What Basic Tools Should a Newbie Own??

[miramadar]

I just bought a CK27...my first tractor...and I'm wondering what the experts would recommend I purchase in terms of basic tools to have on hand in support of the tractor. I'm not exceptionally handy with tools...I'm usually the guy that hands the tool to the guy who knows what he's doing! But I'm pretty sure I can handle most basic stuff (and my father-in-law is a guy who can fix just about anything!!). So, I'm just wondering what tool(s) do you feel is the most indispensible when owning a Kioti tractor. I have some basic tools like wrenches, sockets and such. But I don't own any real specialty tools like torque wrenches, air tools, etc.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[TBDonnelly]

Think Metric.

By the way, Welcome to TBN and Congrats on the tractor purchase!

Don

 

[greenmule]

Well you'll need a wrench to turn every bolt on the tractor.
And you'll need an air compresser with one of those long airguns to blow out your raditiator and other stuff.
Don't think you'll need a torque wrench unless you plan on doing some serious repair.

That little tool box on mine,I replaced with a ammo can.

You ought to get your rear tires filled if you don't already.

Good grease gun.

 

[JoelD]

I think green hit the nail on the head, a good grease gun and good grease, don't do what I did and get the cheap stuff, get good grease, check out the posts you'll find what to get.

Get the flexible rubber hose for the grease gun, not the solid metal extension.

I have a large compressor but don't use air tools on my tractor, not much call for it. I do use my air gun a lot though to blow out dust and dirt and the like.

The tools I use the most, off the top of my head, are: Sockets (1/2 drive), open ended box wrenches, screw drivers, 1/2 breaker bar, rubber mallet, pliers.

Good luck,
Joel

 

[HCJ]

You will eventually have a flat. So unless you have a repair service to come out (which will be very expensive) you will need to be able to remove the wheel and take it for repair, and reinstall it. So you will need a good floor jack, a jack stand, and a lug wrench. If it's tubeless, a patch or plug kit and a compressor. A 10 gallon air tank is also handy for adding a little air. A couple of tow chains, a good nylon tow strap and shackles to connect it are also good to have. Spare hitch pins and apropriate bushings for the hitch, cotter pins, are good to keep around. They all have a way of disappearing.

 

[JoelD]

I should've pointed out the chain, I use my chain almost every week, used it all day today with logs.

Buy a good quality chain, mine is 25 feet long. I also welded a grab hook onto the top of my bucket along with a strip of C-channel for strength under the tow hook (I would not weld directly to the bucket).

A good chain is worth it's weight in gold.

Joel

 

[WarrenF]

I just bought a CK27...my first tractor...and I'm wondering what the experts would recommend I purchase in terms of basic tools to have on hand in support of the tractor. I'm not exceptionally handy with tools...I'm usually the guy that hands the tool to the guy who knows what he's doing! But I'm pretty sure I can handle most basic stuff (and my father-in-law is a guy who can fix just about anything!!). So, I'm just wondering what tool(s) do you feel is the most indispensible when owning a Kioti tractor. I have some basic tools like wrenches, sockets and such. But I don't own any real specialty tools like torque wrenches, air tools, etc.

Any help would be appreciated.

Two crescent wrenches, one big and the other small. Two flat blade screw drivers one big and one smaller. A couple of vise grips one small and one bigger. Two hammers....a good sized sledge hammer and a smaller one.

A thesaurus that you can carry in your pocket to help you when you need a new and improved swear word. Remember the old saying...."don't force anything just use a bigger hammer.....

 

[JoelD]

Two crescent wrenches, one big and the other small. Two flat blade screw drivers one big and one smaller. A couple of vise grips one small and one bigger. Two hammers....a good sized sledge hammer and a smaller one.

A thesaurus that you can carry in your pocket to help you when you need a new and improved swear word. Remember the old saying...."don't force anything just use a bigger hammer.....

I also go to the crescent wrenches when pushed for time, but to be honest, open ended box wrench, particularly for the novice is a good habit to get into to help prevent stripped nuts and bolts. As a matter of fact my brother refused to use crescent wrenches and repremands me every time he catches me using them.

Joel

 

[Dmace]

Basic tools...?

Duct tape and WD-40, if it doesn't move and should, use the WD-40. If it moves and shouldn't use the duct tape. If you can't duct it f*ck it.

On a serious note, a good set of mechanics tools like a set you can get from Sears for less than $100 that usually includes all the 1/2", 3/8" and 1/4" drives and sockets, pliers, a few adjustable wrenches and screwdrivers is good to have.

Tractors need lots of grease and if you want to keep it for a while you need to grease it weekly or every 15hrs +/- depending on use so a good air-powered grease gun is priceless. With the loader and backhoe I have something around 30 grease fitting and some are real tough to get to, some so tight you couldn't possible get a gun in there and start pumping by hand while holding the hose on. Plus having the air compressor with the air nozzle for blowing debris out is very helpful too!

One last thing is a small pressure washer, I used to rinse the mud and dirt off my tractor with my garden hose and it would take hours to get the caked mud off and probably waste way too much water. I got an electric 1300psi pressure washer for $200 and it works great. It takes 10 mins to plug it in and maybe 15 mins to clean the entire tractor. No gas engine to maintain, no noise and much smaller.

It's fun spending other peoples money!

 

[LD1]

Two crescent wrenches, one big and the other small. Two flat blade screw drivers one big and one smaller. A couple of vise grips one small and one bigger. Two hammers....a good sized sledge hammer and a smaller one.

A thesaurus that you can carry in your pocket to help you when you need a new and improved swear word. Remember the old saying...."don't force anything just use a bigger hammer.....

Being a mechanic that is all too funny

But on a serious note...if you plan on servicing it yourself I would also get and oil filter wrench. These are not to be used EVER to put on a filter, but just to get a stubborn one off. I have never had to use on for a filter I put on but the factory filter tends to be little tight when you do your first service.

 

[miramadar]

Well, I might not be in too bad a shape after all. I've got sockets and wrenches. But you say I'll need metric stuff, right? I've got some...

I've got a gas-powered pressure washer that will do nicely to clean off caked mud. I don't have an air compressor to clean the radiator. Couldn't the pressure washer do that too??

I need to pick up a grease gun and I'll do the research to find the best grease. I want to pass this tractor on to my kids one day!

I might get the tires filled with liquid before they deliver it (should be tomorrow or Wednesday). There's a local tire service shop that does it for about $100 per tire.

What are shear pins? Are those the pins that hold the 3PT attachments to the tractor??

I've got a couple of very sturdy logging chains (about 10' each) that were my grandfather's. They should work nicely. I've already got plans to use them pulling small stumps out of the ground. I'm already studying of ways to weld some "ears" on the bucket so I can lift things with a chain. Do you guys have any pictures or recommendations of the best way to do this? What should I use to make the ears? I was thinking of welding a horseshoe to each side so I could run a chain through them. But I don't know if that would work. It would be great if these buckets already came with ears...

Thanks again for all your help.

 

[miramadar]

I just bought a pistol-grip grease gun and 2 tubes of Green Grease (synthetic) by Omni Lubricants. It set me back over $40 at Advance Auto Parts. Hopefully that's the "good stuff" you guys were taking about.

 

[JoelD]

Here is a link on bucket hooks.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/kioti-owning-operating/116067-looking-welding-advice.html

Good luck,
Joel

 

[greenmule]

I wouldn't use a pressure washer on my raditiator unless it was totally stoped up and air wouldn't blow it out,and than I would take it off,those fins will bend,stoping air flow,as a matter of fact when doing it with an air gun,you should keep that in mind.

Shear pin is a bolt on an implement that breaks first,so your tractor don't,think most brush hogs have them,mine does,my tiller has a slip clutch,post hole drillers have shear pins,etc,[gotta look in your implement book,they are on pto drive line where it connects to hog at u joint.]

 

[IslandTractor]

I'm late to this thread but would concur with metric crescent wrenches and oil filter wrenches. The points I would add are that you need up to about 32mm wrenches (think jumbo set to supplement a standard metric set) and also that you might want to buy several different style oil filter wrenches and then return the ones that don't fit or cannot be manuvered in the tight engine space. I now own about four oil filter wrenches (one works for CK20, one for DK40se and the others I never returned).

Regarding grease, there are any number of threads on that subject if you dare enter the oil and lubricants section on TBN. I settled for generic moly grease from NAPA or Tractor Supply. I'd also suggest getting some stainless steel spray cleaner and roll of paper towels (a Rick Wallace trick) to clean up all the grease that will inevitably get all over your clothes if you don't stay on top of it (I don't and have numerous ruined jackets, shirts, hats, shoes, pants as well as a po'd wife).

 

[miramadar]

Here is a link on bucket hooks.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/k...ng-advice.html

Good luck,
Joel

This one shows the clevis hook centered on top the bucket. That's a good idea. Would that better than putting a hook on either side? My brother has a welder. I'll get his input too.

What do you all feel about those slope-meters you mount on the dash? Is it worth getting?? I don't need a meter to tell me that my hills are steep...but if it will increase safety a bit, I'd get one.

 

[greenmule]

If you just follow your own tilt meter to begin with,you'll be fine,take it real easy and safe till you get used to your tractor and the ground you will be going over.But if it seems to side sloping don't go there,than as you get used to things,you'll know about where you can go and where you shouldn't.

 

[TBDonnelly]

This one shows the clevis hook centered on top the bucket. That's a good idea. Would that better than putting a hook on either side? My brother has a welder. I'll get his input too.

The reason you see many hooks at either end of the bucket is usually because the bucket is strongest near each end. Putting a hook in the middle usually takes some bucket reinforcement so as not to bend the top bucket lip. One thing to remember is that the lift capacity is measured from the pins where the bucket attaches so additional weight added to the bucket or infront of the bucket (ie:forks) subtracts from the weight the loader is rated to lift. It's a balancing act to add structual support without adding excess weight to the bucket.

Don

 

[IslandTractor]

The reason you see many hooks at either end of the bucket is usually because the bucket is strongest near each end. Putting a hook in the middle usually takes some bucket reinforcement so as not to bend the top bucket lip. One thing to remember is that the lift capacity is measured from the pins where the bucket attaches so additional weight added to the bucket or infront of the bucket (ie:forks) subtracts from the weight the loader is rated to lift. It's a balancing act to add structual support without adding excess weight to the bucket.

Don

1) Another reason that it is better to put chain hooks at either end rather than in the middle of the bucket upper lip is that the middle can be used for a grapple arm along with stiffening reinforcement. Putting a chain hook there means you'd have to remove it or forget the future addition of a grapple arm to the bucket which a lot of people find useful.

2) Adding weight ANYWHERE on the FEL will reduce your lift capacity. Don emphasizes that the further forward from the pivot pins the more capacity you lose but adding weight at or behind the pivot points also detracts from capacity. A QA adapter for example will detract from lift capacity as will a toothbar. Without doing the math I would guesstimate that a 100lb QA adapter mounted right on the pivot points would probably deduct about as much (100lbs) as a 50lb toothbar mounted 24 inches forward of that point.

 

[Kioti4me]

1) Another reason that it is better to put chain hooks at either end rather than in the middle of the bucket upper lip is that the middle can be used for a grapple arm along with stiffening reinforcement. Putting a chain hook there means you'd have to remove it or forget the future addition of a grapple arm to the bucket which a lot of people find useful.

2) Adding weight ANYWHERE on the FEL will reduce your lift capacity. Don emphasizes that the further forward from the pivot pins the more capacity you lose but adding weight at or behind the pivot points also detracts from capacity. A QA adapter for example will detract from lift capacity as will a toothbar. Without doing the math I would guesstimate that a 100lb QA adapter mounted right on the pivot points would probably deduct about as much (100lbs) as a 50lb toothbar mounted 24 inches forward of that point.

Guys, I was told adding a chain hook on the ends of the bucket would twist or tweak the FEL frame altogether causing long term damage to the entire FEL by having the load-lift-pull all on one side of the bucket. Having it in center would better distribute the weigh with no twisting preasure on the FEL frame. I was advised to only put them in the middle. Yes, adding the grapple would be a problem. I was given this advice by my local John Deere dealer\friend.