new owner-- used L3400 HST-- first maintenance once over

[ejnorman]

Hi there. I'm a newbie and I have a few questions.
1. on my L3400HST, is the transmission fluid and hydraulic fluid the same fluid in the same system? If I check the transmission fluid by looking in that window and it looks fine, am I checking the hydraulic fluid as well?
2. What maintenance-- i.e., lubrication-- do I have to do on the rear end of the tractor? Anything around the PTO or 3 pt hitch? Operator's manual did not indicate anything that I saw.
3. I am undecided if I want to ballast my rear tires. I live on flat land in south Georgia-- no snow. I use the tractor's FEL to move mulch, flip compost piles, move dirt/gravel/hay. I have a 5 foot rotary cutter and use it to mow alot. Cutter is nearly always attached. Any thoughts on ballast?

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[ejnorman]

Please help y'all!

 

[helomech]

Hi there. I'm a newbie and I have a few questions.
1. on my L3400HST, is the transmission fluid and hydraulic fluid the same fluid in the same system? If I check the transmission fluid by looking in that window and it looks fine, am I checking the hydraulic fluid as well?
2. What maintenance-- i.e., lubrication-- do I have to do on the rear end of the tractor? Anything around the PTO or 3 pt hitch? Operator's manual did not indicate anything that I saw.
3. I am undecided if I want to ballast my rear tires. I live on flat land in south Georgia-- no snow. I use the tractor's FEL to move mulch, flip compost piles, move dirt/gravel/hay. I have a 5 foot rotary cutter and use it to mow alot. Cutter is nearly always attached. Any thoughts on ballast?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Yes it is the same fluid, the sight glass is where you check it.

Only maintenance on the back is greasing the grease fittings.

I like ballast in my rear tires. Is your tractor 4wd? If not than ballast is going to be necessary with the FEL. I have a 4wd and ballast in all tires.

Hope this helps.

 

[Theekillerbee]

I'd ballast the tires no matter what kind of work you do. It will give you more down pressure, thus more traction. It will keep your center of gravity lower, thus making the tractor less likely to turn over. Well worth the investment. I took mine to a local tire shop for the bio ballast (beet juice), but you can do many other kinds, even H2O in your neck of the woods.

 

[Bulldog]

I would definately agree with what the others posted. You may be getting by just fine with the cutter mounted on the back and never have any trouble. What about the time you don't have it and try to lift something heavy with the loader. It's never a good feeling to be on 3 wheels. Ballast in at least the rears would be a plus in many way. The only thing I would make sure of is that it has tubes. If you don't plan on keeping the tractor long it might not be a factor to you. Take my word for it though, a Kubota will last long enough that the wheels will rust out from the inside. Been there and done that. I laid my B 7100 over when the center broke (on a bank) out of a front wheel from rust damage.