Are we in the USA really this far behind?

[mikester]

I don't get all the naysayers comments about heat and lack of flat floor decks. I still consider a SCUT/CUT flat deck operator station to be a novelty. Same with having a cab or air suspension seat.

My M59 with cab is great in winter, in summer I'm roasting in a furnace from all the heat generated in the tranny. Reversible fans on a Kubota? Sorry not an option.

Operator comfort and Kubota are two words that don't go together in the same sentence.

If I had local stocking dealers I would definitely consider one of the articulated Antoni Cararro. Driving backwards with my rear PTO snowblower sucks. I'd rather operate a bush hog in front of me as well.

If you read all the posts about guys wanting to mod their SCUTs so their loaders can lift something useful I would suggest that SCUTs are pretty useless for serious work.

 

[npalen]

I don't get all the naysayers comments about heat and lack of flat floor decks. I still consider a SCUT/CUT flat deck operator station to be a novelty. Same with having a cab or air suspension seat.

My M59 with cab is great in winter, in summer I'm roasting in a furnace from all the heat generated in the tranny. Reversible fans on a Kubota? Sorry not an option.

Operator comfort and Kubota are two words that don't go together in the same sentence.

If I had local stocking dealers I would definitely consider one of the articulated Antoni Cararro. Driving backwards with my rear PTO snowblower sucks. I'd rather operate a bush hog in front of me as well.

If you read all the posts about guys wanting to mod their SCUTs so their loaders can lift something useful I would suggest that SCUTs are pretty useless for serious work.

I would definitely consider one of the articulated Antoni Cararro.

This is an interesting video where Hillside Tractors of Australia makes a number of modifications to the Cararro articulated tractors. The hydraulic mods include load sharing suspension of the 3PH including down pressure as well as adjustable up pressure to add traction and flow control of the 3PH in both directions.

The gentleman doing the video appears very knowledgeable and, I would guess, is the inventor of the mods.

Edit: I know that down pressure on the 3PH is considered useless and even detrimental here on TBN but the fellow makes a good case for why they added it to the Cararro. The argument against down pressure 3PH is that it causes loss of traction which can be true but the 4WD still has good traction on the other end of the tractor. That would still be true with a FWA but to a lesser extent perhaps.

I think back to some of very early front end loaders which were raised with single acting cylinders or even winched cables. Someone figured out that down pressure might be handy. I've used subcompact tractors with 3PH down pressure (Allis 720 for example) and found it very useful even without FWA.

 

[Oaktree]

Look at any piece of equipment they make vs what we have.

??

 

[Root Cause]

All the posts remind me of an old article quoting the engineers who kept making improvements to the traditional tractor-style lawnmower. They could not figure out why anyone would want to buy one that was so inefficient. It took a long time for the masses to jump over to zero turns. I honestly think it had nothing to do with comfort or efficiency but had everything to do with having the ability to hold a beer in your hand.

 

[GeneV]

View attachment 728568

Hey Moss, what's the implement all the way on the right?

 

[rScotty]

Looks like a lot of the European small articulated tractors are being used for agriculture and crops. Here in the USA, our rigid heavy framed compact tractor are used more for building, maintaining property, and landscaping work. But I sure wish we had their brakes and front 3pt.
rScotty

 

[npalen]

All the posts remind me of an old article quoting the engineers who kept making improvements to the traditional tractor-style lawnmower. They could not figure out why anyone would want to buy one that was so inefficient. It took a long time for the masses to jump over to zero turns. I honestly think it had nothing to do with comfort or efficiency but had everything to do with having the ability to hold a beer in your hand.

Hydrostatic transmission of power was the key to development of the Zturn.

 

[fishhead]

I would definitely consider one of the articulated Antoni Cararro.

This is an interesting video where Hillside Tractors of Australia makes a number of modifications to the Cararro articulated tractors. The hydraulic mods include load sharing suspension of the 3PH including down pressure as well as adjustable up pressure to add traction and flow control of the 3PH in both directions.

The gentleman doing the video appears very knowledgeable and, I would guess, is the inventor of the mods.

Edit: I know that down pressure on the 3PH is considered useless and even detrimental here on TBN but the fellow makes a good case for why they added it to the Cararro. The argument against down pressure 3PH is that it causes loss of traction which can be true but the 4WD still has good traction on the other end of the tractor. That would still be true with a FWA but to a lesser extent perhaps.

I think back to some of very early front end loaders which were raised with single acting cylinders or even winched cables. Someone figured out that down pressure might be handy. I've used subcompact tractors with 3PH down pressure (Allis 720 for example) and found it very useful even without FWA.

Holy bells and whistles Batman, so cool - just curious, anyone have an idea what the price on such a tractor?. Guess you would have to subtract the 10% VAT. As far as small tires mentioned earlier- the rears are certainly smaller but the fronts way bigger than a large compact so in total why would you not gain in rough ground capability?

 

[Root Cause]

Hydrostatic transmission of power was the key to development of the Zturn.

I don't doubt you at all. My point was that the masses kept buying the tractor style lawn mower after better equipment was available and no one seemed to know why.

 

[Nikkorott]

I have an old Ferrari 95 that I love when it's running correctly. It's got all of the horsepower and torque that I've ever needed. It's has a low center of gravity & 4wd that can get into just about any spot on my property. The only complaint that I have has to do with parts availability. I'm currently running with a u-joint from an 70's Alfa Romero Spider. The engine is a Lombardini air cooled, oil bath air filter, 3 cyl diesel. Lombardini was bought out by Kohler who kind of, sort of support with parts, but not all of them.

I really wish that more folks in the states would give this style of tractor a chance. They're friggin awesome.