Doug62
Silver Member
The 1726e is decent machine. It didn't quite do what I needed it to and it sounds like our use is pretty similar. Below are the things that I ran into with it that caused me to go the next size up.
I used a 1726e for the last 2 years on some waterfront property I have. My buddy bought the land next door to mine and bought the tractor new at the same time. After using it to do all sorts of stuff over the last 2 years, both of us felt that something one step up would have been a better choice. I really wanted a cab tractor for a number of reasons so I took his advice and stepped up one size and bought an 1835M cab model 2 months ago for my own use at the beach and at at an inland 100 acre family. That farm is mostly timber these days but still has 20-30 acres of pasture in use. I LOVE the 1800 series size. The loader has close to double the capacity of the 1726e and that extra 800 lbs of weight and the extra loader strength makes a world of difference in moving a lot of dirt. One of my biggest issues with the 1726e was I could only go to the top of the pile for a full bucket of dirt in one maneuver. To get a full bucket from lower in the pile meant backing out a little or going in several times. Even if I went to the top of the pile, it meant backing up and lowering the load from almost full height before driving. It slowed me down a lot and I still have several hundred yards of dirt to move before the end of the year on this one project. The 1835M does this much better for me and I get much more dirt moved in the same amount of time. I can go in much lower and come out with a full bucket without having to backup as I did with the 1726e.
The machine itself doesn't look all that much bigger but once you start using it it becomes obvious how much stronger it is. The money is probably around 7K more but you get considerably more capability. I think 1700 series also came in a 35 or 40 hp model but don't know anything about the frame sizing or weight on those. The 1700 series will no longer be sold and has been replaced by the 1800 series.
The second thing I didn't like about the 1726e was the transmission. It has 3 selector speeds (snail, turtle and jackrabbit) Then you have to manually shift between 3 forward gears in each of these. Here is the rub.... You have to completely come to a stop and let the engine idle down to shift into any another gear. It's very time consuming. There is no shifting as you go like a car. It really slowed work down. I constantly found myself grinding the gears as I was trying to shift it after I stopped. I'd think it had idled down far enough but it hadn't. Sometimes it would go in but not always. So I'd have to sit there a little longer for the RPMs to get all the way down.
The 1835M I bought has an HST and it works far better. Overall the 1835M gets a lot more work done in the same amount of time compared to when I was using the 1726e. But that does have a price difference someone around 7K-8K I believe for a non-cab version. I really didn't ask about current pricing on the 1726e when I went in to buy mine. This number is based on what he paid and what I was quoted for the 1835M series. To me it was well worth the price difference but that was because I already knew I needed a little bigger tractor.
I think I just have this one picture of the two of them in the same photo. The 1726e is not a bad tractor it just couldn't quite do what we needed it to. My friend has already bent a couple of hydraulic arms trying to do more than the tractor could do. One or more on the backhoe as well. The backhoe that fits the 1800 is bigger and heavier as well. So think about how much you really want to do with it. The 1726e will do basic stuff pretty well if you are not worried about how long it takes you can probably get it to do what you need it to for the most part. If you're going to dig up big tree stumps or move a lot of dirt, gravel, etc. or use a grapple, I'd go for their 36 or 40 hp model. I went with the 36 because it's 36.3hp and the 40 is 39.4hp. I didn't see the use in stepping up only 3.1 hp on a same physicy machine for a signficiant price difference.
This is my experience witht the exact machine you are looking at so hope it helps.
I used a 1726e for the last 2 years on some waterfront property I have. My buddy bought the land next door to mine and bought the tractor new at the same time. After using it to do all sorts of stuff over the last 2 years, both of us felt that something one step up would have been a better choice. I really wanted a cab tractor for a number of reasons so I took his advice and stepped up one size and bought an 1835M cab model 2 months ago for my own use at the beach and at at an inland 100 acre family. That farm is mostly timber these days but still has 20-30 acres of pasture in use. I LOVE the 1800 series size. The loader has close to double the capacity of the 1726e and that extra 800 lbs of weight and the extra loader strength makes a world of difference in moving a lot of dirt. One of my biggest issues with the 1726e was I could only go to the top of the pile for a full bucket of dirt in one maneuver. To get a full bucket from lower in the pile meant backing out a little or going in several times. Even if I went to the top of the pile, it meant backing up and lowering the load from almost full height before driving. It slowed me down a lot and I still have several hundred yards of dirt to move before the end of the year on this one project. The 1835M does this much better for me and I get much more dirt moved in the same amount of time. I can go in much lower and come out with a full bucket without having to backup as I did with the 1726e.
The machine itself doesn't look all that much bigger but once you start using it it becomes obvious how much stronger it is. The money is probably around 7K more but you get considerably more capability. I think 1700 series also came in a 35 or 40 hp model but don't know anything about the frame sizing or weight on those. The 1700 series will no longer be sold and has been replaced by the 1800 series.
The second thing I didn't like about the 1726e was the transmission. It has 3 selector speeds (snail, turtle and jackrabbit) Then you have to manually shift between 3 forward gears in each of these. Here is the rub.... You have to completely come to a stop and let the engine idle down to shift into any another gear. It's very time consuming. There is no shifting as you go like a car. It really slowed work down. I constantly found myself grinding the gears as I was trying to shift it after I stopped. I'd think it had idled down far enough but it hadn't. Sometimes it would go in but not always. So I'd have to sit there a little longer for the RPMs to get all the way down.
The 1835M I bought has an HST and it works far better. Overall the 1835M gets a lot more work done in the same amount of time compared to when I was using the 1726e. But that does have a price difference someone around 7K-8K I believe for a non-cab version. I really didn't ask about current pricing on the 1726e when I went in to buy mine. This number is based on what he paid and what I was quoted for the 1835M series. To me it was well worth the price difference but that was because I already knew I needed a little bigger tractor.
I think I just have this one picture of the two of them in the same photo. The 1726e is not a bad tractor it just couldn't quite do what we needed it to. My friend has already bent a couple of hydraulic arms trying to do more than the tractor could do. One or more on the backhoe as well. The backhoe that fits the 1800 is bigger and heavier as well. So think about how much you really want to do with it. The 1726e will do basic stuff pretty well if you are not worried about how long it takes you can probably get it to do what you need it to for the most part. If you're going to dig up big tree stumps or move a lot of dirt, gravel, etc. or use a grapple, I'd go for their 36 or 40 hp model. I went with the 36 because it's 36.3hp and the 40 is 39.4hp. I didn't see the use in stepping up only 3.1 hp on a same physicy machine for a signficiant price difference.
This is my experience witht the exact machine you are looking at so hope it helps.
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