Now that I have had a chance to put a few hours on the GC2300 with the front mounted snowblower, I thought I would provide my first impressions of this equipment both as a combo and on their own.

Timing of the delivery for the GC2300 was perfect in that a few days later, we received our first dump of snow. I was a little skeptical of a couple of things - no chains (dealer suggested I try without first) and the electric chute rotation option. My preference would have been hydraulic but I would give this a try. The previous blower that I had on my JD322 had also been made by the same company here in Canada - Rad Tech. - and it had worked very well. It had a manual chute rotation handle and that worked fine.

So lets start with the blower since it is winter. No disappointments so far. Just point and go. Adjustments are available on the sliders so I had to increase the height a bit to handle the gravel sections. Paved driveway is just over a 1/2 mile long and in 3 swipes, it was done. Impressive throw coming out of the chute - even my dad was impressed (retired farmer - hard to please type of guy). Managed to break 2 shear bolts already on the augers. Someone forgot to put away a logging chain before the snow fell (hmmm wonder who that could have been ;-) That works well. A good point here is to remember to use the original type that come with it that have the slots in them. As well, put the augers out of sync as the manual suggests since this helps with the feed. Along the way, I also managed to blow a fuse on the electric chute motor. My fault again since I had my hand on the switch at the same time as I was backing up, watching where I was going and lowering the blower at the same time. So now a I carry a few spare ones in my pocket. Easy to remove and replace plug in kind. Speaking of the electric motor, yes it works good so far. Much easier to use than the manual handle. Just have to make sure to break loose the chute before you go out after it has been sitting since the snow melts and then kind of freezes in the slots due to the exhaust pipe location. Also remember to lube the drive chain with chain saw oil every 4 hours of use. Easy to do as well if you have one of those squeeze bottles to shove in the hole at the top.

So how is the tractor working out? My focus had been to get something larger than the JD322, with 4wd, 3ph, pto and possibilites for more attachments ie: FEL when my better half will let me. Originally had look at getting another JD since the 322 had worked very well and is still running strong, but the dealers around here did not want to give me anything for the 322 so I looked at and threw some blue and orange in the mix. Both of these dealers were up near the same price as the new JD unit so I kept looking around. In the meantime, my new bro-in-law showed up with this GC2300 unit which he proceeded to fully load up as his part time landscape business grew. He bought it with the FEL and MMM and then added a heavy duty third party backhoe, tiller and various other scraper blades. In just over a year he has put close to 600 hours on - working it, not just playing around like some of us might ;-) (our wives don't visit this web site do they??) Not one problem with it so far. This got me looking at this unit a little closer and I have not been disappointed so far. Lots of power, very good handling, makes the snowblower work and do its job. Hydraulic unit is the same one that is used for the FEL - just a different mounting bracket if you do not have one. The quick attach for the blower can also be used for a front blade. This would likely make a very useful snow removal system - switch them in about 10 minutes max. There is also a rotary broom attachment that could be used on the quick hitch if you are into that kind of stuff. My concern about the chains - haven't even come close to needing them so far - even with just the turf tires - bonus!

This tractor is a diesel and yet starting has not been a problem at all - even during the cold snaps we have had lately. Operator area is uncluttered, easy to get on and off the unit. I am kind of tall and this was a pre-req. Brake pedal is in a slightly awkward location but I have not used it yet so not sure if this is a problem. Tractor has a 2 speed HST and a rocker foot control. Works fine under any conditions I have used it for so far, especially with the forward / reverse of snow blowing situations sometimes. Did add some weight in the back to offset the blower. Found one of those 3ph drawbars and put it through the handle of some used suitcase weights from a much larger tractor and then put a bolt at each side of them through the drawbar to keep them in the center. Simple and effective. Right now I have four 75 lbs-ers on there - be easy to add more or take some off depending on what I need it for. I just make sure to drop the 3ph in the shed when I am done to take the weight off.

Overall, I am impressed with this tractor and blower combination so far. Will likely redirect the exhaust pipe somehow but other than that, it is working out very well. If the MMM works out as well, I will be a happy camper. Now if I could only convince my better half that we really need the FEL instead of that new washer dryer she has been looking at...yeah right...dream on buddy.. ;-)

Hopefully this info has been useful and if you have any questions, let me know!
Henry...

Date Purchased: 12/2004
Purchased: New
Price Paid: US$15
Pros: Lots of power, Good combo with FMSB, Very good hydraulics, Excellent steering and handling, Uncluttered operator area, etc
Cons: Muffler exhaust pipe location, brake pedal location
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