First time tractor owner advice?

[WVUalum08]

Hi all,
Saturday i'll be picking up a 2002 L3010 HST 4wd (only 450 hrs) and will be my first tractor i've owned. Just looking to see if any of you more experienced tractor owners have any lesseon learned tips for a newbie like myself? Thanks for any and all advice given!

 

[85Hokie]

Hi all,
Saturday i'll be picking up a 2002 L3010 HST 4wd (only 450 hrs) and will be my first tractor i've owned. Just looking to see if any of you more experienced tractor owners have any lesseon learned tips for a newbie like myself? Thanks for any and all advice given!

Ok - I wont start a cross state fight - you know how the WVU and VT play not so well together!!!

But gettting back to the topic - excellent choice in a tractor, what else came on the tractor? MMM? FEL?

What will you be using the tractor for exactly ?
Any records on when fluids and all that good stuff was changed?
Type of tires are on it? Ag - R4 - Turf?
If nothing else - find you a manual for your machine, others can tell if they are available online for "free" or where to find one - search for any and all zerk fittings if you have a loader or MMM, grease it well and it will last damn near forever !

Give us more insight as to what you will be doing with your newly bought orange!

 

[TripleR]

One of the hardest for a new HST owner to get use to is, less pedal = more power/lower gearing.

Keep your bucket low when traveling, especially on slopes.

Find out your 540 RPM as it is going to seem really high if you are use to older tractors.

Spend a lot of time reading the manual before operating and drive it around a bit familiarizing yourself with the machine before doing much in the way of work.

Don't get discouraged as you will make mistakes.

 

[WVUalum08]

I appreciate accepting me as a WVU guy...haha.

I own a small scale farm. The tractor doesn't come with anything (the person i'm buying it off of had only used it with a brush hog. I plan on buying brush hog and a rear blade to start. Wanting to clear some property (make woods more open...lots of briers and scrub stuff) and keep gravel driveway (4200' long) maintained, along with some brush hogging fields for now. Just moved back to where I grew up in WV (bought 90 acres about 5 years ago but had moved to Houston, TX and Pittsburgh, PA....GLAD to be home). Eventually i'd like to get small enough equipment to bail hay. I'm currently looking to see what would be the best option for a FEL (something i'd like to get soon but really need to just figure out what would be the best option).....like i said any advice appreciated.

 

[D2Cat]

WVUalum08, welcome aboard. If you have specific questions or just looking for information in general a good source is to go to the top of the page and a black area with FAQ, New Post, etc. will have a "Search". Go there and type in you model tractor number (or specific subject) and search what anyone ever said about it.

Be careful though, it might keep you from your regular duties!!

 

[Tallahassee Kubota Man]

Congrats on your new tractor, good choice! I've got the exact same one. Bought it new; it now has around 1200 hrs. Tough as nails tractor! Am about to sell it, but only because I purchased a new M5140. Good luck, I'm sure you're gonna love it!

 

[PHPaul]

Congrats!

Probably the most important thing for someone completely new to tractors is to get used to where all the controls are and exactly what they do. After some seat time, you should be able to instinctively reach for any control without looking.

While doing that, low and slow are the rules, and get familiar with the tractor on level ground as much as possible so you can concentrate on the controls.

Diesels are designed to be operated at rated speed for best efficiency and longevity. Idling and/or lugging them is a bad operating practice. Run the engine up to speed and control ground speed with the hydro pedal and range lever (if equipped). My dealer recommends a minimum of 1800-1900 RPM on my B2650 to avoid damaging the hydro trans from too low a flow/pressure.

After some break in, I'll probably run it at PTO-rated which is about 2250 on the tach.

 

[ShaunRH]

So, some advice is read the owners manual... several times. Make certain you are familiar with it. I know this is THE MOST BORING thing anyone could suggest but it could end up saving you thousands of dollars and even a life, so it's critical. You can download it now from Kubota.com and get the reading part out of the way before the toy even shows up!

Realize the weak points in the unit, places were nasty things can go wrong in a hurry as well as the slow, sneak up on you, kind of stuff.

Tractors are actually 3 point stance devices. Don't let those 4 wheels fool you. There is a center pivot under the front of that tractor making for only 3 points of contact to the frame. You can flip a tractor as easily as any 3 wheeler out there. This is why others have said to keep the front bucket low. Mine only goes higher than my hood if I need to load something higher than the hood or to get over something. I also raise it if I need more access to the engine but I block it in the up position. Never trust your hydraulics.

Be super careful on slopes. Anything much over 10-15° and you are in jeopardy of a roll over with the wrong action. That means keep that nice ROPS bar up and sturdy when the tractor is in operation... oh yeah, and that seat belt fastened. ROPS without belt is just as lethal as no ROPS.

These machines are not dedicated earth movers. They are multi-function machines that are masters of pulling things (thusly named tractors) and everything else they do is not their primary calling. So patience with them is required when digging or doing the myriad of other things they get called on to do. Be deliberate in action, and be safe.

Pay attention to gauges, odd smells, odd sounds, etc. Those are usually warning signs something is wrong. Stop the unit and check things out if you notice something odd. A 3 minute check out of the tractor can save your engine or other mechanics. Your tractor does talk to you, learn to speak its language.

I'm sure others will chime in with additional basic info, but I've taken up enough of your time. Have fun tractorin' and welcome to the Orange club!

 

[WVUalum08]

really appreciate all the points so far....keep them coming.

 

[bmblank]

One of the hardest for a new HST owner to get use to is, less pedal = more power/lower gearing.

I second this. The harder you press the pedal, the higher "gear" you are in. If you hear it bogging down, like when climbing a hill, or pulling a blade or something, back off on the pedal until your engine speed is back up. You'll find the balance between the engine speed and how fast you can move it.

 

[Pappy]

One important tip: If you are pulling on stumps or other really heavy objects, only pull from the drawbar. Do NOT pull from the 3 point hitch. There have been tragic incidents where people have pulled an (almost) immovable object from the 3 point hitch and the tractor flipped backwards on top of the operator.

The drawbar is for pulling, and it is mounted very low for a good reason.

 

[Kingcreek]

Congrats, The L3010 is an excellent combination of chassis size, weight, and power. All that works very well for you within certain limits.

Read the manual. learn to recognize those limits and don't exceed them!

Be carefull and have fun. Welcome to the forum.

 

[WVUalum08]

Definitely appreciate the "pull from drawbar not 3pt hitch" tip....probably something i would have at some point made the mistake of trying. Pick up tomorrow morning and couldn't be more excited. Also so excited to find this great resource of people willing to help out with certain questions! Thanks!

 

[Mbarrette]

Feel the same way you do. Since joining this forum, it's been like having a service department in my back pocket.

All the best with your new toy