What have you done to your Branson today?

[Cougsfan]

I get a kick out of reading various manuals written in Chinese, Korean, or Japanese and translated to English. Where do they get these translators? Why don't they have a person who has English as a native language review and offer corrections? I agree that the Branson owner's manual is a joke and close to useless. The maintenance manual is considerably better and is of value. Also, the manuals are too generalized and you are unsure if the information relates to your specific tractor. That is particularly true of the parts manual. There is a good chance you will order the wrong part if you use it. You are better off by getting the part number off your old part (If it still has it on the tag, which do stay on quite a while). My dealer had to take a picture of an AC line from my tractor and send it to Rome after they repeatedly sent the same line for a different tractor.

I would lay the responsibility on Rome, Ga people to demand that their mothership company does a better job on manuals for their American customers. Either that or do it themselves. I get the feeling though that Rome is drastically understaffed.

 

[kantuckid]

From what I read that manual is showing pretty decent English and it's very understandable language- it's informational specifics that it lacks, not poorly translated information which was my point!

You are sort of preaching to the choir on manuals?
I've owned and ridden motorcycles and cars from all over the world for many years. I know how it works manual wise. Not to try for a status but I began with British cars and motorcycles in the early 1960's then moved toward Japanese MC's and German cars then German MC's. Seen several manuals in my years as a mechanic in fact. Lots of laughs over the years working from information that began across the water. My Vespa scooter is Italian, my MC now are Spanish, Japanese and German. My Kioti's were both obviously Korean. Owned a Long tractor built in Romania. Owned a BMW G650GS bike built in China-those MC's caused a furor with the mainline BMW crowd as they wanted them built by German elves in Bavaria.

In my industrial mechanics training & experience we mostly never, ever had a manual and maintained the largest tire plant in the world's machinery.

I am very much aware of Asteral's helpfulness here and you can be assured I'll ask when needed.

 

[kantuckid]

I get a kick out of reading various manuals written in Chinese, Korean, or Japanese and translated to English. Where do they get these translators? Why don't they have a person who has English as a native language review and offer corrections? I agree that the Branson owner's manual is a joke and close to useless. The maintenance manual is considerably better and is of value. Also, the manuals are too generalized and you are unsure if the information relates to your specific tractor. That is particularly true of the parts manual. There is a good chance you will order the wrong part if you use it. You are better off by getting the part number off your old part (If it still has it on the tag, which do stay on quite a while). My dealer had to take a picture of an AC line from my tractor and send it to Rome after they repeatedly sent the same line for a different tractor.

I would lay the responsibility on Rome, Ga people to demand that their mothership company does a better job on manuals for their American customers. Either that or do it themselves. I get the feeling though that Rome is drastically understaffed.

Most places are short of people and material lately.

I watched a TV "fluff piece" yesterday about the ports and factories and such. They never went political which is highly political in itself. Pretty much turned the national shortages into a trucking only problem which falls far short of the totality.

I seriously doubt that "Rome" has who and how many of the skill set people they need. Skilled jobs are tough to fill and been true for a long time. I have two sons (chemical and civil engineering managers) who daily try to hire highly technical people like scientists and engineers, etc..

For many years, both Korea and Japan have been a place to go and teach English as a second language.

 

[kantuckid]

Today on my Branson: Finished changing the fluids for 50 hours service-except I ran out of hydraulic fluid as it's too pricey in my small rural area-so it sits for now.
The front axle was barely low when I drained it.
The hydraulic filter you need to watch the seal rubber as it can fall off during install as it's unretained. I used some very sticky military surplus grease to hold mine onto the filter just for safeties sake.
Engine oil filter for the Kukje 4cyl A2300N2 engines crosses to either a WIX 51381 or a NAPA 1381-I used the WIX which is spot on the same as OE and $7 each. It wouldn't bother me to locate a different oil filter with more length as it sticks out into space and it's a means to increase oil volume-I do so on my Kawasaki Mule UTV and sawmill engine for that reason.
I dislike the radiator screen compared to my Kioti's as theirs slid out easily to clean weed chaff.

 

[kantuckid]

Today I attached a toolbox to the cross piece that was holding my SMV sign. I removed the sign as I don't go on road. I drilled holes in the top of the sheetmetal crosspiece and toolbox. It is a very light gauge of steel so not useful for much weight. The toolbox I used came with the tractor and had been mtd bedie the brake pedals which IMO was in the way of rt side entries. This toolbox is about 11" long x 6" wide. I centered it and cut two alu cross pieces ~ 4.75" long to stiffen the box once it's loaded. I used SS 6mm carriage bolts and fender washers inside the box and under the flimsy cross brace along with nylock SS washers.

I need to go back and fasten a couple of angles from the box base down to the vertical part of the tractors cross brace to stiffen things up. Over time it may be too much flex with tool weight.

I also used a thin cork gasket spacer to go between the box stiffeners and the cross brace to isolate vibration. The weakness of this box is it's too short to hold the big screwdriver I carry to lever on stuff and my low impact mallet so I'll probably do what I've done for some years and throw them behind the seat back.
The strong aspects of this box are that it fits between the OE work light and the left side ROPS plus it is deep for storage in spite of overall being small plus its got a weather proof lip top and it was free! I see many who mount on FEL frames and I simply do not want wide hanging tool boxes in the woods! Now I need to build a saw holder.

 

[TractorTYMe]

Today on my Branson: Finished changing the fluids for 50 hours service-except I ran out of hydraulic fluid as it's too pricey in my small rural area-so it sits for now.
The front axle was barely low when I drained it.
The hydraulic filter you need to watch the seal rubber as it can fall off during install as it's unretained. I used some very sticky military surplus grease to hold mine onto the filter just for safeties sake.
Engine oil filter for the Kukje 4cyl A2300N2 engines crosses to either a WIX 51381 or a NAPA 1381-I used the WIX which is spot on the same as OE and $7 each. It wouldn't bother me to locate a different oil filter with more length as it sticks out into space and it's a means to increase oil volume-I do so on my Kawasaki Mule UTV and sawmill engine for that reason.
I dislike the radiator screen compared to my Kioti's as theirs slid out easily to clean weed chaff.

The WIX 51626 is marginally longer than the stock Korean filters. ANd that is what I've always used on my A2300N4 engine

 

[kantuckid]

Thanks for the filter reference. I just googled both numbers and the WIX 51626 is ~ a 1/2" longer. Good catch!
I may look a bit further on that part for down the road. The filters I use on my Kohler are nearly twice as large as the pricey OE tiny ones and increase oil volume & filtration for less cost.
My Kawasaki Mule same thing. Neither of those engines holds much oil so I like having a bit more.
The tractors have enough oil but filtration improves when it doesn't alter performance like a hydraulic filter might cause when messed with.

 

[LouNY]

Well my has been sitting for several days, but fired her up today to go down to the end of the driveway and pickup the used inverted 90" snow blower that the dealer finally got around to delivering. Also pressure washing the tractor and may take a bucket and a spong to her as well a bunch of black streaks and spots all over her not sure were it's coming from, trees or what ever.

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[TractorTYMe]

LouNY, that will be a nice tool for heavy snow.

 

[Cougsfan]

Looks like it will definitely move huge amounts of snow. I get a kick out of the "Caution Do Not Pass" sticker on it. Maybe you should replace it with "Go Ahead, Just Try To Pass Me" sticker.