New neighbor's new tractor arrived yesterday. I was returning from an interminable meeting involving "federal funds for tech hubs" which we (our econ dev group) are going to ask for but the chances of actually landing it are very, very small, and on the easement to the properties I found a brand new, shiny bright orange Kubota 2610 with a grade box and a bucket and a VERY happy neighbor with a mile-wide smile. Oh yeah, he's tickled!
Two people from the dealership were there and said hello to me and even remembered my name (try that at a car dealership!). They told him he was very lucky to have me as a neighbor because I was an *EXPERT* on tractor operation . . .
No, I am FAR from an "expert" and I know it. While I do have more experience than he does, remember he has zero hours on this thing, and my "experience" absolutely pales into total insignificance compared to many, many of the people here on TBN. After all, Clint Eastwood advised me (alas, not personally) that a man's gotta know his limitations, and who am I to argue with him?
What I will mention to him is - always keep the ROPS bar up, *always* wear the seatbelt, use ear and eye protection, take your time and THINK about what you are doing, don't try to use the FEL as a bulldozer, and go visit Tractor Supply and get a selection of linch pins because they are always falling off. Also get some chains, eventually you will need them.
Keep the bucket low, especially if it is full, "go in" with 2 WD so if you get stuck, you can switch to 4 WD and extricate yourself, if you really get stuck, here is the diff lock lever, step on that, and if you really, really get stuck (and you will), call for help and one of us will come pull you out.
Buy some yellow diesel cans at WalMart, for the amount of fuel you (and I) are likely to be using the difference between on-road diesel and red-dyed off-road diesel is insignificant, and in fact, off-road is sometimes more expensive here - and the vendor's establishment is muddy and nasty so if you save a whole dollar on ten gallons of fuel, it will take you an hour to get cleaned up later.
Future items will be a Pirhana tooth bar, a set of Pat's quick disconnects, and some hooks and clevises for the bucket. He'll also eventually need a mower, but not yet.
And - read the instructions that came with your tractor!!! They aren't real good, but they beat the heck out of nothing. Don't be shy, ask questions. He did say he was familiar with 2WD/4WD because he had a jeep, I said that was a good start (it isn't) but tractors are a whole 'nother game. I'll tell him to get onto TBN in a few weeks, right now, it will be like trying to drink from a fire hose.
His next immediate purchase is a root rake. There's a guy in this area, WAY out in the boonies (cue banjo music) who makes them, and his are among the best, strongest, and well made products I've ever seen - and this is not just my opinion. I've been to his place, and it is a tired, ramshackle old pole barn in the middle of nowhere - this is good because when you buy his products, you are not paying for a fancy building in a high rent district, or for his new Maserati, or helping with his yacht payment. Your money goes to buy materials and pay the guys who make the stuff. He does have some pretty slick plasma cutters and some very good welders (and I am qualified to comment on the quality of the welds).
All good. I'm happy for him. (and he's got the "bucket level" indicator on the FEL, so I'm a bit envious, but not nearly envious enough to write a big check!)
Other neighbor's PTO (with shear bolt and slip clutch) arrived day before yesterday. I'll drop by later today and see how that is progressing. He did say the old yoke from the pretzeled PTO shaft is still stuck on the mower, but I think that now that he has the new PTO he might be willing to cut off the old yoke, which he has no real reason to save.
Speculation department . . . once he gets the gang mower going again and tries to mow, he may discover that while his tractor is marginally OK for light duty fiddling around, it won't have adequate power to operate the mower. Then he will not have a lot of choice about taking it apart and fixing it. We shall see.
Best Regards,
Mike/Florida
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