5 Critical Mistakes New Compact Tractor Owners Make

[Dcook]

Watching this at 3am. I don't own a tractor.

[cathybradford]

I’m a new tractor owner and to ‘remind’ me of the roll bar when I park it in my garage, I bought some ‘bird tape’, it’s basically a roll of red shiny foil to distract birds, I cut different lengths of this reflective material and tape the ends to the inside of my garage door. When I open my garage door- these shiny tapes hang down and twirl in the breeze to warn me to STOP and lower my bar. When the garage door is closed they are out of the way. Works Great!

[treylem]

I just spoke to a Messicks' salesman by phone. Very polite, patient, and helpful. He is searching for a used tractor, for my use mission and price range. Thanks Randy

[xplmr]

I used to park my old little BX in the garage between my vehicles with the loader and bucket all the way up to shrink the tractors footprint but taking the leak down into consideration I would use a tow strap and loop the loader bucket to my non folding ROPS to keep the bucket up there. If I hadn't known that it would slowly leak down I would have damaged my vehicles. Your videos are great for bringing to light the little ins and outs of first time tractor ownership. I'm always appreciative that you all are not just about selling equipment but protecting everyones safety and equipment. Looking forward to the next videos. Stay warm!

[knights]

Did a pretty decent wheelie driving my tractor into my shed with the ROP up. Luckily going very slow speed and the only damage was to my pride. Haven't done it since.

[brendanperry]

Thanks for the heads up; much of what you described I already knew, however a refresher can never hurt. Both mechanical & safety tips are always worth listening to. Being spared an engine, transmission, attachment or an arm, leg or a life; is MOST DEFINITELY worth taking the time to listen & watch a video like yours.

[mr.createandfix]

Still trying to find the lug nuts "on my tires!"

Great video!

[waldoinaz]

Great videos and a great presentation. The fact that the narrator gets to the point and keeps on task...hugely appreciated. Nicely done!

[Jeremy-vbtv]

Here's another I just learned the hard way... don't use backhoe as a pull chain. After digging away at a large stump for a while, I finally got it to wobble back and forth like it was ready to break loose, but the backhoe bucket didn't quite have enough power to pull it all the way out. So in my excitement I decided to leave the bucket on the stump while using the tractor's 4 wheel drive to move forward (which I had done successfully once before). It did indeed pull the stump loose, but I also heard a bang. Upon inspection, it bent the dipper cylinder rod. Lesson learned.. wont do that again.

[finefamilyflowerfarmspecia]

What about a video on “what to do once your tractor is delivered” basic items to double check before you operate?

[daltonchanch]

Another mistake I'll see here and there is when someone with little equipment experience, doesn't grease a machine regularly, or removes the just about all the grease around a joint to make it "look clean". I understand that someone who has a new tractor/equipment wants the thing to look clean, but that grease in addition to lubricating is what keeps the dirt out of the pin/bushing area!

[nmflash]

This video is well presented in a manner that is right to-the-point. It’s smart and informational without wasting your time. My wife ran our tractor into the garage with the roll bar up and wedged it in the garage door opening so bad, I had to let the air out of the tires to move it back out - so, good advice! Thanks for video.

[B]

I've always taken care of my equipment. It's amazing the amount of money tractors cost. It's understandable that not everyone has a shed or shop to bring their equipment in out of the elements. There are many steps that you can take to protect your equipment even when they are parked outdoors. First, how about flipping the seat forward so the snow, rain, dirt and dust doesn't pile up and shorten the seats life. Second don't set your buckets to catch water and snow. They will rust. Beware of mice making nests under your hood and chewing your wires if your equipment is parked for extended periods of time. Check your tire pressure at least monthly. Mowers and blades rely on the correct tire pressure to cut properly. Most important, use your ROPS and seat belt. They will save your life. Enjoy your equipment :)

[Paladonius]

As a plant operator we were always told to ground (and relax) all hydraulics ie: booms, buckets, implements etc. Not only for leaks but also if kids are playing on the machine. There has been fatalities and injuries when one kid is pretending to operate and another has been under a bucket or boom as it has come down. If hydraulic rams were left under load then we used a brace to go over the cylinder to prevent it from retracting. Even in new machines where there is a supposed check valve on the hydraulic pump when the machine isn't running - it is still a good practice.

[susanhurst]

Thanks for the helpful tips, I've research the compact tractor, for a year now. I started about 8 years ago buying landscaping equipment, for my property, and now I want a small tractor, so this video is extremely needed!!

[toadamine]

Relax all the hydraulics when you shut it off... Set all the implements on the ground, shut off the engine, then hit all the hydraulic controls in both directions to release any pressure in the lines... This will make your hydraulic seals and cylinders last a lot longer...

[Farming_weeds]

It's not just compact tractors I am constantly running 250+ hp tractors and we get a new one we also have to keep a close eye on them for the first couple of months because we have the same occurrences but ours are much bigger and dangerous so we check for the same things I'll probably use this as a training video it is the best I've seen so far also I am loving the new larger Kubota farm tractors the steering with the fwa is the best fwa steering system I've used makes pulling 11 row max 2 planter easy turning I'm not running over already planted rows

[shermananderson]

Watching this at 3:20 AM while transferring photos from iPhone to MacBook. I don’t owna. tractor yet. I have learned so much from the great videos on YouTube.

[ph]

Our primary tractor's when I was growing up on the farm were both utility models, 50 & 60 HP respectively. When my Dad bought his first no till grain drill, they were both to small, both in power as well as actual curb weight to pull it.

After some soul searching, Dad bit the bullet and bought a used 95 HP 4×4 row crop. With a non foldable ROPS with a canopy. It didn't take long to rip the lights off of canopy.... Or for Dad to get himself into the worst stuck situation of his farming career... :-):-):-):-)

[jamest]

Like the pto shaft length tip.
Another: Limbs and such can break off lights/blinkers easily, look around a lot.