OP
Robert_in_NY
Super Member
- Joined
- Aug 1, 2001
- Messages
- 8,552
- Location
- Silver Creek, NY
- Tractor
- Case-IH Farmall 45A, Kubota M8540 Narrow, New Holland TN 65, Bobcat 331, Ford 1920, 1952 John Deere M, Allis Chalmers B, Bombardier Traxter XT, Massey Harris 81RC and a John Deere 3300 combine, Cub Cadet GT1554
Mine has the 10x10 and it is ok for my use. I calibrate the sprayer to the tractor so it isn't too big an issue. Granted, more gears are better but its not an issue this time. My problem with the Kubota is the ride. It gets to bouncing so bad that you need to hold on to the bars on the doors just so you don't slam into the cab sides. This happens at various times with no rhyme or reason. It isn't just me either, my father was using it to cut a field with a 6' Woods medium duty rotary cutter and had the same issues. When it gets to shaking it gets incredibly loud inside the cab from the 3pt lift levers and the tool box that is mounted outside the cab but to the cab frame. I was cutting a smooth field but a very hard field (its very dry here) with only 12-18" of growth and mowing betwen 3 and 3.5mph and it would run fine then start bouncing, smooth out, then start bouncing. I'm actually thinking it is the tires that are causing this problem. Their not the same tire front to back and I wonder if the lugs end up lining up just so that it causes this extreme bouncing. It shouldn't but its all I can figure out. I can't use the foot throttle either on this tractor because as soon as you touch it the tractor bounces and it just becomes a bull riding event where you just hope to stay on for 8 seconds. I'm so use to using the foot throttle on all my other tractors that it has been tough restraining myself but I'm easily reminded why not to when I forget and use it.
I replace the stock seat with a better air suspension seat in hopes that it would help. I could barely stay in the tractor for an hour before my back was in extreme pain while spraying the grapes. So I wasn't sure if it was the seat that was making me so sore that I started disliking everything about it from being in pain or if it was something more. So with the new seat it is a lot better then the old seat but the problems are still there so even though the seat is better I still can barely stay in there for an hour before being in pain.
The cab itself is great (as long as your not moving). It has a lot of room which is why I went with Kubota since its hard to get a lot of room in a narrow cab tractor and with my back issues its nice to be able to move and stretch as needed during long days. Every 10-14 days I spray and it takes me around 18 hours to spray my existing vineyards. I'm at 33 acres right now but we planted another 11 and in two years those will be in the full spray schedule as well so my 18 hours will become 24 hours and when I spray I need to get everything sprayed as fast as I can so their long days. I need a comfortable tractor I can be in the cab for 12-14 hours straight. I was able to do that in my friends Deere narrow vineyard tractor so I know its possible.
The market for narrow tractors is very limited. I'm actually in a large vineyard area so I should be able to sell it at the end of the year locally. Outside of WNY or the Finger Lakes region you will either need to go to west cost like California and Washington or cross the lake into Canada to find large vineyard areas. Michigan has a decent vineyard market but most of the other areas are just starting out and are small still.
I replace the stock seat with a better air suspension seat in hopes that it would help. I could barely stay in the tractor for an hour before my back was in extreme pain while spraying the grapes. So I wasn't sure if it was the seat that was making me so sore that I started disliking everything about it from being in pain or if it was something more. So with the new seat it is a lot better then the old seat but the problems are still there so even though the seat is better I still can barely stay in there for an hour before being in pain.
The cab itself is great (as long as your not moving). It has a lot of room which is why I went with Kubota since its hard to get a lot of room in a narrow cab tractor and with my back issues its nice to be able to move and stretch as needed during long days. Every 10-14 days I spray and it takes me around 18 hours to spray my existing vineyards. I'm at 33 acres right now but we planted another 11 and in two years those will be in the full spray schedule as well so my 18 hours will become 24 hours and when I spray I need to get everything sprayed as fast as I can so their long days. I need a comfortable tractor I can be in the cab for 12-14 hours straight. I was able to do that in my friends Deere narrow vineyard tractor so I know its possible.
The market for narrow tractors is very limited. I'm actually in a large vineyard area so I should be able to sell it at the end of the year locally. Outside of WNY or the Finger Lakes region you will either need to go to west cost like California and Washington or cross the lake into Canada to find large vineyard areas. Michigan has a decent vineyard market but most of the other areas are just starting out and are small still.
