I feel like my RK24 is still new. But it now has 160 hours on it. Got it last fall. Purchased with backhoe and normal loader. Added a grapple to make this little tractor a real tool in the stable. I chose the RK24 for it’s size and was willing to accept the smaller tractor performance. Working in the woods between the trees and rocks is not for bigger machines. I have been VERY pleased with my choice. While some activities (stump removal) are just plain slow, I have been able to do anything I want to do. I still look forward to any day that is going to require some tractor time.
Jchonline
Elite Member
- Joined
- Feb 19, 2018
- Messages
- 3,071
- Location
- Red Feather Lakes, CO
- Tractor
- Kubota L6060, KX040-4, M7060, X1100C, M62(S)
Glad you are enjoying it!
Cognitive Dissonance
New member
I struggled a bit choosing between the RK24/25 and the RK37, before eventually selecting the RK37H. I live in the mountains of southwestern VA and wanted a bit more power and a wider stance to deal with those hills. Plus a friend suggested I pick a tractor one size larger than I thought I would need, since soon enough I would want more power and versatility. Two months into the tractor, I would say he was correct.
That same friend talked me out of the cab unit in favor of the open station. His main argument for an open station was that I would be constantly on and off the tractor and the cab would be a pain in the butt, especially since the RK37 doesn't have a 3-point control on the back which would force me in and out of the cab to make the fine adjustments. If I were using the tractor for long runs of tilling, plowing or plain old field work, I might have a different point of view. But he was correct in that I am up and down in the open station all day.
I suspect when I'm plowing snow or cutting wood in the middle of Janurary I will feel differently about not having the cab. ;-)
I purchased the RK37 with the loader and backhoe, plus I went with the 72" Granite Grapple and the 72" box blade about 6 weeks ago. The backhoe has been a VERY useful tool, having used it way more than I expected I would. Just when I get tired of hauling it around on the back, I realize there are several more things I need to do that require a backhoe. Eventually I will remove it so I can use the box blade, but not at the moment. I suspect sometime in early fall the backhoe will come off because I will need to groom our 1/2 mile dirt road and the garden area could use some leveling and grooming itself.
The 72" Granite Grapple has been amazing. I cleared extremely heavy impenetrable brush and old growth trees from about a 1/2 acre area and was amazed how productive the grapple was/is. From ripping out the roots of the brush while clearing it to hauling 18"-24" diameter logs 10-12 feet long, the grapple has not faltered. Between the amazing lifting capacity of the RK102 loader to the vice like clamp of the Granite Grapple, I have not had a load shift or fall out if I properly grabbed it in the first place. Simply amazing what the package can do considering how small a tractor the RK37 actually is. It helps having the backhoe on the back to offset all that front end weight of grapple and load.
Nearing 45 hours on the RK37H after less than 2 months. Will update all what I encounter with the 50 hour service I will be performing myself.
That same friend talked me out of the cab unit in favor of the open station. His main argument for an open station was that I would be constantly on and off the tractor and the cab would be a pain in the butt, especially since the RK37 doesn't have a 3-point control on the back which would force me in and out of the cab to make the fine adjustments. If I were using the tractor for long runs of tilling, plowing or plain old field work, I might have a different point of view. But he was correct in that I am up and down in the open station all day.
I suspect when I'm plowing snow or cutting wood in the middle of Janurary I will feel differently about not having the cab. ;-)
I purchased the RK37 with the loader and backhoe, plus I went with the 72" Granite Grapple and the 72" box blade about 6 weeks ago. The backhoe has been a VERY useful tool, having used it way more than I expected I would. Just when I get tired of hauling it around on the back, I realize there are several more things I need to do that require a backhoe. Eventually I will remove it so I can use the box blade, but not at the moment. I suspect sometime in early fall the backhoe will come off because I will need to groom our 1/2 mile dirt road and the garden area could use some leveling and grooming itself.
The 72" Granite Grapple has been amazing. I cleared extremely heavy impenetrable brush and old growth trees from about a 1/2 acre area and was amazed how productive the grapple was/is. From ripping out the roots of the brush while clearing it to hauling 18"-24" diameter logs 10-12 feet long, the grapple has not faltered. Between the amazing lifting capacity of the RK102 loader to the vice like clamp of the Granite Grapple, I have not had a load shift or fall out if I properly grabbed it in the first place. Simply amazing what the package can do considering how small a tractor the RK37 actually is. It helps having the backhoe on the back to offset all that front end weight of grapple and load.
Nearing 45 hours on the RK37H after less than 2 months. Will update all what I encounter with the 50 hour service I will be performing myself.