well there are a couple of things I figured out REAL quick. First of all... to alot of people, the color of the tractor is much more important than the function of the tractor and weather there is a Chevrolet or a Ford parked in the driveway. Forunately for me, I was color blind coming into this and was able to purchase the little tractor based on specs, visual inspection, and a little play time on each one. Truth be told, aesthetically the Kubota is the best looking one out of the bunch. Not that I care for "hugger" orange either.
The items that brought me around to paying the difference for the Massey (which was more expensive by about 1000.00) was A. The larger displacement motor and lower RPM range. That seems to tell me that the motor does not have to "work" as hard especially at lower RPM. During my test play sessions it seemed to prove itself because at lowered RPM levels it almost seemed like the Kubota worked harder to operate the attachements. The Massey did not seem to care. Keep in mind these were unloaded attachements too. That also goes along with most motors that higher RPM motors always make their power on the top end. That is great as long as that is where you intend to operate the unit. The Deere was a great little tractor but it was actually killed from the list fairly quickley. The main reason being that from my opinion.... the bh was an afterthought, as well as a new addition to the series and I do not like being a "beta" testor. The other killing factor for the deere was on the specs. On paper, especially comparing price; it just did not compare to justify the larger price tag. To me the Kubota and the Massey were specfic engineered pieces that have been on the market for a while and I could much more easily justify the larger price tag on the Massey.
As far as the work in concerned.... I have plenty of it lined out all ready. If the weather stays good, the first thing that will happen this weekend is that I will be putting our back yard on grade again. We had the whole perimeter of the house dug up last summer to put in new drainage for the basement. I also need to get the garden turned and ready to plant. I am also working on a carport area off of the drive that I have to bring up several feet, dig footers, pour retaining walls, and get on grade. Not to mention that I need to dig a trench from the garage to the out barn for power and water. ect ... ect... ect....
The items that brought me around to paying the difference for the Massey (which was more expensive by about 1000.00) was A. The larger displacement motor and lower RPM range. That seems to tell me that the motor does not have to "work" as hard especially at lower RPM. During my test play sessions it seemed to prove itself because at lowered RPM levels it almost seemed like the Kubota worked harder to operate the attachements. The Massey did not seem to care. Keep in mind these were unloaded attachements too. That also goes along with most motors that higher RPM motors always make their power on the top end. That is great as long as that is where you intend to operate the unit. The Deere was a great little tractor but it was actually killed from the list fairly quickley. The main reason being that from my opinion.... the bh was an afterthought, as well as a new addition to the series and I do not like being a "beta" testor. The other killing factor for the deere was on the specs. On paper, especially comparing price; it just did not compare to justify the larger price tag. To me the Kubota and the Massey were specfic engineered pieces that have been on the market for a while and I could much more easily justify the larger price tag on the Massey.
As far as the work in concerned.... I have plenty of it lined out all ready. If the weather stays good, the first thing that will happen this weekend is that I will be putting our back yard on grade again. We had the whole perimeter of the house dug up last summer to put in new drainage for the basement. I also need to get the garden turned and ready to plant. I am also working on a carport area off of the drive that I have to bring up several feet, dig footers, pour retaining walls, and get on grade. Not to mention that I need to dig a trench from the garage to the out barn for power and water. ect ... ect... ect....
Actually I think that if alot of people would look a little further that there would be more Massey's in garages. Me being new to this whole deal it actually took me about 2 weeks to even discover that Massey made a tractor in this class.
