Century 3045 review

Anonymous Poster · May 3, 2003

I've been tring to write a review on my new Century 3045 for the last few days but it won't go thru so thought I would put it here:
Century 3045, c-50 fel, dual remotes, r4 loaded, Yanmar 4cyl-40hp pto
Dealer
KENT POWER EQUIPMENT
220 STANLEY ST
CASNOVIA, MI 49318
877-675-5368

I've had my 3045 now for a couple weeks now and I'm very pleased so far. I had a Ford1910 before and I wanted something with more hp and easier to get on and this fits what I want very well.
The fel joystick is mounted on the fender out of the way so you can get on and off from either side and it is very handy and comforable to operate. The fel is a midmount but is very solidly build as the loader frame extends from the front wheels to the rear and is 3/4 in thick steel. You can remove the loader in less than one min. as all you do is move two levers, back up and remove the hyd connections. The hyd connections remain with the tractor so you can use them for other attchments. The bucket is a quickattach and there are several attachments you can puchase such as pallet forks, bale attachments etc, and they are very easy to put on and take off.
The fuel tank is mounted under the steps so you can fuel from the ground and not worry about slipping with heavy cans or spilling fuel all over things. It is very well shielded so damage is not a problem
The steering wheel is tilt and the seat is very comfortable so you won't get tired riding it on rough ground. All the controls are easy to reach and use except for the parking break and that is too low and hard to reach.
The trans is a 12f-12r shuttle so you have enough gears for any job and the shuttle works very easy for fel work.
The pto is live with 540 and 1000 rpms. I use the 1000 rpm pto with my tiller and ran the engine at 1350. The tiller ran at normal speed and the engine didn't labor at all and its a 72 in tiller. It should work good with my snowblower when the snow isn't real deep and I woun't have to run the tractor so hard. JUST DON'T SPEED UP THE ENGINE AS DAMAGE CAN HAPPEN TO YOU OR THE EQUIPMENT.
This tractor is 3900 lbs and is heavier than most other tractors in it's class as the castings are heavier and solider and I am very impressed with the fit and finish. Also it is RED and thats my favorite color.
Normal maint. is easy as the hood and side covers remove easy and the engine is easy to get to.
EXCEPT for checking the engine oil. This is a problem that will be fixed soon as the distributor failed to install a extention tube and mount the dipstick onto the loader frame with a guard as is in the intruction manual of the loader. The 3045 is the only one that has this prob as it is the Yanmar engine and the other models have the Kukje engine. until they get this fixed it is very hard for an old man like me to check it. The dealer is working on this now and he has been very helpful in working with me.
I highly recomend this dealer as he seemed to be knowedable and very willing to work with me and help out. He says parts are very easy to get, usually overnite if he don't have in stock, and he quoted some prices and they seemed resonable. I had a pin in the seat bracket froze up and he took one off another one and had me going in about 15 min.
Give the Century a try. I looked at several other tractors and feel that Century was the best value for my money, and was 5-7000 less that the other colors. AND I grew up with green

19th_VA · May 5, 2003

Great review. Welcome to the TBN (and the Branson/Century club)!

Loges1 · May 5, 2003

That sounds like what I would write if I would ever take the time to write a review. Glad you like it. I usually use my foot to set and release the parking brake. Just push the lever down before you push on the brake and it will lock down without a problem. It's a little hard to pull up with your foot, but it beats bending down to pull it by hand. If you have the loader on you can always raise the front tires about 3" off the ground. It won't roll any where like that /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Anonymous Poster · May 26, 2003

Well I've put about 20hrs on my machine now and thought I would add a few thoughts
The parking brake isn't a problem now as I have learned to use my foot to set and unlatch it and that works fine.
I have run my new 6ft king kutter thru some heavy grass and brush and it runs it fine. I tried running it in 1000rpm pto with the engine rpm at 1300 to see how it would handle it and it would run ok but I desided that in heavy stuff that it would be harder on the engine than at 540 rpm with the engine at speed.
I put on the 2-14 bottem plow and did some plowing and it does ok but in the wet spots I can see that the r-4 tires are not as good as ag tires. I know that it is a trade off and I'm still glad I have the r-4s as they are easyier on the lawn and for loader work
The more I run this tractor the happier I'm with it. I've had alot of people look at it and I'm sure that red is looking better to more people than just green, orange, and blue now

Golfgar4 · Jun 25, 2003

Nice review! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Would you mind telling us what your package cost? I've been trying to get a feel for where the C/B's are in relation to other makes, and I realize that everyone is mentioning how much less they are, but no one seems to actually mention the prices that are being paid.

Do C/B's have mid PTO's as an option? That would be an important consideration for me. I don't have a problem with the shuttle shift transmissions over the HST's, so that's not a concern. I guess the other major concern I have is finding a dealer within a reasonable driving distance. I don't mind driving up to 1 hour one way, but I wouldn't want to go much farther. I do know a farm implement dealership that says they will work on any tractor, but I don't know how the warranty stuff would work.

Thanks for any information you might have. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

P.S. Since I posted this, I was able to find a site that listed some prices. But I would still be interested in hearing what your cost was. From what I saw at the site I found, C/B doesn't offer a mid PTO as an option. That is definitely a bummer! /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Anonymous Poster · Jun 25, 2003

I live in west michigan and I paid around 17500+tax for my package. 3045,r4loaded,c-50fel,dualremotes,72in bucket, plus all standard equipment and that is a lot of equipment. right now it maybe hard to get a 3045 as my dealer says he can only get them if he has a signed contract as they have been selling so fast. the other models are available.
I don't know if you have any dealers near you but I'm sure you can check the century website and find out.
No they don't have a mid-pto but I have no need for one. they do have the two speeds and I have found that to be VERY usefull, just becareful not to over speed your equipment.
I am very satified with this tractor and have shown it to many other people and they have been very impressed, If you are looking for a tractor you owe it to yourself to check them out.

Golfgar4 · Jun 25, 2003

Thanks for the info Lester! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

I would like to check them out, but I haven't been able to find a dealer within a reasonable distance - at least not yet.

I'm sorry to hear that the mid PTO's aren't offered. I definitely would need one as I'm planning on operating a front mounted snowblower and 3 pt hitch salt/sand spreader. But as they say, I will stay flexible and see what's out there. I still have some time before I'll be pulling the trigger, but the time is flying fast, so it won't be long (I hope!)

Thanks again for the reply! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Anonymous Poster · Jun 25, 2003

there is a farm show with century tractors in Waupaca County,Wis. July 15-17 called Wis Farm Tech. Days.
looks like that would be a good place to check out alot of different tractors. I got this info from the century web site. www.amjawa.com
leaddog

Golfgar4 · Jun 25, 2003

Thanks for the info. And thanks for the link to the Century web site. Turns out there IS a dealer about 30 miles away - although I'll have to go into Flat Land (Illinois) to get there! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

leaddog · Jul 30, 2003

Re: Century 3045 review (update)

Well Ive had my tractor now about 3 months now and I've got over 60 hrs on it now so I thought I should update my review.
I did the 50 hr oil changes and that is a pricey deal but is very important. when I changed the front differential oil I could see very fine, not much, brass fines suspended in the oil that wore off the new gears that you wouldn't want to leave there.
I am very happy with this tractor. I have used it in a lot of different jobs and have not found anything that it couldn't do that I asked from it. I've plowed and finished over 8 acres of HEAVY clay soil, bushhogged 6 acres of whitetail clover three times. Loaded and leveled over 50 yards of sand on my road to the woods plus many tons of rocks that I used for the base in the wet spots of the road. Plus Ive used it for the hundres of jobs that you use a fel for. Sure saves my back.
Ive made a stone bucket, adapted my 3-pt forks to quick attach to the fel, adapted my snow blade to attack to the fel and I'm working on a 3-pt trailer hitch and hoist.
What do I feel are the best points of this tractor?
#1. the quick attach fel. It is so easy to drop one tool and put on another one, I never realised how often I would go from my bucket to the forks to the stone bucket and so forth.
#2. The weight and strenght of this tractor. It will do WORK, and is very responsive and easy to handle.
#3. The location of the fuel tank. It is very handy and easy on my old joints to be able to only lift those heavy 6-gal cans up on the front tire and pour it into the tank.
#4. The heft of the fel. It has done every thing I have asked it to and I have WORKED it. I have no worries that I will spit this tractor as it has the heaviest frame of a loader of this size I've seen.
#5. The location of the fel control. It is right where you need it but you can still get on and off easily from either side.
CONS:
It is hard to check the oil level in the engine but I have found that if you raise the fel and open the hood and pull the side panel it isn't bad and this is very easy to do and I do that any way as I like to clean the screen and air cleaner quite often.
WOULD I BUY IT AGAIN????? In a heart beat, It is the best value I could find, bar none
Leaddog