Big feet + small tractors = leg cramps!

[picker77]

Had some time to kill today, so I visited one of my local Kubota dealers to kick a bunch of tires. I climbed up and sat in/on everthing under 35 hp on the lot, which was mabye 15 or 16 tractors. Not a single solitary HST tractor on the lot was comfortable for my size 14 work boots. Much of this is because I can't seem to fit my right foot comfortably onto a rocking-type HST foot pedal. It appears these things are meant to go forward with the toe and reverse with the heel, but my ankles don't bend that far in reverse, so to reverse I have to lift my entire leg, relocate my toe to the reverse/heel pedal end, and push. Because the seats won't go far enough back to allow a rocking motion with my right ankle (I'm 6'4" 220 lb), driving any Kubota HST was seriously uncomfortable to my right foot/leg. Never owned an HST. Am I misunderstanding how this HST pedal thing is supposed to work?

I'll try the foot test on JD and NH next, but it looks like I'm going to have to either buy a stick shift like my current tractor (which is plenty comfortable) or restrict my choices to a side-by-side HST pedal type of control. I think JD has some of these, and maybe NH too, but I'll find out.

Just for drill, since I've drooled over them on Kubota's website, I also climbed into an L3130HSTC, and danged near had to get the staff to extricate me. There is just NO place to put my feet in that thing.

Kubota better start paying more attention to seat position, legroom, and driver comfort if they want to sell me a new tractor. Since they sell a LOT of tractors, am I alone out here with this problem?

 

[beagdog]

I have an L3010 HST. I haven't looked at or tested any of the newer L series tractors, but I have no problem with the HST peddle and I am 6'5", 300, and also wear a size 14. After a long day of loader work or doing a lot of fwd/rev work, I do have to start dragging my foot back and forth (getting old is h---), but have plenty of room to do so. Maybe they have redesigned these machines for the worse. I plan to retire next year and want to buy a new tractor before I do (something like a 5030 HSTC, but now I need to go start test driving. If the peddles are uncomfortable, I'll be looking at another brand.

 

[beenthere]

That was my feeling (like being 'tied down' ) when I would need to operate the tractors with the one pedal rocker. Don't like that and neither does my knee on that side. It says it needs more flexibility and change of position. The dual pedal system is much better IMO.
Best of luck finding what works for you. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[IslandTractor]

Here is something to try: don't use the banana pedal as a heel/toe rocker. Keep your foot next to the pedal and just lift and pivot your toe to go forward and heel to reverse. I think a lot of guys actually do this rather than use the banana pedal as it was designed. It may not be intuitive but once you try it you'll see it is not at all difficult and gives you the option of putting your foot in a more comfortable position.

 

[GATC35]

I had the same problem while tractor shopping 3 years ago. I'm 6'2" and tip the scales over 250 with a size 12 footprint. I finally tried the New Holland class III Boomer's (TC-35/40/45) and the problems was solved.

I have a TC35D Hydro and it's really comfortable.

Give the NH's a test sit. Nothing wrong with JD's and Bota's in my book. The NH just fit me better.

ON EDIT: The NH's have side by side pedals, at least the Class III's do. Not sure about the Class II TC-29 and TC-33.

 

[texbaylea]

Fellas

I am 6' 6", 250 lbs wearing a size 15 shoe and my winter boots are size 16. I use the HST treadle by pivoting my foot, press with the toe for forward, heel for reverse. It was a little hard at first but with stretching exercises, particularly the Achilles tendon it is much easier. I admit I wish I could move the seat a little further back. I use the cruise control as much as possible to let me relax my foot some, however.

I have not "tried on" a cab but can envision how it might be a tad constraining. All in all, I like the treadle mode of control.

Vernon

 

[BobQ]

I had the same problem with a L3130, I ended up with a shuttle shift Branson. 6'4" 200lbs.

Bob

 

[picker77]

After I realized the problem today, I got to looking at the way the seats are bolted on on several of the Kubotas, and decided since moving the seat further back was not an option (it was into the stops already), the only way I might be able to help the situation would be to install a pair of wedge-shaped filler blocks of some sort between the seat bottom and the brackets, to give me some more backward tilt to the seat (the seats on most of them felt like I was leaning too far forward anyway, sort of like I would slide out of the seat if I let go of the steering wheel). Some more rear tilt would translate into at least a couple of more inches of vertical legroom between the front edge of the seat and the platform, and might make the operation of the heel/toe pedal much easier for me. It's a physical fact that the more my right knee is bent when my foot is sitting on the pedal, the harder it is to get the old Achilles tendon to stretch far enough to run that thing in reverse using my heel. Of course, if you have young, still flexible joints and tendons, it might not matter. But even when I was an 8-year old kid in gym class, I could NOT "sit on my heels" like most other kids could. For some reason that has always been simply impossible for me to do. Maybe I was born with short Achilles tendons!

 

[MossRoad]

I can't sit on my left heel, either. Right is O.K. I'm 6', 200+ and size 13 shoes. When I was tractor shopping, I found the New Holland tractors to be the most comfortable out of all the other brands I tested. Everything just seemed to fit right. Nice machines worth taking a serious look at if you are interested in comfort.

 

[DavesTractor]

The new 15 series (2815-3215) Mahindra (Mitsubishi) tractors have about 5" more seat/leg room than the earlier 15 series plus the seat is higher, and they changed the HST rocker pedal to space the pedals further apart and put the rocker part under the floor. It seems to be more comfotable for big guys. You might set on one and see what you think.

Interesting that some really big guys can get comfortable on a small tractor, it really is a personal thing, not just dimensional....all the same, a little more space is a good thing.