Thanks for helping me get this :)

[Rob41]

Thanks, I feel pretty thankful to get this tractor.

 

[oldpilot]

Plastic lasts a long time. I bought a Korean microwave at BJ's Wholesale Club some years ago, and about ten years later I noticed that the controls seemed to be disintegrating. I investigated and found that I'd never removed the plastic store protection. Did that, and it lasted another ten years. It was still going strong when the spouse decided she deserved a new one. This one from China, sigh.

 

[JWR]

As others applaud, me too -- I think buying at 435hrs a barn-kept or garage-kept machine that does not look like it was beat up is just about the perfect compromise between buying new vs finding a good one used. It will outlast you and I would expect be reliable.

About the filters -- you can't really tell from them about oil changes nor is it all that important.

About tire notching: Don't do it. The benefits are negligible if not negative. The last time I notched tires was my tricycle when I was 5 years old and I still regret it. I expected it to do better in mud and maybe it did but the damage was worse than the benefit -- as it would be for your Kubota.

I have never owned a cab model and in my circumstances that's a good thing. I'd have torn it to pieces bush hogging and bouncing around. I assume you checked the cab features like heat and air conditioning. Cabs are full of things to go wrong but in adverse weather obviously worth it.

For next spring: Tillers are hard to go wrong in that you'll never put that many hours into one (I bet) and getting some good brand that is not worn out is pretty easy to do. The grapple is going to be a much-used tool if you have any farm connections, woodlands or woodsy things to do. May be on the tractor more than the bucket. Thankfully you have a skid-steer compatible quick attach (SSQA) on your loader so there are hundreds of things that fit to pick from.

Grapples are readily available for SSQA mounting and you need not go for the high priced spread nor the ones that are very heavy and 'heavy duty' claiming. Many on the market. I like the ones made in the cottage industry that seems to breed among themselves down in the Carolinas and makes near identical units. I use the Wildkat brand (same as Mid-state or Pro-Works) in the $1500 bracket new weighing 785 lbs and mostly made of 3/8" steel. Teeth are pairs of 3/8" plate and yet described as medium duty. Heck it is indestructible in reasonable usage I think. I found I could pick that sort of tool up at a dealer with nothing more than my pickup truck and save some $.

For my limited knowledge/skills I think having the 3rd function controls installed on your tractor is better than doing yourself. If you have the extra remote in back for hydraulics it is an "any shop" kind of job or do it yourself & just use one of your remotes and in-cab control valve. But the first class way to do it is (what you alluded to) with the 3rd function in the loader valve joystick and I'd have that done by a tractor shop.

 

[Buzzard7]

After lurking and hopefully learning from everyone here, I finally got my first tractor today.

It's a 2012 Kubota M7040 with 435 hours that's been garage kept all these years. Got the zerks greased up today, the coolant tested good, changed the wiper blade and peeled all the factory plastic off the seat....it's mine now.

Tomorrow I'll change the oil and filter, fuel filter, check fluid in the diffs, transmission fluid and install my LED headlights and change all the other aux lights/turn signal bulbs to LED as well. I'm sure I'll think of more. In a few days I'll pick up my 85" 3 point snow blower from the Kubota dealership down the road. They said something about having to cut the PTO shaft to fit the M7040. Also my tire groover will be here in a couple days so I'll be able to groove the tire lugs for a bit better traction.

Thanks for all the experience you guys have.....I'm sure I'll need assistance again.

Anyway, here are a few pics

The "other" orange ride sitting in the barn is my daughter's car.

Good choice. I have a 2007 model of the same tractor (no cab - my bad). It does everything I need on my 90 acre cattle “ranch”. I love it.

 

[Buzzard7]

After lurking and hopefully learning from everyone here, I finally got my first tractor today.

It's a 2012 Kubota M7040 with 435 hours that's been garage kept all these years. Got the zerks greased up today, the coolant tested good, changed the wiper blade and peeled all the factory plastic off the seat....it's mine now.

Tomorrow I'll change the oil and filter, fuel filter, check fluid in the diffs, transmission fluid and install my LED headlights and change all the other aux lights/turn signal bulbs to LED as well. I'm sure I'll think of more. In a few days I'll pick up my 85" 3 point snow blower from the Kubota dealership down the road. They said something about having to cut the PTO shaft to fit the M7040. Also my tire groover will be here in a couple days so I'll be able to groove the tire lugs for a bit better traction.

Thanks for all the experience you guys have.....I'm sure I'll need assistance again.

Anyway, here are a few pics

The "other" orange ride sitting in the barn is my daughter's car.

Good choice. I have same model and love it.

 

[ljjhouser]

Looks about as close to new that you can get in a used machine. Congratulations, Great choice and find in tough times.

 

[Rob41]

Looks about as close to new that you can get in a used machine. Congratulations, Great choice and find in tough times.

Thanks. You mention "tough times" and I see it everywhere. Shortages of many things and what you can get the prices are through the roof. I figured I better not let this slip away or I'd regret it.

 

[Fxfymn413]

This coming summer I'll be getting a tiller, set of forks and adding a third function for a grapple

Congrats; very nice find and I'm sure you will love it.

I know this is almost heresy to advocate this on this site, but I would not get a third function to operate a grapple because you have no reliable way to feather the operation of the grapple. Instead I'd use the rear remotes which are controlled by a real valve.

I spent the money to put a third function on my 4060, used it for one day and went back to using the rear remotes like I had on all of my previous tractors. I even tried using a flow control valve on the third function, but that didn't work either.

My grapple is part of my pallet forks and I use it to secure loads as well as a way to hold brush and logs on the forks. As such I need to be able to softly open/close the grapple to hold what is occasionally a pretty fragile load or to slowly release a log into the dump trailer. The fast action of the third function just didn't do that for me.

Just my $.02 based on my experience.

 

[Rob41]

Thanks for your input. I don't need to to a lot of work fast and would much prefer to be able to finess the grapple.

 

[Jchonline]

Very well kept machine. Enjoy.

 

[Jchonline]

Congrats; very nice find and I'm sure you will love it.

I know this is almost heresy to advocate this on this site, but I would not get a third function to operate a grapple because you have no reliable way to feather the operation of the grapple. Instead I'd use the rear remotes which are controlled by a real valve.

I spent the money to put a third function on my 4060, used it for one day and went back to using the rear remotes like I had on all of my previous tractors. I even tried using a flow control valve on the third function, but that didn't work either.

My grapple is part of my pallet forks and I use it to secure loads as well as a way to hold brush and logs on the forks. As such I need to be able to softly open/close the grapple to hold what is occasionally a pretty fragile load or to slowly release a log into the dump trailer. The fast action of the third function just didn't do that for me.

Just my $.02 based on my experience.

Tractor grapples really are made for fine control. If you want that you need an excavator.

So you have a separate lever for controlling the grapple open/close instead of the buttons on the loader joystick, or did you rig something else to work?

No way I would use a rear remote for my grapple ....but to each his own!

 

[mike0000]

Awesome Tractor you have there!
Not sure if you plan to buy new or used on the Tiller, just a heads up if you plan to buy new.
I ordered my tiller (for next spring) from Rural King 10-8-21
its expected delivery date (to local store) is 12-31-21 - 01-28-22.

Mike

 

[JWR]

Tractor grapples really are made for fine control. If you want that you need an excavator.

So you have a separate lever for controlling the grapple open/close instead of the buttons on the loader joystick, or did you rig something else to work?

No way I would use a rear remote for my grapple ....but to each his own!

I'm losing your intent with that first sentence. Huh ?

As for using the rear remote, I operate my grapple that way all the time. It has become one of the most-used tools on the tractor. I know of no reason not to operate the grapple that way, but as you say that's just me. For the OP, I think it's mainly a question of whether he has plenty of remotes on his new-found gem of a tractor.

 

[Jchonline]

I'm losing your intent with that first sentence. Huh ?

As for using the rear remote, I operate my grapple that way all the time. It has become one of the most-used tools on the tractor. I know of no reason not to operate the grapple that way, but as you say that's just me. For the OP, I think it's mainly a question of whether he has plenty of remotes on his new-found gem of a tractor.

My intent…even with the M62 which has factory plumbed 3rd function it still doesn’t allow for fine control…say picking up an egg without breaking it Or picking up something heavier you dont want to shatter into pieces. It is hard to pickup a pile of dead limbs without breaking them into pieces…no such issue with the backhoe. You can do that with a real backhoe, or an excavator. Thats what I meant. Maybe you can do that if you are using a rear remote to control it…but at what cost?

May I ask how you are operating the grapple with the rear remote? Is it via the normal valve control stick you use to actuate any other implement on the rear remotes or did you setup something different?

 

[JWR]

I operate the grapple using the remote valve control used to actuate any other attachment. Maybe I'm just not too particular with fine control.

 

[Jchonline]

I operate the grapple using the remote valve control used to actuate any other attachment. Maybe I'm just not too particular with fine control.

I’m not either…its for grabbing stuff you usually dont care about breaking after all!

So you have to take your right hand off of the loader joystick to actuate the grapple claw with the rear remote Control lever?

 

[JWR]

Yes. I do have to move the right hand back and forth between controls but that is just a second or so time wise and you can't do two things concurrently with open center hydraulics anyway (such as close a grapple while raising the loader) so I'm only out a second or so per move. For sure it would be a luxury to have all that on the joystick with just a button to go back and forth between modes of the joystick.

Not that you want to hear it , but ... I had a boat lift accident which tore my right shoulder pretty much completely apart 2yrs ago and resulted in a reverse right shoulder replacement... so moving the right hand around from joystick to remote lever, etc. has been both a challenge and good exercise for my shoulder. In the early days I couldn't get the hand up on the joystick without left hand assist but I can now. Good long-term rehab I suppose. Lot of nerve damage made the surgery less than fully successful.

 

[K5lwq]

Thanks for your input. I don't need to to a lot of work fast and would much prefer to be able to finess the grapple.

You can do several things. One is use the rear remote as suggested or you can go with a diverter vs a true third function. That would let you push a button and use your curl or lift of you bucket to move the grapple. Then just release the button and your loader works normal.

I changed out my loader valve with a three spool valve so I could feather the grapple on my Kioti. On the Branson I have a true third function and to be honest I do not mind either. They both work well for me.

 

[Rob41]

I think for now I'll go with a true third function for the grapple. If I decide I need something different I can always set that up later.

@mike0000, I think I need to think about getting the tiller and maybe a coiuple other things ordered now so I have them this summer.

 

[Jchonline]

Yes. I do have to move the right hand back and forth between controls but that is just a second or so time wise and you can't do two things concurrently with open center hydraulics anyway (such as close a grapple while raising the loader) so I'm only out a second or so per move. For sure it would be a luxury to have all that on the joystick with just a button to go back and forth between modes of the joystick.

Not that you want to hear it , but ... I had a boat lift accident which tore my right shoulder pretty much completely apart 2yrs ago and resulted in a reverse right shoulder replacement... so moving the right hand around from joystick to remote lever, etc. has been both a challenge and good exercise for my shoulder. In the early days I couldn't get the hand up on the joystick without left hand assist but I can now. Good long-term rehab I suppose. Lot of nerve damage made the surgery less than fully successful.

On the M62 you can do both at once. Guess I am spoiled lol. Glad to hear your setup has forced some tractor time physical therapy! I wish you healthy tractoring Sir!