BH off 3 point hitch cleaned& greased and the rotary cutter installed. Tomorrow change gear box grease and install the extra set of sharpened blades. Good times for sure! ......... I'm getting too old for this crap!
What did you do to or on your Kubota today?
- Thread starter gurn
- Start date
Got my mowing finished. Took the mower and QH off. Easy peasy. Put the post hole digger on. Nothing good to say about that process but changing the 24" for the 9" was slick. Might plant some posts tomorrow...
dirtydeed
Well-known member
Lifetime Member
Equipment
B2650 BH77, U27-4R2, BX23TLBM, box blade, rear blade, flail mower, Stump Grinder
Today's festivities in 93 degree heat. I did get a nice farmer tan. Was thinking about a sun shade all day.
Before:
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now I'm whooped.
Before:
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before:
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now I'm whooped.
NCL4701
Well-known member
Equipment
L4701, T2290, WC68, grapple, BB1572, Farmi W50R, Howes 500, 16kW IMD gen, WG24
It was forecast to be hot and humid today so mowing started about 6am before it got hot. I really like this diesel can I’ve had for about 35 years. It’s just right to sit on the dash and drain itself.
The below pic is the problem. Until this year, I’ve only been able to mow it once a year and that always had to be after deer season. Long story but bottom line it was to keep poachers (as in one specific poacher) out. That meant it was mowed in the winter when the trees are dormant. Keeps them down but allows them to keep coming back. Mostly sweet gum. They’re so thick they’re taking over from the grass and everything else.
So I decided now that the guy we had issues is gone, it’s time to bust these trees just after they’ve dumped a bunch of energy into regrowing stems and leaves. Dropped the box blade and stopped by the shed to pick up todays weapon of choice; the old, ugly, yet still very effective Howse 500 rotary cutter/slasher/mangler/brush hog/bush hog thing.
Mowing trees with a little grass and miscellaneous native plants mixed in. It’s basically a meadow and that’s swell with us.
This is why we mow it at all. Not mowed it turns into this. That’s not acceptable.
Done… with that section.
Areas like this where there aren’t a million little tree saplings carpeting the ground I’m fine with. Nobody walks through here anyway. It’s UTV, ATV, or tractor to traverse this stuff. Left these areas be today. Had three more sections with trees to mow in addition to the one pictured above.
We had a similar problem in a field my father used to allow mowing only once a year in the fall when he was in charge of maintaining it. There it was black gum that started in one little corner and ended up carpeting probably 3/4 of an acre. For two years I mowed them in the spring. There was clear progress the second year. Now in the third year there are still a few, but the grass is choking out the gum trees instead of the other way around. A couple of black gum saplings buried in 3’ grass below.
From a distance, this is what the field looks like now. Much better.
Then, at the end of the day, a spring zephyr caused a loud bang up the road a ways and the power went out. We hadn't used the new generator other than testing when the transfer switch was installed. It was a good excuse to break it out for a real run. Our old portable gas generator would run the furnace and refrigerators and freezers but we didn’t have a transfer switch so it was all drop cords and it wouldn’t run the well pump. This one won’t run the A/C, water heater, and well pump all at the same time but it will run two of the three. The well pump is a big deal with an OCD wife. It isn’t a continuous “like it never happened” solution but it wasn’t supposed to be. Did exactly what we bought it to do. Power came back on about an hour after we lost it.
The below pic is the problem. Until this year, I’ve only been able to mow it once a year and that always had to be after deer season. Long story but bottom line it was to keep poachers (as in one specific poacher) out. That meant it was mowed in the winter when the trees are dormant. Keeps them down but allows them to keep coming back. Mostly sweet gum. They’re so thick they’re taking over from the grass and everything else.
So I decided now that the guy we had issues is gone, it’s time to bust these trees just after they’ve dumped a bunch of energy into regrowing stems and leaves. Dropped the box blade and stopped by the shed to pick up todays weapon of choice; the old, ugly, yet still very effective Howse 500 rotary cutter/slasher/mangler/brush hog/bush hog thing.
Mowing trees with a little grass and miscellaneous native plants mixed in. It’s basically a meadow and that’s swell with us.
This is why we mow it at all. Not mowed it turns into this. That’s not acceptable.
Done… with that section.
Areas like this where there aren’t a million little tree saplings carpeting the ground I’m fine with. Nobody walks through here anyway. It’s UTV, ATV, or tractor to traverse this stuff. Left these areas be today. Had three more sections with trees to mow in addition to the one pictured above.
We had a similar problem in a field my father used to allow mowing only once a year in the fall when he was in charge of maintaining it. There it was black gum that started in one little corner and ended up carpeting probably 3/4 of an acre. For two years I mowed them in the spring. There was clear progress the second year. Now in the third year there are still a few, but the grass is choking out the gum trees instead of the other way around. A couple of black gum saplings buried in 3’ grass below.
From a distance, this is what the field looks like now. Much better.
Then, at the end of the day, a spring zephyr caused a loud bang up the road a ways and the power went out. We hadn't used the new generator other than testing when the transfer switch was installed. It was a good excuse to break it out for a real run. Our old portable gas generator would run the furnace and refrigerators and freezers but we didn’t have a transfer switch so it was all drop cords and it wouldn’t run the well pump. This one won’t run the A/C, water heater, and well pump all at the same time but it will run two of the three. The well pump is a big deal with an OCD wife. It isn’t a continuous “like it never happened” solution but it wasn’t supposed to be. Did exactly what we bought it to do. Power came back on about an hour after we lost it.
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If you're willing to go a chemical route, Crossbow or Crossroad will do the trick. I don't think you'll get rid of sweetgum by mechanical means alone.
Well, I didn't do anything with or to the tractors today, but I did finish up rebuilding the sprayer. I put two new tires and tubes on, then put the mount for the spray bar on and drilled a hole in one of the new tires.
Can you say dumbass?
Pulled the tire and patched the holes. Now to come up with a method of powering the control panel for the sprayer so that I can move it between tractors if I need to. I may have an issue with the pto coupler not being deep enough for the L4060 as I can't get it to lock on, seems like it is hitting the end of the PTO before the balls reach the groove. Going to put a smack of grease on the end and see if it transfers to the bottom of the coupler to verify.
I was also working on the 1209 mower. I finished the new PTO shaft and installed it, and degreased the mechanics under the hood. There was a layer of grease a 1/2" thick in places. I used 2 cans of degreaser and power washed it. There are still some specs of grease spatters, but I got it clean enough to inspect everything, needed a little gear oil in the case, need to recheck it tomorrow since it moves so slow and has to fill the pinion box through a small hole. I then hit all the grease fittings and forced any water that got in out. Tomorrow I will spend the day installing the new sickle bar and guards with new wear plates and hold downs. Should be fun laying on a gravel drive doing all this.
I rotated the assembly by hand and it moves nice and smooth and everything feels pretty good, so other than the sickle and 3 new guards, I think I did OK for $1600. The PTO replacement was a given since it was too short.
Once that is done I have to pull the baler out and replace one bearing and all the chains, but over all it is fully working, already baled some hay last year with it. I paid $1250 for it from a local retired farmer. The damned $600 rake cost me more than either one of the powered equipment after doing all the repairs.
Can you say dumbass?
Pulled the tire and patched the holes. Now to come up with a method of powering the control panel for the sprayer so that I can move it between tractors if I need to. I may have an issue with the pto coupler not being deep enough for the L4060 as I can't get it to lock on, seems like it is hitting the end of the PTO before the balls reach the groove. Going to put a smack of grease on the end and see if it transfers to the bottom of the coupler to verify.
I was also working on the 1209 mower. I finished the new PTO shaft and installed it, and degreased the mechanics under the hood. There was a layer of grease a 1/2" thick in places. I used 2 cans of degreaser and power washed it. There are still some specs of grease spatters, but I got it clean enough to inspect everything, needed a little gear oil in the case, need to recheck it tomorrow since it moves so slow and has to fill the pinion box through a small hole. I then hit all the grease fittings and forced any water that got in out. Tomorrow I will spend the day installing the new sickle bar and guards with new wear plates and hold downs. Should be fun laying on a gravel drive doing all this.
I rotated the assembly by hand and it moves nice and smooth and everything feels pretty good, so other than the sickle and 3 new guards, I think I did OK for $1600. The PTO replacement was a given since it was too short.
Once that is done I have to pull the baler out and replace one bearing and all the chains, but over all it is fully working, already baled some hay last year with it. I paid $1250 for it from a local retired farmer. The damned $600 rake cost me more than either one of the powered equipment after doing all the repairs.
NCL4701
Well-known member
Equipment
L4701, T2290, WC68, grapple, BB1572, Farmi W50R, Howes 500, 16kW IMD gen, WG24
Thanks. I might have to eventually so I appreciate the recommendation.
For now, I’m looking for control v total eradication so the bar for success is pretty low.
Women would like to believe they’re forever 29.
But I believe it’s a true-fact that men quit aging (mentally) forever at 34. For some reason we all still think like we’re 34 and suitable for young women and often forget how old we really are. I was amused ….but recalcitrant …when the talkative little boy from the next ranch bicycled-over and remarked to me that when he told his Mom (a pretty young housewife of about 30) that he was coming over to my place to see what I was doing…. she replied to him “You leave that old-man alone!”
NCL4701
Well-known member
Equipment
L4701, T2290, WC68, grapple, BB1572, Farmi W50R, Howes 500, 16kW IMD gen, WG24
Glad you added that. Getting the seed trees would require at least selective logging off well over 100 mature trees even if it was just selective cut of the sweet gums that drop gum balls on the grass area. Not worth all that… But I’ll keep mowing them.
Nuke them from orbit. Sweet gums are way up on my shitty tree list, just behind Bradford pear.Glad you added that. Getting the seed trees would require at least selective logging off well over 100 mature trees even if it was just selective cut of the sweet gums that drop gum balls on the grass area. Not worth all that… But I’ll keep mowing them.
Pulled out some old fence posts with the bucket hooks and a chain. Running a string line so I can put in new posts
Thats next on my list, 4x4 anchored with concrete. I don't think the bucket and chain thing will work for me, the posts would snap before the concrete came out, so backhoe time. I need them out of the way so I can mow and bale.
Cultivated about an acre and a half with the B2650 this morning.
Attachments
Just came back from MD. Brought my son down the PD15 PHD with 6 and 12" augers. I don't have any immediate use for it and he has a split rail fence in need of 60-80 posts to be replaced and he is putting in a zip line for his boys.
Fit in the Mazda fine after disassembly:
Fit in the Mazda fine after disassembly:
It will probably be more pleasant to hook up in pieces too. Mine was a real chore to get on yesterday. I ended up taking the auger off to make life easier.
Toyman
Active member
Equipment
B7100HST, 1630, 4' Tiller, 4' Brush Hog; Mahindra 5005/Loader, Woods Cadet 84,
Hauled the M4050 and tiller out to my farm after a winter of maintenance and some rewiring. Reset the slip clutch on my 7' brush hog and then set up for cutting. Cut the lane and trails/roads thru the property, cut an existing 1.5 acre clover and rye grain food plot, and then reclaimed about an acre for a new spring food plot that will be planted in buckwheat next week then turnips late summer and also an area for a pumpkin patch. Tilled the pumpkin patch, but ran out of time to till the other new food plot.
After about 5 hours of use I gave the M4050 a rest and the solenoid didn't want to work on the starter. Had it happen a few times last year also, always after a few hours of use and hot. It eventually started, but for no good reason. I originally thought it may be the safety switch which works off the gear shift, but the starter makes a dull noise when I hit the starter and then a little louder when it's released. This is at least telling me that power is getting past the safety switch. If the safety switch was bad, I would expect to hear nothing. When I was at the farm today, it fired right up on the first try.
Today I put my 4' brush hog in the garage on stands to do some rust repair on the deck. Not a huge job, but getting the tail wheel assembly off was a bit of a chore. Hoping to have it all fixed up over the next week or so. Here's a few pics from yesterday - cutting and the pumpkin patch.
After about 5 hours of use I gave the M4050 a rest and the solenoid didn't want to work on the starter. Had it happen a few times last year also, always after a few hours of use and hot. It eventually started, but for no good reason. I originally thought it may be the safety switch which works off the gear shift, but the starter makes a dull noise when I hit the starter and then a little louder when it's released. This is at least telling me that power is getting past the safety switch. If the safety switch was bad, I would expect to hear nothing. When I was at the farm today, it fired right up on the first try.
Today I put my 4' brush hog in the garage on stands to do some rust repair on the deck. Not a huge job, but getting the tail wheel assembly off was a bit of a chore. Hoping to have it all fixed up over the next week or so. Here's a few pics from yesterday - cutting and the pumpkin patch.
I never had a good solution for storing / mounting it. I eventually got a chain fall under the deck to hang it with. Worked ok but not the best. I suggested to Adam that he build a frame to store it on. Unlike me, he can weld.