What did you do to or on your Kubota today?

[dlsmith]

Soon after I bought my BX about 4 years ago, the ignition switch started acting up and wouldn't send power to the started solenoid. I bought a replacement off Amazon, and it worked fine until last year when the key could be removed in the run position. I didn't think too much about it, but last Monday when I finished mowing the yard, the key and fob were gone, fortunately I have a couple of extra keys, so I stuck a spare in and shut it off. This time I bought a replacement from Messick's, my local shop was out of stock, and I replaced it on Thursday. They are really proud of those things, $89.12 proud. At least now the key can't be removed in the run position. I'll probably find the missing key, unless it got picked up by the mower and destroyed, although I never heard a noise if it did. I think I'll make a lanyard and put the key on it, then loop it over the throttle lever so it can't get away.

 

[DVR]

About 3-4 hours of running the Lane Shark on the MX5400 today.
Bush hogging on the L3560 tomorrow.

 

[cthomas]

Started to use the backhoe and have been repairing the poles for the pole barn that are rotten. Using recycled steel galvanized I-beams that are from highway guard rails.

 

[Old_Paint]

Soon after I bought my BX about 4 years ago, the ignition switch started acting up and wouldn't send power to the started solenoid. I bought a replacement off Amazon, and it worked fine until last year when the key could be removed in the run position. I didn't think too much about it, but last Monday when I finished mowing the yard, the key and fob were gone, fortunately I have a couple of extra keys, so I stuck a spare in and shut it off. This time I bought a replacement from Messick's, my local shop was out of stock, and I replaced it on Thursday. They are really proud of those things, $89.12 proud. At least now the key can't be removed in the run position. I'll probably find the missing key, unless it got picked up by the mower and destroyed, although I never heard a noise if it did. I think I'll make a lanyard and put the key on it, then loop it over the throttle lever so it can't get away.

I had a '92 F-150 that would do that. Never bothered me, and I sold the truck a couple years ago with the original keyswitch still in it. Looking at my Kubota key, I'm thinking there ain't much security designed into it. I mean, it ain't like I can lock the doors on an open platform tractor anyway.

 

[imnukensc]

Dug a grave in the backyard for this guy. He was a pain in the ass for over 15 years, but we loved him anyway.

 

[hope to float]

2k hour oil and filter change. Did the diesel filter too but the tap didn't turn off the flow so there was a slight spill

 

[River19]

Darn raise planter took 7 buckets of loam to get to a level I can layer in another 8-12" of good soil to get some veggies in the ground. My wife got me this raised bed kit for Christmas along with a fabric cover to keep the bugs out......which is kinda cool. It took a bit of time to bolt together last week in between work but the quality of the kit is impressive.

Oh, and I had the pleasure of doing it in the pouring rain as I don't have time to do it today and we have plants waiting to be planted.

Normally I run the box blade as a counter weight but I was concerned about room to maneuver, but probably would have been fine with the blade. Either way, I was careful as heck with the load and the loaded rears also helped keep things planted as long as I wasn't jerking things around.........

Fun stuff. Should take a few days for my gloves and clothes to dry from the soaked mud......

 

[ajschnitzelbank]

Started to use the backhoe and have been repairing the poles for the pole barn that are rotten. Using recycled steel galvanized I-beams that are from highway guard rails. View attachment 103031 View attachment 103031 View attachment 103032 View attachment 103033

I like your fix. Do you know how old the posts are? And what material they were? I’ve been thinking about how to build a carport, and I’m concerned I’ll outlive a pole style building.

 

[drumminj]

Added the right handle to my 4701 operator's station. Why didn't I do this sooner?!?!

 

[Bmyers]

Had to fix the cat 1 pin on my mower since it decided it no longer want to stay on the mower. I figured a little loctite might help it stay.

Once that project was complete, mowed for three hours and got stuff in decent shape. Need to spray around the barns and breakout the weedeater for around the house. The nephews trimmed trees and hauled brush on their four wheelers with a wagon attached.

Made for an enjoyable day.

 

[fried1765]

I like your fix. Do you know how old the posts are? And what material they were? I’ve been thinking about how to build a carport, and I’m concerned I’ll outlive a pole style building.

That looks like a good fix.
Would be much more difficult for me though, .....with a concrete floor.

I had my pole type (Morton) building built when I was 44.
I am 82 now, and the Morton is still great!
Me.......maybe not so much.

 

[ken erickson]

I have been using my Landpride Grapple SGC0660 pretty hard the last few weeks moving dead and dying scot pines and general spring clean up duties. Yesterday made a trip to the land for the purpose of greasing the loader, grapple and tractor. Glad I did! I had lost one of the grapple lid pivot pin cotter keys and the pin was about a 1/4 inch from falling completely out and off. Very possible had this happened when using it that a bracket could have been bent or broken.

 

[Old_Paint]

I like your fix. Do you know how old the posts are? And what material they were? I’ve been thinking about how to build a carport, and I’m concerned I’ll outlive a pole style building.

Doesn't matter much how old the posts are. The EPA and our friends on the Left Coast have decided that anything that kills bugs or prevents rot is BAD and causes cancer. Unfortunately, that means a lot of products that worked in the 70's are no longer available, and wood simply doesn't last as long. You'll note the railroads and power companies still use creosote treated posts where they can get them. Good luck getting ANYTHING creosote treated as an individual.

The simplest solution to increasing the lifespan of the structure is to make sure wood posts do not come in contact with either the soil or the concrete. I don't care what Home Depot or Lowe's tell you about their magic posts, don't put 'em in the dirt. The only part of a pine tree that should be in the ground is the roots. You're not building with the roots. Set your post centers with concrete pilons. Make the diameter of the pilons no less than 3x the nominal size of the post. (e.g. a 4x4 post wants a 12" diameter pilon). Find out what the frostline is in your area, and excavate at least double that depth. It isn't about better support, is about the pilons not creeping out of the soil during hard freezes. This provides a good foundation. Anchor the posts to the pilons with steel brackets which leave an air-gap between the post and the concrete. This prevents the post staying wet on the end and decaying. You'll wind up with a much better structure that will outlast you that way. Even if it is pressure treated and direct ground contact rated, if a pine post cannot dry, it will rot. Period. I don't put pine in the ground.

These days, depending on the height you want to go, steel posts might be less expensive than 6" PT posts. They'll certainly outlast you if that's a concern. Last I checked, termites don't eat steel. If you want to get the best use of the structure, use trusses to support the roof and you won't need posts in the middle of it. Trusses aren't really hard to build, just time consuming and repetitive, and need to be built with some precision. Some locales may require homegrown trusses to be analyzed by an engineer. I didn't have to worry about that. I have a 36 x 24 shop, NO POSTS in the middle. I put them on 4' centers with 2x4 lathe (also on 4' center) and a metal roof. VERY solid roof. I think my shed is probably built better than my house. The inspector asked why I over built the roof, to which I responded "is overbuilding a problem?" Anything that does touch concrete should have a layer of asphalt felt (aka tar paper or roofing underlayment) between the wood and concrete. I did this under all four exterior walls. I made sure that my siding overlapped below the edge of the concrete so that the bottom plates would stay dry. I'm in the habit of making sure anything exposed to the weather is composite or vinyl these days. Paint brushes don't fit my hand. I HATE painting. Put a little extra in the materials cost and initial labor, and you'll save plenty in the long range maintenance costs.

 

[Old_Paint]

Didn't do diddly on the tractor today. But, I started my day with hauling Rocky Racoon to the local WMA and releasing him. He's been raiding our hummingbird feeders and knocking flower pots off the rail of the deck. Mind you the deck rail is a 2x6, so this must be one VERY clumsy racoon. So, I set a trap a few days ago, baited with nothing more fancy than a jelly sandwich made with a bread heel. Got up this morning, went out on the deck with my coffee to sit with the missus, and she informed me I had a drive to take, that Rocky was awaiting relocation. So, Rocky now has a new zipcode, and hopefully our hummingbirds will get the food intended for them.

After that, I pulled out "The Beast", which is what I call my 24" Swisher rough cut mower, and cut part of the unfinished area of our lot, roughly 1/3 of the property. Not so bad as I've been doing this for nearly 18 years on this part of the lot and have filled in most of the stump holes and removed most of the rocks. The back third, however, is still quite rough, only recently cleared of underbrush, brambles, and TONS of poison ivy. "The Beast" weighs in at 400 pounds, and throws me around like a ragdoll back there. It does a great job, but I really need to trade up for a flail mower to handle the unfinished part of our yard with something a little more comfortable to work with. The Swisher is a younger man's mower.

 

[fried1765]

Doesn't matter much how old the posts are. The EPA and our friends on the Left Coast have decided that anything that kills bugs or prevents rot is BAD and causes cancer. Unfortunately, that means a lot of products that worked in the 70's are no longer available, and wood simply doesn't last as long. You'll note the railroads and power companies still use creosote treated posts where they can get them. Good luck getting ANYTHING creosote treated as an individual.

The simplest solution to increasing the lifespan of the structure is to make sure wood posts do not come in contact with either the soil or the concrete. I don't care what Home Depot or Lowe's tell you about their magic posts, don't put 'em in the dirt. The only part of a pine tree that should be in the ground is the roots. You're not building with the roots. Set your post centers with concrete pilons. Make the diameter of the pilons no less than 3x the nominal size of the post. (e.g. a 4x4 post wants a 12" diameter pilon). Find out what the frostline is in your area, and excavate at least double that depth. It isn't about better support, is about the pilons not creeping out of the soil during hard freezes. This provides a good foundation. Anchor the posts to the pilons with steel brackets which leave an air-gap between the post and the concrete. This prevents the post staying wet on the end and decaying. You'll wind up with a much better structure that will outlast you that way. Even if it is pressure treated and direct ground contact rated, if a pine post cannot dry, it will rot. Period. I don't put pine in the ground.

These days, depending on the height you want to go, steel posts might be less expensive than 6" PT posts. They'll certainly outlast you if that's a concern. Last I checked, termites don't eat steel. If you want to get the best use of the structure, use trusses to support the roof and you won't need posts in the middle of it. Trusses aren't really hard to build, just time consuming and repetitive, and need to be built with some precision. Some locales may require homegrown trusses to be analyzed by an engineer. I didn't have to worry about that. I have a 36 x 24 shop, NO POSTS in the middle. I put them on 4' centers with 2x4 lathe (also on 4' center) and a metal roof. VERY solid roof. I think my shed is probably built better than my house. The inspector asked why I over built the roof, to which I responded "is overbuilding a problem?" Anything that does touch concrete should have a layer of asphalt felt (aka tar paper or roofing underlayment) between the wood and concrete. I did this under all four exterior walls. I made sure that my siding overlapped below the edge of the concrete so that the bottom plates would stay dry. I'm in the habit of making sure anything exposed to the weather is composite or vinyl these days. Paint brushes don't fit my hand. I HATE painting. Put a little extra in the materials cost and initial labor, and you'll save plenty in the long range maintenance costs.

"2x4 lathe"....like in 2x4 purlin?

 

[Old_Paint]

"2x4 lathe"....like in 2x4 purlin?

Yep. Some calls it purlin, I calls it lathing. MMmmm. (In my best Carl Childers accent).

 

[matt-m]

50 hr service / oil changes for the toys

Kubota has ~1/20th the horsepower but 20x the utility lol

 

[Biker1mike]

The finishing deck found the lost metal Private Property sign. It was 8X11 at one time. Made a lot of noise going from blade to blade. The tractor did not notice !

 

[dirtydeed]

Turned a dirt pile today and threw some seed down on my dump area... had the tunes cranking in the mini. Just rocking out.

 

[cthomas]

I like your fix. Do you know how old the posts are? And what material they were? I’ve been thinking about how to build a carport, and I’m concerned I’ll outlive a pole style building.

The posts are at least 55 years old as nobody in my family(that's still alive) can remember exactly when it was built. I do know my grandpa was working in a sawmill around the time it was built and the poles are not a uniform size(some are 5 inch, 5 1/2 inch, and the corners are over 6 inch round poles. Also they are more brown than the black you would see with creosote. The old poles were sitting right on clay and it is wet.