Green Tractor Talk banner

2520 Mods.

17K views 38 replies 10 participants last post by  smalltown 
#1 ·

Attachments

See less See more
1
#2 ·
Next mod was to the 46 backhoe station. When the ROPS goes down it hits the operator handle guards??? And appears to have worn the paint off.

So real easy fix- Cut two pieces of rubber hose, slit them and installed at interference point.
 

Attachments

#3 ·

Attachments

#4 ·
Spark Arrestor...AM108146 cheap insurance :bbq:
 

Attachments

#5 · (Edited)
Received my used 2520 with the usual damage. Small ding in hood and punctured radiator grill :dunno:
My 2305 had the same damage...

Moving brush, logs around is one of the biggest uses for my tractor.

So welded up a brush guard for the grill area. Used a perforated sheet instead of the expanded sheet. Last line of defense for the 1/4" sticks.

Believe I am done with front brush guards! I hope! :lol:
 

Attachments

#6 ·
Received my used 2520 with the usual damage. Small ding in hood and punctured radiator grill :dunno:
My 2305 had the same damage...

So welded up a brush guard for the grill area. Used a perforated sheet instead of the expanded sheet. Last line of defense for the 1/4" sticks.

Believe I am done with front brush guards! I hope! :lol:
Looks good! I think all brush guards should come like that.
 
#7 ·
But then you wouldn't spend $$$ to replace the grill mesh? :laugh:
 
#9 ·
Maybe not a mod but reinforced my deformed loader bucket where clamp on forks met big tree...:laugh:
 

Attachments

#10 ·
Mixed up some paint today and touched up some paint chip areas.

Noted the parking stand was chipped and rusted. So cleaned it up and installed a piece of green
coolant hose to protect it in the future.
 

Attachments

#12 · (Edited)
Installed the required step...The distance from ground to deck is 20"
With step installed 13"

Loving it already.. When I can remember to use it! Habits...
 

Attachments

#13 ·
Then installed forum member whiteasian's Loader arm tube plug/cap mod. Don't believe these will stay on for long??? We shall see.
Bought on ebay for @5$ - 2"x4" rectangular tube cap
 

Attachments

#16 ·
No. Thanks for the link! Have you had any overheating problems with yours?

Working on LED lights for the rear snowblower next :good2:
 
#15 ·
Finally cleaned up all the metal shavings from grinding, drilling, cutting. Remarkable how much you make. And 20 feet from the cut off saw!
Bought this magnetic pick up at HD. Works great. Put a piece of painters tape over the magnetic surface then just peel the tape and debris off in the garbage. Don't want the doggies getting into this stuff! 10$

Household cleaning supply Tool Household supply
 

Attachments

#21 ·
Installed two 18w LED lights on the rear of the ROPS for snowblower use. Hope to never use them for that reason!

Bought 2" square u bolts at Lowes @3$ each. Perfect fit for the ROPS.
Then tack welded the Ubolt plate onto a piece of angle iron. The Angle Iron clamps to the ROPS.
On the R side light I added a weatherproof toggle switch so I can isolate the rear lights.
Better pics coming :mocking:
 

Attachments

#22 · (Edited)
Installed the front LED light bar. Waiting for the relay/switch to arrive to finish my light mod.
Need to cut off some mounting bolts...
Probably should weld up a brush guard for this light.

Anyone know why this ROPS is so tall? Yikes. Sitting on the backhoe seat I have around 12" of clearance and I'm 6' tall.
 

Attachments

#23 ·
Added a chain to keep the outriggers from drooping. This 46 backhoe bleeds off quicker than the 260 on my old 2305. Almost smacked the side of the garage door...About 10$ in chain and carabiners at HD

I need to cover the chain with some of that hydraulic hose sleeve that Kenny sells.
 

Attachments

#24 · (Edited)
Wire Bundle cover

Can you imagine buying a brand new car for 25k$ and all the wires were clumped up in a big mess behind the driver seat?

Oh, right...

So bent up a piece of sheet Aluminum. Drilled the end tabs to go under the seat belt bolts. A little primer and blitz black.
5 dollar.....:lol: Keep the rain off all those wires...And I bet JD could make them cheaper?
I really need to get a longer brake to bend stuff, and a 4x6 foot 3/4" solid steel fab/welding table...




:bigbeer:
 

Attachments

#25 · (Edited)
John Deere 46 Backhoe Seat Mod

With the 46 seat in full raised and full rearward adjustment I find it a very cramped position. The control handles are too close to my chest, and my legs are very cramped. I am 6' tall and weight @185lbs. Also mounting and dismounting a little difficult.

So easiest fix IMHO is to add tube standoffs to relocate the seat further rearward. I purchased these machined spacers on Ebay Steel Bushing / Sleeve 1 " OD x 1/2 " ID x 3" Long 4 Pc CDS DOM They are solid 1/4" thick and 3" long.

The seat support is 1/2", and the backhoe bracket is 1/4" with sides bent 90 degrees. Lengthening the whole support will put additional force on the brackets and bolts, but at 185lbs don't think this will become an issue for me. Probably not a fix for a heavier person? Some force vector calculations would need to be done?

Truly the coolest/best fix would be to have a 2-1/2" or 3" solid steel or aluminum spacer block drilled. (Kenny???) Surprised JD doesn't offer a kit?

So bolted it all up for fitment. The additional 3 inches makes the position so much more comfy and easier to operate the controls. I thought I would get some rotation from the spacer/bolts but they seem to tighten up nice and square. The thickness of the spacers make them solid. If I do get any movement I will weld the spacers to the seat frame.

Some paint, ready to dig! :good2:
 

Attachments

#39 ·
John Deere 46 Backhoe Seat Mod

With the 46 seat in full raised and full rearward adjustment I find it a very cramped position. The control handles are too close to my chest, and my legs are very cramped. I am 6' tall and weight @185lbs. Also mounting and dismounting a little difficult.

So easiest fix IMHO is to add tube standoffs to relocate the seat further rearward. I purchased these machined spacers on Ebay Steel Bushing / Sleeve 1 " OD x 1/2 " ID x 3" Long 4 Pc CDS DOM They are solid 1/4" thick and 3" long.

The seat support is 1/2", and the backhoe bracket is 1/4" with sides bent 90 degrees. Lengthening the whole support will put additional force on the brackets and bolts, but at 185lbs don't think this will become an issue for me. Probably not a fix for a heavier person? Some force vector calculations would need to be done?

Truly the coolest/best fix would be to have a 2-1/2" or 3" solid steel or aluminum spacer block drilled. (Kenny???) Surprised JD doesn't offer a kit?

So bolted it all up for fitment. The additional 3 inches makes the position so much more comfy and easier to operate the controls. I thought I would get some rotation from the spacer/bolts but they seem to tighten up nice and square. The thickness of the spacers make them solid. If I do get any movement I will weld the spacers to the seat frame.

Some paint, ready to dig! :good2:
Bulitt after moving the backhoe seat backward does the tractor seat hit the backhoe seat?
Nothing like hitting your kneecap on the stabilizer levers (ouch)!
 
#26 · (Edited)
Siped my Tires

Siped my tires today with the "Ideal Tire Groover".
It worked Groovy! :good2:

Man, that's an old word! Unless you are a Jungle Cat living near Woodstock, NY....:laugh:

Cheaper than chains! Ready for the snow!:thumbup1gif:
 

Attachments

#27 ·
Siped my tires today with the "Ideal Tire Groover".
It worked Groovy! :good2:

Man, that's an old word! Unless you are a Jungle Cat living near Woodstock, NY....:laugh:

Cheaper than chains! Ready for the snow!:thumbup1gif:
GROOVY :lol:

I see what you did there :lolol:

Looks great by the way :good2:
 
#33 ·
The ROPS on my 2011 2520 has an interference issue when -in the down position it will hit the backhoe grab handle when installing or removing the backhoe. As I normally leave the BH in the barn it is sort of a pita. Raise the rops to remove the BH, then lower to not his the ceiling fans or garage door.
Forget to raise- it can bend the handle and the plate the linkages are bolted to. Forget to lower- it can take down the overhead door.
I believe this was corrected in later models which offered a horizontal "down" position.

So obtained some 3/16" steel. Hand cut some tabs. Welded them on. :good2:
Now I have 3 positions for the ROPS!
 

Attachments

#34 · (Edited)
The ROPS on my 2011 2520 has an interference issue when -in the down position it will hit the backhoe grab handle when installing or removing the backhoe. As I normally leave the BH in the barn it is sort of a pita. Raise the rops to remove the BH, then lower to not his the ceiling fans or garage door.
Forget to raise- it can bend the handle and the plate the linkages are bolted to. Forget to lower- it can take down the overhead door.
I believe this was corrected in later models which offered a horizontal "down" position.
Yes, they did change the brackets on the ROPS towards the end of the production. I'm not sure if it helps at this point but you can achieve a near-horizontal folded ROPS position with the original design. I have a similar issue with my 2720 and I always keep my ROPS folded in the horizontal position.

The trick is to "rest" the ROPS on the cross pin shoulder. There is really no need to lock it in the folded position as it has a tight fit and with the weight of the top section it isn't going anywhere.

In the photo below the original ROPS bracket is on top and the revised bracket is on the bottom. JD actually changed the design so the ROPS would "rest" on the pin and no longer has a pin hole for the lowered position. You can achieve the same thing with the original design by resting the ROPS on the shoulder of the cross pin. While this does achieve a "near horizontal" folded position, I took it one step further and slid a big washer over the pin which now raises the folded ROPS to a true horizontal position.

I'm not sure why I don't have any photos of the washers but if anyone is interested I can snap a few photos. My ROPS has been like this now for 5 years.

It's too bad you didn't post about your issue sooner.

Iron Lock Bag Metal Fashion accessory
 
#36 · (Edited)
So with the ROPS resting on the pin as you suggested the ROPS still interferes with the BH handle. It needs to come up at least 2inches to clear.
A rather large washer would work. But honestly this was a 15 minute job. :good2:

Unable to post pics again LMAO.
 
#38 ·
So with the ROPS resting on the pin as you suggested the ROPS still interferes with the BH handle. It needs to come up at least 2inches to clear.
A rather large washer would work. But honestly this was a 15 minute job. :good2:
If you look at my photos above you could easily use a larger washer to achieve whatever folded height you need. If using a larger washer just grind a flat spot until it fits where the washer contacts the vertical ROPS section. Using this method you could even have the folded ROPS be slightly higher than horizontal.

I'm just happy to not be hitting my head anymore. :)
 
Top