Tractor Talk

Discussion in 'Crops & Gardens' started by John Brunner, May 20, 2022.

  1. Don Alaska

    Don Alaska Supreme Member
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    I found the soil type made a big difference when digging post holes. Some places the hole goes in as expected, while in other places rocks cause an issue.
     
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  2. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    Those landscape marking flags work great, because they're on a wire shaft that you can mangle the heck out of without breaking, and then bend back "straight enough." For some reason, the flags remain affixed.

    You're bringing back memories on the struggles I had. There are nuances and adjustments on our tractors that we finally get around to over time (after 12 years, I've just started messing with a couple of them because of the exacting box blade I bought.) The 3 point hitch has an adjustment that determines how fast/slow an implement is lowered, depending on the load. I think it adjusts exactly how open/restricted the fluid bleeds out of it relative to the weight of the implement. So if you restrict it more, the auger will not drop so quickly that it's out of control like that. Then when you put a lighter attachment on (like the boom bar), you gotta adjust it again so the lighter attachment doesn't take 5 minutes to lower.

    The main struggle I had was trying to get the tops even. I used a line level that has angles-of-pitch marked on it, and it happened to work out "good enough" relative to the slope of the yard.

    Line level.jpg
     
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  3. Nancy Hart

    Nancy Hart Supreme Member
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    Thank you! That was the problem. When you lower the digger, it goes crashing down. If I didn't have to hook that thing up, I might go dig some holes just to see if I can do it now. Fill 'em back up again.

    I just learned last year there is a little screw stop knob that keeps you from lowering something too far. I was going to buy one, and found the tractor already has one. :rolleyes: It's nice for the mower, so the tail wheel hits the ground just right.
     
    #168
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  4. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    So many tractors have different set-ups. Is that stop knob on the lever? I was watching a vid on how to use a box blade, and that model Kubota had a 3 Point Hitch Lever that was marked 0-10, so if you moved it to #5, the hydraulics lifted halfway. Mine is not like that. You just raise or lower, and release the lever then things are where you want them to be. I can go slow or fast both up & down, but stopping at specific point is done by eye.

    Now that I've got different attachments, I would like to have the setup that lets me go to a specific height...but not enough to spend that kind of money on a new tractor.

    Move Directly To A PreSet Point
    [​IMG]
     
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    Last edited: Jun 26, 2022
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  5. Don Alaska

    Don Alaska Supreme Member
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    I once read an article on attachments vs. implements. That guy claimed anything that contacted the soil was an implement, but if it didn't, it was an attachment, so a tiller was an implement and a mower is an attachment. What do you think?
     
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  6. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    Hmmm...I've wondered the difference myself. I might argue (just shooting from the hip) that one of them is "attached" to the pto or hydraulics, and implements are not. I use Everything Attachments as my primary resource, and a search on the word "implement" brings up a Cat1/CAT2 adapter, and and extended Top Hook for a quick hitch. Everything else is either referred to as an attachment or just uses its common noun (tiller, mower, etc.)

    One tractor forum's member says that an implement is something for a specific task...like a plow...while an attachment is just that...a general-use thing attached to the tractor, to wit:

    Implement: Any article used in some activity, especially an instrument, tool, or utensil: agricultural implements. So this would define a plough or a harrow or a disc for instance. something that is used for a particular activity.

    Attachment: An additional or supplementary device: attachments for a tractor. Could be something such as a Front end loader or FEL as they like to call it, or perhaps a trailer hitch or draw bar.

    But they find manufacturers who commingle the term (BobCat calls a front end loader an "implement.") Then as forums are wont to do, things quickly go down the rabbit hole ("Decide what task you want to accomplish and then go get the right attachment or implement for it") while completely side-stepping the question. Glad we don't do that here. :rolleyes:

    So that forum definition kinda lines up with what you were saying, Don. But attachments are also used in some activity; otherwise, why bother attaching them in the first place?

    A general definition website called out the difference between an implement and an accessory, with implement being defined as above (article used in some activity) and accessory being "part of another thing"...an "attachment." So in that sense a plow is an implement when pulled by human or horse, and it's an attachment if it's a 3 point plow. Or maybe a plow is always an implement because of its task-specific use (which would also make a 3 pt hitch mower an implement), and an attachment might be a more general tractor accessory (like a front end loader or a hitch.)

    I think I'd go with that last one: task-specific things that have non-tractor counterparts are implements (even trailers), and tractor-only things like loaders/hitches/backhoes are attachments. Sure. Why not?

    @Mary Robi Wanna pull up a stool and comment on this?
     
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  7. Mary Stetler

    Mary Stetler Veteran Member
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    hmmmmm
    I am thinking you are making it more complicated than necessary. I am sexist. I know how to define a woman. I know I can go to a place with a lot of machinery out front and say, hey! I need a blade that goes on the back of my tractor to flatten gravel onto my driveway to fill in all the holes. They ask me if is is a three point or what model it is. I say, I don't know. I call someone at home to look.
    They sell one to me. I bring it back the next day or so because it is the wrong one.
    And I know there are only two tools I actually need--a butter knife (my swiss army knife, actually) and a rock.
    Although a pliers really does come in handy.
     
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  8. Faye Fox

    Faye Fox Veteran Member
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    That's funny Mary :D:D:D

    @Don Alaska @John Brunner --- Implement or attachment, that is the question. An implement is any device that has a specific function. An attachment is something attached to that implement. to help it perform a variant of its function, or perhaps improve its function. A front-end loader is an implement but if you attach teeth to the bucket for loosening rock, then the teeth are an attachment. While the tractor is an implement, it is considered a self-propelled implement. A tractor with a sickle bar mower would be a self-propelled implement with a power-dependent implement attached for a specific purpose. A swather would just be a self-propelled all-in-one implement with no need for separate mowing or raking implements attached. o_O That is my understanding and my husband, six foot under, agrees :D:D:D!!! Why heck, I once pulled a real implement combine behind a John Deere tractor. :) When I seen that it would cut and rake in one swath, I fell in love, that is what I done.:rolleyes:
     
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    Last edited: Jun 27, 2022
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  9. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    Hmmmm..I wanna axe about that last statement, butt I won't not, or whatever.

    So where does your understanding of "all attachments are implement accessories" come from? You've provided examples, but not support or source material.
     
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  10. Mary Stetler

    Mary Stetler Veteran Member
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    I just borrow some sheep and a heifer.
     
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  11. Faye Fox

    Faye Fox Veteran Member
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    I would consider a cab, AC, and radio, implement accessories, and since they are attached to the tractor, also attachments. The self-assigned experts on the Tractor Forum will tell you a front-end loader is an attachment, not an implement, yet they will tell you a single share is an implement because it has a specific purpose. Well so does a front-end loader. Just because you can use it to load soil, sand, or gravel doesn't mean its use is nonspecific. It is made to load and dump. You can't plow a field or windrow hay with it. Just because a single share might be used mainly for plowing fields, it can also be used for making or cleaning ditches, even when they are frozen over.

    Different agricultural equipment makers may use different terminology to categorize their equipment and accessories. Small garden-type tractor makers may list a single share under attachments or accessories. I can't ever remember seeing it called an implement for garden tractors. I don't think there is an accepted consensus on agricultural equipment term category terminology. My understanding comes from 71 years of being around agricultural implements and 40 years operating them.

    On my former Italian-made garden tractor things like plows, blades, and cutters were considered attachments. Things like the optional electric start kit, water bottle holder, and tire chains were called accessories. When I bought the snow blade it was under attachments but the chains were under accessories.
     
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  12. Nancy Hart

    Nancy Hart Supreme Member
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    I never answered you because I couldn't explain it, so here's a picture. No, it's beside the lever. You just move the knob and screw it tight where you want it. The lever won't go below that setting, so it wouldn't work for what you want.

    upload_2022-7-16_21-53-1.png

    By the way, what is this thing with a picture of a lock at the bottom for? Close up:

    upload_2022-7-16_21-51-22.png
     
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  13. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    If your tractor has discrete settings for specific 3 point hitch heights, I'm jealous. There are certain implements (like the plow and the box blade) where I'm constantly looking behind me and tweaking the height/depth.

    I'm not sure what that lever is on your tractor. My Kubota has something in that location that puts the hydraulics in Neutral so you don't accidentally engage an attachment (most likely meant for the front end loader) when the tractor is being stored or is being transported. My manual calls it a Valve Lock. Could this be to lock the brakes, or maybe to put it it and out of 4WD? Those are the only 3 things I could guess from the sticker that's on it...but given its location I bet it's the Valve Lock.
     
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  14. Nancy Hart

    Nancy Hart Supreme Member
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    Just get a piece of tape and put it on the side and mark off plow, box blade, etc... That's all mine looks to be.;)

    I'll go study what a valve lock is.
     
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  15. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    I can't mark it.

    Think of an old time elevator where you pull the lever Up and hold it there until you reach your desired floor, then you let go of the lever to Stop once you reach it. The same thing when you descend...you push the lever Down and hold it there until you reach your desired floor, then you let go of the lever to Stop once you reach it. Sometimes you gotta bump it to line up the elevator floor with the building floor so people don't trip. You cannot mark a spot on that lever to go to any specific floor...there's Up and there's Down, and you let go wherever you decide to Stop. (Yeh, I've operated one of those.)

    That's how my 3 point hitch lever is. I hold it Up and it goes Up as long as I hold it. I push it Down and it goes Down as long as I hold it. I let go and it Stops wherever it happens to be at that point. Sometimes you gotta bump it for fine adjustments. There is no putting it to a "position" where it automatically goes and then Stops. I wish it did.
     
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