Congratulations, my friend. Glad you were able to get it. You can have some serious fun...err...work with that machine. Already have a grapple or is one in the future?
Easy now....not my fault Kubota put lightweight bearings in the front axle...the bearing cage is what has failed. Got some better bearings for it next time they go out.
Check these folks out... Compact Tractor 48"-54"-60" HD Root Grapple Hydraulic - quick attach — MTL Attachments
That’s a nice looking grapple at a good price point. There are several reputable attachment fabricators in Denton NC that I will visit in the coming weeks. What width would you recommend for logs and brush? I like the grapples with a curved bottom that closes more scissor like. We have a heavy duty grapple at work for a cat skid steer, but the weight of the grapple hurts the lifting capacity of the skid steer. Heavy duty seems unnecessary, but I’ve seen cheapo grapples with bent teeth.
60" would work fine with your size tractor. Ours is a grapple fork style, works best for brush, does fine on logs. Those have the widest opening for their size. Curved front or more of a root rake style. Unless they are heavy the single style teeth do get bent. Good luck with your hunt. I looked at the Wicked line from EA...Everything Attachments. We got grapple and forks cheaper than just a grapple from them.
While I was at Mt Airy equipment company I also tried out a low hour 2021 mx5400. It looked, sounded and operated like brand new, but it was a shuttle. After stepping on the clutch, selecting a gear, shifting to f, pulling the accelerator, pushing the speed control back, stepping on the clutch and break, shifting to r, I knew hst was for me. It was also several thousand more. It’s going to be a long 2-3 weeks. 3 point hitch receiver drawbar with suitcase weights, or ballast box? What do you use for weight in the ballast box?
I've never run a Kubota shuttle shift, but don't know why it would be any different than everyone else's... generally you pick your gear while the shuttle is in neutral, then shift shuttle to F or R, apply throttle via foot peddle...let off throttle and shift F or R, as long as ground speed or engine rpm is not still too high, clutch is generally mainly for shifting gears (speeds) on the fly...that or "oh crap" moments Hand throttle is more for running the pto. I guess like anything else, it all takes a minute to get used to
Yes, that's the way our 'bota works. Ours is the GST model, don't need clutch to change gears. Sometimes in moving logs, the HST would be nice, I just don't like the whine they make. I love the GST for plowing or mowing.
We built our counterweight, but I think I would use ballast box. You could fill it with dirt or bags of cement. Leave a little room at the top for tool storage...chains, tongs, maybe even carry a saw there.
Your assessments of the operation of a manual vs HST are spot on with my experience. I grew up driving manual tractors on a small hobby farm and once I experienced HST it was over. I'll take a bit less power to the pto and ground for far superior ease and speed of operation doing what I have a tractor for. I run ag tires with 75% fill on the rears with rim guard. Usually there is a back blade or tiller on the back. I still will run out of traction in all but one scenario. That scenario was trying to get a 18" cherry stump out. I put the bucket under the roots and rolled it back using all its breakout force and there was so much down force on the front, and having the blade on back, it opened the relief and wouldn't spin the tires. Low range, 4x4 and full throttle. This is a situation that I generally don't find myself in and its probably pretty hard on things. That said, it's a like fusable link to protect the drivetrain. Dragging trees, digging, pushing ect, traction is the limiting factor not power. I usually can do almost all my tractor tasks in medium range and I run the engine 1800-2000 RPM unless I need the added power.
Tomorrow makes 3 weeks, so I called. Still has 6 in front of it. Interim tier 4, so no $1,000,000 filter or regen buttons
Talk about torture! Do they at least have visitation hours where you can go sit on it and make tractor noises?
Lol, all I have is pictures and imagination. It’s 33 miles away. If it was closer I’d be visiting my tractor.
The salesman said they haven’t slowed up. He said during the supply chain slowdown, any new tractor they got sold immediately. The higher apr’s are not slowing sales either. On a side note I had the Ford 2000 sold. The buyer drove it to his trailer and it died. Chit luck right der. Had the roll in my pocket
