Anyone ever wish they had a smaller ???

   / Anyone ever wish they had a smaller ??? #1  

Bob_Skurka

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Jul 1, 2003
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I have a 54" bucket on my TC24 and a 60" bucket w/toothbar on my B2910. There are times when I really wish I had a smaller bucket on the TC24 to get into tighter places. Or because I think I could dig a little easier with a smaller bucket.

I bought a 50" tiller and had a lot of advice that I should have gone up to about 60" for the tiller. My logic is the smaller tiller will till in one pass while a larger unit would need 2 passes because it would require more PTO HP than I have to dig a bigger tiller deeper on the first pass.

It seems like the forums are filled with people who bought big, or wish they did. Granted, I don't have much open land so a big tractor would actually slow me down, but my implements seem to be on the smaller side than some of the neighbors and much of what I read.

I'm I just a black sheep here for thinking that slightly smaller implements actually perform better than larger implements?
 
   / Anyone ever wish they had a smaller ??? #2  
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( There are times when I really wish I had a smaller bucket on the TC24 to get into tighter places. )</font>

Every time I dig up a stump with my 72" bucket, I wish that it was 24" wide instead. Maybe what I need is a tree spade that attaches to the bucket. My toothbar helps, but it's still a pain to dig a 6' wide hole on each side of a stump to get all the roots. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
 
   / Anyone ever wish they had a smaller ??? #3  
Actually, I'm kind of with you Bob. I have the MF GC2300 and on occassion, I wish I had something bigger. However, most of the time I feel like I'm sized just right. My main uses for the tractor are mowing, clearing snow, and light FEL chores. It does great at all three. Pretty tight turning radius, light enough not to cause problems on the lawn, 50" snowblower works well on the driveway which has a slight crown on it and can get into pretty tight spots. Loader is very handy but not so big as to significantly increase weight or affect manuverability. Plus, all implements are light enough that I can handle 'em by myself easily.

I am now getting into some drainage work and the thought crosses my mind once in a while I wish I had something bigger, but I guess that's what rentals/contractors are for. For the most part, I'm happy with this size (for now).
 
   / Anyone ever wish they had a smaller ??? #4  
<font color="blue">I'm I just a black sheep here for thinking that slightly smaller implements actually perform better than larger implements? </font>
Bob,
Your not by yourself. I see people get to large of implements for their tractors, all the time. Lots of times, these implements are to large to be run "efficiently" with the horsepower that they have. Big is not always better, but that is how many look at it. I see this mostly in rotary cutters, rotary tillers and rear blades. Another think, if you say anything about the size being to large, you are the bad guy and the someone will tell how a to large of a implement will work just fine with a even smaller tractor.
 
   / Anyone ever wish they had a smaller ???
  • Thread Starter
#5  
Take a look at some of the tiller threads. . . it almost seems like a sin to get a small tiller. Constantly I read threads about someone with a BX or a small CUT that states " I have a 68" or 56" or xx" tiller with only 15 or 18 pto hp and all I do is set it for the first pass at 1/2 depth" I guess it just seems that IF YOU HAVE TO MAKE 2 PASSES then you are missing the point!!!

Ditto with rear blades. I have a 60" rear blade that is great to use with the B2910 but has stopped the TC24 dead in its tracks. The 60" box blade sitting on the B2910 right now as stopped that tractor more times than I can count in my heavy clay soils; it seems like a 54" would be better suited but most of the implement companies jump from 48" to 60" with nothing in between on many types of implements.

I think the key is the efficient size implement for the 3pt. But even with the front buckets, the 54" bucket on the TC24 is well sized for most duties, had I been thinking more clearly I would have ordered a smaller unit just so there would have been a bigger size differential between the bucket on the TC and the bucket on the B2910. I guess I ordered it before drinking my second pot of coffee?
 
   / Anyone ever wish they had a smaller ??? #6  
Im one of those who got a wide tiller for my TC24 and so far its worked well. I do a single pass then pull raised rows. It sure worked well and was quick. Around my place wide works well b/c the ground allows it. BTW my 24 had no problems powering the tiller thru existing garden or new ground. I debated for a time whether to go narrow or wide and in the end decided on wide b/c I couldnt think of any benefit to narrow.

As for the loader...I think you can get into situations where the loader will lift the load but it certainly isnt safe to procedure along uneven ground. Sometimes I think it would have been better for NH to fit the 12LA w/ a smaller bucket (volume wise) for this reason. Experience though can do the same job...assuming youre not hurt while learning what the machine is/isnt capable of. I dont think this is what you had in mind when you asked the question but its just another way of looking at it.
 
   / Anyone ever wish they had a smaller ??? #7  
I've mentioned this before, but I have white hair, so I'm allowed to tell my stories more than once.

My TC18 is 48" wide at the outside of the tires. My bucket is 48" wide. My brush hog and box blade are also 48". If I had a tiller, I'd probably want it to be 48" wide. Only my landscape rake is bigger at 60"; and every time I use it I manage to hook it on something -- tree trunk, fence post, etc. Because of the low height of the TC18 3 point, I have to use the rake in the 90 degree position. Once I modify the attachment points so I can angle it, I'll angle it so it's effectively 48" wide also, and that problem will be solved.

In other words, I really like it that everything on the tractor is the same width, front to back. If any one part fits through a narrow spot, the whole thing will, and it's easy to work next to something like a fence.
 
   / Anyone ever wish they had a smaller ???
  • Thread Starter
#8  
OkeeDon, I was playing in the dirt more today. I think a 48" bucket would have been a better choice than the 54" unit. I think it would dig better and it be easier to see the side of the bucket without leaning way out on the seat.

I don't want to downsize the tractor, but sometimes you can get more effective use out of some of the implements if they are sized just a bit smaller.
 
   / Anyone ever wish they had a smaller ??? #9  
Well, I wasn't smart enough to know that, and lots more, when I bought my tractor. Once again, I give thanks for a salesman who really listened to me, and who made his recommendations based on how I was going to use a tractor, not on what he wanted to sell. I went in to get a TC33D with a backhoe and the biggest implements I could get; and came out with a TC18, no backhoe, and matching size implements. I've gotta believe in any salesman who suggests downsizing, especially when he has the bigger stuff in stock and could have sold it by keeping his mouth shut.

By the way, even with the 48" bucket, when I lean out in the seat to see the side, the dang tractor shuts off due to the seat interlock. I can usually shift my butt back fast enough to catch it before it completely shuts off.
 
   / Anyone ever wish they had a smaller ???
  • Thread Starter
#10  
<font color="blue"> even with the 48" bucket, when I lean out in the seat to see the side, the dang tractor shuts off due to the seat interlock. I can usually shift my butt back fast enough to catch it before it completely shuts off </font>


LOL, I think I have mastered the quick look for my 54" bucket!

But I find I take my loader off frequently and I can't quite manage to get it back on without the seat interlock shutting me down when I try to take a peek to see if the arm are seated properly.
 

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