M5660 Seat Suspension Upgrade

[tbeckett]

I just got the M5660 tractor a few days ago. Have put a few hours on it and love it so far except for the seat/seat suspension. I weigh 215 pounds (Ok i need to drop another 20-25 - Have lost 60 so far). I have tightened the suspension but it was really hard to turn, and I did not want to break something. Is that normal?

Also the seat does seem a little low based on my other "Green" Tractor.
Questions:

How much travel does the standard seat have?
Any advice on using the standard seat and how to adjust it?
Has anyone found an aftermarket or OEM suspension that fits well.

Thanks in advance!

 

[mcfarmall]

Being a fellow M5660 owner with 86 hours under my belt, here are the answers to your questions!
I don't know.
No.
No.

When I'm hoonin across the pasture in 2 High, I bottom out frequently. My dealer was unwilling to sell me an upgraded seat from a more luxurious model so I'm interested in where this thread goes.

 

[tbeckett]

Being a fellow M5660 owner with 86 hours under my belt, here are the answers to your questions!
I don't know.
No.
No.

When I'm hoonin across the pasture in 2 High, I bottom out frequently. My dealer was unwilling to sell me an upgraded seat from a more luxurious model so I'm interested in where this thread goes.

Soooo, I guess we are in the same boat. I was hoping I had missed something or not found a widget, or a thing-a-ma-bob to turn or punch. I am on the hunt for a reasonably priced solution.

 

[mikester]

Kubota OEM seats and suspension are brutal on a good day. I think they were designed for 5 foot tall 90 lbs persons.

My M59 seat is slippery, sloped forward, and has probably 1/2 of suspension travel. Every time you hit a big bump you crunch your spine and then slide off the front of the seat.

A Grammar air ride seat will make you more comfortable. Fixed my ZTR. Not cheap though. Neither are doctor, chiro and massage therapist visits.

 

[tbeckett]

Kubota OEM seats and suspension are brutal on a good day. I think they were designed for 5 foot tall 90 lbs persons.

My M59 seat is slippery, sloped forward, and has probably 1/2 of suspension travel. Every time you hit a big bump you crunch your spine and then slide off the front of the seat.

A Grammar air ride seat will make you more comfortable. Fixed my ZTR. Not cheap though. Neither are doctor, chiro and massage therapist visits.

I am sorta relieved that I am not the only one that has noticed this. I had to replace the seat suspension on my 21 year old JD 4600 about 3 years ago because the original wore out. I retrofitted a suspension seat onto my Grasshopper ZTR a few years ago. Both of these were to save my back! Sooooo I am on the hunt now for a good solution. I may have found a takeoff unit on Ebay last night. I will be checking on that! Good Luck .

The Suspense for the Suspension is growing!

 

[ve9aa]

I was going to upgrade the seat on my BX2380, but at least for now, refuse to invest well north of $1000 to do that. For the moment I have one of those foamy looking car seat pads and inside of that, have an air bladder I put very little air into.

I also let a couple pounds of pressure out of my tires. I don't have a FEL or do any heavy lifting. If I ever do, I'll air the tires back up.

On my 2.2ac, which I mow, it's old cow pasture and the land is super rocky. ie: not much loam, clay, topsoil or anything else....just 1" of stuff" (grass/weeds/whatever) and then it's basically rocks....so it will never be smooth. It's not so much the up/down that gets me, but the side to side. My TG1860 by comparison is a Cadillac ! It's rear 1/4 is on 2 mini-bike shocks. (or what looks like baby shocks.) Very smooth.

Why weren't tractor seats made with swivel at the front on a single pivot (like the front axel) and that way you could put 4 springs under the seat (one at each corner) so you can buffer those bone jarring bumps in multiple axis.

I digress.

 

[mcmxi]

I'd like to upgrade the seat on my MX too. The dealer mentioned that the standard Grand L seat is a nice upgrade for the MX (about $600 I think) but he also mentioned that the Grand L air ride seat isn't worth the cost.

 

[eipo]

I came up with a workable solution in this thread for my 4060.

Kubota Grand L 60 series seat bottoms out

If those soda bottles don' t do the job you could try a partially inflated soccer or volley ball! Great idea, and cost effective. ;) I picked up some tennis balls... They aren't large enough. As I was looking for a slightly larger, inflatable ball I walked past the bottles and figured "why...

www.orangetractortalks.com

Last couple posts, Willbeone came up with another solution.