New XR4145HC Tractor and new to TractorByNet

[PivotalConnections]

Hello All,

I just recently took delivery of my LS XR4145HC this past weekend. I sold my IH404 w/ loader at auction (went for $3500) which I used rarely as it didn't have a ROPS and my father mostly used it to bushhog. I wanted something newer with a more powerful loader and a cab and decided to bite the bullet and buy new.

I wanted to thank everyone here as I have been lurking for about 6 weeks learning all I can about newer compact tractors. I did the whole Kubota vs. John Deere vs. LS analysis and had many of the same concerns about LS popularity vs. the big names. I couldn't argue the value of LS and the members in this forum all seem happy with their purchase and the percentage of problem posts here wasn't any higher than the John Deer or Kubota posts, so I went with the best value and one for which I felt I had a good dealer. I was able to find good dealers for Kubota and John Deere too, but with the value I found in the LS tractor, I was willing to go with LS if I could find a good dealer.

I want to thank my dealer too, Paige Equipment in Western, NY. They are about 25 minutes away from my home, but 100 miles away from my property where the tractor is. They handled delivery there and worked with me on assuring me that I can affordably work with them to have them support my tractor even through they are 100 miles away. My experience with them so far has been excellent and I would recommend them to anyone looking for a LS tractor or the other lines they carry. They had almost every LS tractor model on the lot too, including the 2000, 3000, 3100, 4000, 4100, 5000 and 7000 series which is unusual compared to the other LS dealers in Western New York.

I look forward to now contributing with my own contributions as I learn more about this tractor, and the implements. Hopefully my contributions will help the next person looking to buy a LS tractor as much as you all helped me.


Anyway, I ended up getting the following from the dealer:

• Tractor!
• LS box blade (appears to be same as King Kutter/Pittsburg Field 233-BB-G-72)
• A OBG2 Grapple
• Hose kits to allow me to use the grapple with my rear remote, dealer installed. I have not done a diverter or true third function on the loader joy stick.
• They welded on three 2" receivers on the bucket (and painted them), as well as one 2" receiver on the back of the box blade (And painted it). I also have 2 2" bars with chain hooks welded on that I can put into the receivers when I want hooks

I then did the rest on my own:

• Radio (Went with a Bluetooth half-depth radio from pioneer). Thanks to info on this site I had the wiring info and Wired it fine, it works great.
• Built a front grill to protect front of engine compartment (Radiator, fan, transmission cooler, etc.) from materials I will be picking up with grapple. I have it 70% done, I have a few modifications to make and I am not sure I am going to keep it as tall (if I do, I need some support up there to keep it from bending). My design is a weldless design and it comes off with three nuts being removed, yet is very strong to prevent 4" limbs from bending it/etc. (I can provide more info if anyone who doesn't have welding equipment wants to make the same).
• Backup and wireless Bucket Camera with center monitor to display both. The wireless bucket camera is string magnetic mount and can also be removed from the tractor and put near the work area so I can use it like a "helper" eye and see from another angle. it has its own 12V power source (using 5 18650 batteries) and wireless video signal. I like having this alternate angle view, very handy when working alone.
• Inclinometer for both axis as my land is very hilly and I just want to know the grade.
• A small boom that installs in the 2" receivers for setting 6x6 poles for decks/pole structures/etc.

New toy:





Sold at auction:

 

[George2615]

Welcome to TBN and congrats on the new tractor.

 

[alexsbuddy]

Welcome, PivotalConnections! Thank you for the post....lots of good information and ideas. I just recently took deliver of a new LS XG3037 and, like you, did a lot of research and dealer visits before deciding that the LS and Walt's Tractors (Stark City, MO) were the choices for me. My new Blue Mule is a lot of fun and and packs a heck of a punch!

 

[elbowroom]

Welcome!

I concur, the information on this site was invaluable to me as well. I didn't even hear about LS until I read this forum.

Not sure why you dumped the 404, your productivity will surely decrease now! ��

 

[Bluesteel]

:welcome:

 

[AllenArmory]

Congratulations on the new tractor! Can you post more details about the bucket camera? Also, how do you plan to use the 2" receivers? I understand how grab hooks on the bucket would be useful, but not the receivers.

 

[Cataclysm]

Congrats on the new tractor and welcome to TBN! Sounds like you have a great setup on your tractor.

I am interested in more info and pics of your radio install please!! Maybe specific model number and how you mounted in the LS radio cubby.

 

[PivotalConnections]

Cataclysm,

Thank you for the welcome.

Here is some info on the Radio I went with. I didn't take a lot of pics of all my work but I'll share what I have.

First, I have to give credit to George2615's post as it provided 1) wiring guide for what all the wires did in the LS harness and this gave me more confidence it would be straightforward (My background is computer/electrical engineering, so I wasn't too worried about it, but having the color codes and what they are sure saves a lot of time!); and 2) it provided some additional information on what to expect and that he was successful.

George2615 didn't have any straight on pictures of the connector. I wanted to find the mating connector (e.g. a metra radio harness) so I could make it a really clean install. Unfortunately, I have yet to find the part number that mates with it. If we can all figure this out and find where to order one it would benefit all LS owners who want to add a radio and have be as plug and play as possible. I did take a picture of it straight on at the dealer before I had it delivered so I could plan my wiring, and I have included that here.

The radio I purchased was a Pioneer MVH-X380BT -- specifically this one:: Amazon.com: Pioneer MVH-X38BT Digital Media Receiver with Short Chassis Design and Bluetooth: Car Electronics

Note this radio is one of the better rated bluetooth radios for a decent price. Note it does NOT have a CD player. It is only half the depth of most radios due to the lack of a CD Player. I just use bluetooth from my phone (spotify, pandora, and locally loaded music), as well as the USB slot to the right (that little vertical white line wit a triangle on it flips open to expose a USB port). I can confirm this radio works great with a iPhone 6S Plus, and with USB sticks with music on them. I also like that when the phone rings it comes through the speakers (much easier to hear over tractor then the small phone speakers), and I can do the hands free as the radio comes with a mic, but its not pactical at operating RPM of 1800+ due to engine noise in cabin, but it would work at idle speeds. For $73 bucks its much more functional than the LS radio.

As I couldn't find the mating connector, I had to come up with my own solution. The Pioneer comes with a harness that plugs into the back of the radio and the other end are just loose wires you can adapt to your car/tractor/etc. One option was to cut the LS connector off and find a mating connector for the Pioneer connector, but I didn't want to modify the tractor in any way so that a future owner if I sold it could still get a stock radio (not sure why they would want one, but it would be an option).

The LS harness is big for a 6 conductor connector. I measured the size of the female sockets in the LS harness and found that a simple AWG 12-10 flat crimp on connector mates with each individual contact perfect. So I bought basically these: Connector, Male, 12-1 AWG, Yellow, Tab .32"x.25", Qty 1 (am-2213) (you can find these are lowes, home depot, etc -- the 12-10 size fits the most snug). Get some female ones too, one will be handy for the constant 12V power source (pink wire) from LS.

I then simply stripped each of the bare ends of the wires on the harness that comes with the pioneer radio for the signals that would mate with the LS harness (7 conductors). Note, the pioneer radio supports more features such as front and rear speaker pairs, and remote (e.g. buttons on steering wheels, etc). So you need to strip just the the 7 signals you need from the pioneer harness (switched power, always on power, ground, front left speaker +, front left speaker -, front right speaker +, front right speaker -).

Then I crimped each of these into the 12-10 flat connectors. I usually push the wire far enough in I can see about 1/16" of it on the other side of the tube. I then solder that down to the flat area to assure a solid connection and that it won't pull out. I don't like to solder them before crimping as the solder will wick up the entire conductor and it will become rigid and likely break behind the crimp point.

6 of those 7 connectors will go directly into the LS harness connector. You just match the signals up comparing the Pioneer harness conductor functions (the manual explains what they all do) with the function/colors of George2615 post I mentioned earlier. If I wrote down how I did it I would provide it here, but I didn't. I could recreate it by looking at the pioneer manual again. Its pretty straight forward.

The only thing I had to do I wasn't crazy about is handle the 12V constant on connector from the LS harness. They don't wire this into the main 6 conductor harness. They have this as a separate little connector. I had no idea what type of connector mated with that either and its too tiny to put any of the flat crimp on connectors on this. I wanted to finish my project so I cut the LS tractor connector off enough back I could re-attach it with solder and heat shrink tube if I removed my radio. I then just put a female version of the 12-10 crimp connector on it and that made a great mate point for the 7 conductors I put the male crimps on. I then just used electrical tape to make sure that any stress on the wires wouldn't pull out any of the individual connectors (although they were a pretty snug fit, I wasn't too worried about it). It's just safer to assure that it couldn't come apart since I didn't have a true mating connector that would lock.

The radio comes with a sleeve (DIN mounting cage) that fits perfectly in the LS hole and you just bend up the little metal tabs all the way around it once its inserted and they make a tight fit. Because the radio is not full depth it will not make contact with the back support bracket that is there for the LS dealer supplier radio option that is there to support the weight of the back of the radio. This radio is so light and its only a few inches deep so it doesn't really need back support. The sleeve fits so solid that I was comfortable not having the back support. After snapping the radio in and putting the border plate in, it looks great and it is solid.

I can confirm that George2615 wiring info is still valid for a XR41## series model as well. I can also confirm that the factory speakers leave quite a bit to be desired. They completely work fine for a tractor, but they do make me think about replacing the speakers at some point.

Other than buying the 12-10 connectors, and having a crimp tool and some solder (optional), everything you need comes in the pioneer radio box for mounting.

Sorry I don't have any pictures of the harness all wired, or the radio installed. My tractor isn't at my house, but at the farm. I'll take a shot when I am there this weekend.

Congrats on the new tractor and welcome to TBN! Sounds like you have a great setup on your tractor.

I am interested in more info and pics of your radio install please!! Maybe specific model number and how you mounted in the LS radio cubby.

 

[PivotalConnections]

I should note that for the constant 12V connectors, I used insulated connectors that are hooded. You don't want that 12V to touch any grounds! You can just use the same connectors and tape it up good, but I did use some hooded connectors that when plugged together completely insulate the connection and then I still taped it...

Cataclysm,

The only thing I had to do I wasn't crazy about is handle the 12V constant on connector from the LS harness. They don't wire this into the main 6 conductor harness. They have this as a separate little connector. I had no idea what type of connector mated with that either and its too tiny to put any of the flat crimp on connectors on this. I wanted to finish my project so I cut the LS tractor connector off enough back I could re-attach it with solder and heat shrink tube if I removed my radio. I then just put a female version of the 12-10 crimp connector on it and that made a great mate point for the 7 conductors I put the male crimps on. I then just used electrical tape to make sure that any stress on the wires wouldn't pull out any of the individual connectors (although they were a pretty snug fit, I wasn't too worried about it). It's just safer to assure that it couldn't come apart since I didn't have a true mating connector that would lock.

View attachment 466614

 

[Cataclysm]

Thank you! Excellent explanation and detail!

 

[PivotalConnections]

AllenArmory,

Congratulations on the new tractor! Can you post more details about the bucket camera? Also, how do you plan to use the 2" receivers? I understand how grab hooks on the bucket would be useful, but not the receivers.

Thanks. I don't have any pictures of the bucket camera, but I'll take some this weekend. I can share what I used.

Purchase list:

• The camera kit (backup and bucket cam): Amazon.com: NEW 9" Wireless Rear VIEW BACK UP monitor with Wireless Transmission Backup Camera FOR FARM TRACTORS DIGITAL WATERPROOF AGRICULTURE Equipment(Included 2 Pcs Digital Wireless Waterproof IR Camera): Car Electronics
• Portable Long Lasting 12V Supply: Amazon.com: QD 185-TY LED Monitor 1865 Battery Charger Box Portable 1865 Power Bank, Regulated 5V 9V 12V, 1A 2.4A USB 2 Ports For iPhone 6 6S Plus iPad Galaxy S7 Nexus Tablet Camera Mp3 Notebook (Black): Cell Phones & Accessories (doubles as a charger for phone if needed and flash light)
• Batteries for the 12V Supply: Amazon.com: [6 PC] NCR1865B 3.7V 34mAh Rechargeable Li-ion Batteries for Panasonic: Electronics These are 3400mAh non-protected 18650 batteries (Similar to what is used in Tesla Car battery packs, although it has hundreds of them)
• (2) 112lbs holding strength magnets to allow me to mount anywhere on tractor: CMS Magnetics(R) 112 LBS Holding Power 1.57" Neodymium Round Base Magnet w/ Countersunk Hole - 1 Ct.: Lift Magnets: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

Ok, so the camera kit comes with the monitor and two cameras. The monitor and cameras JUST need 12V power, there is no need to wire the video signals. The video signals are sent wirelessly and so far that has been a solid signal (E.g. looks as good as wired). The cameras are in nice metal waterproof housings and can be placed outside. They come with metal mounts that you can adjust their angle, and there are multiple screw holes in the mount to either rigid mount it, or just use a center screw so you can twist it. Since I am using magnets, I just used two as I can adjust anyway and with 200 lbs holding force it is solid.

I have my backup camera mounted to the tractor w/ a fixed attachment and it has wiring to the tractor's 12V system, just like the monitor. However, my "bucket/portable" cam was designed to be moved to watch wherever I needed another set of eyes. So it gets its power for the 12V supply with the rechargeable 18650 batteries. That power pack system also has an input so you can CHARGE the batteries using a USB port and I have a USB port in the cab that is powered from the 12V cigarete lighter so I can charge it from the tractor. But with 5 3400mAh batteries, I have 17,000 mAh or 17 Ah of power which is quite a bit for a small battery pack. Those 18650 batteries are impressive. If you don't have a 18650 powered LED flashlight, that is worth having a few of too.

So I wish I could tell you I have a slick case that holds the battery pack and the other camera all together. At this point I just have it working. I am still playing with the final design of how I am going to package them. I like waxman's bucket cam (you can see waxman's posts elsewhere on the forum, he does a very high end customization job on his work) on a stick to get the camera's perspective back more to fit more in. However, since I want my camera to move around, and sometimes not even on the tractor (e.g. I had it pointed at a stump I was working on and found that to be helpful too).


I looked into buying the metal pipe and everything to make a mount that had a plate that my magnets would stick to so I could still move the camera. However, I am going to try a strong selfie stick with tripod like telescoping pole with locks. One strong enough to hold a heavy DSLR which is heavier than the wireless camera. I found this one: Amazon.com : #1 Professional High End Selfie Stick Fugetek FT-568 For Apple, Android, Gopro, & DLSR Cameras, Wireless Bluetooth Remote, US Support : Camera & Photo. I purchased it and plan on mounting it to a metal plate that has multiple magnets to hold it tight. I don't intend it to be on all the time. I am not even sure it will work well, but I like the fact that I can move it. I'll be playing with that this weekend. If it works out, I'll take pictures. I have only had the tractor a week so I am still fine tuning how I want to use my portable second camera. My first goal was just to get it portable with a rechargeable power pack that would last for a loader project. I have accomplished that, so now I am working on improving the ways I can use the camera.

Ok, on to the 2" receivers...

Some key things into my decision:

1. I don't have welding equipment
2. My farm is 90 miles away from where I live.
3. My dealer is 108 miles away from the farm
4. I can't transport my tractor myself (don't have a truck with big enough towing rating or the trailer to do it)
5. Thus if I have a project that needs some innovative front end tool, its expensive to get the tractor to a shop or get a welder to my tractor.
6. I could of had receivers and hooks on the bucket, but I just decided to put the hooks on bars that go into the receiver.

So I put (3) 4" receivers across the top so I can fabricate stuff in the city on 2" bars and then slide them in. I have easy access to welders/etc in town. I could ALSO have purchased a "blank" SSQA plate and fabricated to that, but I think based on my previous tractor w/ loader, I'll need the bucket or grapple on the most, and when the bucket is on, I can put other things off these receivers. Basically, I can make stuff that I want to quick attach to the bucket. For anything I would use a lot, I think making something custom on a SSQA plate is ideal. But for ad-hoc needs where I have some specific rigging I need, I like the receivers.

So things I already have made:

• Raw bars w/ chain hooks on them https://jet.com/product/Curt-49537-8-Long-Solid-Steel-Hitch-Bar/f88b061071884ed98aa9cc4a0c0d8e82 and http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005JC5BIA
• Drop Trailer hitch 2" Ball for just moving trailers on the farm around using the loader arms http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0007M308A
• Large tow hook (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003NBFIOQ)
• Straight out posts (sorta like forks, but not used to pickup pallets, but to make sure a pole, like a telephone pole that you are pusing up can't slide off either side)
• A Boom for putting up poles
• (2 of these) Mount whatever - https://jet.com/product/Curt-Manufa...-12-In-Shank/02515d6096eb4e9e88fb0f89a071f974

That last one has been particularly handy. I can bold that to whatever I want to be quick attach and then slide it into the receiver. If what I want to carry is wider and heavier, I have two of these so I can support it on both ends. These units are heavy too (prolly about 40-50 lbs alone). I also put these into the 2" receiver on my box blade to add weight to it.

Basically, my thinking is to use SSQA for large, commonly used attachments/tools, and then use 2" recievers for smaller, less frequently used tools. Often, I am making something up for a specific project and its just much easier to bolt to that last item then it is to buy another $150 blank SSQA plate and modify it. I just reuse the receiver attachments I have to build what I need.

I have also found that the 2" receivers work well with tow straps like this: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N4U4G5S

Instead of hooking them on hooks, I just put them into the 2" receiver hole and put the pin through the loop in the strap.

 

[Woodshaver]

Got the same grapple. Thing is great, don't know how never had one before!

 

[BradTx]

Great detail, thanks. I actually purchased the same radio about six weeks ago. I don't think the short chassis was needed. The install was simple and quick. One thing I like about the radio is the wired mic for cell phone calls. Even with the tractor running around 2k rpm, I can still be heard and understood when I take a call through the radio.

 

[PivotalConnections]

Although my radio is all wired and working, I have continued to try and identify the connector LS uses so future users can order the right harness to wire up to their radio. I believe I may have found it, but I have not purchased it and tried it, so use this info at your own risk that it could be wrong.

It appears the connector they use is MG610049 for the 6 conductor connector, and MG610089 for the single conductor always-on power source.

The MG610049 is the connector the tractor has and it can be seen here:
KET MG6149 connector, View ket connector, ket Product Details from Guangzhou City Youye Electronics Co., Ltd. on Alibaba.com
or
KET sumitomo housing connector, DJ762A-6.3-21/MG6149/6-6481, 6p, connector, Manufacturer, China | Haidie Electric

However, that isn't what we would need to order, we need the male version that mates with this.

This page appears to show the female and male part: Alibaba Manufacturer Directory - Suppliers, Manufacturers, Exporters & Importers

That page suggest the part to order is MG620048 but looking at it, it does not appear to have the actual male conductors within the housing, so it may be designed to crimp the wires on and insert into that connector. That I am not sure of yet. Another site with the same part looks identical: KET Automotive Connector MG6248, Ket Automotive Connector, Connector on en.OFweek.com



The always on connector (MG610089) on the tractor appears to match this one:
Alibaba Manufacturer Directory - Suppliers, Manufacturers, Exporters & Importers

I have not found the mating connector for this yet either.