Load capacity

MarkV · Jun 10, 2004

In the 800-1000 pound range you have options. My 21hp Kubota is rated at 926 pounds of loader lift in a small package. I am confident that this is a conservative estimate from what it has done in the past. As others have mentioned the tractor weight will have much to do with how much lift power the manufacture is willing to put on it. A heavy load that is lifted high can make things very unstable on a lighter tractor. Skid Steers kind of specialize in lots of lift in a small package. If those do not meet your needs I would be looking in the 30+ hp range tractors.

MarkV

Bob_Skurka · Jun 10, 2004

I think that you will find a lot of fairly small tractors that will comfortably lift your load. As has been mentioned, HP is not the determining factor, the real factor is the loader itself. And as has also been mentioned, you need counter weight to safely move the load, but I'd say a pretty typical 30hp tractor with a pretty typical loader would probably suit you very well. There are probably a few 24/25hp tractors out there that will also lift 1000# without undue stress to the systems.

If the vast majority of your work is going to be loader work, you owe it to yourself to look at Power Trac tractors, they will outwork any conventional tractor for FEL tasks, in fact they are probably capable of doing twice the work in any given amount of time. If you want to stay with a conventional tractor, then the New Holland TC29 with the curved arm 16LA loader would be a good choice. New Holland has a sloped and curved hood and curved loader arms on some of their models and the combination of those factors give you much better visibility than any other brand on the market today. JD is supposed to have a curved arm unit soon, but they still have wide & flat hoods that limit the visibility so I'm not sure that you'd get the visual advantage with that set up, but I've not seen it yet. If you have a Case dealer around, the Farmall is basically the same tractor as New Holland (same company, different color paint, same specs) so you could look at the DX series as well.

rockyridgefarm · Jun 10, 2004

JD is supposed to have a curved arm unit soon, but they still have wide & flat hoods that limit the visibility so I'm not sure that you'd get the visual advantage with that set up, 

FWIW the new loader is on the new 4000TWENTY's which also add more slope to the hood... Even the current hoods are not as obtrusive as most others, though not quite as sloping as the Boomers...

Bob_Skurka · Jun 10, 2004

( JD is supposed to have a curved arm unit soon, but they still have wide & flat hoods that limit the visibility so I'm not sure that you'd get the visual advantage with that set up, 

FWIW the new loader is on the new 4000TWENTY's which also add more slope to the hood... Even the current hoods are not as obtrusive as most others, though not quite as sloping as the Boomers... )

Our local Deere dealer doesn't have any out front, do you know when they will be available? I'm not in the market, but I'd like to take a look. And I know that my experience with a Kubota B2910, while I absolutely love that machine, is that it has a long flat hood and square loader arms and there is minimal visiblity at the bucket with the Kubotas. Deere's existing product line does have more slope than the Kubota, but they are still pretty wide and pretty flat, the JD equipment I played on doesn't strike me as being any better than the Kubota, simply because the hoods on JD are wide too. I think their 4020 series might just be what they need to get competitive with New Holland & Farmall in the loader arena. But as good as New Holland & Farmall are for loader work, neither can hold a candle to the amount of loader work that a Power Trac is capable of.

rockyridgefarm · Jun 10, 2004

There is a ton of info in the JD forums... Look for 4020 specs... They are just now showing up at dealers and Muhammad will have a big spread on them coming July 1....

A lot of this depends on your size, a shorter person will generally have a harder time seeing than a taller one. That said, the Kubs are pretty boxy, but then there seem to be lotsa folks who won't have it any other way...

You certainly are right that the powertrac has some great advantages. Seems that we could use a few less of the conventional style models and some greaty diversity from BlueOrangesGreen...

Bob_Skurka · Jun 10, 2004

I had some time to check on the 4020 series tractors on the JD website. I see 2 problems for MOST of us. First, those are pretty big machines, over 40hp, and MOST of the people on TBN seem to have 40hp or less, and most of those seem to be in the 20 to 30hp range. Second, the loader arms, while curved, SEEM to actually be above the top of the hood, without seeing it in person it is hard to tell if they really are.

As for the question of SIZE and visibility, I do agree, taller people can see over a hood better than shorter people, but at 6' tall, I am taller than the average American male and I am the one doing the complaining about my own tractor!!! So I'd say it is a valid bit of criticism. And again, I don't own a JD tractor with a loader, but I did get to play on some, and I don't think they are any better than the Kubota for visibility.

Loader productivity boils down to a couple of things. First is the ability to manuver, and a Power Trac beats the living daylights out of EVERY brand of tractor on the market for manuverability except for Ventrac and Steiner. Those 3 brands are so much more manuverable than traditional tractors that you can't believe it until you actually get to drive one, and then you are amazed (my brother recently drove my Ventrac and after an HOUR came into the house saying it was "just like driving a video game"

But the Power Trac has the best loader set up of those 3 brands for visibility.

The second biggest factor for loader productivity is visibility, and there only the Power Trac stands at the front of the line by such a wide margin that you have to look backwards a long way to see anyone occupying the #2 position.

rockyridgefarm · Jun 10, 2004

The 4000Twenty's are the first in a new series, MidChassis, and Small Chassis models are coming...
To muddle up things a bit the mids are going to be calles 3x20's I guess the small chassis will be 2x20's...

Woodbeef · Jun 10, 2004

( Loader productivity boils down to a couple of things. First is the ability to manuver, and a Power Trac beats the living daylights out of EVERY brand of tractor on the market for manuverability except for Ventrac and Steiner.(

Hey Bob have you checked out the Blue and Red Valpadanas from Landini and McCormick yet?

Woodbeef · Jun 10, 2004

For that much weight,probably the smallest tractor in size would be a Kioti CK20.

shawna · Jun 10, 2004

I am currently using a Kubota L2650 which I believe is at about 23.5HP..I think I am close. I like the size of the tractor(it is on loan). I want something that I can manuever in the smallest amout of space possible like a small barn. FYI: I am using the tractor to assist a 1000lb horse up with a sling I had built..and the horse can help himself by sitting up like a dog but needs help getting his rear up..then he is perfectly happy ..runs off and kicks and plays(for those who might express opinions not related to my post such as quality of life). So, I actually don't know how much load I am using but this tractor does well. Just looking for more lift if it is eventually needed. I also have small acreage that I use the tractor to flip compost piles, etc and mowing capabilities..so.. I want to minmize the tractor while maximizing the load capacity. Thoughts? I am leaning towards John Deere or Kubota..have read both are very good.