We All Live In An Orange Submarine

[jfsawatzky]

I have a neighbor who has an MX4700.

He evidently believes that NDT is strictly for wimps. He BREAKS stuff, big time. This time, he has absolutely outdone himself.

Disclaimer - he's a good neighbor and a friend, and I'm not mad at him - just a little in awe this time. He thinks I'm too much of a perfectionist (and has told me so), I think he's a tad too casual with his machinery (I've kept my mouth shut), but this makes the world go around.

Now last week, he was mowing. He has a gang mower, I think it is about ten feet across, and it is a Bush Hog brand. He hit something very, very solid, and the shear bolt either refused to shear or had been replaced with a grade 14 depleted uranium bolt or something and it did NOT let go. Tractor stalled . . .

I saw the remains of the PTO shaft. Inside that cover is a solid steel bar with about an inch and a quarter or an inch and a half cross section. It was twisted like a pretzel, maybe two full twists in two feet - impressive.

His problem with this is that he can't get the rear PTO U-joint yoke off the splined shaft on the mower. He removed the bolt, but the yoke will NOT come off. He's used some serious stuff on it, big breaker bars, an auto body shop hydraulic spreader (junior grade jaws of life), lots of profanity, no dice, it isn't moving.

I suggested that there might be a snap ring but he said no, it is only the bolt, the yoke is just stuck on the spline. (Maybe he will go look for a snap ring, we will see.)

OK, so now we get to the good part.

Yesterday, he was using his root rake to clean up our easement. There were rocks and roots on it, he was "shaving" it to make it somewhat smoother (it still stinks). He had a rake full of roots, brush, rocks, etc., and he decided to dump it into a small pond adjacent to the easement.

What he told me was that this pond looked to be pretty shallow, so he didn't think twice. Guess what - the pond was an old borrow pit and is at the least six or seven feet deep, probably more. (There's another one on his property that he already knows about, but he didn't know about this one.)

Front of the tractor went underwater, intake ingested water, tractor stopped. Blub blub blub. He got off and back to dry land with the tractor abut two thirds submerged.

(I would have helped him retrieve the tractor but I wasn't around, the first I knew of it was when I saw his tractor at the side of the easement dripping water lilies and mud, and liberally festooned with other acquatic plants.)

He pulled it out using his gnarly 4WD super duty Chebby work truck. To get it to come out, he had to disconnect the root rake because it is stuck on something down there (Nessie?). He did put a buoy on it so he can find it when he goes back for it later.

The tractor did start, but it is not running on all cylinders, and is making noises that indicate a sick, sick, sick engine. He suspects a bent valve ("Its only a flesh wound!"), my experience with running engines that have ingested water tells me to look for bent con rods as well. I have my fingers crossed on this, he's taking it apart later this week.

So two questions:

1) Any idea why the rear U-joint yoke won't come off the spline on the mower?

2) Damages to look for on an inadvertent Kubota submarine? (We already know the submarine's screen door leaks "a little", what else should he look for?) Drain the green gold transmission fluids and change all the filters? I think this time he's seriously hurt this poor tractor . . .

Best Regards,

Mike/Florida

You have great story telling ability. I needed a good laugh even for this serious situation.

 

[Bavarian]

I didn't read all the way through.
But I think it's time for the neighbor to install a block heater.
Some members may know what I mean.

 

[sunandsand]

Milestone . . . he's admitting that he is going to have to open it up.

I saw the new PTO shaft. Big slip clutch, double universal joint, I'm not even sure if I could pick it up. Serious industrial grade stuff.

He's going to hook up the gang mower and see if the tractor has enough power to mow. He's dubious that it does, because the gang mower is big and takes some serious horsepower to run. We've had a lot of rain, and the grass is growing like crazy. I did part of my yard Tuesday and it needs it again.

I think we'll know soon . . .

Best,

Mike/Florida

 

[jyoutz]

My New Holland 50 doesn't have them but I bought a pair from Tractor Mike. Since I don't have the fabricating tools or skills, I thought $100 was worth it for safety.

Those would be handy. When I service the engine, I always chain the loader cross bar to the truss in my barn. That device would sure be easier.

 

[Too many Kubotas]

Wouldn't two equal length pieces of C channel zip tied in place work well enough?

 

[3 Horse Ranch]

Wouldn't two equal length pieces of C channel zip tied in place work well enough?

I suppose in a way it might. However, my nearest steel supply is 35 miles one way and C-channel and zip ties just don't raise the confidence level in me that high. The difference in price is negligible, the difference in feeling safe would be a bit larger.

 

[ljjhouser]

Your new neighbor (with the new tractor) may also need a longer top link because of the Pat's Quick hitch.

 

[rScotty]

Wouldn't two equal length pieces of C channel zip tied in place work well enough?

Milestone . . . he's admitting that he is going to have to open it up.

Mike/Florida

The lynch pin in the picture is what makes that C channel loader support functional. Now having said that, the ones that came stock on our tractors (Kubta and JD) are very HEAVY WALL C Channel & with two lynch pins. It does feel secure.

On the neighbors sink and swim Kubota..... The nice thing about opening up an engine that is still working - even one that is just somewhat working - is that a mechanic can often do a lot of good without having to completely rebuild everything back to the stock clearances.

 

[Too many Kubotas]

I suppose in a way it might. However, my nearest steel supply is 35 miles one way and C-channel and zip ties just don't raise the confidence level in me that high.

Ah, unfortunately I always think that most everybody has steel and various material laying around. I get my steel from 150 miles away, and usually between 1,000 to 4,000 lbs. at a time (in 20' sticks).

But I would trust C-channel just laying on top of the rods. Once the loader's weight is on them they can't really fall off no matter what.

 

[dfh1977]

Since new neighbor got tractor. Had they checked front axel for oil.