Construcive criticism

[TWSDallas]

I'm a Century tractor owner in southern Oklahoma. Over all I'm real happy with my tractor. It has plenty of power and is reliable and easy to work with. In the hopes that someone from Century is also reading this I'd like to share some of the minor shortcomings. First of all there is a small 90 degree hose mounted on the bottom of the tractor adjasent to the hyd. filter. I have allready drug this off and lost all of my hyd. oil. It just seems like a bad place to have a rubber hose. I'm thinking of welding on some sort of guard to prevent this from happening again. Also the 4 way flasher switch went bad and the lights start blinking by themselves in the middle of the night. I told my dealer this and he did not seem suprised. He told me that a couple of the tractors on the lot had done the same thing. Like I said these are minor easily fixed problems but I thought I might share this with yall.
I still belive that for the money you cant by a better tractor.

 

[wrongway539]

I had the same problem with the power steering resevior. one of the hose nipples broke off and I went to my dealer and they gave me a new tank....Apparently this is a problem that the manufacturer has known about because on the new tank there is an extra piece of webbing to reinforce that nipple.

 

[Triton1]

I know of a Branson owner who had 4020 and experienced a similar problem with a rubber line on the bottom of his Hydraulic Reseivor. Dealer replaced it but it does sound like a bad design if working in heavy brush. I also own a Branson 4020 and after leaving it out in a rain storm one night, the next morning I walked by the tractor and heard a relay "clicking" about every 3-4 seconds. Everything was off, the key wasn't even in the ignition and no lights were on. I checked the hazards and the directional switch, all was ok. That evening when I got home, not a sound from the tractor. My first thought was that the battery had died but it started right up. I purchased some silicone sealant and sealed every contact, relay, switch and terminal strip I could access and have not experienced any problems since. Being that you're from Southern OK you understand that up until yesterday we have'nt seen any rain in a few months. Hope all this helps.

 

[stnickstoys]

I remember reading of the power steering nipple being torn off and now I'm looking at my tractors on the lot and see your problem with the rubber elbow as well. A simple bolt on skid plate under these areas would help considerably. I may consider trying to make one for those I have in stock. Will forward the idea to my Century contact.
Thanks
Nick

 

[dancce]

These are good points to mention, and as a dealer, I need to emphasize more to my customers----especially problems that can occur when operating in brush.
The only tractor that I am aware of that is designed for forestry work is Valtra. There is nothing hanging down under the tractor to get knocked off or hooked.
Working with most any tractor, (other than Valtra's)--a guard or shield of some sort should be mounted on the underside of the tractor if it is going to be used much in brush.
Saplings and brush can get to seemingly unlikey places and do things that most people would not believe---(Just ask a professional Bulldozer operator!)

dancce
www.creekcountyequipment.com

 

[sassafraspete]

Thanks for the tip. I have a 4020. Although I am not planning any heavy brushcutting , I will keep this in mind and wait for the experts here to come up with a good fix that I can copy. It's always the little things that get me anyway...

sassafraspete

 

[TWSDallas]

Much of what I do with any tractor would require it to be able to pass over rough ground and brush ie. brushhog, moving compost, repairing erosions ext. I would not say I was doing forestry work. I think that if the designers were looking for a way to improve their design they could start with this.

 

[dancce]

TWSDallas,
Yes,I agree that most of the work you describe,is what tractors are designed to do, and should do them well without problems.
Forestry work is an extreme example, but whenever you get into a wooded area with saplings fallen limbs,and/or woody type brush you and your tractor are subject to getting hooked, slapped ,cut,or gouged by the surrounding environment---this is particularly true with compact tractors, since they are closer to the ground. If this is to be a significant percentage of the type of use the tractor is subjected to, then precautions should be taken to prevent potential damage to both the tractor and the operator.(ie:guards to protect both)
Having made these broad generalizations---getting back to your specific problem---I will admitt we have had a couple of instances where the power steering tank hose has been hooked and broke the hose and/or tank nozzle, and been replaced under warranty--that design could be better. Minor, but potentially irritating.
Still---one heck of a fine machine, though,as you stated in your initial post.

dancce