Is a Massery 1758 as "Grand" as a Kubota Grand L6060?

[plowhog]

Well I obviously need to chase down and see a MF 1758. The Kubota has an air ride seat, which is not available on the Massey. I have back issues so the seat seems desirable, but I know I could make either work. Plus the changes others have noted above.

I did notice Eric did a first impressions review of the L6060, which did not seem very favorable. I've been reluctant to watch his Kioti review as my choice is already complicated enough. And, I don't have a Kioti dealer anywhere near. I watched Deere's comparison of their "R" model vs a L6060 and it made the L6060 look like a wheezing antiquated pig. But of course that was what they wanted it to look like, of course.

My Massey dealer is "mom and pop" but has been very good with service on my GC1710. And he knows his stuff. The Kubota dealers are interesting. One is responsive, but they sell tractors, generators, snowblowers, etc. So its a retail store more than a tractor dealership. A second provided a hand written quote that had errors in it and never made a follow up call. The other Kubota dealer can't be bothered to bring themselves to the effort of trying to sell me something. After two visits to discuss the L6060, and a couple of final revisions to options and implements, I can't even get them to provide a quote. I finally stopped calling-- I was leaving voice mails each time because the salesman was "not at his desk." I did get one preliminary quote. Then on the second visit the salesman said he had just sold more skid steers in a single order than he had done all the prior year. So my guess is they are happy with their sales volume and don't need to bother to push it higher.

 

[TSO]

I believe that the Massey comes standard with a Grammar air-ride seat... FYI

 

[onionfmr]

I have a MF 1754 hydro cab tractor. As you said, you really need to actually see a MF 1758 in person and actually test drive it and test it out. I tested my 1754 for over an hour before I bought it. Really hard to evaluate from pictures. For the last 17 years I've owned three Massey tractors. For the most part they have been relatively bulletproof.

As TSO said they are Grammar seats. I'm not sure whether it is a "true" air ride seat as defined by really high end tractors manufacturers. However, it is extremely comfortable and has several suspension height adjustments. I too have a bad back and find this seat super easy on the old back compared to other tractors I've owned or used in the past. I'm not really crazy about the cloth seat cover as I tend to get pretty dirty working with the tractor in the fields, woods, etc...., and that dirt gets transferred to the seat cover. Liked the old vinyl seats on other tractors as just wash them off and go!

I've only put around 50 hours on this tractor in the last 3 months. Cab is very comfortable and useable! Tractor is stable on grades, handles well, smooth/responsive hydraulics, has adequate power and performs as expected. I run large turf tires (not loaded) as we have several acres of finished lawn and plow asphalt driveways in addition to having a bridge, so weight is a concern. Without loaded tires, knock-on-wood, I've has zero issues getting stuck in mud (in fields, woods or trails), snow and/or on ice. We had 28" of snow two weeks ago with ice and I plowed up grade on asphalt w/o any issues. I've had previous tractors with loaded tires lose traction on that grade.

I looked at several different tractor brands including Kubota, which would have probably been my next choice. Kubota pricing was not as good as Massey (not even close), two dealers were nonresponsive at best when I was at their shops.

Always been happy with Massey tractors in the past, so just stayed with what I know. IMHO the 1754 is a really well thought out tractor and a lot of bang for the buck!

 

[plowhog]

I drove a Massey 1759 tractor today. Cab model. Very nice tractor. Seat fit me well, ergonomics seemed good. Visibility seemed better than the Kubota L6060, but that's probably personal preference. Now I need to decide on shuttle vs HST. Leaning toward HST in the 1758, but something to consider. Other than mowing, my work will involve a lot of back and forth picking up piles of brush, etc. so the HST might be superior for that.

 

[Wobblin-Goblin]

I think the only transmission offered in the 1759 is the Powershuttle, so you might not have the option for HST in that tractor.

FWIW, I had a 1540 with the Powershuttle and now a 1643 with Hydro. Here are my observations on both transmissions:

Powershuttle Pros:
1. It's quiet
2. Less power loss with geared trans vs. hydro
3. Probably more reliable over the long haul (if you keep your tractors for decades)
4. There's a gear for just about everything
5. For ground attachment work, gears are really hard to beat
6. The shuttle lever is pretty smooth

Cons:
1. It's not as fast or as precise as a Hydro for loader work
2. Sometimes you still need to use the clutch, and overdoing the clutchwork isn't good for it

Hydro Pros:
1. It's as fast and precise as you want it to be (within the confines of the three ranges, that is) when using the loader
2. The twin-pedals are very easy to get used to
3. No clutching. Ever.
4. Did I mention how fast Hydro is for loader work?

Cons:
1. It's noisy. Yes, the Hydro on the Massey is still noisy (well, at least it is on the 1643)
2. The pedals tend to stick, forcing you to tap them
3. Maintenance (on the 1643) can be a bugger. The spin on filter is VERY tight to the chassis, forcing you to rig up a way to get it another 2mm away from the chassis. The screens aren't easy to maintain, either.
4. It robs more power to run than a geared transmission

Overall, if you do more loader work than ground attachment work, the Hydro would be better, and vise-versa. We use our 1643 for loader work almost exclusively, so the Hydro made more sense this time around, but that Powershuttle was oh so smooth and quiet. I got fairly proficient with the Powershuttle, so I could be convinced to get one again if I was ever in the market again.

 

[plowhog]

A significant medical event ten years ago wreaked havoc on my musco-skeletal system. I'm able-bodied to a certain degree, mostly reasonable, and most days are good but some are not. To use a tractor, I will be either getting up and down from it, or getting in and out of the cab, chaining logs etc. Or hooking up a bush hog mower here or box scraper there. On top of doing those things, when I think of adding in the clutching for gear shifts compared to the ease of the HST system, the HST seems very desirable. One reason I bought the Massey GC1710 vs the Kubota was the dual pedals were easier to operate than the toe/heel "treadle."

I have operated lots of machinery from motorcycles, trenchers, construction equipment, all kinds of vehicles, tractors, airplanes, etc. I have found I am adaptable to any of them-- I just figure out my process for doing the work based on the operation (and quirks) of the machine and then get after doing it. I got only a rudimentary explanation of how to operate the 1759 today, but after a short time, operating it on my own, I had the operational controls reasonably figured out, selecting ranges, gears, etc and maneuvering around the dealer lot pretty good. I'm sure I can effectively use either transmission to get my needed work done-- it's just the thought of pushing on that $#$$ lever all the time versus not. So my tranny choice is more comfort than function. OK I guess that's about as lazy as it gets!

I noticed on the 1759 when the rpm's are up the loader can move up and down so rapidly at full lever detent that if you stop it too quickly you can bounce the tractor pretty good. I quickly got much more nimble when cycling the loader. My little GC1710 is not strong enough to do that. And it seemed the wheels and tires on the 1759 were *much* larger than the Kubota L6060 I looked at. Not sure, but it seemed that way. This 1759 was parked next to a row of GC sub compacts so maybe it was just a visual thing. I wish I could try both side-by-side but that's not going to happen.

I need to check but I think the PTO power output on the Kubota L6060 is significantly higher than the Massey 1758/59. I want the option to upgrade to a 10' bush hog in the future so I will check to verify the PTO power is appropriate for what I might want to connect it to in the future.

All in all, the Massey seemed like a very nice tractor. Two very competitive products-- the 1759/58 versus the Kubota L6060. I have not looked at the Deere equivalent but I presume it would be comparable. I really don't know anything about Deere and the shopping is already complicated enough!

 

[onceacop]

I love geared tractors since I road them a long ways sometimes. I was concerned with the HST on the 1758 but overall it works fine. Steep hills under load you will need M range. The 1759 has a larger tire than the 1758 but when ordering or shopping for a 1758 there are 2 tire sizes. I have the larger on in Ag tires loaded. They look better on the tractor than the smaller size and I love the R1 tire. Video shows the precision and infinite speed selection with the HST

 

[holeycow]

Forgive me, but I am on a personal mission to dispel the "precision" myth of hst over gear. That advantage does not exist.

If you watch that video closely you will see an operator error; choosing forward when reverse was clearly the intention. Could happen to anybody whether gear or hst.

Beautiful tractor, btw!

Anyway...

 

[TSO]

Forgive me, but I am on a personal mission to dispel the "precision" myth of hst over gear. That advantage does not exist.

You are misinformed.

 

[onceacop]

LOL,,,, brand new machine to me, like only hours in it,,,,, went from a skid steer with joysticks (Cat style) to my first ever loader tractor. You want to see operator error, watch me run a Bobcat with the foot pedals after the brain has implanted the joysticks for thousands of hours in ASV's. I would love geared tractors for much of what I do but the precision control of HST when I rototill in tight areas, box or back blade, and want to go really slow in cautious applications like plowing the first snowfall when the ground isn't frozen and you want to try not tearing up the ground with your blade by feeling your way,,, the HST for me at least seems superior. Valid point on the direction with HST having pedals though.