Iseki TX1500_3 4.50 star(s) (2)

Dependable Little Tractor
Model Year: 1979

This little tractor has way more power than your would expect, it is like a little tank. Mine has 4x4 and is unstoppable even in 2 feet of snow.

Pros: Cheap and dependable.
Cons: Hard to find parts.

Iseki 1500X/Bolens G174 Compact Diesel Tractor
Model Year: 1981

At 1200 pounds and another 305 for the mower, this is a substantial machine. It rides pretty well if you keep a pillow on the seat and the twin cylinder 17 makes a lot less fuss than the hysterical 18 hp Kohler single on my Simplicity riding mower. Traction is excellent in 2WD, let alone 4WD with differential lock. It's tall and looks tippy. At one point mowing across a slope under an apple tree I stopped the machine and climbed off, fearing a rollover. I lifted as hard as I could on the uphill fender, though, and couldn't budge the thing. A rear-mounted mower can do a fine job on the flat. Sharply undulating terrain, on the other hand, causes problems of geometry and unmowed patches of grass. Even with its traction problems, the Simplicity does a better job on the uneven lawn. The big problem with the Bolens, of course, is that you are cruising along with all gears turning. You aren't going to stop suddenly and back up the way you do routinely with the hydraulic Simplicity. Thus the mowing job will consist of gradual, sweeping turns, leaving a lot undone. There's a reason why the hydraulic mower has taken over the market. In the field, on the other hand, the Bolens shines. It will power through very long grass leaving the old Woods mower or the 48" rotary mower no choice but to follow along. Sharp turns swing the mower wide, and casualties among the little trees result if the operator doesn't plan ahead. 4th gear of 6 seems to be about right, and about 2/3 rpm's for the finish mower, 1/2 for the rotary. One six-acre field of seedlings has proven too closely-planted to mow with the wider equipment, so it looks as though it will belong to the 48" mower for the foreseeable future. This work involves long runs down rows of seedlings, cutting weeds out of the way. The tractor is durable. A dozen tankfuls of diesel so far have resulted in no oil consumption and no maintenance required save the replacement of the four drive belts on the mower and many blade sharpenings. One puzzling factor is the fondness of the engine for its glow plugs. It needs a full 20 seconds of pre-heating (as indicated on the cowling) even in warm weather (A starter rebuild solved that problem). The tractor's headlights are highly functional, focusing in a useful manner on where the mower will next cut. I've mowed our 2-acre lawn with the Bolens since I bought it and am getting better at it. Learning to trust it on slopes was the big thing. It can climb like a goat in 4WD as long as the mower is down. Once when the belt broke I lifted the rig and headed for the garage, up a steep slope. Not a good idea. The beast reared and pivoted 90 degrees on me before I could regain control. This is potentially very dangerous, so I added three suitcase weights for the front. That took care of the problem, even with the 420 pound rotary mower. Two weeks ago I added the 48" rotary mower for field work. After one abortive trip around the parking lot I immediately ordered an overrun clutch for the drive shaft. The single-stage clutch means that without the extra clutch the rear wheels literally won't stop until the rotary blade ceases operation. It's fine with the add-on clutch, though, and seems to have lots of power at medium revolutions in PTO range 2 (max. 700). This combination is obviously a winner for field work around little trees, because I use my other two tractors so little now that it's in the yard. That said, I can't see that this tractor would work very well on a snowblower. That's one application where you really need live PTO. As nearly as I can tell the Bolens G174 uses about 1 litre per hour when running an implement mowing. Actually, the real competition on the farm is between the Bolens and my TAFE 35 DI tractor equipped with a new Rhino 160 rotary mower. The Bolens is doing the lion's share of the mowing because it is so much handier around little trees. So the TAFE, four times its weight and twice its horsepower, complete with new canopy and expensive mower, sits in the yard while I bounce around on this handy little beast.

Pros: Powerful, durable little beast, 4WD and different lock, powerful lift on hitch.
Cons: Lack of live PTO reduces its versatility.