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Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Some days it doesn't pay to get out of bed

Well, the theory on buying newer equipment is that the maintenance costs are less.  So I was really disappointed to find that the new tractor wasn't functional today.  Here it is loaded on the dealers truck; I guess I'll find out what the prognosis is tomorrow.  I think it's the hydraulic pump. 

The older orange tractor lost its fanbelt, which isn't a big deal, but what IS a big deal is replacing the fan belt.  You have to take the front of the tractor apart to get that fan belt in there, and I spent a good hour working on getting it out of there.  

I do want to get the barn walls up this week, so I'm going to rent a gosh-darned backhoe and get it done that way. 

Very frustrating. 
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3 comments:

  1. craigFebruary 14, 2012 at 1:29 AM

    Bruce, do you have a warranty on the tractor? I have the same tractor,bought it with 327hrs on it and with 1 year warranty with an option to buy an extended one after that.

    ReplyDelete
  2. plummerjFebruary 14, 2012 at 10:48 AM

    Hi Bruce,
    What a frustrating week. I read your blog partly to learn about farming/ranching, and partly in awe of the stuff you need to know and the work involved in keeping a small factory working.

    But I have a question totally off topic. What do you think about the recent decision my McDonalds on gestation crates. I remember you had a post a few weeks back about baby pig mortality. When you have time, it would be interesting to hear your take on this.

    Thanks

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  3. Bruce KingFebruary 22, 2012 at 8:30 PM

    I purchased the M125x from an individual, not from a dealer. It had 324 hours on it when I purchased it, and all the work prior to the purchase had been done by the dealer. They had some remotes put on it for a round bale grabber, for instance.

    The problem in this case turned out to be that the hydraulic filters were blocked. When I purchased the tractor I was supposed to get an owners manual, but I still haven't gotten it, but I assumed that the hydraulic filters should be changed at about 1000 hour intervals. Kubota, according to the dealer, wants them changed at 200 hour intervals. Something clogged the filters, hydraulic fluid wasn't flowing, and this was interpreted by me as being low on hydraulic fluid.

    It wasn't low, but I overfilled it, and that caused the hydraulic system to shut down.

    Dealer drained the fluid, replaced the filters, ran it for a couple of hours, replaced the filters again, and it's all back in working order.

    $1500 educational expense for me.

    ...and I've ordered the workshop manual, extra hydraulic filters and the owners manual. Should be here next week.

    ReplyDelete