Tractors, Mowers, Chippers, Trailers, Chainsaws, Generators, Driveway Erosion Control, ETC.

All good, brother! I'm lucky I remember what day it is, what I had for breakfast, or how to get home from work every day. :shrug:

 

I got a mower to work on and...... I do t wanna tonight

 

Just got told by my father-in-law that the auto parts/ tractor repair shop he used to work at and is still at it for free every other day is unable to get Hydraulic line fittings in, and he told me he could sell 20 tractors a week but he can’t get them in now, they are selling as soon as he get them.

 

Took the carb off a craftsman push mower. Needle valve seat swollen causing no fuel flow :-/ ordered a 10.00’carb and was like “hey dumb ass”! I got a free Craftman mower the other day and it runs... swap the carb, tune it up, sharpen the blade and ship it back.... all I gots to do is sharpen the blade and deliver it ... it runs great for a beat up mower. Self propelled front wheels are stripped out which they asked me to look at but they said don’t worry about that... 40.00 bucks extra on top of the 100.00 I told them it be about. They should be happy since it’ll be delivered in 2 days and not early next week which told them in the first place

 

6.1 hours on the Gravely they are picking up today for the FREE break-in service. After that, I take over.

 

Took my mower out to the shop yard. Kept hunting like a mother fucker and sputtering like hell. WTF is going on. Worked fine under load. Anyway I'm thinking maybe I just got something that needs to be worked out of the fuel system. Turns out I needed to work something INTO the fuel system. SOB was out of fuel lol. Died right there in our yard. Threw in a gallon and off she went better than before. I felt pretty stupid. Getting ready to take her home and knock down the grass at the park. After that she's more than likely going on craigslist.

 

Shrug. Nothing like an easy fix!

 

https://youtu.be/AynXoLjYrKc

 

Lmfao that's pretty much how it went! My buddy walked up and looked at the gauge!

 

Did you sort out the cause of the fire situation?

 

Not exactly. Dry grass, rock strike, spark maybe.......or middle blade stuck, belt slipping like crazy, hot as hell, catch dry grass, sticks and pine cones - fire! I was cutting really close in that area.

 

I did that the other day mowing on the 318, started missing and running crappy intermittently for 10 minutes. I started to ponder if I had a collapsed fuel line or dirt in the carb. Nope, just out of fuel to where the pickup was picking up fuel sometimes and not others. Felt like a dumbass when I flipped the reserve valve and it ran great again

 

Beat me to it you son of a bitch.

 

Here is a vid on the ZT I was asking about.

 

Not the only thing I beat you to.

 

I was only away from the job for a minute, Daisy wanted to help -- or sleep.

Spindles on this aren't very good, the blades have been loose and spun. I got a TSC cheap wrench, trimmed it with the grinder to fit. Mowed 3 hours, sounded fine -- wait & see.

 

Just bought a house on 20 acres and need to buy a tractor. I don't need anything too gnarly. Just something to mow a few acres, haul some brush, and run a snowblower/plow. There are a few steep hills to navigate as well.

Any recommendations? I've taken a look at tractors the past couple of nights but the number of models is overwhelming. I just want something that will accomplish what I need and last a long time. Looking to spend a decent amount of cash but don't need or want to go wild.

Figured this is as good a spot as any to ask. My town has a ton of Ag shops so I have access to pretty much any brand of tractor locally.

 

Any of the big names would be good. Also I'd suggest getting a little bigger than you think you need, you'll always wish you had more power

 

For that sort of acreage go at least with a full-size frame, Kubota L or similar. Stay away from the subcompact stuff.
I'd also say go with at least 25hp.
Transmission is a toss up. HST is a great all-around option, especially for loader work. But a shuttle or gear are more efficient for mowing or blowing.
And definitely invest in loading the tires. Well worth it for stability & safety.

Edit- Tires are a judgement call. Turfs and those new R14 hybrid turf/ags are easy on your grass, but will load up in a heartbeat in clay or mud. R1's are great for traction but will flat out murder your lawn, and can't hold as much ballast for weight. I don't personally like R4's. They load up almost as fast as turfs, they've got shallow tread at the centers so they wear quickly, and they'll still tear up your lawn because of their shoulder profile. Their only redeeming factor to me for 'tractor' use is that they hold a lot of ballast weight.

 

They did find a problem - not related to the smoke/fire - the pin and e-clip for the right side brake/controller connect lever were long gone. This must have happened the first time I ran it because I thought the left side dominant brake was a feature! A stupid one at that I feel as idiotic as you guys who ran out of fuel (maybe worse!! )

They sharpened the blades no charge, changed oil, checked belt, etc all well (no scorch marks)

Back to the pin and e-clip - I am guessing this was an assembly issue. I will check and watch it now.................