New Owner, gc1705

[tybow15]

Welp after months of research on mostly this site and others I finally decided to buy a brand new 2018 gc1705 with a loader at the end of june this year. The dealer was close and the monthly payment was so low with the 0% for 84 deal I couldn't say no, and free delivery! I live on 3 acres in maryland near the pa line. I bought a foreclosure when i was 24 on somewhat of a hill with tons of downed trees and property cleanup needed. Tons of work in general really but also an acre of grass and 1000 foot of driveway the tractor seemed like a good long term investment and lets be real i really just wanted one. I wrecked an rm250 when I was 18 leaving me with a lot of hardware and fasciotomy scars on my right leg so carrying anything heavy is kind of an awkward limp for me so the loader was high on my priority list. I will certainly mow in the future but will take my time on buying a mower attachment as my cub still does the job. So far ive bought a rear blade, clamp on forks, hitch receiver for the 3 point. I wanted a little workhorse to handle the puling lifting and dragging mostly that my lawnmower and my right leg wasnt quite cut out for. I am pretty happy for the first 75 hours. In my opinion the loader outdoes the tractor most the time even with loaded tires. It lifts and carries way more than I can with a flick of the wrist and its fantastic. The stability was nerve racking at first but after getting a feel for the machine ive found its quite stable with the load low to the ground and that your better off taking two trips than tipping over. Life of owning a home on a hill. As far as traction this thing digs and will go through anything leaving ruts in its path. This is the rainiest year ever in md and it goes through mud great. My poor yard but whatever thats why i live in the woods i will fix it up nice ond day. 4wd and diff lock it'll pull anything I can throw in my trailer even up my hill. Pulls huge sections of trees. I had several trees fell on eachother in a storm this year and the loader certainly helped untwist that mess Its a very torquey machine. I use the turtle gear almost all the time and rarely leave 4wd unless im on pavement. it does fine in two wheel but i forgot one time with a heavy load and the tractor took off down the hill. Rookie mistake but for my sake i keep it in 4wd. I used the rear blade for one snow so far. Just a few inches of some early heavy wet snow. I did my driveway the neighbors and the other neighbors driveway on a quarter tank of fuel. Worked very well but jury is still out for the remainder of winter. I actually used the loader almost just as much as the rear blade and found float mode to be a very useful feature. just pop it into float mode then control the curl for how hard you want it to cut. The 50 hour maintenance was easy in my opinion. If you can change the oil in your truck you can on your tractor. Certainly beats dealer cost. Has been a tremendous help with hauling firewood. I graveled a section of driveway turning into a mudhole. Cleared tons of brush and dead trees. Overall ive enjoyed my Massey thus far and hope for years of service. This forum helped me alot on my purchase decision and I wanted to give my first impression of the Massey gc1705. I dont have many pictures just yet but figured id post a few of all my toys(yes the mini bike is mine i dont have kids just yet). Enjoy and thanks for the info tractorbynet!

 

[plowhog]

Congratulations! Seems like you are working it pretty hard and it is keeping up!

 

[Jchonline]

That first picture sums it up. A man, his tractor, a chainsaw, and his land. Gives me a warm feeling inside! Congrats on the wonderful little machine. I am sure it will serve you well for decades to come!

 

[edgarrian]

Nice little read I too have a 1705. Its been very handy for me as well. I basically use it for exactly what you are using it for. In the future you may want to consider some forks with QA.

 

[Diggin It]

Paragraphs might make that readable.

 

[Langanobob]

Paragraphs might make that readable.

His first post, we’ll get him in shape and he’ll be an English professor in no time at all.

 

[WranglerX]

IF you do a lot of FEL work you need a rear ballast .... Found out when I lifted my JD L120 mower (runs like a deer with a broken leg) the 520lbs factory weight of mower causes the rear to rise off ground as you step off tractor... Not good... Made 4 cu-ft (2x2x1 ft.) box filled with concrete (approx 500-600 lbs) make a whole bunch of difference if lifting with FEL and stability of tractor in general when working on property...

Dale

 

[JWR]

Tybow15 -- I sense you might be a Southern Marylander with that single wet snow so far, etc. Me too. We probably both know the Guy Brothers.
I use a Kubota BX2200 (very similar size machine) for most of the same applications you show. These little 4WD subcompacts will do an amazing amount of work and things other people would not imagine. Of course that often leads to trying that little David on Goliath sized tasks. Many sea stories to tell about disasters and near disasters.

Sounds like you are having a great time and enjoying a very useful tool. Keep us posted with the "new and interesting."

 

[tybow15]

Thanks for the replies. I spent alot of time scouring the internet looking for reviews testimonials anything to do with the tractor I wanted. I felt now that I have one it was my duty to write one.

I forgot to mention I bought clamp on forks and love them. Also have plans to build some kind of ballast box for cheap and a grapple w/ a diverter valve setup. I wanted to get into that but I realized my post was already a lengthy apparently difficult read. Sorry not sorry i'm a filthy electrician not a college grad. Hope somebody finds it useful nonetheless.

 

[1715Ben]

Congrats on your Massey acquisition. It is a great companion when working the property. I just bought a Wallenstein chipper for mine as I have a number of trees in need of TLC. It's my first tractor with a loader/3 pt. & PTO. I couldn't be happier with it. Good luck and keep us posted on the projects!