Tools of the Trade- Tractor

I'm going to start this by being painfully honest with you. I am an engineer, not a mechanic or technician, and I'm not even a particularly practical kind. After going to school for chemical engineering and working in a polymers labs, I found employment as an inline inspection applications engineer in the semiconductor industry. This means I have the confidence to attempt almost anything mechanical without the experience and knowledge necessary to be effective. Bearing this in mind, I'm more than happy to share my personal experiences, for better or worse. If you know even less about these things than I do, perhaps verify my ideas with a more reputable source. And if you are the more reputable source, you're welcome for the following entertainment.

The first and probably most empowering piece of equipment I want to discuss is our compact utility tractor. Due to the proximity of the dealer, good experiences of friends, and a personal affinity for Japanese engineering, I went with a Kubota for our big purchase. Arriving at the dealer to spec out a B-class unit, we were quickly talked into considering an LX2610 that had been ordered and delivered before the original buyer decided to upsize. Upsizing seems to be an excellent plan when it comes to tractors, since you're always going to want a bigger one eventually.

The LX turned out to be the perfect size for the first tractor on our property. It has the weight and capability to operate 60” implements, carry half-ton round bales on the loader, and handle fairly-capable ground-engaging gear. At the same time, the reduced weight compared to its half-sibling L-series prevents it from doing damage on lawns, the footprint and frame maneuver well in the woods, and that ‘X’ means we got a few bonus creature comforts. Combined with the upgraded R14 tires, the LX’s compromises have delivered an effective multipurpose tool.

The 26 horsepower diesel has its limits, but what it doesn't have is complex maintenance and complicated emissions components. I prefer breathing fresh air, but until I'm able to replace a diesel tractor with something fully electric, I'll accept the trade-off of mechanical simplicity. As mentioned at the opening, I'm an impractical engineer. I don't mind the whine of the HST, and again, simplicity of operation wins our over a geared transmission, but the exhaust note of the diesel is louder than I'd like. A large part of this consideration is the proximity of our neighbors, but would also be nice to communicate more easily with the throttle anywhere above idle.

Realistically, most tractor buyers aren't prioritizing NVH, and the engine runs smoothly when revved up to the 2500 rpm necessary to get all 19 PTO horsepower into an implement at the 540 rpm standard. Currently our most power-intensive implement is a 60” rotary cutter, and that power is enough to scalp the boulders that sprout from our soil every spring. Most recently I purchased a cheap 14” single-bottom moldboard plow, and I have to say that I'm more than satisfied with the combo. That's not to say this is a particularly impressive application; with our dense, rocky clay soil (and no coulter, cheap plow indeed), I'm finding an optimal rate of plowing covers an acre in a long five hours. I may be able to improve that with experience, but if this is going to be your primary use case, go find one of those more reputable sources I mentioned and spec out something more powerful.

The tractor experience is centered on your set of implements. First, I'm going to start with some regrets. We really should have splashed on the backhoe. Although this is one of the more expensive options, it is undoubtedly one of the most useful we don't own. The power-beyond options for hydraulic three-point implements would've been a welcome bonus as well. A factory third-function could have been nice, but mostly to save myself the trouble of installing one later. Aside from that, the only other regret is not getting more mounting options for suitcase weights as ballast. This is the same principle as the third-function kit; I am now more inclined to work around the capability gap than fix it myself.

Our current set of implements are ever-growing, but we started with a box blade, rotary cutter, and forks and a bucker for the loader. The only other powered tool we have added to date is a basic spreader for seed and pelleted fertilizer. While the box blade and its rippers have proven invaluable, we have since augmented its abilities with a drag harrow, disc harrow, middle buster, and the aforementioned moldboard plow. The drag harrow is an underrated hero, and can also be pulled by our zero turn mower. Even better, I've chained it behind our disc harrow, box blade, and spreader. It would be convenient to get a three-point lift frame for the drag, but that isn't the top priority among future acquisitions.

What I have been putting off for that next acquisition is a post holer. The cost isn't particularly prohibitive for the grade of PTO-powered auger we need, but the thought of manually backing out an auger caught on shale four feet below the surface of our dense clay is not appealing. Getting a loader-mounted hydraulic auger would be great, but they do come at a price premium. Once we add that third-function kit, it would only be a matter of time until we added on a grapple and maybe even a hydraulic winch. A list of relatively cheap extras would include a larger light-duty bucket, a three-point carryall, bale spear, and stump bucket.

Beyond that, we get to a list of ambitions and nice-to-haves. The bucket and box blade combo have served me well for snow removal, but a snowblower would be transformational in handling heavy snow back to the horse paddocks. In a comparison similar to the auger debate, I would have trouble choosing between front- and rear-mount blowers. As I have no plans for a mid-mounted finish mower, I am inclined to go with a more costly front-mounted blower to justify the existence of the LX series’ mid-PTO.

The front-mounted blower would also do wonders to save my neck and back from undue strain, which is a point reflected in one of my more recent modifications: a ROPS-mounted backup camera. It isn't flashy, but being able to monitor furrows, mown fields, hopper load, and more without twisting around is a vertebrae-saver. I finally expanded the on-tractor storage with a larger behind-seat utility box and a pair of ROPS-mounted ammo boxes. I've got a set of tool-mounts along the top bar as well, but we haven't had time to put them to heavy use.

It took me a while to get around to adding extra lighting, mostly relying on portable flood lights clamped to the ROPS, but this year I added on a pair of pod lights and a light bar, with wiring run through the ROPS and terminated in DG plugs. A degree of modularity was important as I anticipate inevitable damage during forest work. A forum-sourced suggestion to mount the lights on heavy-duty magnets has led to a few recrimpings of the DG pigtails, but I still think this is a worthwhile plan. Already I have an option to swap between side-mounted spot or flood pods. A small but useful upgrade was replacing the stock incandescent headlight bulbs with LEDs. Newer model years already come this way, and the illumination spectrum noticeably improves the usability of the headlights, even if can't do anything to work around the position of the loader.

A friend of mine is planning to upgrade his 26hp L-series with a turbo kit, and the idea appeals to me, but is also mildly terrifying. The weight of the LX makes it suboptimal for many of the higher horsepower implements anyway, so an older 75hp IH would probably be a wiser investment if I want to run more bottoms on the plow or start haying. If we don't get there though, I have my eyes on a set of minimal-power haying gear. An old-school sickle bar mower may not be as effective as modern discbines, but it would give me a tool to maintain ditches and pond banks. A belt rake and mini round baler would likely give me the best results possible with the LX, but I'll be sure to update you all if we get to that point.

Whether or not we get ourselves a nice MX or a classic IH one day, the LX will continue performing valuable duties around the house, shuttling hay, and clearing woodlot trails. I don't foresee a need to replace the LX2610 for a long time. Even then I would be waiting to see if future battery-powered models deliver on their potential to change the maintenance routine and improve on NVH.