New GC1710

[zski128]

Hello,
After 6 months of research I have finally pulled the trigger on my first tractor a couple weeks ago. Looking at all the brands local including Kubota, Deere and Mahindra I decided on the GC series and was lucky to have a great dealer about 1 hour away. I did check out the GC1720 but felt that the extra cash was not worth the fancier seat and other minor add ons. I have been really impressed with its capabilities for its size and have already dug out a small stump and buried a large boulder. This is my first time using a TLB and its taken some practice to get used to controls with 3 hours of seat time so far. This forum has been a great tool while researching the various brands. Hopefully I will have knowledge to contribute the more seat time I get.

Some things I have ran into so far.
1. Watch your FEL hydraulic lines when closing the hood. One of the lines got tucked in behind the hood and started to chafe a little. I poped the hood and pushed/bent in the sheet metal a little so now it closes a little tighter to the bottom of the console.
2. Had a pretty good hydraulic fluid leak on one of the FEL lines. There was a small puddle on the deck after one day. One of the fittings was only finger tight. Hopefully that does not return.
3. The HST seems weak on hills or small obstacles. I made a small dirt ramp into part of property, probably about 1-2 foot incline over 6 feet and I need to get a running start to make it up. I am in low gear and also tried 4x4 with the throttle in the green zone on the tach. Works fine on flat ground. I am familiar with HST operation but something doesn't feel right.

Thanks for reading.
Rich

 

[Pixguy]

Congratulations and welcome.

I've had my GC for 5 years and although I want to pick something up that is too large, I can attest that this scut is a great tractor and has served me well.

I have put more seat hours on in the last few weeks due to the snow we've received than the same time in the summer. Love it!

 

[DuckSlayer1017]

Rich That doesn't sound right about not climbing a small ramp in low gear. The only time I've had the hst bog down is going up hills in high or medium. You may want to give the dealer a call. Also check the hyd oil level, maybe that leak made you loose more oil than you thought.

 

[SteveM70]

Rich That doesn't sound right about not climbing a small ramp in low gear. The only time I've had the hst bog down is going up hills in high or medium. You may want to give the dealer a call. Also check the hyd oil level, maybe that leak made you loose more oil than you thought.

Agree^^^ In my experience the GC feels like a whole different agile animal with the backhoe off but still has the power to climb beyond its capabilities (to the point of flipping backward) with the backhoe on.

 

[Brotherdan]

Best wishes for you with your new tool!
I'm equal with you in history. Please get some anti-gelling additive for your fuel if you have not already done it. Most auto parts stores and the home depot stock it. There are a lot of great tips on this site.

 

[mpham]

Just an fyi. Most hst's have less power the more you press down. Next time you try going up the ramp let off the pedal some and see if it picks up speed. That's how my ck20 was.

 

[rjmack]

hydrostat in mine seems to still work okay with over 500 hours on it.

I do spend most of my time in low range though. pretty well all the bucket work you do will be in low range, high range for traveling, but it's easy to go back and forth between hi and low once you get the hang of it. if the lever is binding, just give either one of the hydro pedals a little feathering.

have fun, and keep the wheels on the bottom side.

Making the digging a little easier - YouTube

 

[irvingj]

Ditto mpham! HSTs are a bit weird in that regard. If you google how they work, it might make it easier to understand, but it's certainly true that, when climbing, less pedal works better than more pedal. I know, counter-intuitive, but that's just the way it is. But-- by all means if that doesn't help it climb better, call that dealer!

Oh- and congrats on yer new tractor. Those little GCs are very capable!

 

[plowhog]

Congratulations! I just did a 50 hour service on my GC1710. Great tractor!

 

[zski128]

Thanks everyone for the helpful advice. I am familiar with hydrostatic transmissions and how they operate but something does seem off. If I try to start on a hill I have to roll back down and try again, the wheels dont spin like I lost traction, I just get a whine from the system. Even when backscraping with the FEL, if I get the front wheels off the ground a bit when I don't want to use float I don't go anywhere, pavement or dirt. I checked the sight glass and its still showing color (not white) so I dont think the system is low. Will be contacting the dealer this week to take a look.