# Several months with new tractor and attachments. A few thoughts and questions.



## kcash1

I've had my New Holland Boomer 35 with loader for about 4 months now. I've gone bonkers and bought all kinds of stuff for it:

6 ft New Holland shredder
Land Pride disc harrow
Land Pride box blade
Middle buster plow
County Line 5ft rototiller
4ft row builder
Bucket teeth
And the craziest purchase... A grapple. Had to have a rear remote added with the lines run back to the front. Lots of fun.

I'm 'getting pretty good at operating everything but I'm not quite there yet. I thought I'd post a few thoughts and see if I can learn something from your responses. I

The shredder kept popping shear bolts. I think I remedied the situation by not engaging the PTO at anything other than idle RPMs.

It would be nice to be able to adjust the toplink without having to disconnect. Is this possible?

Grading my driveway with a box blade has been challenging. I've gotten better but when I go over the hills, its quite a challenge to get the smooth finish I'm after. I tried to repair some potholes by ripping with the scarifier and adding material but the scarifier lines seem to wash right out. Overall, I've improved the driveway since I purchased the property but wish I could do better.

Disc Harrow was a dumb purchase. Rototiller was brilliant. 1/4 acre garden is in the works.

I usually don't run the tiller or mower at the 540rpm mark. I usually run the tractor around 1500rpm. Am I doing this wrong?

I've tried several methods of removing prickly pear but if you've never tried it, the grapple attachment works beautifully.

The canopy is gonna have to go. It's nothing more than a way to stir up the wasp nests as I pass under the trees. (and catch my garage door/shop door, I always forget its there)

I keep finding things I want such as Pats Premium quick connects, a PTO driven spreader, a landscape rake, and a post hole digger.


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## jhngardner367

Congratulations...you're a farmer !
Farmers learn by doing,and they learn that some things work,and others don't.
They learn to read the weather,and soil,and they do it by working at it.
But,most of all,they learn to love it,and to feel pride in their work.

Well done !


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## kcash1

Yep. I'm the definitive Jack of All Trades, master of none. I know a little bit about a lot of things. Read all you want but getting out and doing it is what matters.


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## jhngardner367

I spent my early years working a family farm,and loved it.
Too many people, though ,think that once the crops are in,you just sit back and watch them grow. LOL!
They don't realize how much back-breaking work it takes to farm even a small farm,and make it work!
As for Jack of all trades... it's WONDERFUL,isn't it !!
Godspeed,and if I can help with anything,give me a shout.
Where are you,anyway ? South west?


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## kcash1

Waco, TX. And yes, just the first day of sowing seeds (only about a 1/4 of the garden so far), and my back was killing me. It was a beautiful day to be in the country though.


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## ben70b

Ya it's a lot easier on drive shafts and u-joints when you engage at idle speed then accelerate to working speeds. I think you will find several applications for that disk as you go. You may consider using it for a primary tillage tool, maybe you might use it to break up residue after u harvest. As far as grading a road goes, that can be an art, keep working at it from different directions. I would love to have a grapple, I gotta rent one this month sometime, there is a bunch of 30 year old hay in my barn and the grapple/skid steer seems like the ticket to get it out and burn it. I gotta make a spot for a bunch of pigs. Some of us, me for sure, were born and raised on a farm and take for granite the knowlage that has been passed down to us thru generations. I thank god for it cause it would be a bitch to be out on my own learning from scratch. You will learn a lot as you go and don't be afraid to ask questions, that is why we all come to this spot.


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## pogobill

kcash1 said:


> I've had my New Holland Boomer 35 with loader for about 4 months now. I've gone bonkers and bought all kinds of stuff for it:
> 
> 
> It would be nice to be able to adjust the toplink without having to disconnect. Is this possible?


You can easily adjust the top link if you work the three point hitch to take the brunt of the weight off of your implement. If that doesn't work for you, there is a unit out called a Hydraulink - Category 1, Self Contained Top Link. It has a valve that you can operate that will allow the link to extend or collapse and then lock into place wherever want. Pricey, but seems to be an interesting rig.


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## ben70b

Can u post a pic of the top link on your tractor? I'm not familiar with that tractor.


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## Fluid

Have you ever thought about using a harrow drag for your drive. They work great for leveling gravel roads and the like. Theres two sides to them, the side with the spikes breaks up the packed gravel and the other side works good for leveling things out and filling the low spots. I use mine on my gravel road to my barn and stables, leveling dirt for grass seed after digging holes. I love mine.


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## kcash1

> You can easily adjust the top link if you work the three point hitch to take the brunt of the weight off of your implement. If that doesn't work for you, there is a unit out called a Hydraulink - Category 1, Self Contained Top Link. It has a valve that you can operate that will allow the link to extend or collapse and then lock into place wherever want. Pricey, but seems to be an interesting rig.


I've been reading about hydraulic top links. I need to look and see where the control for my grapple (which is run off the rear remote I added) feeds from. If the connects at the rear are after the control stick, then surely I could just unhook the rear connects for the grapple and connect straight to a hydraulic link when needed. I doubt its run this way though. 



> Can u post a pic of the top link on your tractor? I'm not familiar with that tractor.


Pic is attached a long with a few of my other toys.



> Have you ever thought about using a harrow drag for your drive. They work great for leveling gravel roads and the like. Theres two sides to them, the side with the spikes breaks up the packed gravel and the other side works good for leveling things out and filling the low spots. I use mine on my gravel road to my barn and stables, leveling dirt for grass seed after digging holes. I love mine.


That sounds like it may be worth a try. I've seen a few and it seemed expensive for what it looks to be. Seems like it shouldn't be more than $150 or so. I've also heard that the springs from an old mattress would work. I'm guessing it's not heavy enough but surely that can be overcome.

I Also threw in some of my workshop in my garage. It's a triple garage but could have been a four if they put a door in front of the shop area. After the tiny little spot I had before, this is a dream come true. I keep adding shelving and tweaking it here and there. I think its all I'll ever need.

I also have a 2400ft2 metal shop building on the other side of the property. Its at the road though and I can't hear or see it from the house. Don't won't my stuff ripped off so its just a huge shed.

On top of all that there is a doublewide mobile home that's in excellent shape. I took out two of the bedrooms and now have a place for my pool table, kegarator, guitars, and drums.


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## pogobill

Nice set up there, kcash1.
In regards to the "self contained" top link I mentioned, it is just that...... self contained. It doesn't hook to anything. Check it out on the web, there is a video of it on there somewhere!
Have fun, and think about what you need to do the work you want with your tractor, and don't buy something that you may only use once or twice. Send me the money instead!
Have fun with your stuff!


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## ben70b

Hmmm, if you lower the 3 point mounted implement to the ground and loosen that lock nut you should be able to spin that sleeve one way or another to adjust the length of the top link right or am I missing something? I use the terms leave for a lack of a better term in my vocabulary. 


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## ben70b

I yeah, nice shop, and nice table saw, I too have a rigid table saw. Didn't we have a contest for best shop of the month on here or did I dream that? 


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## kcash1

That table saw was free. Built up some Amex reward points. Cashed them in for Home Depot gift cards. Printed out the Harbor Freight 25% off coupon. (this was a long shot but it has worked for others since they honor competitors coupons). Ended up walking out with the table saw, the cheapo Ryobi drill press (which really isn't that bad) and a nice forstner bit set.

Of all the toys I've bought, the Polaris Ranger has gotten the most use. Its the shuttle between the mancave, shed, and workshop. I also turned my 13 year old daughter loose with it. I figured getting her behind the wheel of something early on might help her prepare for driving a real car before long.


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## Thomas

I say you got the tractor fever bad..and there ain't no cure.

Your doing just fine in what I read and see,you keep that positive attitude going things will fall into place.


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## Rattosh51

"I usually don't run the tiller or mower at the 540rpm mark. I usually run the tractor around 1500rpm. Am I doing this wrong?"

Run your tractor at wide open throttle to get maximum cooling to the engine.
Your operator's manual should state what you should be running it at. I have the little brother Boomer25, with 60" belly mower and loader....love it!
Have fun!!


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## OldBuzzard

:ditto:

PTO powered implements should ALWAYS be run at their rated speed.

They are designed to work best at that speed, and at 'rated PTO speed' you will actually have less wear and tear on the engine as it won't be lugging.

You will especially notice a difference in the quality of the cut when you are mowing. Running at rated speed gives you the blade speed you need to get a clean cut as opposed to a low blade speed that just tears off the grass blades.

You engine is designed to run at the rated PTO speed all day long every day.

ANY time you are actually working the tractor, open it up and let it work the way it's supposed to.


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## kcash1

Alright, thanks. Will do. The guy that sold me the tractor suggested about 1500 RPM to save fuel. I did some more shredding yesterday and ran it at about 1800 rpm. This was going in High range, 1st gear. It was some fairly thick stuff and she wasn't even breaking a sweat. I will try it at 2500 rpm next time. 

Check out my bluebonnets btw. I guess the last owner must have seeded it. Growing on about 15 of my 40 acres.


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## Ed Hill

RE: boxblade. I have had very good luck grading my 650 foot driveway with a boxblade. I do not use the scarifiers; I make several passes with the box tilted to take a small amount off the surface. I have filled potholes and evened the high spots so that I typically can make a couple passes with a landscape rake and have the drive look good. In our area, we use a material called "staymat" which is crushed stone half inch and smaller, for top finish. It packs well and stays in place pretty well. We do not have cacti growing in our fields, so there may be other differences to factor in.


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## msheron

kcash1 said:


> I've had my New Holland Boomer 35 with loader for about 4 months now. I've gone bonkers and bought all kinds of stuff for it:
> 
> 6 ft New Holland shredder
> Land Pride disc harrow
> Land Pride box blade
> Middle buster plow
> County Line 5ft rototiller
> 4ft row builder
> Bucket teeth
> 
> *The shredder kept popping shear bolts. I think I remedied the situation by not engaging the PTO at anything other than idle RPMs.*
> 
> *It would be nice to be able to adjust the toplink without having to disconnect. Is this possible?*


Awesome my friend! I too have a two week old New Holland Workmaster 40 so it is similar to your setup minus the bells and whistles your Boomer has.

You figured out the PTO engagement I see. I too had same issue. I failed to read the fine print in the rotary cutter manual of engaging at idle speed rather than full bore 2510 engine rpm!!!! I sheared two bolts quickly!

If you mean the center top arm of the 3 pt system it should turn to adjust while attached to your implements. In fact that is how you fine adjust what you have attached. There should be two grab rails so to speak that you grip and turn either way to adjust.

Maybe I am wrong on what your referring to but if not it will adjust without removing. It even has a lock nut once you get it adjusted to cinch up against the top arm to make sure it does not back off or work loose.

Hey, good luck and congrats! And the one poster is right...................practice turns to perfection! I too am having the dealer add the 3rd valve to my tractor to acommodate a future grapple!!! Smart investment in my book!

I am going to do my first brush cutting this weekend on our acreage with the King Kutter rotary cutter I bought. Have about 3-4 acres out of 21 that need cutting.


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## msheron

Rattosh51;190626[B said:


> ]"I usually don't run the tiller or mower at the 540rpm mark. I usually run the tractor around 1500rpm. Am I doing this wrong?"[/B]
> 
> Run your tractor at wide open throttle to get maximum cooling to the engine.
> Your operator's manual should state what you should be running it at. I have the little brother Boomer25, with 60" belly mower and loader....love it!
> Have fun!!


Yes always like others stated run the implement that the PTO is running at 540 rpm. The tractor should state on the panel what the engine rpm is that achieves the 540 PTO rpm. 

I would engage at idle which for the WM 40 I have is right at 1200 then slowly feather up to the 2500 which I believe will be right at it. Mine states 2510 engine rpm to get 540 PTO rpm. That way no stress on the initial kick in of the PTO to the shaft which transfers all that power and torque to a grade 2 shear bolt. Hopefully less eating bolts that way. Some have suggested going to a grade 4-5 shear bolt but I would steer away since that could possibly damage the gear box on a implement. I much rather replace a $1 shear bolt than a grear box any day!:lmao:

Nice tractor you got there!


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## Joehajek

Hi I've got a New Holland WorkMaster35 I was just finishing up shredding I lifted the shredder up and it won't go down. What am I missing here I know it's something simple but have no clue what been working great all day until just now.


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## willy81

msheron said:


> Awesome my friend! I too have a two week old New Holland Workmaster 40 so it is similar to your setup minus the bells and whistles your Boomer has.
> 
> You figured out the PTO engagement I see. I too had same issue. I failed to read the fine print in the rotary cutter manual of engaging at idle speed rather than full bore 2510 engine rpm!!!! I sheared two bolts quickly!
> 
> If you mean the center top arm of the 3 pt system it should turn to adjust while attached to your implements. In fact that is how you fine adjust what you have attached. There should be two grab rails so to speak that you grip and turn either way to adjust.
> 
> Maybe I am wrong on what your referring to but if not it will adjust without removing. It even has a lock nut once you get it adjusted to cinch up against the top arm to make sure it does not back off or work loose.
> 
> Hey, good luck and congrats! And the one poster is right...................practice turns to perfection! I too am having the dealer add the 3rd valve to my tractor to acommodate a future grapple!!! Smart investment in my book!
> 
> I am going to do my first brush cutting this weekend on our acreage with the King Kutter rotary cutter I bought. Have about 3-4 acres out of 21 that need cutting.
> 
> For y'all that want a grapple check this out! Add-A-Grapples-Single, Double, Pallet Fork Grapple - Ask Tractor Mike
> 
> willy


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