Comparison kubota BX vs my Massey GC1715 . . . what have I learned

[94BULLITT]

Man Roger that tractor is loud!! What rpm you running?

Around 3,100 RPM.

 

[jenkinsph]

I had about 20 inches of snow to move after Christmas and used my mower and rear blade to do it. I suspect a lot of small tractor owners make a big deal out of snow removal because the piles size are impressive to them. Snow is light and requires a lot less draft to move than dirt which gives a small tractor a chance to shine. I use the small tractor (mower) because it is a lot easier and safer to trailer across town in the deep snow covered roads.

Doesn't take a big tractor to move 1 to 2 feet of snow if you get on it before it starts to melt and refreeze.

 

[AxleHub]

I had about 20 inches of snow to move after Christmas and used my mower and rear blade to do it. I suspect a lot of small tractor owners make a big deal out of snow removal because the piles size are impressive to them. Snow is light and requires a lot less draft to move than dirt which gives a small tractor a chance to shine. I use the small tractor (mower) because it is a lot easier and safer to trailer across town in the deep snow covered roads.

Doesn't take a big tractor to move 1 to 2 feet of snow if you get on it before it starts to melt and refreeze.

Your opinion seems to disagree with quite a few who want to always recommend small to mid size cuts to plow driveways and they always say a scut like mine is too small for the job of plowing snow (much less 15 to 24 inches of snow).

I know a larger apartment owner who has seen what mine does and is considering using one just like it instead of their skidsteer because it has much better traction and a far better way of moving snow away from the pile buildup. It can get into locations the skidsteer and 2. 3/4 ton pickups with plows can't get too also and it can replace a big lawn mower with snowblower on it also.

Lots of viewpoints and opinions on what makes a good snow warrior

 

[ovrszd]

Doesn't take a big tractor to move 1 to 2 feet of snow if you get on it before it starts to melt and refreeze.

It's not the vertical depth of the snow that dictates machine size, it's the horizontal size of the area to be cleaned.

 

[jenkinsph]

It's not the vertical depth of the snow that dictates machine size, it's the horizontal size of the area to be cleaned.

I used my 4520 to clear the roads at home because the county snow plow for out area was broke down. So clearing about 5 miles of streets would have been too much for the garden tractor yet easy with the 60 hp compact. Most people were grateful for the help and I wanted to make sure that the elderly could get the services they needed.

 

[94BULLITT]

I had about 20 inches of snow to move after Christmas and used my mower and rear blade to do it. I suspect a lot of small tractor owners make a big deal out of snow removal because the piles size are impressive to them. Snow is light and requires a lot less draft to move than dirt which gives a small tractor a chance to shine. I use the small tractor (mower) because it is a lot easier and safer to trailer across town in the deep snow covered roads.

Doesn't take a big tractor to move 1 to 2 feet of snow if you get on it before it starts to melt and refreeze.

I agree that a SCUT or large garden tractor can move 2' of snow but a lot of SCUT can't move that much snow with a small tractor. I've moved snow with the BX before when people could not move it with their larger tractor.

It's not the vertical depth of the snow that dictates machine size, it's the horizontal size of the area to be cleaned.

It is not even how wide the area is, it is how quickly the person needs the snow removed.

 

[ovrszd]

I used my 4520 to clear the roads at home because the county snow plow for out area was broke down. So clearing about 5 miles of streets would have been too much for the garden tractor yet easy with the 60 hp compact. Most people were grateful for the help and I wanted to make sure that the elderly could get the services they needed.

That's being a good neighbor!!!

I run a township grader and always clean the driveways of those that don't have the capability to do their own.

 

[tractorshopper]

Thanks for that great response, tractorshopper. I guess I got lucky with my purchase, although it wasn't cheap at right around 2K.

Couple questions about tilling. How fast can you pull the tiller? I suppose it depends on the ground you are tilling?? Do you plan on one pass and you are done? I hope this is the case. I was using a 6' disc and had to go over the plot 3 times before it was ready to plant. I did find a couple youtube videos of this tiller, but the guys seemed to be creeping along.

I have hard red clay soil here in most areas and some darker soil in bottoms. With the red clay, I usually double pass my tilling and usually in 2 directions. The first pass I probably average about 2 MPH. The 2nd pass I go a little faster and the tiller really gets down deep and fluffs everything up real soft. In the loamy stuff (what little I've tilled of it), the tiller usually glides through more quickly and smoothly. My red clay can pack very hard and if you try to go too fast, you'll start feeling how much the tiller is pulling against you and it will get jumpy or bouncy, especially if it's dry also. When just right with moisture, it's pretty smooth, but you have to find the sweet spot at a couple days after the last rain. Unfortunately, I rarely get to do what I want when the conditions are ideal. Work/Kids/Church/Wife, etc, dictate that I have to till often when it's not ideal.

I'm usually not in any kind of rush though anyway and don't mind taking my time. I will say the tractor handles this tiller with ease. I've just never pushed the envelope for the sake of speed. If WI soil is like MI soil where I grew up, I'd suppose this would move along a lot faster.

 

[AxleHub]

Had a good chance to do snow cleanup today. Lots of thick packed snow on a 200 foot concrete driveway. Learned how to use the float fu ction on my dl95 fel for the massey gc1715.

The flat process really helps on all my uneven and sloped concrete areas. I also discocered how I could adjust bucket positioning while still in float mode.

Good stuff.

 

[CDennyRun]

I know a larger apartment owner who has seen what mine does and is considering using one just like it instead of their skidsteer because it has much better traction and a far better way of moving snow away from the pile buildup. It can get into locations the skidsteer and 2. 3/4 ton pickups with plows can't get too also and it can replace a big lawn mower with snowblower on it also.

Lots of viewpoints and opinions on what makes a good snow warrior

There is no scut that can maneuver better than a skidsteer. Not to be rude. I'd be very surprised to hear that a scut can get better traction either. He must have bald tires. There are many reasons people use skidsteers instead of scuts for tight spaces. Talk to any landscape installation, or landscape supply company. Skidsteers have much more loader capacity as well. They also weigh more.

Chris