Tractor tunes

[Thumper & Buttercup]

Hey 4shorts,

I've got a sansa mp3 player and I have a FM modulator that hooks my mp3 into my cig lighter. This lets my mp3 broadcast and just tune in the radio to that channel. It also charges the mp3 player at the same time.

We use ours in our jeep and pick up and I'll use it in my new tractor also.

 

[4shorts]

Hey 4shorts,

I've got a sansa mp3 player and I have a FM modulator that hooks my mp3 into my cig lighter. This lets my mp3 broadcast and just tune in the radio to that channel. It also charges the mp3 player at the same time.

We use ours in our jeep and pick up and I'll use it in my new tractor also.

I went with the FM modulated system as well. Mine even came with a remote but it still don't sound as good as if it was hooked up direct to the player. I get a little static through mine on FM but I'm a bit pickey anyway It works well in the car because it's closer to the system. In the tractor the CD/radio is in the roof so it's a longer distance to reach it I guess.

 

[Ductape]

I'm going to have to try a 3030 to see if there louder inside. To bad if they are because having tunes while operating makes it much more pleasurable in my opinion.

http://

Check out my snowblowing videos from this winter. I won't claim the 3030 is 'car quiet', but I have no problems hearing the tunes. The music in my videos is not dubbed in........ its the stock Panasonic stereo / speakers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSmDmUW5YO0

 

[Thumper & Buttercup]

Hey 4shorts,

I know on my FM converter it helps to change the stations, mine has like 6 or 8 to choose from. I'll test it in my Farmall when it gets delivered this week.

 

[mjncad]

Well this is an interesting thread. Seeing my friend mjncad brought GoldWings into the equation I just had to add my 2 cents worth.

The one thing that really surprised me about the Grand L 4240 cab when I first sat in it was the way the cab suppressed the engine noise from outside. The sound system is so good in the tractor I've never seen the need to upgrade it. My only complaint with the system is that they didn't put an AUX jack on it for an IPod and it can't play MP3's but I got about 20 tunes on each CD and the sound is as good as anything I've heard so it's a keeper. As for the GoldWing. I play my tunes on that thing 90% of the time on it's external speakers around town and helmet speakers on the highway. The tires while traveling make more noise on the Wing than the engine do. Soon be time to ride that now seeing our winter is over.

If I had an open tractor I would go for the IPod and good quality ear buds before I would get an external sound system. Once you turn up the sound to much to try and drown out the tractor noise you end up with more noise from an external stereo system with no cab. I'm going to have to try a 3030 to see if there louder inside. To bad if they are because having tunes while operating makes it much more pleasurable in my opinion.

At the beginning of this video you'll hear my stereo and it was turned down low while operating.

YouTube - Kubota at night

Want to hear a GoldWing. Here's how mind sounds.
YouTube - My GoldWing

You mention the Kubota factory sound system being so good as not to need an upgrade reminds me of an NPR story I heard last week in which car stereo thefts are at all time low due to the factories installing better quality systems that are tailored to the vehicle and have little interoperability with other makes and models.

I'm not at all surprised that your Goldwing's engine makes little noise. Those Honda engineers sure know how to make engines quiet. Of course the tire/road noise is a totally different issue.

I sure like all your toys 4shorts!

 

[4shorts]

You mention the Kubota factory sound system being so good as not to need an upgrade reminds me of an NPR story I heard last week in which car stereo thefts are at all time low due to the factories installing better quality systems that are tailored to the vehicle and have little interoperability with other makes and models.

I'm not at all surprised that your Goldwing's engine makes little noise. Those Honda engineers sure know how to make engines quiet. Of course the tire/road noise is a totally different issue.

I sure like all your toys 4shorts!

Your right. The factory systems are so much better than they used to be. My wife got a Ford Focus and the sound system is as good as anything I've ever heard. The tractors system may not have an Aux plug but it it's a heavy duty system as the paper work that came with it says. The CD has never skipped plus it has the weather band on it as well which is nice.

On another note. Matt I got up early this morning so I had some time to look around on here. I got into your links and looked at all your photo's.

Wow! You have done some really, really nice work sir. Love the lights and camera installations you've done. The mirrors are genius! Really liked the way you mounted them. Sprayer mods was also enjoyable to view and well thought out. That's a much better system now after your fine work on that but man I got to tell you. I've been involved in everything from fabrication, design, restoration and everything in between and I have never seen anyone do a tidier job on there wiring than you. I really mean that. Unbelievable my friend and just outstanding how you did it. Tip my lid to you sir. Paul

 

[randyvl]

I use Ipod and ETYMOTIC ER-6i Isolator Earphones. Pricey, but fantastic.(get off ebay)
I use them on my JD2520; on HD motorcycle rides and woodworking..(not OSHA approved, but hey, with nationalized socialistic healthcare coming....who cares.) The have a clear and crisp sound that I can hear even over a wood planer, plus I have 4300 songs of my choice to listen to

 

[mjncad]

Wow! You have done some really, really nice work sir. Love the lights and camera installations you've done. The mirrors are genius! Really liked the way you mounted them. Sprayer mods was also enjoyable to view and well thought out. That's a much better system now after your fine work on that but man I got to tell you. I've been involved in everything from fabrication, design, restoration and everything in between and I have never seen anyone do a tidier job on there wiring than you. I really mean that. Unbelievable my friend and just outstanding how you did it. Tip my lid to you sir. Paul

Thanks Paul. Actually electrical wiring and anything with electricity is not my strong point. I just took my time and worked off of a wiring diagram I made beforehand to try and keep the rectal engineering to a minimum. I'm still trying to get acceptable performance from my cameras and one of my fleabay cameras is a daylight dud. Of course it's the one I made the fancy housing for. Hopefully its infrared system works. I'm in the process of making another camera mounting system to get them under the canopy and in the shade, which seems to help based on some down and dirty tests. The new camera mount will do double duty as a glare shield mount for the monitor. I wonder if an HVAC shop will do a couple of simple bends in 16 - 18 gauge sheet metal instead of the pop can stuff they are used to working with.

What's good about the mirror system is that almost any mirror can be used with a properly fabricated intermediary adapter plate.

It's getting close to spraying for weeds for me, so I'll soon find out how well the Chinese made Northern Tool hose reel works for spot spraying. I do notice the Chinese powder coating is fading faster than FIMCO's American powder coating.

A very brilliant biochemist scientist at NREL that I was acquaintanced with hates Unistrut, so when I add something with Unistrut to it, I send pictures to a mutual friend so he can share with the good doctor to confound him. I do this out of good natured fun as this PhD is one of the few I've met that is a very humble and personable man.

 

[Thumper & Buttercup]

I must have gotten lucky 4shorts, I got to play with the new tractor yesterday and cut and blade the driveway, I stuck in my mp3 player and tried it out.

It took a couple min playing with different channels but I found one that was clear as a bell. Now the wife wants a radio on the T2220 for her.

 

[4shorts]

Thanks Paul. Actually electrical wiring and anything with electricity is not my strong point. I just took my time and worked off of a wiring diagram I made beforehand to try and keep the rectal engineering to a minimum. I'm still trying to get acceptable performance from my cameras and one of my fleabay cameras is a daylight dud. Of course it's the one I made the fancy housing for. Hopefully its infrared system works. I'm in the process of making another camera mounting system to get them under the canopy and in the shade, which seems to help based on some down and dirty tests. The new camera mount will do double duty as a glare shield mount for the monitor. I wonder if an HVAC shop will do a couple of simple bends in 16 - 18 gauge sheet metal instead of the pop can stuff they are used to working with.

What's good about the mirror system is that almost any mirror can be used with a properly fabricated intermediary adapter plate.

It's getting close to spraying for weeds for me, so I'll soon find out how well the Chinese made Northern Tool hose reel works for spot spraying. I do notice the Chinese powder coating is fading faster than FIMCO's American powder coating.

A very brilliant biochemist scientist at NREL that I was acquaintanced with hates Unistrut, so when I add something with Unistrut to it, I send pictures to a mutual friend so he can share with the good doctor to confound him. I do this out of good natured fun as this PhD is one of the few I've met that is a very humble and personable man.

There's no problem to see your projects are very well thought out especially that wiring job. I don't impress easily but that one did it big time for me I've also seen many adaptations of mirrors and didn't like most of them but I really liked the way you did yours. Gees good thing your not next door to me. I can only imagine what might come out of that

Great bit of work on the camera. I did a similar thing with the tractor and my truck but I got lazy and with no extra time I purchased the complete system. On the truck I put a camera on the top rack and another on the bumper so I can back in to my trailer easier. I'm not asking the wife to guide me back anymore Cheaper to buy a new camera system than get a divorce lawyer plus all the yelling hurts my ears . Attached a few pics of the trucks camera system.

Thumper I guess you did get lucky with your set up. I wonder if your radio is closer compaired to where mine is. My radio is on the ceiling and the FM modulator is on the dash. I'm not to concerned really because I only use the tractor for snow clearing and most of the time I just pop in a CD or listen to the radio. Glad it worked out for you though.

 

[mjncad]

There's no problem to see your projects are very well thought out especially that wiring job. I don't impress easily but that one did it big time for me I've also seen many adaptations of mirrors and didn't like most of them but I really liked the way you did yours. Gees good thing your not next door to me. I can only imagine what might come out of that

Great bit of work on the camera. I did a similar thing with the tractor and my truck but I got lazy and with no extra time I purchased the complete system. On the truck I put a camera on the top rack and another on the bumper so I can back in to my trailer easier. I'm not asking the wife to guide me back anymore Cheaper to buy a new camera system than get a divorce lawyer plus all the yelling hurts my ears . Attached a few pics of the trucks camera system.

I like the camera overlooking the truck bed, and since I have an extended cab pickup that would be handy to keep an eye on the load while driving. I'll bet the bumper cam makes hooking trailers up much easier. Do the cops give you grief over the camera obscuring the plate?

I can't recall if I asked you or maybe it was Waxman what brand and model of cameras you have. I seem to recall it was a Sanyo. Anyway my fleabay cameras are a bit disappointing.

I would enjoy working with you Paul based on seeing your work and our conversations; but Colorado winters are tough on me as is, so I can't imagine what winter in Newfoundland is like. So I guess you don't have to worry about me becoming your neighbor.

 

[Thumper & Buttercup]

Those camera's look great. I like the idea of the camera for the snowblower and backing up. My DX60 has a tilt seat but I'll still think hard about the camera.

My Cig lighter is in the right back corner and the radio is above that corner about 1 foot from the rear corner.

 

[4shorts]

I like the camera overlooking the truck bed, and since I have an extended cab pickup that would be handy to keep an eye on the load while driving. I'll bet the bumper cam makes hooking trailers up much easier. Do the cops give you grief over the camera obscuring the plate?

I can't recall if I asked you or maybe it was Waxman what brand and model of cameras you have. I seem to recall it was a Sanyo. Anyway my fleabay cameras are a bit disappointing.

I would enjoy working with you Paul based on seeing your work and our conversations; but Colorado winters are tough on me as is, so I can't imagine what winter in Newfoundland is like. So I guess you don't have to worry about me becoming your neighbor.

mjncad the camera system I'm using is called Cab Cam. It's an industrial system used on heavy equipment and agricultural machines. This is a nice system. The camera has inferred, color and gives a very wide view. At night with the inferred it's black and white but got a great picture.

This past winter I would be out snow clearing before the sun would be up and it was great not to have to look behind you all the time. What I enjoyed was when the sun would start to rise you could see the sky start to turn blue on the monitor and all the color would start to come back in as the daylight increased.

Another few features I like with this system is that it comes with everything and then some. It comes with all the main coaxial wires. It can accommodate up to three cameras. It has a remote and you can pick with the flick of a button which camera you want to view. The other great feature this system has and that's sound. The all aluminum casing on the camera also has a built in speaker and you can hear everything as well as see it and if that's not enough it comes with an adapter that you can use to use the system in your home for a security camera. The best of all though are the fine folks I purchased the system from. Chris and Shawn at SSB Tractor are the very best to deal with. They are on the ball and will get your order out to you right away. I've purchased a few systems from them now and will be purchasing more in the near future. Hey, you got to call it what it is! Here's the link.

Rear View Backup Cameras - SSB Tractor

mjncad I'm betting my winters are milder than yours. We don't usually get snow until Christmas and that's if we're lucky and it's done by April. I'm on the east coast of the island but if I was over on the west coast like my son is well that's a different story. They get snow almost every day and they get lots of it. A guy could pay off a tractor there in one winter

Those camera's look great. I like the idea of the camera for the snowblower and backing up. My DX60 has a tilt seat but I'll still think hard about the camera.

My Cig lighter is in the right back corner and the radio is above that corner about 1 foot from the rear corner.

Hey Thump maybe that's why it works better for you than on mine. I'll snap a pic of mine later on today to show you how I put my Ipod on. You'd injoy a back up camera

 

[Thumper & Buttercup]

I was thinking about this and I forgot to mention it, when we are working in our shop I'll take a battery charger and hook it to the cig lighter adapter on our MP3, it usually is about 20 feet from our stereo in the shop and it works fine there also.

The MP3 we are using is the sansa and the FM modulator is by them also. It must have a strong signal.

Thanks for the link on the camera.

 

[mjncad]

mjncad the camera system I'm using is called Cab Cam. It's an industrial system used on heavy equipment and agricultural machines. This is a nice system. The camera has inferred, color and gives a very wide view. At night with the inferred it's black and white but got a great picture.

mjncad I'm betting my winters are milder than yours. We don't usually get snow until Christmas and that's if we're lucky and it's done by April. I'm on the east coast of the island but if I was over on the west coast like my son is well that's a different story. They get snow almost every day and they get lots of it. A guy could pay off a tractor there in one winter

Thanks for the tip on the Cab Cam, and the price is nice too. I need to get a Top-n-Tilt before I spend more money on a camera system to fix or replace my Fleabay special.

Shows you how much I know about Newfoundland winters. I'll bet the Gulf Stream current moderates your climate. Colorado winters can vary greatly. I've seen light snow in early September and late May, and then there are years where it doesn't snow until December. March is usually our snowiest month; but this year it was dry as a bone along the Front Range. January is our coldest month thanks to Alberta clippers; but I've seen it be in the 70's one day with the girls out in their bikinis, and the very next day it was below freezing and snowing. At least our climate has low humidity.

To me the best time of year here is September and October.

 

[4shorts]

Hey Thumper it sounds like you've got a good system there. The system I've used works great in the car and my truck but the tractor don't get along with it. Could be the camera causing the static. Just for the heck of it I did a little video. You might hear the static. I think a full flock of crows flew over while I was doing it The tractor is tucked away for the summer now. When the leaves come out on the Maple trees it will be in the shade all summer. Thanks for the info. If anyone was wondering about the extension cord. That's for the battery tender. The tractor won't be used anymore until the fall.

mjncad we have very strange weather here. We can have all four seasons in one day. August, September and October is our best months. Right now we're dealing with all the ice burgs floating in on top of us and that brings fog and cold with them. We don't have earth quakes, hurricanes, floods or twisters for that matter so we're not to bad off I guess. I like my camera set up and I'm happy with it. It's one of those accessory add on's that I don't regret doing.

Here's how the Ipod sounded. I don't use it in the tractor anymore.
YouTube - kubota ipod

 

[Chuck K.]

If you like wood work you could fab up something like this



works like a charm and is quite a conversation piece.. the remote control really give some folks a laff..

 

[Richard]

I'm late to this party!

My opinion on tunes is... I want/like them. I use some in ear buds Headphones - Klipsch Custom-3, High-Performance Headphones, Noise-Reducing Headphones

I have them attached to my Ipod which is in my pants pocket with the wire going UNDER my shirt so it won't get caught in anything.

Over the top of this, I then have my Pro Ears
Pro Ears Pro Slim Gold 28 Hearing Protection: Mounting Solutions Plus (MSP)

I might add that I've had my ears so long I'm not even sure if the sound part on them works...I've not replaced the battery, I simply use them as mufflers. This keeps the din of the tractor, mower, backhoe, wife greatly muffled.

With that said, there are those who state they want to hear their machinery....

I would suggest this does NOT prevent me from hearing the machinery that I'm operating...what it does is greatly reduce the noise of the machine. I can assure you that if I hit a stump, I can still hear it. If the PTO shears its little cotter pin that holds it into the collar, I can hear that too (ask me how I know )

Having the hearing protection on does NOT "insulate" you from the outside world, it just mutes it.

I have my music in my ears at a very plesant level, NO need to have it blaring since the Proears help muffle the outside world.

What's funny is, when someone comes to me and without thinking...asks me something. I'll stop the machine and they'll start talking. I'll be shutting the machine down and they'll continue to yack.... I'll then take my proears off and they feel stupiod about having talked to me while I was wearing them and they will start over... I then continue to remove the earbuds from the inside of my ear and finally say "what?" to them and they finally realize I have to go through several layers of disrobing to hear them over the other racket that is going on. My wife especially loves this

 

[RonVL4]

Thanks Richard had lots of good advice and good ideas on this topic but I kind of like what your saying!

 

[yankeerider]

Richard is right about the fact that listening to music through hearing protection does not prevent you from hearing the machinery- it just reduces the intensity of the sound. Just this past weekend I managed to clog my DR 3 pt chipper, but realized it because I heard the tractor engine tone as it started to labor. Was listening to the local country station on my Peltor Worktunes while chipping.

i shut the chipper down, cleared the jam, and got back to working- and listening.