Buying Advice The Standard Question

[RNeumann]

No clear winner except you! They are both quality and should provide years of good service- hopefully your mind is at ease with that. It will probably come down to the which dealer you like best and cost.

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

Power Trac has no dealers. They are factory direct only.

My apologies to whomever reported my IRONIC, SELF-DEPROCATING post about Power Trac.

In the future please take the time to re-read a post prior to reporting it. I realize that reading comprehension is not everyone's forte' and that sarcasm can be hard to convey.

To the OP, I'm glad that you gave PT a look as my suggestion was sincere. I'd also encourage you to closely examine the loader control-valve on the JD SCUT. You may find it very crude compared to the other options.

 

[nosurprise]

If I had to choose between the two I would opt for the JD. As mentioned before the JD will hold its resale value. I especially like the ergonomics and the joystick location for the fel.

 

[MossRoad]

My apologies to whomever reported my IRONIC, SELF-DEPROCATING post about Power Trac.

In the future please take the time to re-read a post prior to reporting it. I realize that reading comprehension is not everyone's forte' and that sarcasm can be hard to convey.

To the OP, I'm glad that you gave PT a look as my suggestion was sincere. I'd also encourage you to closely examine the loader control-valve on the JD SCUT. You may find it very crude compared to the other options.

I got the humor. No worries. :laughing:

 

[MossRoad]

Looked at the Power Trac site a while back. While I thought the pricing and idea are neat, not having a dealer network and the fact that all the toys are proprietary put me off. I like the 3 point hitch and now that someone here mentioned the SSQA I may have to ask what the DL100 versus the DL95 loader cost difference is. I will ask about those features when I test drive the JD.

Thanks for all the good advice. I was just hoping there was a clear winner when it came to quality. Looks like the SCUT units are on equal footing in that arena. Doesn't make the choice any easier.

Don't get me wrong. I love my Power Trac. It was the correct machine for my needs. However, with no dealer network, you are your own mechanic. I enjoy that kind of work, but it ain't for everyone. One of its main selling points for me was I HATE the 3pt hitch on a conventional tractor! :laughing: The quick attach on the PT is what sold me. :thumbsup: So, do yourself a favor and look into quick attach options for both the FEL and 3pt ends of any conventional tractors you are interested in.

Also, don't forget that adding SSQA to the FEL of a smaller tractor will decrease the amount of lift available by not only the weight of the SSQA mechanism itself, but the added distance it sticks out on the FEL. It makes the lever longer. On small machines, it can be a large percentage of loss of lift. So run the numbers for yourself.

 

[tractormonkey21144]

Also, don't forget that adding SSQA to the FEL of a smaller tractor will decrease the amount of lift available by not only the weight of the SSQA mechanism itself, but the added distance it sticks out on the FEL. It makes the lever longer. On small machines, it can be a large percentage of loss of lift. So run the numbers for yourself.

Actually been researching the SSQA question. Then asking myself for what I'd use the tractor to do, is it worth the trouble and/or expense, or do I use my machining talents (not fantastic, but I did do a crapload of theatrical rigging in my day) to add material forks to the front of the bucket for the sparse times I need such an implement?

I'm looking at this as a labor saver. While I need a mower, I wouldn't say no to being able to clear and level areas around the house for patio installations, drainage changes and such without the need to do all the labor by the sweat of my brow. I know I'll still need to do some, but with careful planning I expect the needs to go down to a manageable level and actually start getting the jobs DONE....instead of trying, taking a day to recover, then trying again.

There's a Kubota dealer nearby, so I'll put them into the test drive list. Their pricing appears to be out of my budget though.

 

[MossRoad]

Don't forget about rentals... a weekend rental of a small tracked excavator around here is under $300. You can get a lot done in a short time if you plan ahead.

 

[tractormonkey21144]

Don't forget about rentals... a weekend rental of a small tracked excavator around here is under $300. You can get a lot done in a short time if you plan ahead.

And in a nutshell you've shown my problem. My job is occasionally ad hoc. Either I'm on the computer at home doing diagnostics or I have to drive in to make fixes....either way I don't necessarily have the time to complete a task. At least if it's my tractor I can be assured that the work will get done and I don't have the hassle of arranging or returning a rental piece. Lousy way to have to go, but it puts me at less risk for plans going afoul.

Now once I've got the property cleaned up and various upgrades complete I could always offer my FEL to others on Craigslist or Ebay....But I don't know how well that would work. Either way I'm cool.

 

[Deere Dude]

I have a friend with an acre with a JD 4wd about the size of a 1000 series. It is older and I don't recall the number. It had industrial type tires (R4) style. It had a 60" deck I thimg and it was a nice unit. He landscaped the snot out of his lot with it and worked great. But he wouldn't mow with it and I asked him why he used a crappy old mower to mow with. His response; It scuffs the lawn terribly especially when driving around trees using the same path all the time.
That may be something to consider if mowing is important.

 

[Fallon]

SSQA ads a little bit of cost & decreases lift capacity a bit. I'm so glad I paid that tax on my old L3200. I ended up with pallet forks on more than the bucket.

When you have pallet forks you find free pallets everywhere & every heavy bulky thing you own ends up sitting on them. Moving your live Christmas tree onto your deck & in the back door, moving a heavy air compressor, that pile of random tools or junk... all ends up on a pallet & easily moved.

I also built a SSQA to 3pt adapter to mount my snow plow on. Worked well & made moving & servicing implements a lot easier.

Stick with standards like SSQA & you have a lot more options & easy flexibility.

I ended up putting a linear actuator on my L3200 so I could latch & unlatch it without getting off my lazy ***. After that I'd always dump the impliment on the loader before parking. Made for more room in the barn & faster picking of the right impliment next use (Murphys law dictated the last impliment used was the wrong one for the next job).