I might be able to spare an ex wife for that purpose. 'Course, she'll need new duct tape pretty soon. Chews right through it.....
The tire ballast is great, check the weight on the blade. Box is even better, you really want as much weight on the azz end of that machine as is practical. The tire ballast is great for traction, but you need to counterweight the loader too. And that's where 3pt hitch ballast comes in. Don't worry, your not hurting it one bit carrying around 2,000lbs on the hitch, actually you will prolong the life of the front hub bearings and tires. How do you know if you have enough weight on the rears? If you find yourself using 4x4 for extra traction during loader use in somewhat normal conditions (i.e., not sloppy muddy wet) then you don't have enough weight back there.
I think you are going to love that tractor! Good call on getting fluids, etc changed. I just spent $250 doing the maintenance on my B2620-that tractor of yours takes quite a bit more of that $20 a gallon Super UDT!
CONGRATS MIKE! Nice choice. I owned one of them in the past. Nice tractors. Eventually you will need to look into converting the front end so you can get pallet forks. And then maybe a grapple.
Boy that's a tough offer to resist. Tulip poplars aren't much for BTUs but they do cut like butter. I just need to get my ZTR mower running and grass cutting current first. I got my rebuilt hydraulic pumps and motors installed, new hydro reservoir tank and hoses installed, old belts removed, and today I just noticed a few too many drips of oil coming off the bottom of the new reservoir tank. The plastic spin welds on that new tank did not inspire confidence, and now that it's installed, the thought of a leak there ... GRRRR... Meanwhile the rain rains and the grass just grows.
Check the front hub swivels for leakage. That is a common problem area. Protect those front hubs. They take a beating.
x2, I also got mine used with 200 hours or so on it a great machine... I love mine.. then my driveway is over 1/4 mile of gravel so 6 foot blower brush hog, box blade, and York rake came in handy. mine came with 3 weights per back tire.. and spent money on chains and blower. .. bought other 3 implements for 1500 in a great package deal... that quick attach with forks and grapple might be my birthday present to my self! Glad you got one Mike I have been real happy with mine!
You're welcome to come up an mill some. Wide, straight, clean, long trunks... I was thinking of hiring a portable band sawyer
I wouldn't sweat the ballast question if the rear tires are liquid filled. Mine are filled and I rarely wish I had more.
Nice tractor! Keep up on maintenance and it will serve you well. I just did the 800 hour service on my 3130 last spring. Somewhere in the $275 range and that was with standard UDT. The Super UDT would've been well over $300. Does it have the nice adjustable lower 3pt arms?
Hopefully they use the super udt 2 fluid. It cut the hydro whine/noise in half in my BX when I changed it out. Awesome looking tractor. Find your tire size in the rim guard link and it will tell you how much weight is in them already. http://www.rimguard.biz/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Hydro-Flation-tables-2014-PDF.pdf
The HST whine seems to be more prevalent on some models than others. My 3130 is nearly silent, and my buddy's 3400 is so noisy that I thought there was something wrong with it when he first got it. Grand L vs std L difference maybe? I've experienced no increased trans noise switching to std UDT. The super offers better cold performance (thinner), but other than that, I saw no reason to spend the extra $$. All genuine Kubota UDT fluids are compatible and interchangeable. I did notice that when I had the tractor out in colder temps this year it took a little longer for the trans to get warm. No big deal for me...if it's that cold, the tractor only moves if absolutely necessary. I will never look at the old turnbuckle style the same again after having the fancy adjusters. Should be standard on ALL tractors! The sliding end links are nice as well. I don't change implements a whole lot, but they make it nice when I do.
That looks like a fun, productive tool. Congrats Mike!! Seriously, your wife should conduct seminars at GTGs.
The brass is mostly what the super udt protects and any kind of cold weather cavitation is a big problem. You may begin to notice some sticking cradle bushings in the hydro as the machine ages. Meaning it won't return to neutral as well. The brass plate for the rotating group can score. Also, remember a hydrostatic transmission consistently compresses fluid to 5-7000 psi and generates a lot of heat. Super Udt is specially formulated for that application. It will work with regular udt, just don't expect the same longevity.
