Tough decisions in the compact utility size

[Gary Fowler]

I keep my hoe on my B26 all the time. I took it off a few months back to use a back blade, didn't like the results so the hoe went back on. Major difference in traction without the hoe and no water in the tires.
I use my TLB all the time. It may sit for a couple of weeks but when I need it, I want it right now. It has over 600 hours with almost all of it using the FEL/backhoe. It has more than paid for itself in the 10 years that I have had it.
Today I was using it to help a neighbor clean up. I dug a pit to bury a bunch of glass and some scrap, used the hoe to fish out a bunch of light poles from in the brush and load them on a trailer (one was about 18 feet long x 8+ in diameter and the B26 lifted it easily. I also used it to uproot a bunch of pine saplings 1-4" in diameter. Yesterday, I used the hoe to remove a bunch of dirt from a large 36"+ pine root ball and dig out the roots (storm damage). Had to get my LS to push it out of the hole and it was all it could do to handle that big stump.
I just would be lost without my TLB.

 

[rodneyn]

Pick the tractor based on the best dealer. You will need service somewhere along the way and for sure parts. Most members in the forum point out to buy the tractor one size larger to assure you have enough weight and horsepower to accomplish your task. Back hoe On a compact tractor is good investment however some tractor manufacturers require lot of work to get it dismounted- I have LS xr3135 with hoe on back. I pull two pins lower the arms and drive away for about 2.5 feet disconnect hydraulic hoses and it痴 off the tractor. Putting it back on is just as quick if you align tractor to carriage. Pick your dealer then pick your tractor model- size. The dealers are independent therefore the manufacturer has little control over them. Unlike the new car business where they have cow tail to the customer on service or loose the franchise. Best of luck post pics when you have purchased a unit.

 

[SJay]

I must admit, I have a 3-range tractor and 99% of the working time is in the low or mid range. Hardly ever use the 3rd range. I have a single range Kubota lawn tractor, a GR2120 and it climbs hills better than my zero turn.

The above has been my experience with my Bobcat CT225. I have never driven a 2 range HST, but if they are LOW/HIGH without a mid range it would drive my crazy. I have 30 acres and when I haul something heavy to my brush pile I am in low range, when I come back empty I put it in mid-range - way to slow to travel in low all the time.

Make sure you get out and test them before you purchase one. If you can get one to your house for a demo that would be even better. My Bobcat dealer dropped of the CT225 for a weekend for me to use - it never went back. (It was used though)

Good luck - you'll wonder why you didn't buy one sooner.:thumbsup:

 

[rScotty]

I read through this thread again and came up with these points:

1. Nearby Dealerships - very important to some, relatively unimportant to others. It probably depends on the individual. But one very good point is that if having a handy dealership is important to you, be sure that there is another same brand dealer not too terrribly far away. Dealers do go bust and times are uncertain.

2. 3 speed or 2 speed? Yes, HST is more controllable than any form of gear tranny. And 3 speed probably better than 2. But both work. And so do gears. With average care t\hey all work just fine for as long as anyone is likely to use their tractor

BTW, Yanmar is known for innovation, and has a simple infinitely variable single speed tranny on their larger tractors. Their patent is about to expire on that and it will be public domain. So both gears and HST may be a thing of the past for compact tractors. It happened with front axles.....

This whole argument reminds me that I ought to get a better understanding of how HST switches gears in the first place. Not all tractors do it the same way.

3. Backhoe or Not? Everyone likes backhoes, so the debate is actually to own or to rent, and again seems to come down to a difference is the person more than the equipment.
Some people like to save up projects and do them all at once & for them renting makes sense. To others it is important to be able to jump on a project when time allows - and those are the ones who own backhoes.

4. Backhoe Use. Backhoe owners use them as much for lifting and positioning things as for digging. Thumbs help with this. As a young person this didn't make much difference to me. Now that I'm getting old, this is real important.

5. In post #13, nb707 points out that there is a larger Kioti that costs about the same as their smaller one that the OP is looking at. I believe it is a 47 series vs a 27 series....
That brings up the difficulty that newcomers face when manufacturers and websites differ, and generally how difficult it is to compare models even within one brand - specially based on dealer salesmen.
That makes TBN an important resource - even when we don't agree!

 

[KennyG]

The above has been my experience with my Bobcat CT225. I have never driven a 2 range HST, but if they are LOW/HIGH without a mid range it would drive my crazy.

They are typically more like Low/Mid without a high range. Again, for lower HP tractors (like my 24HP John Deere) there would be little use for gearing higher than I have available. Yes, it could probably run a little faster down the road (as long as there aren't any hills) but you would never use it in ordinary work. I am in the high range at least 80% of the time.

 

[johncanfield]

They are typically more like Low/Mid without a high range. Again, for lower HP tractors (like my 24HP John Deere) there would be little use for gearing higher than I have available. Yes, it could probably run a little faster down the road (as long as there aren't any hills) but you would never use it in ordinary work. I am in the high range at least 80% of the time.

High range in my Deere 4720 is basically just for the road, you would never use it doing any work. I can get my 4720 up to about 15 MPH on pavement, I think later models of the Deere large frame compacts have a 20 MPH top speed.

 

[greenmower]

Don't know if this helps Greg, but back 20 years ago when looking for a compact tractor with a bucket and tiller, I ended up purchasing a Kubota. Reason for decision at the time came down to U.S. built and assembled content. Kubota had the highest amount of American made and assembled at that time. I am not great at maintenance and put this tractor through a LOT of work. It has taken everything given it. Summer in 100 degree days, winter hauling firewood at 20 below zero, dragging logs, boulders, digging holes, hauling kids for hay rides, everything, maintaining 1/2 mile drive, mowing wood lanes, etc. . What few parts needed over time were wear pieces like drawbar parts, alternator dynamo, regular filters and fluids. Recommend. Mine is B-7500 and size is perfect for my 23 acre farm. Good luck.

 

[chim]

I've had two and three range HST's and prefer the three. The current Kubota has HST+ (3 ranges + hi and lo in each for six ranges) and is the nicest operating tractor I've had so far. It'll do 16-17 MPH on the way to town in high/high. When I mowed yesterday I used the high/low low for the whole yard. Sometimes it's mid/high. Depends on which direction I'm approaching the hills and the condition of the grass. I set the throttle to maintain around 440 PTO RPM's right now and push the hydro pedal to where there is some resistance, and pushing it farther increases engine and PTO speed. RPM's are adjusted during the season to suit conditions.

This is the third tractor I've owned that has cruise control, and so far I haven't used it on any of them. Maybe if our 3-1/2 acres was 50 feet wide 3, 050 feet long

 

[3 Horse Ranch]

The downside to renting a mini-ex if you have never operated one before is the learning curve. It took me about 20 hours of seat time in my E42 before I was relatively productive. Even so, if you accumulate several digging projects rent a hoe for two, three weeks or a month. Some use a long term rental or lease equipment.

I had approximately 20 minutes experience on an excavator until last summer. My brother decided on a geothermal heat pump system that required 800 feet of 5 ft deep by 42 wide trench that had to be done by us. A former co-worker has a little equipment rental company so I rented a Yanmar 55 from him for $1100 for the week delivered and picked up. Beat UR and local shops by about $500 for the week.
I didn't really find it all that difficult to get used to, and finished the dig in 26.5 meter hours according to my friend. That included digging out a dying fir tree that was 18" in diameter just above the flare. I spent most of my working life around wheel loaders and forklifts so I was used to operating hydraulics and I have watched the technique of dozens of excavator operators in 14 years operating a dump truck, so I wasn't a total novice. The soil here was a sandy clay that held its shape with only one little cave in. Point is, if you tend to have the natural ability, it isn't such a long learning curve, and you can get a lot of work done a lot cheaper by renting an excavator and getting all of your work lined up for 1 or 2 rental periods, then you won't have an expensive piece of hardware gathering dust and rust hanging around your property.

 

[johncanfield]

......This is the third tractor I've owned that has cruise control, and so far I haven't used it on any of them. Maybe if our 3-1/2 acres was 50 feet wide 3, 050 feet long

Mine has speed (cruise) control and I use it when mowing where I know there aren't rocks i need to dodge or slow down for and I use it running down the road to our mailbox (about half a mile away.) It would be ideal for a three point sprayer since gallon per acre calculations require a fixed speed.

I had approximately 20 minutes experience on an excavator until last summer. My brother decided on a geothermal heat pump system that required 800 feet of 5 ft deep by 42 wide trench that had to be done by us. A former co-worker has a little equipment rental company so I rented a Yanmar 55 from him for $1100 for the week delivered and picked up. Beat UR and local shops by about $500 for the week.
I didn't really find it all that difficult to get used to, and finished the dig in 26.5 meter hours according to my friend. That included digging out a dying fir tree that was 18" in diameter just above the flare. I spent most of my working life around wheel loaders and forklifts so I was used to operating hydraulics and I have watched the technique of dozens of excavator operators in 14 years operating a dump truck, so I wasn't a total novice. The soil here was a sandy clay that held its shape with only one little cave in. Point is, if you tend to have the natural ability, it isn't such a long learning curve, and you can get a lot of work done a lot cheaper by renting an excavator and getting all of your work lined up for 1 or 2 rental periods, then you won't have an expensive piece of hardware gathering dust and rust hanging around your property.

Unfortunately age is interfering with my ability to learn new tricks like I could 30 years ago . I learned to fly 40 years ago so I was reasonably well coordinated then. I've had a tractor for the last 20 years and had a Komatsu D39P-1 track dozer a few years ago, that was fairly easy to operate - two joysticks, a decelerator pedal and foot brakes. It was about the size and weight of Cat D5. Running a dozer is about the most fun you could possibly have with your clothes on.

When I don't run the E42 for a couple of weeks I get a little rusty coordinating movements but now that I have 100 hours of seat time I can get back to speed in a couple of minutes. I have about a year left on its two year warranty and I keep thinking about keeping it or selling it when the warranty expires. It's more or less a one trick pony but it does a great job of grading and it will lift 4,000 pounds, my 4720 is rated for 2,500 pounds at the pin. I've moved some humongous rocks and tree stumps with it. A few days ago I used it to push down about a 20' tall dead and rotted oak tree. With the boom and stick all the way up in the air pushing gives good leverage.