all brands, $16,000?????????

[Bob_Skurka]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Fender mounted FEL joy-stick, telescopic sway & lift arms, slopped hood and FEL, tilt steering...just to name a few. )</font>

Please don't take this as argueing, but I am curious.

1 - Why is a "fender mounted FEL joy-stick" an advantage? Some prefer it, and some prefer the loader mount, is this not just a matter of personal preference? On small tractors I think fender mount joysticks get in the way, and there are members here on TBN who have broken their CK loader levers (I think while dismounting their machines). On larger tractors I do think the fender mount is better, but only because larger tractors offer more room.

2 - I have been a big fan of the sloped hood/curved loader arm combo for years, but I've also take a large amount of crap from people on this forum for saying it is better. I agree with you that it is better, but many would also suggest that it is just a matter of personal preference.


FWIW, I would likely choose the CK over the other machines, but only if the local dealership were a high quality dealer. I value the quality of the dealership over the tractor brand because any of these tractors will do the job. However, of the tractor choices, an L2800 "gear" model would be my absolute last choice. The L2800 "HST" offers some major advantages over the "gear" version. I have a lot of mixed feelings about the Mahindra units, reliability seems to be a big issue on their forums; that issue plagues Kioti, but to a lesser extent. The JD790 is cramped and both the 790 and the TC30 are a bit too old school in this modern day. JMO

 

[randy_berger]

I've just bought a brand new 790 from a dealer in jeffersonville, new york (catskills) and like it a lot. its a simplified machine of course but that's what i like the most (i also have a harley; same aesthetic). although not so important to most, i like the straight hood a lot more than the new curvy style. manual transmission means no power drained away from pto. negatives: relatively less hydraulic power to both loader and 3-pt (per specs; i've had no problems lifting yet, mostly firewood). i think the 3-pt was 900 lbs and the loader around 1200. also, you need a "power beyond" kit to run hydro implements from the back (i.e., log splitter or backhoe). so i'm planning to buy a pto splitter and chipper as soon as i find a local source. i would agree the shifter gets in the way on and off the machine so you've got to extricate yourself a bit. but the joystick isn't any problem there. the machine feels a lot better built than the kubota that compares price-wise. the kubota had more plastic on it and felt/looked flimsy compared to the jd. that did it for me.

 

[daTeacha]

I agree with you about the loader controls, Bob. Sit on a loader equipped DX26. The controls are on the loader and fall readily to hand, as the sports car set says. On the DX29, there is more space in the platform and the controls are on the fender, again falling readily to hand. It depends on the tractor, where you put the seat, how long your reach is, and a bunch of other stuff.

That's why the common thread in almost every discussion here about what to get ends up saying "keep looking until you find what works for YOU". A long legged type is not going to be as comfortable on some units as a shorter legged guy and vice versa. Same with weight -- a skinny guy will sit different than a heavy guy, regardless of the springs under the seat. If you're heavier, your backbone is farther from the seatback, your rear end is thicker, and so on. That impacts where your hand and arms land. It all adds up to sitting on lots of tractors until you find the one you're most comfortable on.

On the sloped hood thing, I agree that it looks different. My wife went to see the DX series and said they didn't look like tractors to her. She grew up driving a WD-45 and some of the bigger Fords. But when she drove it, she liked the visibility much better.

I'd like to see the loaders on those units fit closer to the tractor, but when I asked the dealer about why the one on the DX29 was so far in front of the wheels he said it was to give more reach when loading a truck or whatever. That makes sense. After loading a pickup with my B7100 and being able to dump only on the near side of the bed while having the nose of the tractor pressed against a plywood shield on the truck fender, I can appreciate a little more reach with the bucket.

What would be ideal is an old style dogleg loader with the bucket close to the tractor but able to somehow telescope out like some backhoes do when extra reach is needed. Of course someone would overload the bucket, lift it, reach it, and stand the whole rig on it's nose. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Then they'd sue me for thinking of it. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

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