Tractors are not bulldozers.

[mud23609]

Was out clearing some trees with the TN yesterday. And got a little reminder that tractors are not built like dozers.


Four wheel drive and a hard push with good traction will break stuff. She hopped once and before I had a chance to get on the clutch she was done. Luckily in my case the repair is not that expensive. About 250 for the parts and I should have them on tuesday.

This is the culprit.


Save yourselves a little money and learn from my mistakes! The worst part is though you cant see it in this pic, there is a high track D5H sitting about 50 feet from the tractor. I was just trying to save a few bucks in dozer time by taking out the smaller trees with the tractor. Worked well till I wrecked the tie rod.

 

[LJH]

On the bright side, the bend is nicely symmetrical and could lend itself to some sort of lawn sculpture or ornamental do-dad. :thumbsup:

 

[TripleR]

Well I've never done anything like that, but I have this friend...

 

[jinman]

Maybe the title of this thread should be "How to turn SuperSteer into StupidSteer." Talk about the left hand not knowin' what the right is doing. . . Glad it wasn't overly expensive. This thread would go along well with my "Why not to scrape ground with the bucket lip turned down." One small stump and I got a shower from busted hoses.:ashamed:

 

[T_e_r_r_y]

Nice looking boomerang. Can you throw it very far?

T.J.

 

[Bigfoot62]

Was out clearing some trees with the TN yesterday. And got a little reminder that tractors are not built like dozers.
View attachment 328348

Four wheel drive and a hard push with good traction will break stuff. She hopped once and before I had a chance to get on the clutch she was done. Luckily in my case the repair is not that expensive. About 250 for the parts and I should have them on tuesday.

This is the culprit.
View attachment 328349

Save yourselves a little money and learn from my mistakes! The worst part is though you cant see it in this pic, there is a high track D5H sitting about 50 feet from the tractor. I was just trying to save a few bucks in dozer time by taking out the smaller trees with the tractor. Worked well till I wrecked the tie rod.

I think we can straighten it. Just bring it over.

 

[Zebrafive]

I was expecting loader damage. Looks like you found the week link.

 

[catdozer]

Teach me to Chevy!

 

[mud23609]

I did cut the ends off and make a new one out of square stock today to get me though. It ain't pretty but its probably stronger than what was in there. The ends aren't in that great of shape though anyhow so I'm still gonna replace the whole unit.

I will say when I looked down and saw the tires like that my guts dropped until I realized it was only a bent tie rod. I thought I was gonna have major carnage the way they were sitting. Set out bales with it tonight though and all seems well.

 

[bcp]

Did you hit something with the tie rod, or did extreme traction from the front wheels pivot them toward the center, bending the rod?

Bruce

 

[Larro Darro]

I have a cousin who goes through tractors like you wouldn't believe. He worked with rockets for twenty five years in the Air Force, fifteen with NASA, five more with Lockheed Martin, then two with one of their sub contractors. He could put a MIRV in Putin's bedroom, or a sat. on one of the moons of Saturn. Now that he is retired to the sticks and farming full time, he can't go three years without reducing a tractor to trash status. But his last buy was a small dozer. Maybe he will stop trying to clear land with his FEL. The first week he had his newest tractor, there were big dents in the bucket.

He does have a big garden here, and a smaller one at his place near the Cape.

 

[mud23609]

Did you hit something with the tie rod, or did extreme traction from the front wheels pivot them toward the center, bending the rod?

Bruce

In this case it was all about traction. I had it in B1 so I had a good bit of torque and it decided to start hopping. I just didn't get on the clutch fast enough. If it wouldn't have hopped I probably would have been fine.

 

[mud23609]

I have a cousin who goes through tractors like you wouldn't believe. He worked with rockets for twenty five years in the Air Force, fifteen with NASA, five more with Lockheed Martin, then two with one of their sub contractors. He could put a MIRV in Putin's bedroom, or a sat. on one of the moons of Saturn. Now that he is retired to the sticks and farming full time, he can't go three years without reducing a tractor to trash status. But his last buy was a small dozer. Maybe he will stop trying to clear land with his FEL. The first week he had his newest tractor, there were big dents in the bucket.

He does have a big garden here, and a smaller one at his place near the Cape.

Im actually pretty good about not tearing them up. Then again I usually don't use them to clear land . My fleet includes a couple from the late 60's that still see regular use. Just got a little big for my britches this time. They cost to darn much to beat on regularly and I need them running and not busted so I can make my hay and feed my animals.

 

[Don87]

You could have just straightened the original and got by til the new one came in. I honestly would have hooked a chain from the bucket to the tie rod and pulled the bend right out. They are mild steel.

 

[Larro Darro]

I know what you mean Mud. I don't farm anymore, just piddle with my garden. But I want my tractors to last as long as possible. We have a family who hunts on our land, and they like to use my 3930 to plant their food plots. More than once I have had to do minor repairs when I got it back. Just from them running over trees and brush they should have stayed off of. But they are good to do little odd jobs for Mamma while I'm out of pocket at work on the weekends. That is worth the occasional busted headlight and lost throttle linkage.

 

[mud23609]

I thought of that option as well, but they way it was bent and hung behind the diff wouldn't make that option practical. Took about an hour to fab the new temp replacement one with a chunk of heavy wall square tubing that I had in the scrap pile and its working for now. New one should be in tuesday anyway so I will just replace it all then. Needed it for setting out hay for the animals and unloading trailers (hay season is in full swing for me right now).

Same here Larro, this tractor is an 02 and I gave 21k for it this winter, one of my others I have near 50k in. I hope to not have to buy another for a long, long time and as long as the pair of old 4020 JD's keep holding up I shouldn't have to. That being said I hope this and the TD5050 can last half as many years as the old green ones have!

 

[k0ua]

I bent the tie rod on my old B7500 by catching one wheel over a big chunk of concrete and reversed. It put a nice bend in it about like that one.. I took it off and beat it straight on a piece of railroad iron.. I used it several more years. Of course it is a much smaller tractor, and the tie rod was a lot smaller.

James K0UA

 

[newbury]

I bent the tie rod on my old B7500 by catching one wheel over a big chunk of concrete and reversed. It put a nice bend in it about like that one.. I took it off and beat it straight on a piece of railroad iron.. I used it several more years. Of course it is a much smaller tractor, and the tie rod was a lot smaller.

James K0UA

Did you use a Bronson rock ?
Urban Dictionary: Bronson rock

 

[crazyal]

Just be careful until you can get the original one back on. When you replace the weakest link with something stronger then next weakest link will bend or break. It could be a lot more expensive to repair.

 

[Don87]

I thought of that option as well, but they way it was bent and hung behind the diff wouldn't make that option practical. Took about an hour to fab the new temp replacement one with a chunk of heavy wall square tubing that I had in the scrap pile and its working for now. New one should be in tuesday anyway so I will just replace it all then. Needed it for setting out hay for the animals and unloading trailers (hay season is in full swing for me right now).

Same here Larro, this tractor is an 02 and I gave 21k for it this winter, one of my others I have near 50k in. I hope to not have to buy another for a long, long time and as long as the pair of old 4020 JD's keep holding up I shouldn't have to. That being said I hope this and the TD5050 can last half as many years as the old green ones have!

Understood, that leaves the bucket option out. But a chain to a tree works well also:laughing: