Hello, care to toss an opinion in here?

[DK35vince]

but with the shuttle shift, you must come to a dead stop each time before shifting from forward to reverse, then from reverse back to forward. Unless something's changed since I bought my CK in 2018, it also means taking your left hand off the steering to do it. If you're trying to work quickly and steer at the same time, that can get old, IMO.

It means taking your left hand off the steering wheel, but where are you steering to if your at a dead stop foward/reversing

 

[Jstpssng]

I preferred my old shuttle shift to my HST. Even now I stall more often when plowing or doing loader work than I did when I had a clutch.

 

[Threepoint]

It means taking your left hand off the steering wheel, but where are you steering to if your at a dead stop foward/reversing

Ha! I had to think about that for a moment! But the answer is, to change your direction of travel, to the right or to the left, before beginning to move again. With the power steering on these CUTS, it's easy to turn the front wheels right or left even at a dead stop. So if I'm backing out of the gravel pile with a full bucket, I can continuously steer to a new angle of departure even as I change from reverse to forward. If I do that a few dozen times in an hour of work, it's just easier for me.

 

[Threepoint]

I preferred my old shuttle shift to my HST. Even now I stall more often when plowing or doing loader work than I did when I had a clutch.

If I'm recalling correctly, with the synchro shuttle on the CK3510SE, you don't even need to clutch in order to shift between forward and reverse, so long as you come to a dead stop first. Pretty slick.

 

[tacticalturnip]

Just for clarification, after reading only the first reply; my disdain for the treadle design comes from having size 16 feet. I have plenty of experience with various machines, and find the twin pedal to be the best bet for my winter boots.

 

[workinonit]

16? Good grief!

 

[tacticalturnip]

Yeah, I'm a bit of a giant.

I've sat on all the machines, though haven't taken the time to operate them. My purchase is months out at best, however doing the research is enjoyable for me, and at best I'm an indecisive person lol.

I really like Kubota, having grown up with a GST L from the early 00's; before that we were an old IH family lol. My 1025R was the first hydrostatic 'real' tractor, and I quite like it, especially given the amount of loader work I do. The new shuttle shifts look nice, and I've talked to people who prefer them, so I'm keeping them on the back burner. One day I'll play around with a SS and HST side by side.

I've reached a point where I literally can not make a decision between Massey and Kioti, and then I keep looking at LS and McCormick. All these dealers are within an hour, distance is no problem, my only concern is dealership longevity- but with Massey and Kioti I feel that is a little less a problem.

I really like the canted left-right pedals on the Kioti; with big feet this minor thing makes a bigger difference than you'd think.

I'm on a rant.

 

[PuffyC]

This has put me looking around, and Maine has many options available to me, from the Massey dealer down the street to an hour drive for LS. I've written Kubita off; despite being impressed with them, I absolutely hate the treadle design.

I have been impressed with Kioti and the advances they have made in the last decade; my biggest concern was dealer viability, but come to find out my nearby Kioti retailer is the 6th largest in the nation by sales- I don't think they're going anywhere.

You sound a lot like me. Unfortunately the Kubota treadle was a total deal breaker so that wasn't an option. I tried hard to like it too. The Deere 3033R was ideal but more than I wanted to spend. I looked at the Kioti and really liked it too, and actually had a deal to buy a CK3510 but the dealer gave me such bad vibes I walked away. They had a great reputation but dropping $30k plus at what was really a glorified lawnmower shop (among many other concerns) killed it for me. I went back and got a 3032E and to be honest I'm glad I did. All that extra stuff I thought I needed? Turns out I don't miss any of it, and if the day comes that I need to buy another I'll have a much better idea of what's really useful and what's just bells and whistles. And if you read this forum long enough and one thing becomes very clear - dealer support can be critical.

With all that said, focusing on price is the wrong way to go IMO. A tractor is something you'll likely keep for 20 years or more so an extra $6000 is maybe lunch a McDonalds twice a month - something you'll never notice. And if you sell, the market for a used Deere or Kubota is so much better it would probably be a wash. Some dealers won't even take anything not Deere or Kubota as a trade-in.

I guess the short version of my opinion is to buy the tractor you really want from a dealer you trust to always have your back and don't get too caught up on price. In the long run you'll be glad you did.

 

[tacticalturnip]

I guess the short version of my opinion is to buy the tractor you really want from a dealer you trust to always have your back and don't get too caught up on price. In the long run you'll be glad you did.

Unfortunately, the dealer I trusted ceased to be; a few years back they were absorbed into United Ag & Turf, and it hasn't been the same since.

This is not the position I wanted to be in.

 

[k0ua]

If the Kubota don't fit, the Kubota don't fit!. The fit of a tractor is very important, after all you spend a significant amount of time on them. And comfort and fit can make a significant difference. I know this, if you spend 8 hours a day doing loader work on a tractor a Hydro tractor will leave you a lot less tired than a gear tractor that includes thousands of clutching operations. I have proved that to myself countless times when switching from gear tractors to my Hydro tractors.