feels natural to pull the gear lever towards you when you want to back up instead of away from you. But I just let the clutch out slowly so that nothing unexpected happens.

Your rendition of hooking up an implement sounds so familiar! The only thing is I usually wind up kicking something. That's my fine tune adjustment on the lift arms or the implement. Then I learned that my tractor has a neat feature, the end of the lift arms that contain the ball part will release and telescope out a bit so that you can hook them up to the draw pins, then you just back up and they click into place. Saves me SOOOOO much time and headache. Here's a picture that kind of shows them.