</font><font color="blue" class="small">( As a note, most of the problems noted by Markie61 have been fixed by Branson. )</font>
Yes, but some of them are not really problems. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
The under floor fluid tanks he mentions are the hydraulic steering fluid reservoir and the fuel tanks. The fuel tanks are filled through a common filler (with a built in removable filter) accessible on the right side, and the reservoir, located as it is on the left side, provides a sight gauge for the steering fluid that can easily be seen when climbing aboard. It is accessible for service, which should be infrequent in any event.
If I'm reading his post correctly, he says that the Bransons lack extendable link ends on the 3PH, and there are no turnbuckle stabilizers (adjustable check chains).
My 3520 certainly came with adjustable check chains (and they are shown in both the factory operator's and parts manuals), and I haven't had any problem connecting implements, even without extendable link ends. AFAIK, extendable link ends are not considered a standard 3PH item.
To me, it seems kind of unfair to list the lack of a nonstandard item as a con, thereby lumping it in with real problems. It seems to me that extensible link ends ought to be listed as pluses on those machines that have them, and not as cons on those that don't. This may seem like splitting hairs, but it is something that really jumps out at me.
As to the rest of the items he mentions:
The loader joystick does not interfere with the hand throttle on my 3520, so it has been fixed.
I don't have a 33 inch inseam, so I don't know if the column is still too short for taller folks. But it does have a tilt adjustment that might help. I'm not sure if Markie61 knew about that when he looked at Bransons.
The seat springs on my tractor don't distort any "bar metal." I'm not sure what he means by that. The seat suspension adjustment does require a wrench, which might be a problem if the machine is operated by two or more persons with significantly differing weights. Otherwise, set it and forget it.
But for my money, the biggest problem is the seat track adjustment range--or more properly, the lack of it. It flat doesn't go forward far enough for shorter folks. The two stage clutch has a lot of throw, and the seat needs to be closer than the adjustment range allows. Even my dealer commented on the limited travel.
A modification to the seat is on my short list of things to do.
Besides the seat track adjustment, the location of the parking brake lever is the only design decision that I would question. It is down low on the column. While it works fine, its location does not invite frequent use, which it should.
And yes, Bransons do represent a tremendous value for the money.
SnowRidge