Stupid Tractor Tricks

[Anonymous Poster]

I do the same thing when greasing my Ford 1710, but I operate it at low idle and it moves like molasses. I'm not sure about the L35 with that HUGE hydro pump. I enjoy greasing it by just giving it a goose with the boom/dipper in different positions, but it's so much easier as the grease fitting are designed to be accessible and most are on the same side.

The only thing neater would be like the newer excavators that have a pump for the grease, just PUSH A BUTTON!

I operate my loader off the seat but never for something like lifting or pulling anything of any substance.

I figure if I'm in that much of a hurry I ought to try to do it without the tractor and see how far I get that way! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Not to burst your bubble, but which control set does your JD have? There are "Cat" Controls and at least 2 others.

After using my FordNH for 15 years I felt I was ready to rent a Cat excavator and get right to digging. DUH! The 2 levers don't work the same controls! I was Joe Goofball for awhile trying to do ANYTHING!

Some of the newer excavators, especially Japanese ones, (or Japanese spec Cat's) have a switch that allows you to change the valving).

Where I live there are no tap roots (hardpan) but the stumps can stick to the pan pretty good, sometimes it has helped to leave a strong root intact, one that sticks out sideways a couple feet. I put a chain around it long enough so the tractor can be on nice hard firm ground and pull. This sometimes pivots the stump which then makes it easier to get it out.

If you have just a few stumps, when you have time put your brush burning pile next to them to "soften" them up.

If you have a lot of big ones rent an excavator if you can get one for $3-400 a day, they can do the work of a month on your tractor I kid you not. I know it violates us tractor-guys self-reliance instincts but it saves your tractor a lot of stress.

You'll still have lots to do with the tractor cleaning up the mess the excavator makes, as you don't want to be renting it to do what your tractor can do easily.

Oh, and on the ones you ARE going to use your tractor for...Keep a couple of old chains for your chainsaw that you don't care about. I sometimes clean off a big root, dig around it, even hose wash it, and cut it with the saw. I know, I know, not as macho, but my tractor loves me for it!

Dig on!

del

 

[TomG]

Guess I'll take a slightly different attitude. I don't think the near accidents were entirely an operator problem.

Now that most tractors have loaders, a bunch of loader gadgets have become available. I believe the marketing and use of these things has created an idea that loaders are the Swiss Army Knives of tractors.

Loaders are designed for handling large amounts of small loose material--dirt. That's what they're good at, and that's where they're relatively safe to use. Loaders aren't designed for pushing, towing, material handling or even grading and snow blowing. No matter what the loader attachment is, a loader just isn't going to the job as well or as safe as an implement specifically designed for a task.

What I believe is that reduced safety is inherent in using attachments that allow loaders to perform tasks other than moving gravel etc. I don't believe that this reduced safety is very apparent in how these items are marketed or how experienced users talk about them.

There is a role for loader attachments, and they can be used relatively safely. However, I don't believe that good service is done when the idea is promoted that anything can be done with a tractor just by getting some other gadget to go on the loader. So, I don't believe that novice operators should take all the blame on themselves. I think it's an industry wide problem where overall safety is nobody’s specific responsibility, and it's even a problem in how things are discussed here. We all share in the problem, and we make it bigger, every time a suggestion is made to get a loader such-and-such rather than a specific implement. The loader thing almost always is less expensive and often is more convenient. It's almost never said that it’s less safe as well.

COME ON, LET'S JUST STOP PRETENDING THAT LOADERS WILL DO EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN, AND THEN BLAMING THE OPERATOR WHEN SOMETHING BAD NEARLY HAPPENS. It's just not entirely the operator's fault.

 

[dmccarty]

Harv,

Just a little! I just trying to find more Converts for The Church of 4n1!

And you seem to be a likely conversion.

Later...
Dan McCarty

 

[Bird]

<font color=blue>how much heavier are those buckets</font color=blue>

Harv, this is something I know nothing about, but didn't Steve Carver mention recently a 4 in 1 bucket weighing 125# more than the standard bucket on the LA401/LA402 loaders on the B2710/B2910? I thought it would be more than that, but you can bet Steve knows a lot more than I.

Bird

 

[dmccarty]

Del,

I assume the JD controls your are talking about are for the back hoe. As far as I can know they are the JD control setup. They certainly see logical and well laid out. Especially since I'm used to them. There was a Ford 555( I think it was a 555) on the property a few weeks back and it had four control levers. Yuck! And from the mess the $#%^&*( left he did not know how to use any one of them. 8-(

For small pine stumps, under 4-5 inches the 4n1 just pulls them out at least with the soil being wet. I don't know how well it would work with dry soil and if I get things done I'll have these type of stumps out of the ground by spring so I'll never know. Hardwoods I usually dig out with the backhoe. If I have a pine stump that is fighting the 4n1 I'll push and pull it a bit to loosen things up. It will pop out of the ground real easy then.

My last burn pile I put on top of a large stump, 24-30 inches. I don't think the fire even made it to the stump. My burn piles are somewhat large but not to large, just right as Goldielocks has been heard to say. The stump in question and one right next to it are going to get dug up next work day. I'm going to dig out all around them to create a fire pit and get some soil to smoother the fire at the end of the day. This is right next to the piles of slash left from the timber decking operation so I have lots of stuff to burn and a fire pit will get well used. Cheap insurance as well......

I don't think I'm abusing the tractor with what I'm doing. The backhoe does most of my heavy stump removal. Frankly if what I'm doing is abusing the tractor then JD owes me my money back. For the large number of stumps and size of stumps a track hoe might be the way to go but it then requires me to have a block of time to make it worth my while to rent an expensive machine. As it is now, I can work when I want(can). If the weather is bad like this weekend its not a big deal. But if I had to rent a machine on a weekly or monthly lease trying to fit in the weather and my work schedule is just to difficult. With my equipment I can do what I want when I want. Heavier equipment would certainly save me time in the actuall work but I'm not convinced it would save me money.

If I ever do rent something I think it is going to have to be JD since I have know the JD back hoe controls. I would hope the JD tracked hoes use the same controls. If not it just means that much more time I have to spend learning the systems which costs money!

Later...
Dan McCarty

 

[Anonymous Poster]

125#s -- just an est....

different widths and cap.s , brands, others attachments (ie tooth bars or cutting edges)

so let's say 125 - to - 300 lbs to be safe

 

[Harv]

Re: 4-in-1 buckets --

Steve Carver sez: <font color=blue>let's say 125 - to - 300 lbs</font color=blue>

My LB400 loader has a rated lift capacity of 882 pounds. That means I would give up 14 to 34 percent of my little muscles.

When I'm doing proper lifts (not one of my stupid cockeyed tractor-tipper-over maneuvers), my loader currently just stalls out (relief valve?), sometimes much sooner than I would like. In other words, I don't feel over-burdened with lifting power as it stands already.

So until I can slide a larger tractor in behind it, I guess I won't even put the 4-in-1 on my wish list. /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

 

[mdbarb]

Its a matter of needing bigger biceps or fingers...

 

[ddl]

Instead of a 4 in 1 why not get a grapple fork attached to the bucket. The weight is greatly reduced. The only time I used one is on the farm, I know I miss one on my FEL. Any other comments. COst I think is about $300

Dan L