Suburban Plowboy
Platinum Member
I haven't noticed myself getting a faceful of soot with my current diesels, but then I sit in the seat while I use them instead of climbing underneath and putting my face next to the exhaust pipes.
So far, I have not had to deal with any of this unneeded equipment. Do people really have to sit around and do nothing while their tractors eat their own waste? That has to be a drag. Like charging a Tesla.
The whole "limp mode" business scares me. A buddy of mine has a worthless Mercedes that went into limp mode over and over for something like three years, and no mechanic could figure it out. I don't recall who finally fixed it.
It would be neat to find a pre-BS tractor, but it turns out other people were smart enough to hold onto theirs or buy them from other people as soon as they came up for sale. They are not easily found.
I'm one of the people who held on. My tractor is 25 years old, and if it had 45 or more PTO horsepower and a decent loader capacity, I would never replace it. It's kind of remarkable that Kubota thought 1500 pounds was enough for a loader. A less-powerful TYM lifts 45% more. Big difference when your main use for the tractor is moving logs.
My feeling about buying tractors with expensive, unnecessary gadgetry is like my feeling about buying used German cars. No matter how cheap they seem up front, they could be sources of huge regret when repairs are needed. And German cars and tractors often need repairs. If someone gave me a BMW for nothing, I'd sell it ASAP and buy a Toyota.
So far, I have not had to deal with any of this unneeded equipment. Do people really have to sit around and do nothing while their tractors eat their own waste? That has to be a drag. Like charging a Tesla.
The whole "limp mode" business scares me. A buddy of mine has a worthless Mercedes that went into limp mode over and over for something like three years, and no mechanic could figure it out. I don't recall who finally fixed it.
It would be neat to find a pre-BS tractor, but it turns out other people were smart enough to hold onto theirs or buy them from other people as soon as they came up for sale. They are not easily found.
I'm one of the people who held on. My tractor is 25 years old, and if it had 45 or more PTO horsepower and a decent loader capacity, I would never replace it. It's kind of remarkable that Kubota thought 1500 pounds was enough for a loader. A less-powerful TYM lifts 45% more. Big difference when your main use for the tractor is moving logs.
My feeling about buying tractors with expensive, unnecessary gadgetry is like my feeling about buying used German cars. No matter how cheap they seem up front, they could be sources of huge regret when repairs are needed. And German cars and tractors often need repairs. If someone gave me a BMW for nothing, I'd sell it ASAP and buy a Toyota.