MMM Mounting Agony

[DaRube]

This newbie struggled to get the 60" MMM off of the B7500 in the fall.....and I am struggling even more to get it on now. The problem is in getting it to slide under the tractor. There just doesn't seem to be enough clearance around the tires.

I would welcome the opportunity to be talked through this proces......and if anyone in Northern Virginia would like to come laugh at my efforts in person, now is the chance!!

* mona lisa grin *

 

[TWINKLE_TOES]

DaRube,
Don't feel lonesome your in good company with folks who struggle with the B7500 and 60"MMM. There flat is not enough room with the front tires of the tractor on the ground. I don't know how much of the linkage you removed last fall, so put everthing you see in picture G-4807 of page 9 of your mower manual back on the tractor. I think your profile shows you have an FEL. Put the bucket in full dump and raise the front wheels off the ground. If you have jack stands put them under the front axle for safety. Now you should have room to roll/drag the mower under the tractor. Make sure the left rear wheel is turned 90 degrees from normal and pinned. This will make it roll/slide a bit easier. I use a sheet of plywood because I do it on a gravel drive. Now is a good time to lower the tractor down. Make sure there is no interference with the lift arm linkage and the mower deck when you lower the tractor. Attach the back end of the linkage arms to the mower deck.
Attach the front link in the front bracket grove per pictures G-4814, 4816 of page 12. Now the fun part, hook up the PTO drive line until it locks in place. Reset the left rear wheel and your good to go.

If you removed the belt tension spring last fall don't forget to put it back in place. Make sure the belt is seated properly in the gear box drive pulley. This is dual groove belt and it's easy to have it drop down a notch on the drive pulley. Don't ask why I know this.

Hope this helps, I'm not good on writing instructions (or following them)
Al

 

[DaRube]

Al, thank you very much. Knowing that this is a known difficulty is comforting. And the idea of using the FEL to lift the tractor for more clearance is great.

I'm gonna head on out and see what I can do, thanks!

 

[DaRube]

Well, Al, it buys me a little more room, but still not enought to get the mower underneath. Of course, I've only lifter the front wheels 2 inches off the ground....perhaps I am timid.

One thing I did notice in the instructions....is that it implies that the rear wheels should be in their widest spread position. I don't think my dealer set them that way for me. Could this be another part of my problem?

 

[Boondox]

DaRube -- Back when I had my little B1750 with a mmm, the manual said to drive right over the mmm to mount or dismount it. I didn't want to do it at first, but after a year of struggling like you're doing now, I tried it...and it worked like a charm! Since your tractor is about the same weight, is that an option for you?

Pete

 

[Jeff396]

Do you also have the front tires turned to full left or right? This will also gain you some extra clearance.

Jeff

 

[TWINKLE_TOES]

DaRube,

I don't have an FEL on my B7500. I use the B21 to lift the tractor front end. I probably lift it ~ 6 inches. Maybe dont be as timid and if that doesn't give you enough, put a couple of 4 x4's under the bucket lip. Also Jeff's suggestion to turn the front wheels full left or right helps also. Good luck, let me know how you do. This is about a 15 minute job for me now, the first time was probably and hour/w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif
Al

 

[TresCrows]

I do not have a 7500 but I have a similar problem with the 2410. Compared to the BX it is a royal pain in the rear. The BX snaps on and off with no troubles and rolls in and out so easy--not so with the 2410. The wheel spacing is insufficient to get the darn thing out without a bunch of shenangins. I finally set a couple of wood blocks under the loader and lifted the tractor to remove the MMM--much easier that way. To reinstall reverse the process. Now that it is almost time to mow I will lift the 2410 with the FEL and reinstall the MMM and then remove the FEL. I rarely have both on either tractor at the same time. I am curious why the other guys mentioned V-belts and linkages, the 2410 is shaft driven and the linkage stays with the tractor and the MMM snaps off/on. Just curious if there is a difference, I thought they were the same set up from my memory.
Good luck, hope it gets easier for you. Oh, do not get under the tractor when it is lifted with the FEL---just in case.
J

 

[ronjhall]

DaRube
Here is a <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.tractorbynet.com/cgi-bin/compact/showthreaded.pl?Cat=&Board=owning&Number=56610&page=&view=&sb=&o=&vc=1#Post56610>thread</A> that should help with your problem removing and installing your MMM. You need to raise front of tractor with FEL as high as it will go. It will be uncomfortable at fist. /w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif But you will get used to it after a couple of tries. Be sure to block tractor when doing this. You can never tell when some thing will fail and cause tractor to drop.

 

[snowman]

What you may want to try to raise the tractor is stick a few good size boards under all four tires. I do that with some boards that are about 1.5"x8"x12" - I put two under all four tires and drive up on them. Is quite stable and helps a great deal when having to do anything under the tractor (changing oild, sliding the MMM, etc).

I can relate to your problems. This is my second summer(spring) owning the B7500; I took my front blower off Saturday and put my FEL back on. Hadn't done it since last fall, so was quite rusty in the re-attaching process. Almost ripped all four hydro hoses off, almost tipped the FEL over, and almost squashed it onto my hood. Eventually made it, but only after alot of pursuasive under the breath mutterings.

 

[Von]

J.
I'm surprized,...you being the prince of Kubota knowledge! On the belt thing, in the owners manual on the mower decks. It states to remove tension on the belt when stored for long periods of time. You do this by removing the spring on the tension arm.

Sorry J. I just had to put a little jab in this morning! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif All in good fun!/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[theboman]

DaRube,

2" is plenty to have the front wheels off the ground, and you can actually do it without a FEL.

Turn your front wheels all the way left, the MMM does fit and push it thru. If you hit the left front tire then turn it right.

When sliding the MMM under the B7500 you may roll it towards the back to help clear the front tires. It don't have to line up with the linkage until you actually begin hooking it too the tractor.

My first couple of on/offs were not pretty but now it's not bad at all and I can usually handle the task in 5 minutes.

I have a 60" MMM, FEL and B7500.

 

[TresCrows]

No problems Von, not at all. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
Ya see, when I got my little BX back in 99 I was so excited, finally a real little tractor and then even better I found this cool tractor site called TBN and so life was grande. Then of course I found that my tractor was dismissed as a lawnmower and I a dwebe, my opinion of my tractor knowledge base at that time now looking back /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif . So, I sat about as I always do when new to something, learn and read and listen to everything and so now with nearly 500 hours on both the BX and 2410 combined on my tractors I have learned a great deal including, despite the charts and graphs and preaching to the contrary by many, the BX is a fine little tractor, the 7500 is better than I originally thought (a fine little unit) and had I brought a 2410 home to begin with I would likely have never gotten my BX /w3tcompact/icons/sad.gif or bothered with the 7500. I also learned that the MMM on the 7500 and the 2410 is in need of redesign and that as I said it is a royal pain in the rear.
This tractor stuff ain't rocket science, /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif .
J

 

[PaulT]

Uh Oh/w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif. I never released the tension spring on the belt when I put away the MMM for the winter. What do you think will be the effects on the belt? On the Spring? I hope (and suspect) nothing, because these things are so well made (and because I don't want to have to fix anything/w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif)

 

[crown]

I'll have to swing by sometime we are almost neighbors. Your question is the reason I went with a 3 pt mower. When I first purchased the tractor it was a comedy of errors wathching me struggle with the 3pth. Practice and time will cure all ills./w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif
Have fun and be safe!!

 

[Jeff396]

I missed it too./w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif I'm gonna put it back on tomorrow (for the first time) so I guess I'll find first hand what a bugger this thing is to re-attach. Still, the last time I put a mower on a tractor was on a Garden Tractor which was a major night mare. I know this will be easier that that was!/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Jeff

 

[DaRube]

Gentlemen, we have a victory!! Using the FEL to lift by 6 inches, plus getting the wheels turned, and that baby slipped under there without a problem.

Thanks to all......

 

[Nuru]

Sounds Good! I hope it is very easy to get my MMM on and off my JD 4100, I hear it is.

 

[Jeff396]

Put mine on for the first time today too. I'm pretty sure there is no way to get that sucker under there without lifting the tractor. It's just too dang long! I wonder what you're supposed to do if you didn't pop for the fel.....a floor jack maybe/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Jeff