New 370D owner

Freakingstang · Jul 15, 2012

Nice pics techwrtr. And pics of how you mounted the third spool valve?

I think the main reason that the front universals break is from overloading the tractor without having adequate rear ballast and using 4wd to move. Also I don't like the idea of the front wheels flipped. That has got to put a lot extra stress on things.,.

techwrtr2 · Jul 15, 2012

The 3rd spool is in series with the loader valve. It's mounted on the other mast.

The hose disconnects allow me to connect to a hydraulic splitter. It's actually intended to mount on a 3pt. Don't remember why we didn't set it up that way other than I think it may be a bit heavy for the little Beaver. So wheels at one end and I tow it at the other. Most of the time I leave it in the same spot and connect the tractor when I want to use it. Tractor has no problems running it, split many cord of wood over the years.

demigodofa · Jul 16, 2012

I took 3 pics of me undoing the disconnect so hopefully you could see how it works. They look like a pin sliced at a 45 degree angle except the bottom section of the pin has a hole drilled in it and the upper section has a pin that penetrates the lower pin and goes thru the lower pin and thru the quick attach plate and thru the loader buckets plate. I guess there are a lot of less complicated ways to accomplish the lacking of those pins, but it looks neat and you can rotate both handles out 180 degrees and they will stay there until you get the bucket attached/detached. I would put a flat section at the end of the handles rotation though so the handle would stay in the "UP" position with certainty. I took a ton of pics with my phone of both the trenching bucket and quick attach plates so you guys could look at them. Also the round holes in the bottom of the quick attach plates keep dirt from building up and getting packed around the pins. Freak I was hoping this was the lightweight option you were looking for.

demigodofa · Jul 16, 2012

techwrtr2 I need to make a grapple! I am going to burn wood coming up soon. I'm going to make an outdoor wood boiler. And while chaining/strapping logs to the bucket is good for my waistline, I think having more weight in the drivers seat is very important to the health of my front diffs.

duwem · Jul 16, 2012

Flip your front wheels around, they are not designed to be in the "wide position" and you will likely end up craking the rims from teh added stress with them mounted out. The guys at Valley Power will tell you about that.

These tractor are VERY narrow for the height and power they are, with a loader on there that would only make it worse, be cautious of side hill work and work with the bucket up in the air.

demigodofa · Jul 16, 2012

duwem, I'm scared to flip them in, the tractor is so narrow as it is. I'm wondering if I made a ring for the outside of the rim then the bolts would distribute the clamping force to a wider area.

techwrtr2 · Jul 16, 2012

I keep my wheels in the factory narrow position. I've read that having them out doesn't do more than make you feel good. Having never tested the stability either way, I don't know for certain.

I have wheel weights on my tractor as well as having a backhoe on it. You could build a ballast box and get your tires filled. You'll find that having weight back there does wonders for how the machine performs. Instead of a ballast box, you could always use a box blade and add suitcase weights as needed. I run a box blade on my JD when I want ballast. Works very well.

The grapple is so useful to me that I've only had the bucket mounted for a couple of months in the last 5 years, ever since I got the JD. Even then, I kept it on most of the time. I sometimes use it for bucking firewood. Mostly it serves to pick things up, move them, and put them down. Rocks, logs, tops etc. When I trim trees, I'll rake along under them with the Beaver finally closing the grapple at the end of the line and drive off with nearly all of them and never have to dismount.

284 International · Jul 17, 2012

demigodofa said:
I have 110 lbs of extra rear weight and when i got off of the tractor the right rear tire was off of the ground 6" at least.

Remember that unless the weight hangs off the rear of the tractor it is actually adding to the load seen by the front axle.

I would also suggest putting the wheel on properly. It will help save your steering box by decreasing the scrub radius. If you really need the stability, I understand why you're doing it, but keep in mind the added stress on the steering box may cause it to break. In a bumpy and/or off-camber situation, things could get ugly quickly.

My personal opinion on these compact tractors is that if reversing the front rims is the difference between rolling over or not, the area is unsafe for operation anyway. I'm definitely not trying to preach, but all of the manuals for all of the tractor builders say not to reverse the front wheels, as do experienced dealers and operators. That's good enough for me.

demigodofa · Jul 18, 2012

Thank you for all of your input. I am going to reverse them back to the factory position. I am glad I've come onto this forum as I wouldn't have known it was the factory position.

demigodofa · Jul 19, 2012

I have some questions. Does anyone know the approx. gpm flow of the hydraulics in this tractor? techwrtr2 how quickly does the splitter you have cycle? Also how powerful is it? I have an aux. hydraulic lever and quick connects on the front of the tractor, I assume I could tie the lever in the open position and the run the splitter as normal? Also if one were to buy a Hydraulic PTO Pump for a Beaver, would the counterclockwise rotation still work with these gear driven pumps? Not knowing anything about hydraulics I'm going to guess not as there is probably a high pressure side, possibly impeller directions or something, I was just curious. Thanks again for your time.

Freakingstang · Jul 19, 2012

The Hyd flow is just under 4 gpm at 2700 rpm. Most Hyd pumps will work spun "backwards" but you have to swap in suction (inlet) and discharge (outlet). He is bypassing his third single spool valve. Basically his setup flows from the Hyd pump, to the loader valves, out the PB (power beyond) to the log splitter valve. On the out side of the splitter PB to the Hyd three point.

With your quick connects, I'm assuming it's coming from a third valve? If so you could utilize that if it had an open center. Meaning it would allow full flow through the valve when in the middle, neutral position. Most valves are set at a closed center though... That's why techwtr disconnects his third valve

techwrtr2 · Jul 19, 2012

I cannot say precisely how fast the splitter works as I haven't used other hydraulic splitters... I think we've got almost 30 or so years on this one and it's still working great. I can say it splits just about anything I toss at it (forks and stumps will give it trouble) and it will be fully retracted before can get the split wood tossed on the truck and the next log in place to split. In other words, it's fast enough for me.

demigodofa · Aug 2, 2012

The loader bar for the top of my bucket curl cylinder finally broke the other day. Th previous owner had bent it, re-straightened a couple of times it looked like. He sleeved it with a piece of pipe but the metal was too fatigued. Here are some pics of the break, and the new one I made with 2 gussets of steel that were just lying in a scrap bin so I welded them on.

demigodofa · Aug 2, 2012

I am also starting to cobble together a grapple bucket. I am using steel scraps that are lying around. My lack of measuring, marking etc. are readily apparent in the pictures, I'm just winging it as I go. It is square though, I just got lazy and held the spacer tabs turned my head and started welding. Needless to say I'm embarrassed at my build quality, design decisions BUT I hope to be grappling brush in a couple of days regardless.

techwrtr2 · Aug 2, 2012

Did you look at the grapple on my tractor? It's very much cobbled together. Angle steel that's a bit bent here/there with flat steel grafted on to extend the teeth. Not a "professional" looking piece at all.

But it works and that is what matters to me.

demigodofa · Aug 3, 2012

Almost done... When you're in the aisle buying hydraulic hoses 3' sounds like a lot, till you tilt the bucket curl all the way down.

It was getting late and I was getting frustrated so I had to put it up for the night. Stripped a hydraulic fitting etc. I was able to raise the grapple arm, looks like it's going to work great. The wife and 2 children allowed me to work on it til 7pm for 2 nights after work. So I actually only have 6 hours of build time into this thing. You should have seen the sparks flying! I would weld on pieces that were hanging over and torch off the overhanging parts, didn't grind a drop of mill scale or rust. I only knocked the torch slag off with a chipping hammer held the pieces up and tacked them, held a square up, smashed said piece with a hammer into the ballpark and welded them out. (I can't let the guy's at work see this thing:ashamed

Tech thanks for the lift, you by far have the coolest tractor on here you bought it and have turned the key on it for what 30 years? Fixed what broke, made what needed makin', I love it. Have a good day all.

demigodofa · Aug 3, 2012

OK I just ran home at lunch and picked up some fittings for the hydraulics. It works good, need longer hoses, which I just had made and a couple of 90 degree fittings to come off of the hydraulic cylinder. I need to gusset the top piece of angle on the bucket; I clamped the grapple onto a log and could have rolled the top of the bucket right over. it is pretty heavy even though it is narrower than my tractor bucket slightly. But there is still a lot of capacity left. But with brush and things this thing is going to be great. I'm going to take the torch to it and lighten it up here and there. I'll put in on the scales before and after for a comparison.

demigodofa · Aug 6, 2012

I was wondering if I could get some help on the front end. I am going through and re-lubing the whole tractor. The front center diff is straight forward. My question lies with the outer 4wd hubs that the king pins must sit in. I'm not sure where to put the oil, is it the plug that's horizontal 1/2 way up? Also is there anything I should do with the steering, I didn't see anywhere to lube the steering box, any help would be greatly appreciated thank you.

demigodofa · Aug 10, 2012

Just ordered these forks, I saw a set on a job site in Mass.which led me to 2 conclusions.
1.The quick attach on my tractor is a Dingo or compact bobcat type.
2. Dingo attachments are perfect size for my tractor. These forks have a lifting capacity of 2500#. The set I saw on my job site were very light weight looking. I found these on e-bay selling for $550. I clicked the make an offer button and offered much less and he accepted.
I'm assuming that the hydraulically powered Dingo attachments would be more than our tractors hydraulic pump could push however. Is this true? I saw a hydraulically powered snow blower, stump grinder, brush hog etc.