Tractor time.

[Parks 788]

I know what you're talking about the compact tractors getting a little light in the azz end. I've had plent of pucker factors going on in the seat of my Kubota L2501. Just today, I put a chain around the base of a about a 30'+ tall blackjack that blew over in some high winds about 5 months ago. Base was rotted out. The little Kubota got it going but couldn't get it off the ground and the rear tires were bouncing off the ground in reverse. was able to get it out about 50' in a clearing to cut it up. After that episode I went back and put by 550# brush mower back on the 3pt hitch to give me a bit more azz.

I just picked up a 1000 gallon propane tank for our home. Couldn't get the Kubota to even pick up one end of the tank to slide it off the trailer. Brought home a Takeuchi TL8 track skid steer and it lifted the whole tank off the trailer and set it in place with ease. I really could use a larger tractor in the 80hp range and enclosed cab.

 

[MacFromOK]

I've always heard anti-freeze is corrosive and if you're going to use the water/anti-freeze you should put tubes in the tires first. I don't know, just heard it.

Anti-freeze actually has anti-corrosion additives to help protect your engine. Mix it 50/50 with water and you shouldn't have any problems in tires either.

 

[retrieverman]

I know what you're talking about the compact tractors getting a little light in the azz end. I've had plent of pucker factors going on in the seat of my Kubota L2501. Just today, I put a chain around the base of a about a 30'+ tall blackjack that blew over in some high winds about 5 months ago. Base was rotted out. The little Kubota got it going but couldn't get it off the ground and the rear tires were bouncing off the ground in reverse. was able to get it out about 50' in a clearing to cut it up. After that episode I went back and put by 550# brush mower back on the 3pt hitch to give me a bit more azz.

I just picked up a 1000 gallon propane tank for our home. Couldn't get the Kubota to even pick up one end of the tank to slide it off the trailer. Brought home a Takeuchi TL8 track skid steer and it lifted the whole tank off the trailer and set it in place with ease. I really could use a larger tractor in the 80hp range and enclosed cab.

The 60hp Kubota cab tractor that burned up in the spring didn’t have liquid filled back tires, and that was the tippiest tractor I’ve ever been on. The original tires had been filled, but I had never taken the time to fill the newer ones.

 

[rickm]

If you want to see tippy get on a tractor with a 6' side mower mounted on the side of the tractor and extended out 20 feet, ours had 30 gal of oil for the hyd on the off side along with the tire filled with water and it still got tippy if you wasnt on level ground. i have had the off side rear wheel off the ground many of times.

 

[dennishoddy]

I have a 35 hp Mahindra with front loader. Like all the rest, it's tippy but easily fixed. ( tire pressure is a huge factor in tipping) I just put the 6' tiller behind it while throwing some 100 lb tractor weights on top, strap them on and it's a done deal.
Calcium is the best for tractor tires to add weight that way. It's really heavy per gallon but like one guy told me that worked on tractors all of his life, too much weight can cause issues on the drive line. The axles that are splined into the rear end are usually what suffers according to him. My 80 hp International had calcium in the tires and it was a pulling machine but I left it out when having to change tires on his recommendation. Losing that weight was like going from a semi to a sports car.
I think that's an issue with larger tractors, not the compact tractors as engine HP is a factor.
I mowed several acres on the Salt Fork River place today in front of the stands for food plots and creating pathways for the deer. They are like humans, always looking for the easiest way to get from one place to another.
I don't farm the field anymore and its gone fallow with johnson grass and weeds that get rolled up for hay occasionally. Mowing the 8' tall grass will give them a path and also getting access to the river with the atv or truck.
As far as using a compact tractor for building a pond it's not a good thing in my opinion.
I have a pond on another place that was silted in and breached by erosion. It remained dry for about three years during the drought so thought I'd get in there and till up some of it and made it deeper by pushing it out with the front loader.
Spent about 80 hours in there with tilling and pushing. Probably made it about a foot deeper. (1/2 acre pond), finally realizing that was a wasted effort.
The spillway was actually pretty high so it made sense to build up the sides vs making the bottom deeper so that was the new mission.
Instead of removing all the dirt from the pond, I started pushing it to the sides until it couldn't be reached anymore, then getting on land and pulling the berms backwards with the bucket, repeating the process until the pond gained about 3' in depth. I set up a laser level on a tripod before starting so the progress could be monitored.
3' wasn't enough as that would only leave the pond 7' deep. Spotted a guy across the road with a D6 dozer cleaning out a pond that was dry.
Talked to him and got his price. $250 an hour. I had a grand in the wallet and told him to get
started. All I wanted was him to push dirt to clean out and not worry about a perfect clean dam. I could take care of that. Seems like some dozer operators are more concerned about how pretty the dam is left vs getting the pond cleaned out which is ok if they are on an unlimited budget.
He moved silt for 4 hours doing more than I could have in a month of 8 hour days with the compact tractor. Pond is 9' deep now and holding water just fine even during this hot summer.
Sometimes it's just better to put up the money to recover a pond.
2013 tractor in the pic with almost 2000 hours on it.

 

[cowadle]

there is a product called rim guard that weighs almost as much as calcium and it won't rust your rims. i think it is made from beets.

 

[dennishoddy]

there is a product called rim guard that weighs almost as much as calcium and it won't rust your rims. i think it is made from beets.

I never had any issues with rust when using calcium but it's a whole lot more expensive than beet juice.

 

[SoonerP226]

I never had any issues with rust when using calcium but it's a whole lot more expensive than beet juice.

I have a rear wheel for a Ford 4000 that is missing a large chunk of its rim because its tube leaked what my dad called "calcified water" at the valve stem.

 

[dennishoddy]

I have a rear wheel for a Ford 4000 that is missing a large chunk of its rim because its tube leaked what my dad called "calcified water" at the valve stem.

Interesting. I never had that issue but never had a tube leak either until finding a beaver stob along a creek that required changing a rear tire, so replaced both as they were at about 40 percent tread.
The beaver didn't live much longer.

 

[OK Corgi Rancher]

I guess the other reason I wouldn't want to use antifreeze is if it leaks because it's so toxic.