Functional upgrades to the M6060 including sprayer controls, LEDs, power distribution and more.

[McMXi]

A bit of final shaping/fitting this morning followed by some Kubota gray and I'm calling this part done. It's not meant to be a grab handle but it sure is solid and would work just fine in that capacity.

 

[chim]

Nice, looks "factry"

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Nice, looks "factry"

It's not OEM, it's better, it's OEMcMXi !

 

[McMXi]

I've changed the title of this thread due to scope creep, as well as the desire to document the M6060 upgrades in a single thread.

I've always been motivated by functional upgrades and absolutely despise fluff on anything. This is true regardless of whether it's an upgrade on my trucks, Jeep, boat, trailers or tractors. I define fluff as being something that at best is purely aesthetic with no functional benefit, and at worst is actually dangerous or at least is a detriment to function. With that in mind, I've opted for some factory features that improve function or provide user options and have added some custom features with the same intention.

Factory options that either came with the tractor, or the local dealer added, or I purchased from the local dealer and installed myself:

• Creep range
• 540/540E PTO
• Three rear remotes
• Third function
• Top-n-tilt
• Front and rear work lights
• Alliance FarmPro 320/85R20 R-1W radial tires & 20" wheels
• Air ride seat
• Rear wiper and defrost
• 100A alternator
• Wheel weights
• Rim Guard
• Front weight bracket
• QH20

Upgrades that I've added from other sources and installed myself:

• Front suitcase weights
• Summit Hydraulics 4X multiplier
• Scorpion control grip - 4 button
• Reimer Tuning programmer (~82hp tune)
• Custom exhaust
• Blue Sea Systems USB ports (replace 12V cigarette lighter)
• Kenwood KMM-X704 receiver
• Pintle hook drawbar
• Front D-ring tie downs
• Custom B-pillar bracket on right side

Planned upgrades:

• Painless Wiring 3-circuit power distribution block
• 3-point sprayer controller
• Rubber mat around seat
• LED work lights front and rear
• Additional work light switches
• Screen for cameras and/or mapping software
• Amplifier and speakers (low priority)
• Modified front brush guard
• Rear tie downs

Some of the latest upgrades are underway and here's a photo showing the carnage. I'll be updating this thread as the work continues.

 

[McMXi]

I solved a couple of mysteries this morning. Ever since I've had this tractor I've wondered why there are extra wires next to the front work lights. I also wondered why my tractor came with front and rear work lights but there's an option when ordering, or after the fact, which Kubota refers to as:

M7967 FRONT WORK LIGHT KIT FOR CAB ($477)

Now I realize after doing some research that this kit is in addition to the standard front and rear work lights and comes with its own light switch that installs next to the PTO control switch. My tractor came with the work light switches (green) but also came with the standard insert for the PTO control knob. The M7967 kit is an expensive upgrade at $477 but it comes with a bunch of stuff shown below. Interestingly, the lights mount to the grab handles either side of the front glass.



M7967 kit contents.

 

[McMXi]

I bought three sets of Hella LED cubes years ago with the intention of installing them on either the MX or the M, but those pesky wires I mentioned on the M, that intuitively would have power when the front work lights are on but don't, had me baffled. The black wire is obviously a ground, but the red/white wire isn't shown on the WSM wiring schematic.







But the realization that this extra front work light kit exists, in combination with removing the right side fender trim in the cab, as well as looking at the schematic below and confirming continuity between the red/white wire under the trim piece and the red/white wires up near the front work lights, it all makes sense. It's nuts but it makes sense!

 

[McMXi]

Where I'm headed with this is that I ordered two light switches so that I can add LEDs front and rear. Even the light switches are a bit of mystery. There are two switches listed with one being twice the cost of the other. I don't know which switches I have in my M6060 but I see that the new L70 tractors are using the more expensive 3Y205-54220 switch. I decided to order two of the cheaper switches with part number 3P300-54220 and hope that they do what I need.



I have one set of Hella spotlight cubes and two sets of Hella flood light cubes. Both types list 12W so current should be in the 1A range. The wires on the schematic are given as 0.85 which is equivalent to 18 AWG wire which is rated for a lot more than 1A. My point is that I'm now planning on removing the front 55W work lights and installing one pair of spotlight cubes and one pair of flood light cubes. I'll run the spotlight LEDs off the existing front work light switch, factory relays and wiring, and the flood light LEDs off the new switch and existing wiring but will add a relay since I'll be taping into the terminated red/white wire shown above to supply it with 12V through a relay.

For the rear lights, I think I'll leave the existing 55W lights where they are but add a pair of flood light cubes also running off a relay and controlled by the second new light switch. I'm getting all this figured out now so that once I put everything back together I don't have to take it all apart again to finish wiring lights and such.

 

[Runs With Scissors]

@McMXi is that you?????

 

[McMXi]

Edit: Pictures deleted due to the fact that I can't stand to see them. The first attempt was just so bad.

Sometimes you just have to try out a concept, figure out what you like and what you don't and adjust accordingly. The clamp system works great with the modification that I had planned on doing. I drilled and tapped a 3/4" x 1/4" piece of flat bar for 1/4-28 and 3/8-16 socket head cap screws and the bar is attached to the clamp with both screws. The 1/4-28 screw has double duty as a clamp screw but also it prevents rotation of the flat bar and I can assure you that the clamp is very rigid and strong. It'll all be painted with Kubota grey eventually. The clamp are adjustable for height too which is another feature that I wanted.

Now to the not so great. My first concept for a bracket just doesn't work for me aesthetically. Function is fine but I want it to look good too. The flat bar to round bar to flat bar looks weird. Back to the drawing board on that one. I might just cut off the flat bar that supports the plastic bracket and weld it to the flat bar on the clamp and run it straight out and hang the bracket upside down. We'll see, but I feel it's important to share my failures as well as the things that work out.

 

[bobnic]

Wow, you really cantilevered the display/controls out from the "grab bar" much further than I was expecting, but maybe that was necessary for ease of access and viewing. Have you driven it around on the field to see if vibration is an issue?

 

[Mrlunchbox]

Damn, that looks mighty fine! OEM quality!!

 

[McMXi]

Damn, that looks mighty fine! OEM quality!!

I actually HATED what I did initially and can't bear to look at the photos.

Today I almost started over from scratch, but realized that the grab bar still has a use for those tube clamps as well as the magnetic phone mount, and with a bit of modification it could work out well in the end. As @bobnic mentioned, there's a lot of load (moment arm) on those clamps which the rubber insert simply can't handle. I could have used two pipe clamps but not the best solution either.

So here's where I ended today and I'm much happier with the result. I cut and welded two tabs to the B-pillar grab handle after drilling and taping for 1/4-20 screws. The tabs are 3/8" thick and angled to be parallel to the door handle. The top tab is for future upgrades such as a screen of some sort that could sit above the TeeJet sprayer control box.

I also abandoned the TeeJet plastic mounting bracket and made up tabs spaced at 7" with 7/8" holes to slide on the pipe, and then I welded them in place. Unlike the factory plastic bracket, the mounting screws for the control box are captive since they pass through holes rather than notches. I used my hydraulic press to squash the end of a piece of 7/8" pipe after bending it to suit. I wanted the bracket to be parallel to the door handle (in the vertical plane) and parallel to the glass (in the horizontal plane). I achieved both of these objectives, and to say that this set up is solid is an understatement! There's no movement of the bracket at all so the sprayer control box isn't going to be bouncing around during spraying.

I really like Kubota paint but it shows every defect in the base metal. I will eventually address the finish, but it's good enough for now and I need to push on with completing the other aspects of this major upgrade so that I'm ready to spray ASAP.

 

[McMXi]

I was looking at schematics on Messick's website the other day and noticed that Kubota makes a bracket for the M6060/M7060 for mounting accessories. It's called an implement monitor stay kit and is around $60. Had I known about this kit I still think I would have made my own. This stay kit could still be installed on my tractor, even with the B-pillar bracket, but I don't see any reason to add it. I don't like the jam screws that this kit uses.

 

[bobnic]

That is a much cleaner (less busy) and more stable design. How will you run the wiring and tube for the pressure gage, perhaps in split loom?

 

[McMXi]

That is a much cleaner (less busy) and more stable design. How will you run the wiring and tube for the pressure gage, perhaps in split loom?

Thanks! I feel a lot better about how this is turning out.

The TeeJet kit comes with some really nice wiring already in split loom along with the line for the pressure gauge. It has some quality connectors too, and the sprayer components are much more "industrial" than I was expecting. The more I looked at the kit the more I understood why it's expensive. It's a nice kit for sure. There's a warning to not let the control box freeze (because of the gauge) so it's not going to live in the tractor all the time. The wiring will stay put and I'm going to start on that in the morning.

I'm adding a Painless Wiring 3-circuit fused power block so need to make a bracket to attach via some existing threaded holes in the floor. That should be the last bit of fabrication as I move forward with mostly wiring, some painting and the floor mat.

 

[Mrlunchbox]

I actually HATED what I did initially and can't bear to look at the photos.

Today I almost started over from scratch, but realized that the grab bar still has a use for those tube clamps as well as the magnetic phone mount, and with a bit of modification it could work out well in the end. As @bobnic mentioned, there's a lot of load (moment arm) on those clamps which the rubber insert simply can't handle. I could have used two pipe clamps but not the best solution either.

So here's where I ended today and I'm much happier with the result. I cut and welded two tabs to the B-pillar grab handle after drilling and taping for 1/4-20 screws. The tabs are 3/8" thick and angled to be parallel to the door handle. The top tab is for future upgrades such as a screen of some sort that could sit above the TeeJet sprayer control box.

I also abandoned the TeeJet plastic mounting bracket and made up tabs spaced at 7" with 7/8" holes to slide on the pipe, and then I welded them in place. Unlike the factory plastic bracket, the mounting screws for the control box are captive since they pass through holes rather than notches. I used my hydraulic press to squash the end of a piece of 7/8" pipe after bending it to suit. I wanted the bracket to be parallel to the door handle (in the vertical plane) and parallel to the glass (in the horizontal plane). I achieved both of these objectives, and to say that this set up is solid is an understatement! There's no movement of the bracket at all so the sprayer control box isn't going to be bouncing around during spraying.

I really like Kubota paint but it shows every defect in the base metal. I will eventually address the finish, but it's good enough for now and I need to push on with completing the other aspects of this major upgrade so that I'm ready to spray ASAP.

View attachment 173892

View attachment 173893

View attachment 173896

Now that looks infinitely better IMHO. Nothing wrong with the before... but I like how sturdy this looks. From the pics can't see the defects you speak of, so at least to others from afar it may be fine

 

[McMXi]

I made a no-drill bracket today from 3/16" x 1-1/4" flat bar to mount the Painless Wiring distribution block to the floor behind the seat. I used a couple of existing M6 x 1.0 holes in the floor and added stand-offs to provide clearance for the wiring. The M6 screws are temporary and will be replaced with socket head cap screws.

The distribution block can be flipped around to suit and perhaps it's better to have the relay on the side closest to the trim panel. It looks better with the relay on the right side and the wires running to the left without a loop but not a big deal. I'll paint it and get it installed this week when I get the floor painted and a mat cut.

Edit: Pictures deleted to clean up the thread (see final version below).

 

[McMXi]

Yep, it's a stupid bracket, and yep, no one but me is ever going to give it any mind, but still .... this is better so I'd rather get it right now and never have to revisit this stuff.

At this rate of doing everything twice I'll be done by Christmas!

 

[biketopia]

Yep, it's a stupid bracket, and yep, no one but me is ever going to give it any mind, but still .... this is better so I'd rather get it right now and never have to revisit this stuff.

At this rate of doing everything twice I'll be done by Christmas!

View attachment 173986

View attachment 173987

If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right! Always love your fab stuff.

That painless block, is it just one relay that controls the power feed to the fuses?

Obviously, you already have the Painless stuff, but have you ever looked at the Leash Electronics stuff? I use their OG4 Relay module in my race car & project truck. All contained, 4 70amp relays that are fuse protected and have both power and ground trigger available at the input bus.

OG4 Relay module

Relay power board featuring 4 industrial 70 amp relays with fused outputs. Both power and grounding coil inputs available on input strip to allow custom power or grounding activation. Led indictors on relay outputs. 12/16volt compatible. ATC fuses, #10 output studs, 1/4" input stud. ALL OUR...

www.leashelectronics.com

 

[McMXi]

If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right! Always love your fab stuff.

That painless block, is it just one relay that controls the power feed to the fuses?

Obviously, you already have the Painless stuff, but have you ever looked at the Leash Electronics stuff? I use their OG4 Relay module in my race car & project truck. All contained, 4 70amp relays that are fuse protected and have both power and ground trigger available at the input bus.

OG4 Relay module

Relay power board featuring 4 industrial 70 amp relays with fused outputs. Both power and grounding coil inputs available on input strip to allow custom power or grounding activation. Led indictors on relay outputs. 12/16volt compatible. ATC fuses, #10 output studs, 1/4" input stud. ALL OUR...

www.leashelectronics.com

I'm not familiar with Leash Electronics but that looks like a very useful relay module. I'll keep that in mind for other projects.

The Painless Wiring block simply provides fused 12V either constant or switched (via ignition) so additional relays might be required for some accessories. That's typically the case if the accessory draws more current than the switch can handle.

I need 12V for the sprayer control box, the extra LED circuit up front, and for the Scorpion control grip. I'm picking up the additional work light switches from the Kubota dealer today and will need to see if the amp rating is provided. I might need to add relays for the additional front and rear work LEDs. The Summit Hydraulics multiplier solenoid coils draw 1.7A and the switches on the Scorpion control grip are rated for 5A @ 24V so no relay is required there. Also, the TeeJet sprayer control kit comes with all harnesses and no additional external relays are required. The kit I ordered has a solenoid controlled butterfly valve to regulate the pressure, but a ball valve pressure regulator is an option and it looks like the wiring harness with that valve has an additional relay.