RK Tractor reviews???

[Threepoint]

My 32 hp Ford 1920 loader can lift and move 1400-1500 lb (2 3x3x8 large square) of hay and it not rated for nearly as much as the RK37 is. I can稚 lift it too high and I wouldn稚 want to. If one was going to move 1500 lb round bales all day the RK 37 is too small. It would be OK do do it once a week, 1500 lbs is a lot of weight to move around.

Reminds me of my 9th grade shop teacher, Mr. Montgomery. All these years later I can see him standing at my shoulder saying, "Boys, use the right tool for the job"!

 

[Btown]

Reminds me of my 9th grade shop teacher, Mr. Montgomery. All these years later I can see him standing at my shoulder saying, "Boys, use the right tool for the job"!

Yes, but there are some people who think if it can do it it should be able to do it 12 hrs a day 7 days a week. Then when it breaks the blame the manufacturer

 

[Soundguy]

I thought they were asking about moving round bales, not hay production.

Yup, what I'm really trying to figure is if I will be able to unload 1200-1300# bales that are stacked 2 high on my deckover flatbed. I'm guessing that if it can lift 1400# @ 8' ill have no problem. 8' should get me to an acceptable stabbing spit on a 4x5 or 5x5. Most bales around here run 900-1200 dry and tight. They get a hair heavier when wet, so that's why I lil to guess a little high. I do of course use top stacked ones first obviously, so the oldest/wet/heavy ones would ink be stabbed about 6' up at most...

 

[Soundguy]

Just for reference...My recently traded WM 50 was rated at 3550 pounds at the pins and 2200 pounds at 800 mm to full height. That is 62% of the max at the pins. 2116 pounds at the pins multiplied by 62% equals a little over 1300 pounds. I don't see an issue with most round bales.

Thanks. That's the type of comparison I'm thinking as well.

Currently in using a 1955 ford 850 with a superior loader. Its a used and abused beast, put away wet and hungry many times before I ever saw it. It is at the hairy edge of its capability to unload a double stacked wet round. Many times I'm actually using the curl to get the bale lifted an inch and then backing up while feathering her down . Power steering gets weaker rack year, so does the hyd pump.

I ain't getting any younger either. As fun as it used to be to drag home rusty junk and resurect it and work the snot out of it, and work ON it now and then a couple decades ago.. I'm just about ready for a cab with ac and working on them less.

 

[Soundguy]

My 32 hp Ford 1920 loader can lift and move 1400-1500 lb (2 3x3x8 large square) of hay and it not rated for nearly as much as the RK37 is. I can稚 lift it too high and I wouldn稚 want to. If one was going to move 1500 lb round bales all day the RK 37 is too small. It would be OK do do it once a week, 1500 lbs is a lot of weight to move around.

Yes, 1500# is getting huge for a round.. In reality, I'm thinking I'd never see over a 1200# one in practice. It's the engineer In me that likes to have a safety margin.

As another person guessed, this isn't a daily chore, but rather moving say 12-18 a year max. ( 18 was the most I've used per year in 18 years, I have 2 less horses and one less cow now too. ).

Warm wet winters helps the feed bill, dry winters hurts the picket book

 

[Soundguy]

I think it痴 funny that I知 reading about a 37hp tractor to move round bales around..

There are very few people on this site that have any idea how much weight and hp it takes to move round bales efficiently, there are no compact tractors on farms around here for good reason, it痴 not what they are made to do.

I guess you dont live in horse country. Around here, 3ac, 30ish hp tractors and a horse in the yard aren't uncommon.

Hardly ever see small squares anymore. Easily 80-90% of the hay for sale around here will roll down a hill. Small squares are only for sale at some feed places for people that like to pay 8-12$ each.
Lots of cow hay for 25-35$ a round.
Quality rounds, stored inside, tight, dry, fertilized, choice grasses, etc go from 45-75$ a round depending on variables.

Large squares like 3x3x8, and 500#/1000# compressed squares make up the other 10+% used around here.

Probably more CUT in the tricounty area than any other size.

 

[RK Tractor Guy]

#224 Just How Much Weight Does This Tractor Lift? RK 24 - YouTube

This is a good video demonstrating lift capacity on an RK24. Real world, only thing that matters. We plan a series on all RK models handling various common tasks so people can relate it to their applications.

 

[Soundguy]

Can't wait to see the 37 series!

 

[atsah]

My sister owns a large horse farm in Citra, hay prices down there are crazy high, around here it’s cheap and people use big equipment to process it.. Cut’s are used for small stuff.

 

[MossRoad]

Yup, what I'm really trying to figure is if I will be able to unload 1200-1300# bales that are stacked 2 high on my deckover flatbed. I'm guessing that if it can lift 1400# @ 8' ill have no problem. 8' should get me to an acceptable stabbing spit on a 4x5 or 5x5. Most bales around here run 900-1200 dry and tight. They get a hair heavier when wet, so that's why I lil to guess a little high. I do of course use top stacked ones first obviously, so the oldest/wet/heavy ones would ink be stabbed about 6' up at most...

I figured, given your animals and tractor hobby you knew what you were talking about, and that you probably already had a machine that would do it, but were looking to upgrade to something less than 50 years old. At least it has seemed that way for the past 16 years.... :laughing: How many machines do you have now, anyway?