Land pride SGC0554 - 180 pounds - SSQA
Great install. One little installation tip, though. See the white cable ties? Thet look factory installed, but I'm just advising on installation of cable ties in general If those were cut with a pair of diagonal pliers, the end of the ties will be sharp as a razor blade. They're worse than any bramble briars. Take a pair of plain old slip-joint pliers, grasp the loose end of the tie close to the 'buckle', and give it several twists in one direction. The stub will twist off even with the 'buckle' and save you a lot of skin. There are special tensioners for installing them too, but they tend to break after moderate use. Shouldn't take but maybe a couple revolutions and it will twist right off and not leave a sharp end sticking out. That keeps them from cutting you as well as other things hanging on them when doing unrelated work. Doing as much electrical work as I have in tight enclosures, you come to despise cable ties almost as much as they are useful if they're not properly installed. I've walked away from some enclosures looking like I'd been in a knife fight.
if you dont cut the tail off the tie, did you actually finish installing it???
I agree, but some cut PART of the tail off. I'm not sure why. But this is apparently how the assemblers at Kubota are trained to leave them. I've taken care of several on my LX already.
I do use standard side cutters, but I hold them flush to the head of the tie, usually gives me a clean enough cut. I’m actually planning on swapping out the ties on my rops from putting on my lights. I couldn’t get black ones cause the stores were closed so I used white ones.. now I have a pack of black so I can make the install cleaner looking.
Even cutting them 'flush' with the head, the side cutters will still leave a razor sharp edge. Anything that pinches them off instead of making a clean cut through the cross section will leave a knife edge on the end. That's why I prefer something to twist them off. The quality of the tie makes a difference as well. A good nylon based tie is far better than the polyethylene, and won't dry rot as will the poly. You'll find yourself replacing cheap ones a lot sooner than you wanted to, especially where engine heat cycles affect them and make them brittle. But, as with anything else, the better the tie, the higher the price. I highly recommend a name brand such as Thomas and Betts if you want the tie to stay there until you remove it. Their ties are not only resistant to oil/heat/fuel, they're also UV rated because they're used quite often in outdoor cable trays.
Having seen the photos of your disaster, nice upgrade to a big-boy tractor. I see you also have a big-boy backhoe now. May you get many hours from both.
