L3800 l3901 l2502

[PaulL]

Hahahaha! Now I need to get reading these manuals so I don't mess anything up. Need to hit everything with a grease gun, but all hydraulics are as smooth as I had hoped. It should definitely serve me well over the years. I just can't thank everybody here enough for all of your input!

Looks fantastic. Well done to jump on it. You're going to be super happy. Remember that you can tip a tractor over on flat ground if you aren't careful - ballast is your friend, so is going slowly when you have a load in the loader.

 

[Buckeye22]

Looks fantastic. Well done to jump on it. You're going to be super happy. Remember that you can tip a tractor over on flat ground if you aren't careful - ballast is your friend, so is going slowly when you have a load in the loader.

Great advice. Thank you! I have to figure out how to swap the grapple and bucket

 

[fried1765]

Thanks everybody! Today was a long day so it took me a while to get back here and post, but I'm not the proud owner! The guy I bought it from was really nice and showed me how to work it. Had a good buddy of mine that's more familiar come with me and help me look it over. PTO was staying engaged even after turning it off, but with a little lube and fiddling, it started working again. I probably won't get to actually using it until next weekend because it's my birthday and anniversary weekend. Here are a couple pics View attachment 126249 View attachment 126250 View attachment 126251

You did well!
VERY NICE !

 

[PaulL]

Great advice. Thank you! I have to figure out how to swap the grapple and bucket

SSQA. Pull the pins, turn the levers, angle the loader curl so it pops off. Reverse it to put it on. All available on YouTube in various places, but it's reasonably self explanatory once you play with it.

 

[Buckeye22]

SSQA. Pull the pins, turn the levers, angle the loader curl so it pops off. Reverse it to put it on. All available on YouTube in various places, but it's reasonably self explanatory once you play with it.

Thanks! I've watched a few videos, not just time to get it to the property and put it in practice! Seems simple enough

 

[PaulL]

Thanks! I've watched a few videos, not just time to get it to the property and put it in practice! Seems simple enough

Much of the fun of a new (to you) machine is learning all these things. When I first got mine taking the loader or mower off was a full escapade. Now it's 5 minutes or less, and I know most of the things that can go wrong (through doing them all one by one). In particular, I know to never take the loader off other than on a very flat and hard surface. A loader that's bending and sinking into dirt is no fun at all to get back on (although it can be done). Buckets and forks, super easy. But it all has a knack to it.

My key tips for this stuff, particularly as a new tractor owner:

• don't remove or move attachments without steel capped boots. You'll be surprised at how many of the things you can accidentally do wrong end up with something on your foot. I was in thongs just today with a friend's kid on the tractor. We were putting a ballast box on the 3pt, I dropped the 3pt a bit and put the mower down 2 inches from my toes. And remembered why I always wear steel caps when moving implements
• never stand next to the operator (and in front of the rear wheel) when instructing them. If they move the machine by accident it'll drive over you
• never get under anything that is held only by hydraulics. If a hose comes off or someone moves a lever, it can kill you. Particularly true with the loader, always contort yourself to reach above the loader arms, never below them. Doubly true if you use the loader to lift the front of the tractor - never get under that any more than you'd get under a car supported only on a jack
• never leave an implement up in the air when you go away from the machine. It can leak down (slowly or fast) and wreck things, it can injure people
• remember that anything your tractor touches will instantly be broken. It's not a big tractor so you think "yeah, I'll just drive past the corner of the house" or "I'll just mow by the house with the loader on." I don't like fixing the holes in my house, the broken fences, the broken landscaping, I now take a lot of care when remotely near anything. Loaders always stick out further than you think, and a lot of stuff is way more fragile than you think. I've broken the pole that holds a road sign that I mow past twice now. I snapped it off with the ROPS, I fixed it (then they came and replaced it). About 3 weeks later I snapped it off again. Hardly touched it, I swear.
• Up and down hills if you can. Side to side is way more hairy. If you have to go side to side, go slow.
• Rear wheels provide all your stability. Front wheels are on a pivot so that they can maintain ground contact, in effect your tractor is like one of those old school tricycle tractors in terms of stability. If you have a lot of weight in the loaders without ballast, then your rear wheels are only just touching the ground. And your front wheels offer no real stability. You can easily tip over on level ground just driving around a corner. Go slow, keep the loader low if you can, ballast enough to keep good solid weight on the rear wheels.
• Never get near a spinning 3pt PTO shaft. Use the safety shields, stop the PTO before stepping over anything. Neil from Messicks has a video with a one legged guy explaining why you don't let any loose clothing get near a PTO shaft. He's pretty convincing.
• Don't put your hands in a chipper. Ask me how I know this one. Thought I'd lost my whole hand on that one.

Tractors are a lot of fun. Like any power tool, they're useful because they can do a lot of stuff that would take forever by hand. Just like a circular saw is way more productive than a hand saw, but if you get a piece of your body near it they're also about 100x as dangerous as a hand saw. 38hp is actually a lot. If you hitched a team of 38 horses to you and set them running, you'd be chewed up pretty bad. (Well, actually 12 horses, because a horse has 3hp, but you get the idea).

 

[Buckeye22]

Much of the fun of a new (to you) machine is learning all these things. When I first got mine taking the loader or mower off was a full escapade. Now it's 5 minutes or less, and I know most of the things that can go wrong (through doing them all one by one). In particular, I know to never take the loader off other than on a very flat and hard surface. A loader that's bending and sinking into dirt is no fun at all to get back on (although it can be done). Buckets and forks, super easy. But it all has a knack to it.

My key tips for this stuff, particularly as a new tractor owner:

• don't remove or move attachments without steel capped boots. You'll be surprised at how many of the things you can accidentally do wrong end up with something on your foot. I was in thongs just today with a friend's kid on the tractor. We were putting a ballast box on the 3pt, I dropped the 3pt a bit and put the mower down 2 inches from my toes. And remembered why I always wear steel caps when moving implements
• never stand next to the operator (and in front of the rear wheel) when instructing them. If they move the machine by accident it'll drive over you
• never get under anything that is held only by hydraulics. If a hose comes off or someone moves a lever, it can kill you. Particularly true with the loader, always contort yourself to reach above the loader arms, never below them. Doubly true if you use the loader to lift the front of the tractor - never get under that any more than you'd get under a car supported only on a jack
• never leave an implement up in the air when you go away from the machine. It can leak down (slowly or fast) and wreck things, it can injure people
• remember that anything your tractor touches will instantly be broken. It's not a big tractor so you think "yeah, I'll just drive past the corner of the house" or "I'll just mow by the house with the loader on." I don't like fixing the holes in my house, the broken fences, the broken landscaping, I now take a lot of care when remotely near anything. Loaders always stick out further than you think, and a lot of stuff is way more fragile than you think. I've broken the pole that holds a road sign that I mow past twice now. I snapped it off with the ROPS, I fixed it (then they came and replaced it). About 3 weeks later I snapped it off again. Hardly touched it, I swear.
• Up and down hills if you can. Side to side is way more hairy. If you have to go side to side, go slow.
• Rear wheels provide all your stability. Front wheels are on a pivot so that they can maintain ground contact, in effect your tractor is like one of those old school tricycle tractors in terms of stability. If you have a lot of weight in the loaders without ballast, then your rear wheels are only just touching the ground. And your front wheels offer no real stability. You can easily tip over on level ground just driving around a corner. Go slow, keep the loader low if you can, ballast enough to keep good solid weight on the rear wheels.
• Never get near a spinning 3pt PTO shaft. Use the safety shields, stop the PTO before stepping over anything. Neil from Messicks has a video with a one legged guy explaining why you don't let any loose clothing get near a PTO shaft. He's pretty convincing.
• Don't put your hands in a chipper. Ask me how I know this one. Thought I'd lost my whole hand on that one.

Tractors are a lot of fun. Like any power tool, they're useful because they can do a lot of stuff that would take forever by hand. Just like a circular saw is way more productive than a hand saw, but if you get a piece of your body near it they're also about 100x as dangerous as a hand saw. 38hp is actually a lot. If you hitched a team of 38 horses to you and set them running, you'd be chewed up pretty bad. (Well, actually 12 horses, because a horse has 3hp, but you get the idea).

Thank you for taking the time to write this up! Looks like I need to order myself some steel cap boots! I had some from my time in the factory, but I can't find them. I'll take these notes to heart for sure. Really thoughtful.

 

[Runs With Scissors]

• don't remove or move attachments without steel capped boots.

Funny you should mention steel toes. We used to argue about them incessantly, (think pre-internet style arguments that would last late into the early morning and you would wake up wondering where you are)

The argument was this.

If a plane (think EA-6B/F-18/Harrier) was to run over your toe, the steel would probably cut off your toes.

So the argument was always the same......Would you rather wear steel toes and have your toes "cut off" or would you rather wear combat boots and have your toes crushed?

God we had fun..........

 

[fried1765]

Much of the fun of a new (to you) machine is learning all these things. When I first got mine taking the loader or mower off was a full escapade. Now it's 5 minutes or less, and I know most of the things that can go wrong (through doing them all one by one). In particular, I know to never take the loader off other than on a very flat and hard surface. A loader that's bending and sinking into dirt is no fun at all to get back on (although it can be done). Buckets and forks, super easy. But it all has a knack to it.

My key tips for this stuff, particularly as a new tractor owner:

• don't remove or move attachments without steel capped boots. You'll be surprised at how many of the things you can accidentally do wrong end up with something on your foot. I was in thongs just today with a friend's kid on the tractor. We were putting a ballast box on the 3pt, I dropped the 3pt a bit and put the mower down 2 inches from my toes. And remembered why I always wear steel caps when moving implements
• never stand next to the operator (and in front of the rear wheel) when instructing them. If they move the machine by accident it'll drive over you
• never get under anything that is held only by hydraulics. If a hose comes off or someone moves a lever, it can kill you. Particularly true with the loader, always contort yourself to reach above the loader arms, never below them. Doubly true if you use the loader to lift the front of the tractor - never get under that any more than you'd get under a car supported only on a jack
• never leave an implement up in the air when you go away from the machine. It can leak down (slowly or fast) and wreck things, it can injure people
• remember that anything your tractor touches will instantly be broken. It's not a big tractor so you think "yeah, I'll just drive past the corner of the house" or "I'll just mow by the house with the loader on." I don't like fixing the holes in my house, the broken fences, the broken landscaping, I now take a lot of care when remotely near anything. Loaders always stick out further than you think, and a lot of stuff is way more fragile than you think. I've broken the pole that holds a road sign that I mow past twice now. I snapped it off with the ROPS, I fixed it (then they came and replaced it). About 3 weeks later I snapped it off again. Hardly touched it, I swear.
• Up and down hills if you can. Side to side is way more hairy. If you have to go side to side, go slow.
• Rear wheels provide all your stability. Front wheels are on a pivot so that they can maintain ground contact, in effect your tractor is like one of those old school tricycle tractors in terms of stability. If you have a lot of weight in the loaders without ballast, then your rear wheels are only just touching the ground. And your front wheels offer no real stability. You can easily tip over on level ground just driving around a corner. Go slow, keep the loader low if you can, ballast enough to keep good solid weight on the rear wheels.
• Never get near a spinning 3pt PTO shaft. Use the safety shields, stop the PTO before stepping over anything. Neil from Messicks has a video with a one legged guy explaining why you don't let any loose clothing get near a PTO shaft. He's pretty convincing.
• Don't put your hands in a chipper. Ask me how I know this one. Thought I'd lost my whole hand on that one.

Tractors are a lot of fun. Like any power tool, they're useful because they can do a lot of stuff that would take forever by hand. Just like a circular saw is way more productive than a hand saw, but if you get a piece of your body near it they're also about 100x as dangerous as a hand saw. 38hp is actually a lot. If you hitched a team of 38 horses to you and set them running, you'd be chewed up pretty bad. (Well, actually 12 horses, because a horse has 3hp, but you get the idea).

One more caution:
Do not get close to , or use, your tractor anywhere near a parked car.
All cars are magnetized, and will draw your tractor in.

 

[Buckeye22]

One more caution:
Do not get close to , or use, your tractor anywhere near a parked car.
All cars are magnetized, and will draw your tractor in.

I almost was afraid to even drive it up the trailer the first time!

So I've noted, don't drive tractor near anything that cannot handle getting hit.or crushed by 5000 lbs.

 

[Buckeye22]

Funny you should mention steel toes. We used to argue about them incessantly, (think pre-internet style arguments that would last late into the early morning and you would wake up wondering where you are)

The argument was this.

If a plane (think EA-6B/F-18/Harrier) was to run over your toe, the steel would probably cut off your toes.

So the argument was always the same......Would you rather wear steel toes and have your toes "cut off" or would you rather wear combat boots and have your toes crushed?

God we had fun..........

Now these sound like my kind of conversations. Really solving the world's problems!!