My New Machine???

[LarryRB]

Did you make it all around like you originally planned to do?

 

[Dougster]

Did you make it all around like you originally planned to do?

Hi Larry - Not even close. I ended up at Woodbury at 3PM rather than Noonish... so I was already 3 hours behind schedule at that point. Then I stayed there longer than expected checking out the bush-hogs and examining the factory hydraulic thumb installation on a new 509 they had there. The "kit" is more complicated than I thought it would be... so it was important to understand exactly what I was getting and how I could install it. I ended up leaving there well after 4PM. I had no choice at that point but to blow off my other planned stops and head straight home.

BTW, the Yanmar CBL40 wasn't there. Bob had already taken it to some fair. Funny thing about CT... they have an aggie fair just about every weekend!

Dougster

 

[Dougster]

I was shocked that it came in a good-sized wood crate with numerous unexpected parts. It truly is half a full installation kit rather than merely a "cylinder kit" as one might expect from the name. I'll have to sort it all out this weekend to figure out what else I need to buy for a complete installation. I also sense that a lot of those parts in the kit won't get used because of the approach I'm taking.

Well, it turns out that half the parts I received in this "kit" aren't even remotely relevant to the hydraulic cylinder installation. It appears that someone at the Bradco factory added the wrong installation hardware to this crate. Now I am wondering if I got all the stuff that should have been in there.

The usual "luck" of the Dougster continues.

Dougster

 

[bindian]

Well, it turns out that half the parts I received in this "kit" aren't even remotely relevant to the hydraulic cylinder installation. It appears that someone at the Bradco factory added the wrong installation hardware to this crate. Now I am wondering if I got all the stuff that should have been in there.

The usual "luck" of the Dougster continues.

Dougster

Dougster,
I am right up there this week on luck with you. I accidently dropped a good size stump on a stabilizer and scratched the chome on the cylinder rod. It made all kinds of noises when I retracted it. I washed it down and priced a rod..................not available. As long as I keep the rod clean, it doesn't moan and groan. A new cylinder is around $500. So for now, I make sure no dirt gets on the rod, as it might get in the scratch and contaminate the system. I will be dragging the Big Red Beast to the hydraulic shop to see if they can rechrome the rod. Oh yeah............a seal rebuild kit is about $54 for that cylinder. I am also planning on making some "shoes" for my stabilizer feet to help support the Big Red Beast in the mud. They will be 3 inches bigger all around and out of 3/8 thick plate.
hugs, Brandi
hugs, Brandi

 

[Dougster]

Dougster, I am right up there this week on luck with you. I accidently dropped a good size stump on a stabilizer and scratched the chome on the cylinder rod. It made all kinds of noises when I retracted it. I washed it down and priced a rod..............not available. As long as I keep the rod clean, it doesn't moan and groan. A new cylinder is around $500. So for now, I make sure no dirt gets on the rod, as it might get in the scratch and contaminate the system. I will be dragging the Big Red Beast to the hydraulic shop to see if they can rechrome the rod. Oh yeah...........a seal rebuild kit is about $54 for that cylinder. I am also planning on making some "shoes" for my stabilizer feet to help support the Big Red Beast in the mud. They will be 3 inches bigger all around and out of 3/8 thick plate.
hugs, Brandi

Hi Brandi - My Bradco Parts Manual does show that cylinder rod as being available as a replacement part: Part No. 86606. That's kinda troubling if it is no longer available. I'd contact Bradco directly to confirm for sure. I've found that Mahindra dealers sometimes have mysterious problems ordering Bradco replacement parts. I think it relates to them having to go through the Mahindra parts ordering system rather than dealing directly with Bradco.

Like you, I am not real happy with the smallish "Grouser" pads that came on my stabilizers. I would much rather have had the flat pads, rubber pads or flip-over pads... if for no other reason that it would be easier to place something under the pads to avoid excessively damaging a client's yard.

I also tried to buy those nifty stabilizer cylinder covers a while back... also from a new local Mahindra dealer. They called me back two weeks later and essentially admitted that they didn't know how to order Bradco parts. No joke.

Dougster

 

[civesnedfield]

I am not familiar with haying at all, but doesn't the hay need to dry some and not be bailed wet. If bailed wet, does not the hay go bad, (mold etc)? Or is this hay ok for cattle, just not for horses? Everybody out here always tries to keep their hay dry.

Just wondering.

How do you preserve hay that green? If our square bales (the smaller type) are too wet they will heat and sometimes rot if they don't get enough air. As a kid in Ohio the local dairy put up some green alfalfa and grasses, as silage; but I've not seen anything that green baled. Is there some fermentation process it goes through, like the silage does?

Ok, I can see where the confusion is comming in, You guys are only seeing a step of the process. The final step is to wrap the bale in a type of poly film. The wrap keeps all the oxygen out of the bale. This keeps it from molding. Kieth this is just like silage without the silo or feed bunker. The bale cooks or pickles itself inside the wrap. Smells like S@$^ but the cows go nuts for it. I'v opened bales put ot in the feeder and the cows would roll in it if they could. I'll see if I can get out today and take a picture of a wrapped bale or two. It might help to understand.

 

[Keith_B]

Ok, I can see where the confusion is comming in, You guys are only seeing a step of the process. The final step is to wrap the bale in a type of poly film. The wrap keeps all the oxygen out of the bale. This keeps it from molding. Kieth this is just like silage without the silo or feed bunker. The bale cooks or pickles itself inside the wrap. Smells like S@$^ but the cows go nuts for it. I'v opened bales put ot in the feeder and the cows would roll in it if they could. I'll see if I can get out today and take a picture of a wrapped bale or two. It might help to understand.

Makes perfect sense, with that info. With the poly wrap cutting off the oxygen it is going to ferment just like it would in a silo, only on a smaller scale.

 

[bindian]

Hi Brandi - My Bradco Parts Manual does show that cylinder rod as being available as a replacement part: Part No. 86606. That's kinda troubling if it is no longer available. I'd contact Bradco directly to confirm for sure. I've found that Mahindra dealers sometimes have mysterious problems ordering Bradco replacement parts. I think it relates to them having to go through the Mahindra parts ordering system rather than dealing directly with Bradco.

Like you, I am not real happy with the smallish "Grouser" pads that came on my stabilizers. I would much rather have had the flat pads, rubber pads or flip-over pads... if for no other reason that it would be easier to place something under the pads to avoid excessively damaging a client's yard.

I also tried to buy those nifty stabilizer cylinder covers a while back... also from a new local Mahindra dealer. They called me back two weeks later and essentially admitted that they didn't know how to order Bradco parts. No joke.

Dougster

Dougster,
Yes, that is the part number. My salesman called the number on the parts book, which is Mahindra. A call to Bradco is definitely needed. My problem with the grouser pads is the reach and strength of the 511. They don't dig in enough and are too small to be working in semi soft mud. If you reach too far out and hook on a large root, it will slide the tractor on the pads. I have to get close and pull up with the bucket on large roots, so the weight of the tractor and the hoe force is working together against the root resistance and down on the pads.
hugs, Brandi

 

[Dougster]

Dougster, Yes, that is the part number. My salesman called the number on the parts book, which is Mahindra. A call to Bradco is definitely needed.

It's *got* to be available. All just a matter of time, money and knowing the right folks to call I'll bet. That rod must get damaged all the time. My stabilizer cylinders are a mess... mostly from the previous owner. That's why I thought the covers might help avoid more damage.

My problem with the grouser pads is the reach and strength of the 511. They don't dig in enough and are too small to be working in semi soft mud. If you reach too far out and hook on a large root, it will slide the tractor on the pads. I have to get close and pull up with the bucket on large roots, so the weight of the tractor and the hoe force is working together against the root resistance and down on the pads.
hugs, Brandi

Well, I understand the concept. They are trying to prevent motion in two planes... front-to-back and side-to-side... but they are simply much too small for softer soils as one would find in a homeowner's yard... and apparently down on your Texas estate as well.

Dougster

 

[bindian]

It's *got* to be available. All just a matter of time, money and knowing the right folks to call I'll bet. That rod must get damaged all the time. My stabilizer cylinders are a mess... mostly from the previous owner. That's why I thought the covers might help avoid more damage.

Well, I understand the concept. They are trying to prevent motion in two planes... front-to-back and side-to-side... but they are simply much too small for softer soils as one would find in a homeowner's yard... and apparently down on your Texas estate as well.

Dougster

Dougster,
When I am working too boggy an area, I maneuver misc. roots with the bucket so the stabilizer can sit down on the root. It takes a while to prefect this task. Less lateral movement also.
hugs, Brandi

 

[Dougster]

Dougster, When I am working too boggy an area, I maneuver misc. roots with the bucket so the stabilizer can sit down on the root. It takes a while to prefect this task. Less lateral movement also.
hugs, Brandi

I rarely have a random root around on which I to plunk down my stabilizer's big foot. And even if I did, I doubt my client would appreciate that move (unless it was that root's tree stump that was to be removed!).

Dougster

 

[civesnedfield]

Makes perfect sense, with that info. With the poly wrap cutting off the oxygen it is going to ferment just like it would in a silo, only on a smaller scale.

Yup now you get it. A small self contained portable silo. Main difference these mini-silos don't get added on to the property value, so no property tax. I believe that and the thought of getting away from silos is why people started wrapping the bales. It does tend to become equipment intensive though.

 

[Keith_B]

Yup now you get it. A small self contained portable silo. Main difference these mini-silos don't get added on to the property value, so no property tax. I believe that and the thought of getting away from silos is why people started wrapping the bales. It does tend to become equipment intensive though.

You're probably getting by cheaper in the long run the way you are doing it. I would think a silo in today's economy would be very expensive to build, plus there is some equipment you would need you can do without by baling green and wrapping.

 

[civesnedfield]

You're probably getting by cheaper in the long run the way you are doing it. I would think a silo in today's economy would be very expensive to build, plus there is some equipment you would need you can do without by baling green and wrapping.

I agree I can not imagine what it would cost to put up a silo. Plus up here in Maine they add the silo to the value of your property. We have a couple of dairy farms that have gone out of buisness and the property has been sold. Now the new owners are faced with the costs of taking the silos down or continuing to pay the taxes on them. I know one guy that has an old farm with 3 concrete silos, the cost to take them down is around $20k.

I do agree that the equipment needed to bale green and wrap has to be cheaper. Currently to do this we use 3 tractors, a Ford F350, a 20 foot 7 ton trailer, and a 3PH wrapper that we have converted to a stand alone unit. We now wrap all bales at the farm, rather than the field. Over the past two years we have found that the less you handle bales once wrapped, the better off you are.

 

[civesnedfield]

I rarely have a random root around on which I to plunk down my stabilizer's big foot. And even if I did, I doubt my client would appreciate that move (unless it was that root's tree stump that was to be removed!).

Dougster

Doug what about making a foot that you could slip on and off the existing foot?

 

[Dougster]

Doug what about making a foot that you could slip on and off the existing foot?

Oh, I'm sure it could be done. Right now I bring along various lengths and widths of pressure-treated dimension lumber. Comes in handy in a lot of ways... including not messing up client's driveways with my nasty metal trailer ramps.

Dougster

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Are there any other kind?

 

[bindian]

Are there any other kind?

Brian,
Yes, there are another kind. RED, nasty metal trailer ramps.
hugs, Brandi

Civesnedfield,
My grouser pads have two holes approx 5/6-3/4 inch in diameter. I am thinking about welding pins on my modifed "mudder" plates that can be attached with a quick pin through the existing holes.
hugs, Brandi

 

[Dougster]

Are there any other kind?

Ha!!! Let me tell you: Those nasty angle iron corners have messed up their last driveway or newly-paved street! A little pressure-treated dimension lumber under the ramp ends and supports when deployed... and no more marks or complaints! It also helps make up for the added height from the trailer's new, larger diameter rims and tires.

Dougster

 

[LarryRB]

not related to this thread, however, Doug was at the house the other day asking about my semi home made cab. Here it is and trailered