Mahindra 2545 on sand

pripyat · Mar 25, 2019

OK, just spoke with the guy at MTL. It wasn't a mixup on their part, just a misunderstanding. The ebay ad lists skid steer flat face as the coupling type. When I talked to them on the phone about the order they asked me what the implement was going on and I told them a Mahindra tractor. Since I specified tractor and not skid steer, they changed the coupling type over to AG since that is what most tractors use.

They are shipping me out a set of flat face this week. Really nice guy. I can't wait to post up the stack of surplus fittings I've accumulated during this tractor project. It is a little embarrassing.

darmstrong2319 · Mar 25, 2019

Ag is what I use with no issues. Good luck

pripyat · Mar 27, 2019

Tractor is running great. Starts up every time I need it. Transmission is still annoying, hard to get it between H,M, and L sometimes. M is real tricky. Also, I was hoping that the lift on the 3pt would work itself in and be easier to make fine adjustments but it hasn't - It is very stiff. It doesn't want to slide smoothly, it jerks. When I'm trying to hook up an implement I can use both hands to barely move the lever and the arms will jump 2". Extremely annoying. Also, I really wish there was a mechanical stop like there is on the 1526 for 3pt lift height. I'm going to have to fashion up something. I get really tired of having to look back and fine tune the rake on every single pass. Lastly, I feel the placement of the 3pt lift lever leaves a lot to be desired. I kept hitting my hand on the seatbelt when lifting all the way, I ended up removing the seatbelt buckle to prevent this.

Still waiting on fittings, I ordered from discounthydraulichose on Friday and won't receive them until Thursday. Not sure what happened as my last order made it very quickly.

I didn't get matched sets of the Ag fittings for the valve connection. When I connect them and attempt to blow through them, it is restricted. I can get air through but it isn't like blowing through a straw, more like blowing up a balloon. This can't be normal?

[edit] Never mind about the restricted flow of the Ag fitting. I apparently had a plastic dust cover in one of the fittings.. Not my brightest moment.

darmstrong2319 · Mar 27, 2019

Lol don’t worry about things like that we all have our share of oops. Can you lube your lever for the 3 point to where it moves easier. Spray it with wd 40 or pb blaster or something similar. I’m not familiar with that tractor but on a lot of them right where it goes in the housing it rust up or gets dirty and needs cleaning. Usually that makes it move easier.

duffer · Mar 28, 2019

If your 3-pt hitch is jerking, it's likely you need to fine tune the movement with the knob adjustment (usually found below the front of your seat) By turning it, you can adjust the 3 pt hitch to move smoother and sometimes slower. If you have big weight differences between implements, you may want to adjust it for each implement. Check your owners manual for exact location and operation.

There is also an adjustment for your 3 pt hitch lever. It is spring loaded and you can loosen it a little so the lever itself will move easier.
the adustment is located under the seat deck where the lever connects to the linkage.

pripyat · Mar 28, 2019

Thanks for those tips, I'll look into the lever. I had adjusted the knob for the 3pt but it seemed to only affect the speed in one direction, can't remember which. I think the jerkiness of the lever is the biggest issue. Hoping to clear that up or get it at least better this evening.

Planted 200 privacy trees over the last three days. Eager to get back on the tractor. I finally got all my fittings in. New flat face for the grapple, and fittings that actually work for the valve. Not sure if I posted that debacle in this thread but there were some issues with the fittings in the thread I was following. The original poster didn't update the thread after he completed the project with issues he encountered. Anyway, hoping to put it all together this evening.

pripyat · Mar 28, 2019

What kind of fitting is this?

pripyat · Apr 1, 2019

As if it weren't obvious, I followed that guy's thread on adding a 3rd function a little too closely. The parts list didn't work with the valve (he never updated the thread with these issues) and I apparently didn't notice that there are two different hose sizes on my tractor. The thread I followed had 3/8" fittings all around. I saw 3/8" hose on the tractor and just followed this other thread. I learned later that my tractor only has 3/8" going to the lift controls, 1/2" for everything else. I finally got out a caliper and checked all the fittings on the FEL valve and should have the proper stuff coming in this week or weekend. At this point I am thoroughly introduced to hydraulic fittings and can tell you the difference between ORB/BOSS, NPSM, NPT, JIC, flat face, AG, etc. I wouldn't have felt comfortable ordering all the fittings from scratch before encountering and learning about all the issues I've had. Fortunately, DiscountHydraulicHose has a return policy so I'll likely send back all my excess.

I did end up ordering a filter for the tank return. Hoping to get it plumbed in when I get everything else hooked up. Meanwhile I've been dragging dead corn stalk like crazy, trying to get it up before there is too much green stuff growing.

We finally have power at the house! Wait.. We had temporary power at the house..

I've been working on this land a couple times a week since I got the tractor. I got way too accustomed to being in an open field with absolutely no obstacles. I'm still embarrassed about the pole. It stood right back up due to the sand it was originally placed in. I was looking over my shoulder at the rake and didn't even slow down until after I had already made contact. Glad I hit the pole and not the transformer. Death by electrocution, while tractoring.. Sigh.

I mentioned there was a lot of sand on the property. The power company had to actually get a different piece of equipment out to trench the power line due to the trench continually caving in.

I'll post some pictures of my toolbox progress. I made a bracket to go across the ROPS and attached it. The plan was to attach the back of the toolbox onto this piece of angle and the front of the toolbox to a bracket which attached to the tractor frame below, where the fluorescent triangle attaches. I didn't realize until I was ready to bolt everything up that the ROPS and the plate I wanted to attach the front support on are on two different pieces of the tractor and are seemingly independent when the tractor is moving. In other words the rops is attached to the frame? and the other piece is floating to absorb some of the shock while riding? Or maybe it has to do with the axle pivot? Going to have to come up with some way to support the entire tool box off the ROPS.

pripyat · Apr 7, 2019

This isnt the final bracket for the filter but I did finally get the 3rd function plumbed and functional. The final solution will have it almost flush with the plexiglass, further out the way. Valve handle isn't attached here but I did test the grapple and everything looks good. I wish I'd gotten some of the hyd cables 1" shorter, I measured to the base of the threads and obviously none of them bottomed out as they are tapered threads.

The filter is microglass element, 12-15gpm. Not sure of the micron rating, it isn't listed. This filter is used on a bunch of john deere zero turn mowers.

pripyat · Apr 7, 2019

Only issue with the new valve so far is that the ag fittings leak under pressure. Im tempted to get a threaded coupling and be done with it. Grapple is cool, though. Moved some cement they spilled when doing the foundation and moved a bunch of Brush into what is going to be a massive fire in the near future..

[edit]
I'll post up a parts list for the valve addition at some point. FYI, the filter I am currently using (WIX 57682) doesn't have a micron spec on the sheet but after some research on the beta system of rating filters here are the filtration specs -
Captures 50% of particles at 2micron
Captures 91.7% of particles at 12micron
Captures 92.9% of particles at 75micron

heavy hammer · Apr 10, 2019

Looks good nice job putting it all together. Do you thing the threaded coupling will solve the leaking problem?

pripyat · Apr 13, 2019

I finally got some time to figure out what was leaking. It wound up being one of the 1/2" NPT connections at the quick disconnect. I pipe doped it and put the thing in a vise to tighten it initially. Not sure why it was leaking. I swapped the coupling out with another and it sealed up fine. Used the grapple for at least an hour without any leaks.

pripyat · Apr 15, 2019

Really enjoying the grapple. The cement truck dumped a big pile of cement that the tractor couldnt lift. I could flip it but I couldn't push it. The cylinders on the claws are strong. I was able to basically drag this huge piece of cement just from friction as there wasnt anything to grab onto. I'll get a pic of the cement pancake at some point. Tractor has over 70 hours. Can't imagine not having it at this point.

Dual grabbers I thought were a gimmick at first but they do have a benefit. I don't understand why only one set of pins are greasable. From the ad, may have been a lack of attention to detail, but I assumed all pins had zerk fittings. Only 4 pins have grease points.

Can't wait to get some more hours on the tractor and pull that hyd filter apart.

[Edit]
Thanks to whoever commented about the 3pt hitch lever being adjustable and greasable. I doused it in white lithium grease spray the other weekend. It's smooth as can be now.

pripyat · Apr 15, 2019

This obviously doesn't include anything from the valve out to the third function implement. Two sets of fittings/hoses are not included (power A and B valve output). But, here is the rest of the project with discounthydraulichose part numbers. Items listed as NPTF are male connectors, NPTSM are female. The two valves are sandwiched together, this is the easiest way I could find to get it on paper so I could visualize what was going on. The port locations are correct relative to the handle of each valve.

I chose to have one hose Male to Female so I can easily take the filter in and out of the loop by connecting the tank line directly to the "T".

pripyat · Jun 21, 2019

I'll post a long review once I get 100 hours on the tractor. I got 50 in no time getting the driveways into the property sorted out. The house will be finished end of July, the hours should start stacking up very quickly then.

What is the 2-wire connector for at the back of the tractor? If you are facing the front of the tractor, standing at the rear, it is to the left. I don't have a picture handy but I was hoping someone could verify my suspicion that it is intended for a light.

duffer · Jun 22, 2019

I don't have a 2545, but my 2538 had the same pigtail. It is a 12v power supply for an accessory of choice. I'm sure you could use it for aux lites if you wanted. I used mine to add a 12v power port to the rear of the tractor to plug in my diesel fuel pump from my storage tank when filling up.

pripyat · Jun 22, 2019

Is it on the key switch or on all the time? I really wish I had a flood light of some sort back there, I was having a hard time the other day seeing to hook up implements late in the evening.

On another note, I'm so happy with the performance of the tractor. Without loaded tires and 4wd I wouldn't be able to do much on the sandy soil that is on the property. It's amazing how much 4wd (I rarely use diff lock, when I say 4wd i'm referring to open diff) helps. I cant pull much of anything without 4wd enabled. I run a 5ft bush hog in High range, gear 1 or 2, through waist to head high weeds with no slowing or bogging. The 6 or 7ft landscaping rake I can pull faster than it can work (sitting on ground, tines 2 to 4" in the soil), if I pull too fast it "jumps" in the soil, leaving the ground uneven. I pulled a 6ft disc the other day with no issue, had the same speed issue with the jumping.
I'm in the market for a good finish mower, between 6 to 8ft. My yard is going to be a couple acres, mostly open, i'm still working on getting it perfectly level so I can mow quickly in the future.
I think that if I can pull a 5ft bush hog in tall green stuff going faster than I should probably be going anyway, I'll be OK with a 7ft finish mower?

Lastly, when turning the PTO on and off should I be using the hand lever or the pushbutton?

duffer · Jun 22, 2019

My power port is hot all the time (not on ignition switch). Yours may be different, doubt it, but could be.

I've got less horse power than you and I run a 7' finish mower with no issue at all. You might want to look at an 8 footer. They only weigh 4-500#'s, and your 3 pt hitch is rated to 2400# I think. One word of caution on the finish mower. It's a FINISH mower, not a substitute for the bush hog. If you're trying to mow anything over 6-8" high, it won't make that clean of a cut. And it doesn't work well with big weeds and brush. BUT...it works great on bermuda grass. I do 10 acres with mine. Looks good.

Engaging the PTO. I use the hand lever to engage the transmission, then the rotary knob on the dash, and finally the push button on the dash with the engine at idle speed. Once the PTO spins, I ramp up the rpms to desired level.