Above 1200 Sq/FT The Warthog Hidey Hole

[XJSuperman]

uh oh...

 

[jbmatth]

Well I made the trip over to pick up the bale spear and the 200 gallon sprayer, paid and loaded those two and moved the tractor out of the auction lot so the gentlemen helping me could lock up and head home. While waiting on a friend with a bigger trailer to load it up I started checking it out more and noticed it only had 4 cylinders. Long story short it is only a 3020, still a good tractor, just not quite what I expected it to be, and not quite as good of a deal but still under market value. It was about to storm when we got it home and uloaded:


The next day during a rainstorm I power washed it taking care to stay away from any gasketed or sealed areas, much nicer now:


I also worked on the go cart a bit, the old chain tensioner had seen better days:

Here is the new tensioner I'll call revision 2:


I didn't know if this would for sure work but decided to try it anyway, it did not work whatsoever because of the way the chain moves the tensioner has way too much pressure on it and not enough spring force. Revision 3 worked much better and was way less work in the end:


Lastly I picked up a wood cutting bandsaw a few months back for $30 without a motor and decided it was time to do some work on it:


I wired in a switch, I thought I had a cover but sadly did not, then wired in a motor as well and set up the belt height angle and mounted the motor to the framework:


I'm using the link belt to get everything setup for now. I'll get a smaller pulley for the motor to slow it down and get a new blade so I can use it as a metal cutting bandsaw and get the correct length belt at that time. I also cut up a few small trees we lost in the storms. All in all a very productive weekend.

JB

 

[jbmatth]

uh oh...

Missed you XJ, see above, still a win just not what I thought I was getting. Works like a champ though.

JB

 

[OutlawDrifter]

Well, I've mowed a lot of ground with a 3020 Diesel and ditched more acres than I can count with with a 6-row ditcher on the back...did the auction house list it as a 4020?

 

[jbmatth]

Well, I've mowed a lot of ground with a 3020 Diesel and ditched more acres than I can count with with a 6-row ditcher on the back...did the auction house list it as a 4020?

@OutlawDrifter
Yes the auction house did list it as a 4020, they are open here in a couple minutes and I'll give them a shout, I doubt I'll get anything out of it since they had the data tag but it doesn't show 3020, just T113R which when looked up shows clearly a 3020. I should have looked sooner but still I didn't expect them to represent it as the wrong item. I think it'll do well for me, but not quite what I expected.

JB

 

[XJSuperman]

3020, 4020, tomato, tomato.........in your case at least. You aren't farming full time trying to squeeze every last drop of horsepower out of one, needing that extra bit to pull a planter up a hill. I doubt you'll miss the 26hp difference between the two models. Still a solid tractor.
That ugly green canopy they stuck on the ROPs is bothering my OCD. I love the original yellow metal tops. Glad its a runner, time to put it to work!

 

[MrPink]

Nice JD tractor I have worked many of acres with a 3020 just like that one, I am glad I don't have to anymore lol farm life is not for me.

 

[jbmatth]

3020, 4020, tomato, tomato.........in your case at least. You aren't farming full time trying to squeeze every last drop of horsepower out of one, needing that extra bit to pull a planter up a hill. I doubt you'll miss the 26hp difference between the two models. Still a solid tractor.
That ugly green canopy they stuck on the ROPs is bothering my OCD. I love the original yellow metal tops. Glad its a runner, time to put it to work!

That is pretty much were I'm at @XJSuperman, I would sure like to have it but can't be too upset it is a little smaller than I originally hoped. A question for a you and others with more experience, will this one operate a 5x6 bailer, and what size mower would be in the sweet spot for mowing with it? I've considered a batwing at some point but don't have the budget for one right now.

I'm not a fan of the canopy either, I may end up pulling it off especially when I get around the trees on the fence rows. I do like the ROPS though, makes me feel a bit better about it.

Nice JD tractor I have worked many of acres with a 3020 just like that one, I am glad I don't have to anymore lol farm life is not for me.

I'm sure I'll get plenty of hours on it, I don't mind it when I don't have to rely on the income (or lack thereof) of doing this all day and all year long.

JB

 

[OutlawDrifter]

A question for a you and others with more experience, will this one operate a 5x6 bailer, and what size mower would be in the sweet spot for mowing with it? I've considered a batwing at some point but don't have the budget for one right now.


JB

JB, a 5x6 might be a touch big for the 3020. It might turn the PTO but when you've got a 6' bale in there, the baler might be driving the tractor. I can't remember the exact number, but I believe the 3020 is 65-70pto HP, new.

On flat ground rolling up grass it might work, hilly ground might be a bit pucker inducing.

As far as a mower, are you talking about something to keep areas mowed down, or something to mow hay?

 

[XJSuperman]

Id say a 3020 will handle a small-square baler no sweat, but a large-square baler probably needs more hp. the baler manufacturer should be able to give you power requirements. I am unsure on rounds, but again, check for power reqs.

Brush hogs, and rotary mowers I would think an 8-10ft would be ok, but I would defer to someone with seat time on that model, as I don't have it. They made sickle bars to fit that tractor as well.

 

[jbmatth]

JB, a 5x6 might be a touch big for the 3020. It might turn the PTO but when you've got a 6' bale in there, the baler might be driving the tractor. I can't remember the exact number, but I believe the 3020 is 65-70pto HP, new.

On flat ground rolling up grass it might work, hilly ground might be a bit pucker inducing.

As far as a mower, are you talking about something to keep areas mowed down, or something to mow hay?

@OutlawDrifter, Thanks for the info, it is right at the 65-70 hp PTO and drawbar, I was afraid it would be pushing it for round bailing but thought I'd ask. I'm not sure how long the current tenant will keep wanting to rent but would like to be more prepared to take over if he decides to not renew his contract.

For the mower it is just something to cut the grassy areas of the pasture itself rather than cutting for hay.

Id say a 3020 will handle a small-square baler no sweat, but a large-square baler probably needs more hp. the baler manufacturer should be able to give you power requirements. I am unsure on rounds, but again, check for power reqs.

Brush hogs, and rotary mowers I would think an 8-10ft would be ok, but I would defer to someone with seat time on that model, as I don't have it. They made sickle bars to fit that tractor as well.

@XJSuperman I don't have any plans of bucking square bales again, but I have seen how much people are selling them for so I may need to reconsider.

Someone at work told me they use their 16' batwing behind their 55 hp tractor and that sounded like a crazy idea. Sickle bar mower is on the list, just like dozens of other things.

JB

 

[Sifan]

FYI tractordata.com is a great source on all types of tractor information

TractorData.com John Deere 3020 tractor engine information

www.tractordata.com

Anybody that can drop a motorcycle engine in a go cart ... lol hello V8


when that idler wears out, you can get a toothed gear at Tractor Supply or Rural King.

 

[don long]

That's a pretty sweet old red truck
I guess I'm a few pages behind on your thread

 

[OutlawDrifter]

@OutlawDrifter, Thanks for the info, it is right at the 65-70 hp PTO and drawbar, I was afraid it would be pushing it for round bailing but thought I'd ask. I'm not sure how long the current tenant will keep wanting to rent but would like to be more prepared to take over if he decides to not renew his contract.

For the mower it is just something to cut the grassy areas of the pasture itself rather than cutting for hay.


JB

You could get by with one of the smaller 4' round balers, but most don't want that size of bale.

A rotary mower would definitely take care of your needs then. Check with the manufacturer, most of the smaller unit recommend 5-7hp/foot of width. I'm sure the larger batwings require a touch more. In regards to the sickle bar, check out 3pt mount disc mowers instead. Same principle, much more durable when cutting areas with rocks and unexpected items.

https://www.deere.com/en/hay-forage/mowing/disc-mowers/

I realized you're probably not looking for new, but stayed with the green theme to match your 3020. Most of the main line manufacturers have a disc mower like this, and I'm sure there are some shortlines also.

 

[jbmatth]

FYI tractordata.com is a great source on all types of tractor information

TractorData.com John Deere 3020 tractor engine information

www.tractordata.com

Anybody that can drop a motorcycle engine in a go cart ... lol hello V8


when that idler wears out, you can get a toothed gear at Tractor Supply or Rural King.

I've been using Tractor Data quite a bit lately, some really useful information there, thanks for the tip though. I've seen some pretty hopped up tractors that still look like tractors doing burnouts and donuts etc., then of course you have the tractor pulls.

I knew there were some toothed gears out there but couldn't ever seem to find the right one with a bearing for an idler, I'll check Tractor Supply next time. I bought 4 of the skate board wheels and plan to sell the go cart pretty soon so I doubt I'll wear them out.

That's a pretty sweet old red truck
I guess I'm a few pages behind on your thread

I had to really think about what truck you were talking about @don long. I'm going on a long trip with them this summer so you will have plenty more photos to see in a few weeks.

You could get by with one of the smaller 4' round balers, but most don't want that size of bale.

A rotary mower would definitely take care of your needs then. Check with the manufacturer, most of the smaller unit recommend 5-7hp/foot of width. I'm sure the larger batwings require a touch more. In regards to the sickle bar, check out 3pt mount disc mowers instead. Same principle, much more durable when cutting areas with rocks and unexpected items.

https://www.deere.com/en/hay-forage/mowing/disc-mowers/

I realized you're probably not looking for new, but stayed with the green theme to match your 3020. Most of the main line manufacturers have a disc mower like this, and I'm sure there are some shortlines also.

You are correct outlaw, most people don't want the 4' bales around here either. I do have a 6' Brush Hog mower and it works pretty well, but wider is better for saving time. The gentleman leasing out the pasture and hay field uses an 8' (?) swather that worked great out here last year, but those don't usually go cheap. I like green paint when it isn't too expensive, but it does seem to cost more at times.

JB

 

[racer-john]

Green is the color of money, lol.

 

[jbmatth]

Green and yellow, money and gold. Out of curiosity I priced out a similar sized tractor new on the JD site with a few addons for comfort. It was pushing $100,000, I think I'll suffer a little longer.

JB

 

[XJSuperman]

@

You could get by with one of the smaller 4' round balers, but most don't want that size of bale.

A rotary mower would definitely take care of your needs then. Check with the manufacturer, most of the smaller unit recommend 5-7hp/foot of width. I'm sure the larger batwings require a touch more. In regards to the sickle bar, check out 3pt mount disc mowers instead. Same principle, much more durable when cutting areas with rocks and unexpected items.

https://www.deere.com/en/hay-forage/mowing/disc-mowers/

I realized you're probably not looking for new, but stayed with the green theme to match your 3020. Most of the main line manufacturers have a disc mower like this, and I'm sure there are some shortlines also.

@jblnut just bought a new NewHolland version of the 3pt disc mower. He seems to be loving it. Im a green guy, but team red makes good hay equipment.

 

[jbmatth]

@XJSuperman, my mothers side of the family was green through and through and they still are. They were also red Chevy trucks and not anything else. I'm not partial to farm equipment, but like the comfort of green being so popular, same for GM vehicles, but in the end getting something that works is more important to me at this time.

In other news I discussed the advertisement disparity with the auction company and they offered 8% off and I got my ag tax card info to them which was credited back so all in all I received $800 back. Not a bad deal to begin with and even better getting another big chunk back. A win is a win

JB

 

[OutlawDrifter]

Glad to hear it worked out in your favor JB!

At this point in the game, being brand specific is more about heritage and what color you prefer....in the game of AG equipment, you're buying technology and horsepower....they all have it.

I grew up with Massey Ferguson tractors and combines, and we had Hesston hay equipment and NOTHING else. John Deere was a dirty word around my grandfather. We transitioned over to JD equipment as my dad took over the operation. When I hired on to sell JD equipment after college, it was very difficult to break the news to him, haha!

 

[jbmatth]

@OutlawDrifter I was pretty pleased with the outcome all in all, the other option I had was to take it back for a full refund and let them re-auction it off, I could have gotten it cheaper, or could have paid more the second time around. Not worth the risk so I'll be keeping it. I did start working on a few things trying to fix a few little issues before putting it to work and I'll share those in an upcoming post after the holiday weekend.

I'm with you, heritage plays a huge role in many decisions when it comes to money. I am not too brand specific, I'll buy and use anything if it'll do the job it is intended to do. If it fails I'll get a better version and try again.

JB

 

[shopnut]

I didn't know if this would for sure work but decided to try it anyway, it did not work whatsoever because of the way the chain moves the tensioner has way too much pressure on it and not enough spring force. Revision 3 worked much better and was way less work in the end:


JB

Just a tip in case you haven't figured this out...

I'm not sure how this go-cart is configured because I can't see the whole thing, but it looks like the front is towards the left in this picture. If so, then it seems the spring tensioner is on the wrong length of chain, which would explain the high wear on the old yellow roller. With tensioner where its at, power of the engine during acceleration is trying to straighten that chain out, putting a high load on the roller. Meanwhile, all the slack transfers to the chain length running on the low side of the sprockets and it likely flops around untensioned.

The tensioner should be on chain length that generally has slack on it and not the power (pull) length. Your spring can be much lighter, roller loads will be much less, and roller life will increase dramtically. Motorcycle tensioners would be on the lower chain length because they typically don't have tension on them unless you are using the engine as a brake during decel.

 

[Perrorojo]

My Father in law is a Green only guy. They're their own breed.

 

[Toothaker]

My grandfather's neighbors used to tease him, saying 'the only thing green in his field is his tractor'. They were kidding, of course; he was a very good farmer. I don't know if they all used IH or Massey or some other brand, but apparently red was their color.

 

[jbmatth]

Just a tip in case you haven't figured this out...

I'm not sure how this go-cart is configured because I can't see the whole thing, but it looks like the front is towards the left in this picture. If so, then it seems the spring tensioner is on the wrong length of chain, which would explain the high wear on the old yellow roller. With tensioner where its at, power of the engine during acceleration is trying to straighten that chain out, putting a high load on the roller. Meanwhile, all the slack transfers to the chain length running on the low side of the sprockets and it likely flops around untensioned.

The tensioner should be on chain length that generally has slack on it and not the power (pull) length. Your spring can be much lighter, roller loads will be much less, and roller life will increase dramtically. Motorcycle tensioners would be on the lower chain length because they typically don't have tension on them unless you are using the engine as a brake during decel.

You are correct in that the front of the engine/cart is to the left. The old yellow tensioner was on the lower chain just as it was/would be on a bike. Sadly the way the frame is constructed the new larger diameter roller wouldn't fit between either sprocket and the frame. Due to those limitations I had to put the tensioner on the top chain, not ideal but better than no tensioner as I've sadly found out in other projects.

Good tips and a good explanation that if I ever build another I'll have to keep in mind, I'm sure there are other options to put a tensioner on the lower chain but I'm pretty well out of ideas without redoing the entire frame.

My Father in law is a Green only guy. They're their own breed.

My grandfather's neighbors used to tease him, saying 'the only thing green in his field is his tractor'. They were kidding, of course; he was a very good farmer. I don't know if they all used IH or Massey or some other brand, but apparently red was their color.

Perrorojo and Toothaker:
Everyone knows that one person where there is only one correct color and if it isn't that then the paint is wrong.

JB

 

[jblnut]

JB I've been following along for a while now and finally have something to add


Lots of people get into the Ford VS Chevy and Red VS Green debates and it all works fine and long as it's not a FCA POS or one of the many AGCO products


That 3020 is a really nice model tractor. The entire 20 series was fantastic !! Like a few have mentioned the HP difference between the 4020 and 3020 isn't that big of a deal for what you will be using it for. The only thing the added HP would be nice is on a round baler in soft ground. I recently purchased a New Holland Roll Belt 460 Silage Special and have around 100 bales though it so far. It's all been meadow hay in VERY soggy ground and the 150hp 7810 Deere absolutely knows it's back there !! As @XJSuperman mentioned, tractors are green and hay equipment is New Holland

This is a 100hp Deere 7400 on a New Holland 108m disc mower. It has PLENTY of power to run this even in the meadow. I have a neighbor that runs this exact disc mower on a 3020 so something like this shouldn't be an issue what-so-ever for your 3020.


I never thought a round baler would take as much snort as they do but this "little" 4x6 baler makes the turbo whistle on the 7810 when the ground is a little soggy and it's munching hay. I'm pushing it pretty hard though going 6.5-7mph. It'll make a 66" bale in just shy of a minute if you can hang on !! I'm looking forward to seeing what it can do baling corn straw this fall.



I hope you don't mind the pictures and I certainly am not trying to hijack anything .... Pictures bring life to words

 

[drivesitfar]

Looks like you e been very busy!! Just wanted to wish you and your growing family a great 4th of July weekend.

 

[jbmatth]

JB I've been following along for a while now and finally have something to add


Lots of people get into the Ford VS Chevy and Red VS Green debates and it all works fine and long as it's not a FCA POS or one of the many AGCO products


That 3020 is a really nice model tractor. The entire 20 series was fantastic !! Like a few have mentioned the HP difference between the 4020 and 3020 isn't that big of a deal for what you will be using it for. The only thing the added HP would be nice is on a round baler in soft ground. I recently purchased a New Holland Roll Belt 460 Silage Special and have around 100 bales though it so far. It's all been meadow hay in VERY soggy ground and the 150hp 7810 Deere absolutely knows it's back there !! As @XJSuperman mentioned, tractors are green and hay equipment is New Holland

This is a 100hp Deere 7400 on a New Holland 108m disc mower. It has PLENTY of power to run this even in the meadow. I have a neighbor that runs this exact disc mower on a 3020 so something like this shouldn't be an issue what-so-ever for your 3020.


I never thought a round baler would take as much snort as they do but this "little" 4x6 baler makes the turbo whistle on the 7810 when the ground is a little soggy and it's munching hay. I'm pushing it pretty hard though going 6.5-7mph. It'll make a 66" bale in just shy of a minute if you can hang on !! I'm looking forward to seeing what it can do baling corn straw this fall.



I hope you don't mind the pictures and I certainly am not trying to hijack anything .... Pictures bring life to words

JBLNUT,
Thank you for the replay, quite a bit to unpack there, it looks like you found a good setup though. Making a bale in a minute, that blows me away. By the looks of it you certainly do have that thing doing some good work for sure. No worries about hijacking anything here, I'm all for people sharing.

Looks like you e been very busy!! Just wanted to wish you and your growing family a great 4th of July weekend.

I have been a little busy but also haven't been hitting it too hard, just getting a few things knocked out when time allows. We had a pretty low key 4th with my girls at my parents for the week.

JB

 

[jbmatth]

As mentioned we didn't do much over the weekend, I mowed at my house as well as my buddies who just came back Saturday from a year long deployment so he wouldn't have to worry about it for a few days. I also trimmed some trees for him and went a little overboard doing that, his burn pit is a little overloaded at the moment.

At my place I was finely able to mow most of the yard now that we dried out, it really needed it. I also worked on a few cracks I noticed on the 3020 bucket when I picked it up. The cutting edge was broken on both sides, cleaned it up, made a deep groove and starting laying down some very ugly beads:


The bottom of the bucket had a long crack in it as well, I could only stand to weld about 4" at a time before it was just too hot for my hands but started off by cleaning the area with a wire wheel:


Put a groove in the crack with a grinder:


Then laid down some metal:


Not perfect, but it has been working. Most of Friday and Saturday were spent mowing the pasture and cutting down more trees that are in the way and don't provide anything of value. Mostly locust and Osage Orange trees but knocked down probably 30 of them from 3" (75mm) up to 18" (.5m) then used the tractor to push them in a big pile to dry out before burning them later this year when we get a good day. Not a bad time of year for a little shade:


As I was finishing up there was a snap ring that came off of the shifter that wouldn't let me get it in gear without pulling part of the dash off. On one of the trips to down I bought 3 snap rings of varying size so I "knew" I'd have the right one...they were all too big, try again today I suppose.

JB

 

[Bob Heine]

As I was finishing up there was a snap ring that came off of the shifter that wouldn't let me get it in gear without pulling part of the dash off. On one of the trips to down I bought 3 snap rings of varying size so I "knew" I'd have the right one...they were all too big, try again today I suppose.

JB, thanks for reminding me to pick up some assortments from Harbor Freight. Haven't been there for almost two years.

 

[jbmatth]

Thank you @Bob Heine, that is a better option than what I was planning, and I'll have extra on hand if I ever need them again.

JB

 

[jbmatth]

@Bob Heine, thanks again for the tip on the spring clips, I picked up a set and am back in business now with the new tractor.

I've been overwhelmed this week at work and haven't been able to do much at home but did squeeze in a few small things as well as keeping the yard mowed. To start off I replaced the Tach in the cobra, not sure what happened, but it stopped working and testing proved it was at fault. Out with the old in with the new that looks identical:


I also picked up a new car:


It is a 1993 Mitsubishi 3000 GT that was used in a couple of Gambler 500 events in the area, for the price I couldn't pass it up. It was only $729.35, that was the listed price just because he thought it would be a fun number to list it as. Sadly it is the NA engine and only FWD but still has ~220 hp and of course a manual transmission:

More to come, but I have to run.

JB

 

[OutlawDrifter]

Needs more wing JB...that will never produce enough downforce at 200mph...needs one for the hood too

 

[jbmatth]

Needs more wing JB...that will never produce enough downforce at 200mph...needs one for the hood too

@OutlawDrifter I have considered doing more wing, and one on front, but the front visibility is already tough in this car as is. Maybe it just needs a lightbar to act as a wing.

JB

 

[jbmatth]

Okay, the update I've been meaning to share but haven't had time recently. The AC clutch in The Lemon was making some noise once last week and I stopped to check it out and found this:

There is supposed to be some plastic of some kind in there that is obviously missing, at first I thought it had just worn out over time so when at a junkyard after picked up La Fauxari I got a new clutch disc to replace this one. Worked great for 3 days then the AC stopped working again. Looked into it and the fuse had blown, replaced the fuse and it blew instantly so I figured the coil was shot, then the next day the clutch bearings started to make some terrible noises. I have a new clutch on order and will replace it soon, in the mean time I'll be driving Lever Action.

In other news after discussions with @4 FN 27 I picked up my new rifle and scope, I still have a lot to learn about it and need to make a few more shots but I'm really happy with it so far:

It is a Savage Model 110 Elite Precision in 6.5 Creedmoor, the scope is a Leopold VX-5HD which is 4-20x52mm. To say I'm in over my head is an understatement, I really don't know what I'm doing with it yet but am learning as I go and the scope has way more settings and adjustments than I knew possible but I'll get it in time. As you can see I'm pretty happy with it. It is one heavy rifle too, as it is there it is right at 17 lbs (7.7 kg), and when shooting it has VERY little recoil but is very loud. More to come on this one in time.

JB

 

[OutlawDrifter]

6.5cm is a nice flat shooter. I'm a Savage rifle guy myself, I have a much lighter "hunter" version of that rifle(110, I run a 4-14x50 Leupold on mine). Leupold makes great glass!

 

[jbmatth]

@OutlawDrifter
I went back and fourth for a while but settled on this as the other option wasn't available at the time, my deer rifle is a Savage 10 in 30-06 with a cheap 4-12x40 I believe but they were both purchased 20 years ago. I would have preferred the 26 Nosler overall for flat shooting and more power, but the ammo is 2-3 times the cost and availability of both the rifle and ammo is near non-existent for now, maybe in a few years though.

JB

 

[Grizz1963]

Nice rifle.

I d like a nicely built weapon.

 

[4 FN 27]

In other news after discussions with @4 FN 27 I picked up my new rifle and scope, I still have a lot to learn about it and need to make a few more shots but I'm really happy with it so far:

It is a Savage Model 110 Elite Precision in 6.5 Creedmoor, the scope is a Leopold VX-5HD which is 4-20x52mm. To say I'm in over my head is an understatement, I really don't know what I'm doing with it yet but am learning as I go and the scope has way more settings and adjustments than I knew possible but I'll get it in time. As you can see I'm pretty happy with it. It is one heavy rifle too, as it is there it is right at 17 lbs (7.7 kg), and when shooting it has VERY little recoil but is very loud. More to come on this one in time.

JB

Nice purchase JB!!! Great investment in good stuff.

Now the fun begins. Learning the sport of Shooting. Being in OK I think you can find a few areas to "reach out" and touch someone.

They make Mufflers for them thar things...takes the sting out of it.

Let me know what question you have. I will answer best as I can.

Heading to our monthly company wide meeting...

 

[Mr.zippy]

JB, after looking at Pat’s “unique” collection of stuff on his thread, I believe his advice is top notch!
Nice lookin setup you have there, well done,