Maintenance, Broken Bolts, and Reading the Tractor Owners Manual

Hey it's Brock here with Rock Hill Farms And I'm out here to do some maintenance On my tractor tonight and while I was at It I thought it might be a good time to Talk about some overlooked maintenance Items or things I found in the owner's Manual that maybe I didn't know or Didn't understand So the way this all started is I was Contacted by someone who had the rear Wheel fall off their tractor while they Were driving it and John Deere denied the warranty claim and That kind of brought up a topic of You know the operator or the the owner's Responsibility and finding these Problems before they happen and going Through that I found loose bolts in my Axle my front axle and I actually this Was about a week ago but I haven't Actually installed those yet because They weren't in stock I could have got them overnighted but I didn't want to pay the extra twenty Dollars to overnight Twelve dollars worth of bolts So before we get into stuff from the Owner's manual a couple thoughts I Wanted to share These front axle bolts the loader Mount Bolts and the wheel bolts are in the Owner's manual as something you should Be checking on your tractor but this Interval on those is like 200 hours

You're supposed to check it like at 10 Hours when you first get the machine and Then the next time you're supposed to Check them is it 200 hours 200 hours is a long time if one of these Bolts comes loose at 100 hours you can't Just run it another 100 hours till you Find the problem Your axle is going to fall off before That So I think and I talked about this in my Last video that all of these types of Bolts that have a potential to work Themselves loose should be marked with a Paint pen and that's what I've been Doing Now I've spent most of my life working On equipment But it wasn't this type of equipment but I'm certainly no mechanic But one thing I can say from running a Lot of machines that broke bolts is if You have bolts that are loose And that equipment continues to move With loose bolts you can assume That you know you you've probably Damaged your threads but even more than That because that's there's not as much You can do about that immediately but my Advice would be never reuse those bolts My experience is those Have a tendency to break or these two Were loose you find them and you tighten Them up and then the other two break so

If I find Loose bolts on something like This I'm replacing all of those bolts on That side yeah this bolt has flattened Threads it's seen some abuse and Just there's just no reason to to risk Reusing that The other thing with something like this You definitely want to use a torque Wrench and get that proper torque spec I'm kind of the good and tight guy Get it a couple of ugga Dugas you know But this is not An application where I'm going that way This is too important to me And I think you need to get that torque Exactly to spec now as I go through the Owner's manual I want to point out that I'm not in any way trying to give expert Advice I'm just reading the manual and the Takeaway from that is I think we should All read the manual and try to Understand it I told myself I was going to when I Bought the tractor Like the first day After running the machine I go in the House I skim the manual a little bit I'm Like I'll read that later never did now 650 hours later I'm reading it and I'm finding things in There that are interesting enough that I Should have read them the first week if I did have any advice it would be don't

Buy the service plan from your Dealership When I bought this tractor I bought it With the service plan And I'm not making a complaint about the Price for that or the quality of service They did I think the problem with buying that Service plan number one you are putting Blind trust that someone else is doing What they say they are And if they said they did a certain Piece of Maintenance and they didn't It's your tractor affected not it's not Their problem they're not the ones who Are going to be dealing with it But that's not really it I I think the Odds are you're going to get really good Service from your dealership and they're Going to do good maintenance on your Machine the reason I say you shouldn't Buy that service plan Is because I think if you're going to own a piece Of equipment like this you need to get To know that piece of equipment as Thoroughly as you can And getting in here and doing the Maintenance will teach you about the Machine So That's really my only buying regret is That I wish I had bought that service Plan because I'm 650 hours into this

Machine and I haven't done any of the Service I do you know the daily stuff And I do little things but I have not Done the full service You know This is odd to me They said that this was 70 73 pounds of torque But that doesn't feel like I'm pushing That hard when I hit it If I wasn't using a torque wrench I Would have went a lot tighter than that I guess they know more than me It's not quite guten tight yet That was only about two-thirds of Another godoga All right now that those are installed Go ahead and Mark these all right so I Just said this but I'm going to say it Again this is not expert advice there's Several things in here that Most of it honestly I think I know what They mean but I'm not certain okay so I'm gonna go through these points that Stuck out to me in the manual I'll put The actual clip from the manual on the Screen while I talk about it and the Idea behind me making a video like this That isn't necessarily providing Information is It's a conversation so you guys if you Have anything that you have seen in the Manual that you found interesting that Maybe people don't know or

If you think there's information that Should be in the manual any kind of Thing like that put it in the comments Section and as you're watching this Video read those comments there'll be Some good stuff in there So number one Is going to sound like I'm making a joke Of something very serious because I Guess because I am but uh Stay on the drivelines it'll turn you Into a pretzel I did find it a little Bit funny that in the second warning Label for that Looks like that guy has been completely Pretzled but he's also proclaiming Victory so Seems unlikely Installation of an optional engine block Heater is recommended if operating below Zero degrees Fahrenheit I've started Mine below zero apparently that's the Cutoff point where you you really should Have that engine block heater now what I Find interesting in this it says set Throttle lever to the half to three Quarter throttle position So Seems like conventional wisdom is You start your tractor at a low idle and You let it idle for a while to warm up It's clear in two places I found in the Manual you don't start your tractor and Let it idle at low idle it says half to

Three quarters Is that just a a deer thing is that what Everybody does I wonder what the other Manufacturers say on that All right next shot Starter may be damaged if operated more Than 20 seconds at a time that one seems Like common sense If it won't start wait a couple minutes Got you on that one okay now this is Once again talking about warming up the Engine Is after it started set engine speed Control lever to one half fast position For one minute without load to warm the Engine So they're saying warm up your engine At half throttle It says it only takes a minute Now one of the YouTube channels that I Really like to watch smart guy smarter Than me more experienced probably than Me Um made a comment that he run warms his Tractor up in cold weather for 45 Minutes so that all the fluids are have Time to really warm up and that tractor You know won't know it's Winter it'll feel like a nice summer day For the tractor well I thought that was pretty extreme when I Heard it and I thought in about three Minutes honestly it feels like in about Three to five minutes your tractor is

Going to be pretty warm it's what I Thought at the time So it seems like you can warm the Tractor up in just a couple minutes from What I'm reading here Next thing is about stopping the tractor And this one is something I didn't know Until I had 100 hours on my tractor When you go to stop your tractor set Hand throttle to the low idle position Allow the engine to idle for two minutes Avoid damage do not stop the engine Immediately after a harder extended Operation prevent heat buildup by Running the engine at low idle for two Minutes That's an important piece of information This is all about the region primarily And the fact it's got a turbo on it But soot builds up during times when Engine exhaust temperature is lower Performing extended operations at low Engine speed Or low engine load could result in Needing a parked exhaust cleaning there Are several times in the manual where I Found it mentioning you don't want to Run your tractor at idle for long Periods of time That's building up soot in your DPF Now it's talking about warming up your Tractor again I believe this was in the Cold weather section avoid damage to the Hydraulic system do not exceed two to

Three minutes of warm-up time During cold weather oil does not flow Easily through the filter screen or the Hydraulic system filter the result this Results in slow functionality of the Hydraulic system the hydraulic system Functions normally after the oil warms Up So to warm up your hydraulic system Start the machine and idle at low idle Turn and hold the steering wheel full Left or full right okay so that's all I'm going to say about warming up the Machine it's not a big thing right I don't want to make it like sound like This is some big deal but just takes a Couple minutes To warm up the tractor now this one is Really interesting seems like there's a Lot of confusion about the top link and The three sets of holes for the top link I've asked some people about this and I've seen discussions on it and people Seem to be like oh it doesn't really Matter just pick one or And that apparently isn't the case and It has more to do with the lift angle And how it's changed by how high that is So light and medium draft loads install Center link in the bottom hole so if What you're pulling doesn't pull that Hard like a landscape rake Then you want to use the bottom hole Because the Implement tilts forward

While raising medium duty loads go in The middle hole but if you're pulling Something that engages the ground really Hard something like a subsoiler maybe Or a plow or a ripper You want to use that top hole because When the Implement raises The angle Remains the Same so that's Something that I didn't know maybe a lot Of people don't know those holes are Designated for those reasons one thing I've found is if you're using a Hydraulic top link on this tractor you Have to use the bottom hole okay here's Another one adjust Implement side to Side sway a small amount of sway half to One inch is needed for many implements So that's a target range for how much Side to side movement you want your rear Implement to have here's one that Another YouTube channel I really like my Cluttered garage Has a really popular video about the Fast dump on the loader joystick you go Pass the detent to the right the bucket Is supposed to dump really fast on my Tractor I can just barely tell a Difference that function seems Irrelevant to me but he's got a really Good video on how it can be a good Feature and that maybe a lot of people Aren't even aware that the tractor has But I'm curious does that detent Crossing

That detent to the fast dump position That make a big difference on your Tractor here's one that I'm aware of but I've never utilized properly The rear SUVs one of them has a float Function and I can think of several instances where It would be useful to have float on that And I've never really utilized it one of Those would be Like with a flail mower Or a brush hog with the top link With your brush hog and using that Hydraulic top link you can get some Float in that way your brush hog rides The ground by using that detent here's Another one you can do serious damage if You run the power beyond Disconnected so never disconnect your Power beyond unless you're connecting it To uh an attachment that uses that power Beyond okay now this section is on front Ballast I don't really think I'm that interested In this and I went down a rabbit hole Trying to understand the information in The manual about front ballast The reason I'm not that interested is I Rarely feel the need to take my loader Off a lot of people do take their loader Off and that's why they provide this Information but The front weight bracket for this Tractor cannot hold as much weight as

What the loader weighs so if you're Concerned with loading down the front of Your tractor With weight you're better off just Leaving your loader on but if for some Reason you need to take the loader off There's kind of a complicated Conversation in how John Deere tells you To know how much weight to put on the Front of your tractor and where this is Relevant is the conversation of how Heavy of an Implement can you really mow With on the back I've got a Flame mower that weighs over a thousand Pounds when it's flat out everyone Across the board says that the MX6 is Too heavy for this but it doesn't weigh More than my Flail Mower my tractor Handles that flailmower fine So It is what it is if John Deere says that That mower is too heavy for this tractor I'm not going to argue with them so Here's the chart for the number of Weights you need and this is where it's Way too complicated they have Implement Codes for any Implement made by John Deere you can find and Implement code in The owner's manual And that will tell you based on that Code how many weights you need to hang On the front of your tractor problem is And the forums I was on people were Having a hard time finding Implement

Codes and it makes a difference if You're using it with or without the eye Match and You know the heaviest thing they're Letting you put on the back is like a Implement code 60 which is six 70 pound Weights on the front it's 420 pounds of Ballast right here I just leave my loader on if it was me But All that's in there and like I said I Went through some of this and uh got Pretty confusing it says you should Always operate your tractor with the Rops up and seat belt on but if you ever Take your rocks down take your seat belt Off with the folded drops that's when They want you jumping off the machine if It tips next thing they want you to Always tow this machine with the hood Facing to the back with the front of the Machine to the back of the trailer to Keep your hood from flying open I don't Like hauling mine that way so I've got In the habit of putting a strap over the Hood so it can't fly open I've actually Talked to people who were transporting Their tractor and Hood flew open and did Some damage so be aware of it now the Next thing I found at 600 hours you're Supposed to check your axle thrust bolt Torque And I'm not going to do that tonight Because I just put these bolts in I'm

Going to come back out here and do that Before I use the tractor again but it's One of those things that I talked about With the service I had a 600 hour Service done so so in theory they're Supposed to have already done this but I Don't have that level of confidence that It's done because I didn't do it And I didn't know anything about that if So that's why it's important to read Through your manual there's a Thrust Bolt in here that just Adjust the tension on your your axle Basically Next thing is about DPF during normal Equipment operation the DPF service Interval will depend on the rate at Which Ash accumulates in it generally Exhaust filters On engines Below 175 horsepower will require Replacement at about 3 000 hours So at three thousand hours you can Expect to spend a lot of money replacing The DPF filter I think they're at least a thousand Dollars but I don't know that for a fact On this exact tractor Now how can we Because if depending on how you run your Tractor you might have to replace that At a 500 hours or 5 000 hours so what Are the Factors in that

Number one do not disable the exhaust Filter cleaning unless absolutely Necessary Number two avoid unnecessary idling Don't let your tractor just sit there And run not doing anything and don't Just putt around on it it's not a Four-wheeler or a side by side and I've Been guilty of just taking my grandson For rides on it well this machine is not Made to putt around it's made to work And if you work it you'll have less Regions and less issues with your regen System If possible do not shut off the engine While the indicator light for exhaust Filter cleaning is on Take note of what it tells you on the Display Here's an interesting one for checking The toe in on the tractor it's Essentially checking the alignment on The front end and this is a really Valuable piece of information that I had No idea about it's a pretty simple Process where you mark the wheel and Take a measurement roll it to the back Check that measurement again on those Same marks and it'll basically tell you If you're Your front tires are aligned and I think I'm going to need to do that because my Tie bar that goes in between there I Don't know if I've got the right term

There The tie rod adjustments where you adjust And and get that measurement fixed Mine's actually bent and I've been Meaning to replace it but it's like 600 Bucks so I straightened it out for now But I need to check that on mine next Thing you guys know I love ballast I Have loaded this machine up with ballast Well you can have power loss due to Carrying extra weight put strain on your Tires waste fuel lower productivity and An increased load The fact that this tractor is listed at 2500 pounds and I run it at 5500 pounds Means I'm putting a lot of extra stress On the axles and the tires and the Engine And I've been giving that some thought you Guys think I have too much weight on This thing should I take the wheel Weights off and just run it with the Fluid I was trying to use it as a forklift to Lift at its Max limit on a regular basis Before I got the skid loader and I and I Also work on uneven ground I felt like Every bit of ballast I could get was for The best But as you look at that And then you look at The rear axle capacity 3 900 pounds Front axle capacity

1700 pounds so should never carry more Than fifty seven hundred pounds the way I have this set up I can weigh 5 000 Pounds and carry Another 1500 on the front be way over my Axle ratings and be doing damage So I'm all about the ballasts I still am a Big fan of putting as much ballast as You can on but just be aware of that you Know I may be exceeding my axle ratings Okay here's one Hydraulic flow when you're comparing Tractors and it tells you your hydraulic Flow this tractor has 9.3 gallons per Minute of hydraulic flow but four Gallons per minute goes to the steering And 5.3 to the Implement so that 9.3 Number doesn't mean anything really When you're talking about what you can Run on your Hydraulics it's really 5.3 So just be aware that you may have a Couple different numbers there and it Can be confusing Ground speed on the tractor 5.7 miles Per hour in low range and 15.4 in high Range Now the next one This is Calculating permissible Mass And uh I used to love math took all the Advanced math I could get I do not have it in me to calculate my

Permissible math maybe you guys do Probably a good idea But 20 of the vehicles total unladen Mass must be on the front axle Like that's a lot of math and that's why I said you mainly need to trust what They tell you as far as capabilities All right now we have all the service Intervals And one that I'd missed Is I was I paid for my service plan and That meant I got all my service done and I was doing my own daily service and Lubricating and all that but I was only Taking the tractor in for 200 hour Service and at 50 hour every 50 hours You're supposed to check your front axle Oil and I was just leaving that to them To do and that means I wasn't doing it Frequently enough you can go through all Of this and just Verify that you're doing the maintenance You're supposed to do I don't know that may have been kind of A boring video but I found some Interesting topics in there and my big Takeaway is Do your own maintenance Read your manual And try to familiarize yourself with the Machine Anyway I appreciate you taking time to Watch this video I'll put links on the Screen to a couple more of our videos

And I'll see you next time