Tractor Time with Tim - LX3310 and RHINOAG TS10 Flex-Wing problems

[jimh406]

But when pulling the Flex-Wing it's going to articulate like a trailer so putting a lot less turning torque on the tractor i.e. it's much less likely to impart lateral loads to the tractor.

I don’t think so because it has pto that limits it’s articulation.

 

[mcmxi]

I don’t think so because it has pto that limits it’s articulation.

But the PTO has a CV joint to allow for that ... a double cardan I think.

For the record, I have no stake here other than a genuine interest to learn more about our tractors and various implements. A flex wing type cutter might be in my future one day so it's good to figure things out now rather than 10 minutes before buying one.

So it looks to me that if the flex wing is essentially a trailer with blades then the TS10 is ok on the back of an LX3310. If however it's considered a "rear mounted" rotary cutter then it's not ok. At least that's how I'm interpreting the spec sheet.

 

[jimh406]

So it looks to me that if the flex wing is essentially a trailer with blades then the TS10 is ok on the back of an LX3310. If however it's considered a "rear mounted" rotary cutter then it's not ok. At least that's how I'm interpreting the spec sheet.

I’m just working on why it is/isn’t ok, too. The spec sheet says that it has a tongue weight of 720 lbs. That number also exceeds the entire recommended weight of a rotary cutter. Yes, it would be on the draw bar instead. A normal amount of tongue weight is 10 to about a max of 20%. So, if it was a trailer, it would be a minimum of 5000 lbs or so to have that much tongue weight.

 

[B737]

TTwT is definitely biased hard to green. I enjoy his videos and learn from his content. I like seeing the orange LX in his videos. Can't help but feel the deck is stacked against it.

The chart kubota puts out for the rear implements is remarkably conservative. Probably for liability reasons. To say an LX cant pull a 60" bb is ridiculous.

I assumed that giant mower was for a large tractor, I was shocked to see it spec'd for lower HP tractors! I have to agree with above sentiments, common sense would tell me that's a bad idea. I can't imagine the inability to hook that thing up would be a problem for a lot of users in the real world.

 

[michigander]

@ 6:25 is mowing combo bat wing/ tractor

 

[Newaterman]

TTwT is definitely biased hard to green. I enjoy his videos and learn from his content. I like seeing the orange LX in his videos. Can't help but feel the deck is stacked against it.

The chart kubota puts out for the rear implements is remarkably conservative. Probably for liability reasons. To say an LX cant pull a 60" bb is ridiculous.

I assumed that giant mower was for a large tractor, I was shocked to see it spec'd for lower HP tractors! I have to agree with above sentiments, common sense would tell me that's a bad idea. I can't imagine the inability to hook that thing up would be a problem for a lot of users in the real world.

See I think simply looking at it from a HP standpoint is the wrong way to go about it. Plenty of older tractors, sized and designed for cat 2 implements that don’t make huge horsepower by today’s standards. They’d have zero issue with the size of this mower.
At the end of the day John Deere’s roots in large at tractors filters down. I see the same thing reflected in certain ship builders that end up building tug & work boats. They end up much more small ship like that big boat like.

In meeting the standards for ag equipment on their compacts they absolutely sacrifice a lot of ground clearance on that 2 series. Tim even admits that. Cost, and that were a big reason I decided not to seriously look at one.

The Green club is certainly foaming at the mouth in the video comments though. The claims of yet another reason for made in America engineering superiority just make me chuckle. It says a lot that they use a yanmar power plant, yet build plenty of their own engines. They’re numerous in the marine industry as pump & generator motors. They’re also fairly disposable. Filters, fluids, belts. Swap it out for a new one when it blows up. Faster and cheaper to swap than rebuild, as long as you don’t throw a piston out the side you can get a core credit. Of course at one of my previous employers they did quite often throw a piston between 35-40k hours.

 

[mcmxi]

I’m just working on why it is/isn’t ok, too. The spec sheet says that it has a tongue weight of 720 lbs. That number also exceeds the entire recommended weight of a rotary cutter. Yes, it would be on the draw bar instead. A normal amount of tongue weight is 10 to about a max of 20%. So, if it was a trailer, it would be a minimum of 5000 lbs or so to have that much tongue weight.

Kubota's max draw bar spec for the 3310 is 1,100 lb so I still don't follow how the flex-wing is too heavy for the 3310 given Kubota's specs. It's pulled like a trailer therefore it's a trailer to me. I watched another video where the TS10 is being pulled by a JD and Tim makes the point about not making too small of a radius when turning due to the driveshaft geometry.

Kubota's mower specs seem to apply to typical mid or 3-point mount variants. Or that's how I'm interpreting the data.

 

[B737]

The Green club is certainly foaming at the mouth in the video comments though. The claims of yet another reason for made in America engineering superiority just make me chuckle. It says a lot that they use a yanmar power plant.

lol right?! they were foaming for sure!! I would take the extra inches of ground clearance over the 8" 'standard' between PTO and draw bar. I just cant see how running that thing behind a compact tractor is reasonable. It makes sense the older lower HP, large, heavier machines would be the correct fit for that implement, and not an LX.

There were actually several disparaging and off color comments about "Japanese tractor" in his comment section, and I was really biting my tongue to not tell them to open their green hoods....

 

[Newaterman]

lol right?! they were foaming for sure!! I would take the extra inches of ground clearance over the 8" 'standard' between PTO and draw bar. I just cant see how running that thing behind a compact tractor is reasonable. It makes sense the older lower HP, large, heavier machines would be the correct fit for that implement, and not an LX.

There were actually several disparaging and off color comments about "Japanese tractor" in his comment section, and I was really biting my tongue to not tell them to open their green hoods....

it really is all kind of silly. I settled on the Kubota because it was the right balance of my needs and wants. A decade down the road if I’m shopping for a new tractor I’ll take a look at Kubota, JD, and likely Kioti if the dealers in the area stay the same. The dyed in the wool fanboy brand shit is nuts though. Goes to show how much marketing is worth every penny in this country.

On another side note from the marine industry, I will say yanmar has got to be my hands down top pick for a small marine diesel for propulsion. So JD makes a good choice there. However Beta marine of England is my second choice and is….a marine converted kubota .

 

[Newaterman]

Kubota's max draw bar spec for the 3310 is 1,100 lb so I still don't follow how the flex-wing is too heavy for the 3310 given Kubota's specs. It's pulled like a trailer therefore it's a trailer to me. I watched another video where the TS10 is being pulled by a JD and Tim makes the point about not making too small of a radius when turning due to the driveshaft geometry.

Kubota's mower specs seem to apply to typical mid or 3-point mount variants. Or that's how I'm interpreting the data.

I still can’t find a video of him pulling it with the 2 series tractor. Just the appropriately sized 5 series.

 

[B737]

and

 

[Newaterman]

and

Ahhhh, I didn’t go back far enough. That’s a lot of mower behind that thing. I guess on flat ground it’s probably ok, but once you encounter an ant hill…

 

[Bulldog]

I wouldn’t pull a 1000lb implement behind my tractor. The manuals ALL give guidance on what is safe and what the limits are of the tractors. I haul a 40 ft horse trailer. (With my 350 dually not my tractor lol) One of the things that many don’t think about when hauling trailers, not can you pull it but can you STOP IT !. There are more things to consider than “can I attach the implement to my tractor and pull it?” Darwin is unforgiving.

The 1000 lb was the tongue weight. That cutter is close to 3000 lbs.

 

[jimh406]

It's pulled like a trailer therefore it's a trailer to me.

I don’t think it’s advisable to push the max ratings for a trailer in any case. I’ve towed an RV before and got close to the max ratings for my tow vehicle. My wife didn’t enjoy the experience when we hit wind.

 

[mcmxi]

The 1000 lb was the tongue weight. That cutter is close to 3000 lbs.

2,190 lb isn't "close" to 3,000 lb ...