GC Series Models & Comparison Green Red Blue & Orange

[fxdb96]

Hello Everyone,

I have been researching subcompacts for a while now. I currently have a 1970 Jacobsen GT14 which I use for snowblowing as well as mowing. I am ready to upgrade to a subcompact with backhoe and front blower and MMM and have decided I NEED a Massey Ferguson. I thought I would share my experience with you and perhaps get some advice as well!

First one question. I have been working with a very friendly and helpful dealer here in Maine and they tell me the GC 1710 & GC 1720 are identical except for the HP they put out. They said the extra HP in the GC1720 is from fuel delivery differences. I have heard on this forum and others that there are other differences as well such as work lights and a better seat on the GC 1720. Can anyone speak to this at all? Does anyone know for sure?


Just the other day I test drove the following so I could make a well fair & rounded tractor buying decision . "Not that it was competition or anything... haha" I also looked at Yanmar, Kioti, and LS but didn't even bother to drive them due to the fact that they don't really fit into the package I am looking for.

Kubota BX25
Deere 1025R
Mahindra MAX24
Mahindra eMax 25


Kubota - After starting it and letting it idle, I hopped up onto the seat and reached back to make sure the backhoe was pulled up all the way. Well guess what - at idle, the backhoe does not move.. AT ALL. Not one inch. Just doesn't make sense to me that we are not creating any pressure/flow at idle. The bottom of the backhoe seemed to stick out further from the centerline of the rear axle which would make it high center easier - but i didn't measure so i could be wrong.

Deere - This machine idled at 1600 RPM or more. I couldn't even talk to the salesman without shuttin her down!? It felt like it was going to vibrate and take off just at idle, above idle it cleaned up and smoothed out. Alot of plastic on this machine.
I was quoted 20,775 for the 1025r which comes with the backhoe


Mahindra eMax - Bigger machine, fit and finish not even close to the orange green or Massey machines. Not very smooth to operate in terms of hydraulic controls and drive pedals.

Mahindra MAX - Smoother than the eMax but still bigger than what i think a true SUB compact should look like.


The GC1710 I tried seemed to have very nice fit and finish except for the seat. The lever for the loader needs to be about 4" longer and have a 20degree bend in the end of it so you don't have to reach for it.... Hopefully this is an easy mod? I loved the pedals and all the other controls. The hood, paint, backhoe is very nice. There was a hose on the backhoe arm I could see was being stressed quite a bit....there was a clamp right before the first joint/elbow and it seemed like the clamp was doing more damage than good causing a tight radius bend on a hose or two when the hoe was extended. I was quoted 21,500 for the unit BUT subtract a 2600 cash discount if paying cash to end up at 18,900. I think the price goes up if you take the zero percent cash offer............ zero percent is never really free money. Also, the dealer welds a grab hook with plate to the bucket and installs a block heater for "free".

Again... very nice dealer so far they have really taken the time to answer my questions and help me out. Makes a big difference! Let me know what you guys think!


Oh yah, the price on the Massey 2360 front blower seemed high..... $4,399 and add an extra $700 for the hydraulic rotate?

 

[mguitas]

:welcome:All good tractors above, pick a color an enjoy.

 

[Fiziksgeek]

Welcome to the forum. My personal opinion is that in this category, sub-compact utility tractor, SCUT, Massey is the best, but I'm biased as an owner. You can compare numbers and features between models and brands all day long, but when I put my butt in a GC, BX and 1000 series, the Massey just felt good. You'll read over and over that at the end of the day, the dealer is as important as the brand. I'd buy my second favorite machine from my favorite dealer...if that makes sense to you.

In the 1720 you'll get a couple more horse power, a half gallon hydraulic flow, better seat, standard rear work light, and little things like guards for the signal lights. You'll have to decide for yourself if you think its worth it or not.

The Massey blower should run ~$3500 for the blower with quick hitch and mid--> front PTO kit. Then, hydraulic or electric rotation and electric chute deflection are options.

 

[AxleHub]

Hello Everyone,

First one question. I have been working with a very friendly and helpful dealer here in Maine and they tell me the GC 1710 & GC 1720 are identical except for the HP they put out. They said the extra HP in the GC1720 is from fuel delivery differences. I have heard on this forum and others that there are other differences as well such as work lights and a better seat on the GC 1720. Can anyone speak to this at all? Does anyone know for sure?

Fxdb,

The GC1700 series are goods units. I have the gc1715. Your dealer may not be doing a good job of describing the 25 hp version compared to the 22.5 hp version.

The engine itself on the 15 nd 20 units runs at an rpm increase to 3000 rpm compared to the 2600 of the 05 and 10.

(By the way I believe the kubotas by default are 3200 rpm).

I can tell you by testing personally that my gc1715 has good powervat 2600 rpm and even more power as the rpm climbs.

But it also has more hydraulic flow too. All 4 GC1700s are good machines . . But I prefer the coil AND spring suspension seat which works much better for me.

Same eqipped gc1710 and gc1720 should be about $1200 difference in price.

By the way . . Massey offers the cash discount with about 4 or 5 very good finance options beyond the 0% without cash discount.

Ad to what you noticed with the kubota backhoe not moving at idle . . its a simple long standing concept difference. Kubota is good equipment however they use a dingle hydraulic pump and it needs to be at much more full running rpm levels forthat pump to show up for duty. By cintrast th Gc1700s have 2 pumps and can be active at multiple rpm levels.

 

[fxdb96]

Fxdb,

The GC1700 series are goods units. I have the gc1715. Your dealer may not be doing a good job of describing the 25 hp version compared to the 22.5 hp version.

The engine itself on the 15 nd 20 units runs at an rpm increase to 3000 rpm compared to the 2600 of the 05 and 10.

(By the way I believe the kubotas by default are 3200 rpm).

I can tell you by testing personally that my gc1715 has good powervat 2600 rpm and even more power as the rpm climbs.

But it also has more hydraulic flow too. All 4 GC1700s are good machines . . But I prefer the coil AND spring suspension seat which works much better for me.

Same eqipped gc1710 and gc1720 should be about $1200 difference in price.

By the way . . Massey offers the cash discount with about 4 or 5 very good finance options beyond the 0% without cash discount.

Ad to what you noticed with the kubota backhoe not moving at idle . . its a simple long standing concept difference. Kubota is good equipment however they use a dingle hydraulic pump and it needs to be at much more full running rpm levels forthat pump to show up for duty. By cintrast th Gc1700s have 2 pumps and can be active at multiple rpm levels.

Thanks AxieHub. Good info.. I think the salesman said it was a 1600 dollar difference on the phone today.

Also... I asked about the 2016 models... If there are any changes coming and when they are available. It can sometimes be worthwhile to buy the current model yr for resale purposes. He told me the 2 2015 models he has would simply be sold as 2016s come Jan 1st..... What do u think?

 

[AxleHub]

Thanks AxieHub. Good info.. I think the salesman said it was a 1600 dollar difference on the phone today.

Also... I asked about the 2016 models... If there are any changes coming and when they are available. It can sometimes be worthwhile to buy the current model yr for resale purposes. He told me the 2 2015 models he has would simply be sold as 2016s come Jan 1st..... What do u think?

Tractors are sold diffeently than cars. If there was a change to the 2016 version . . you'd have heard about it a few months ago. And the model number would be modified in some way. The big chsnges were the fel went to a dl95 in 2014 and a cb65 on the backhoe. Both are improvements. A 2014/2015 look identical. I assume the 2016 is the same but may not be out till ???

 

[fxdb96]

Gotcha.... Makes perfect sense

 

[Clipse3GT]

I picked my GC 1720 a few months ago. After runs to many dealers and driving many tractors. I ended up with a GC 1720. I know people will state that the 1710 is more than enough and it runs at lower engine speed. But my GC 1720 is not loud at all or annoying running at 3000 rpm. The GC 1720 also requires more RPM to run the Rear and Mid PTO so you can take use of the extra HP/Torque while mowing or using a blower. These are 1.1L engines. They can run at 3000 rpm all day long, heck probably even 4000 rpm but they would be completely out of the power band. There is not much rotating mass to them so they rev easily but also bog down a bit easier compared to 6L Diesel. Point is that properly maintained they will run for a long time at the rpm they designed to operate.

The 1720 engine does produce more power via adjusted governor, fuel injection pump, and other small bits. So the engines a little bit different but overall the same to the 1710. Having extra power on tap if you need is always great. I generally operate mine around 2600 rpm unless I need more speed or power. There is a bit more flow at 3000 rpm and you can really tell the difference between 2600 and 3100 rpm with using the FEL or Backhoe. But also makes operation a bit more tricky (read jerky) if you do not pay attention to what you are doing.

I feel the seat on the 1720 is much better than the 1710. The 1710 felt like a park bench and felt the Deere and Kubota had better seats compared to the 1710. The rear worklight is next to useless on the 1720. Better off with a LED upgrade you can use the OEM wiring. All the GC's use the same wiring harness so the connections are all there you just have to dig them out of the wire loom in the proper location and you have extra 2 sets of power wires in the rear of the tractor.

I felt buying my 1720 that $1000 this way or that way would not be make it or break it at this point. So I went with the top range GC 1720 never regretted it either.

If I had to rate the SCUT's I would have ranked them MF > Deere > Kubota > Mahindra > Yanmar (no diff lock) the deal breaker especially if using it for plowing or heavy ground engagement.

 

[irvingj]

fxdb96, sounds like your experience mirrors what a lot of us have gone through. I bought mine a few years ago (GC2310), but had the same thoughts after looking at other brands. OTOH, like others have said, Dealer, Dealer, Dealer! If you have a good dealer to work with and he sells M-F, so much the better!

After getting mine (w/bh and blower) I only had to ask myself why I waited so long. Picked up a used MMM a year or two afterward, and found that the MMM saved even more time vs. my push mower than the blower did vs. my old walk-behind. And used LESS fuel. And did a better job to boot!

You're going to love it!

 

[irvingj]

fxdb96, sounds like your experience mirrors what a lot of us have gone through. I bought mine a few years ago (GC2310), but had the same thoughts after looking at other brands. OTOH, like others have said, Dealer, Dealer, Dealer! If you have a good dealer to work with and he sells M-F, so much the better!

After getting mine (w/bh and blower) I only had to ask myself why I waited so long. Picked up a used MMM a year or two afterward, and found that the MMM saved even more time vs. my push mower than the blower did vs. my old walk-behind. And used LESS fuel. And did a better job to boot!

You're going to love it!