MF 1700 Series

[southerniltractor]

Greetings,

I'm a Kioti guy with a good buddy who is considering the purchase of a MF 1700 series tractor. I poked around a bit on the MF site and found some information, but I have some additional questions so I can help guide him toward a potential purchase...

Where are the MF 1700 series made?

Who makes them? I know some brands outsource their smaller machines to various manufactures.

Of the various tractors in the line, which one has been shown to be the most reliable?

I've read some horror stories on this machine here, but the same can be said about my Kioti. All thoughts are welcome!

Thanks,
Mike

 

[mapper]

The 1700 series includes (I think) three different lines, the GC line are subcompacts made by iseki, the 17xxe series are CUTs rated 25-39 hp also made by iseki, but with shibura engines. The other 1700 I think are manufactured by iseki as well, someone correct me if I am incorrect here.
I have not heard anything bad about the "e" series and I am very happy with mine, it is a fairly basic tractor without a lot of bells and whistles.
There seem to be a lot of happy owners of the "GC" subcompact tractors as well as a couple with some problems.
There have been a number of posts on the other 1700 tractors, seems to be some issues with the HST on some and maybe with bad dealer response to said issues.
As has been stated on TBN many times, dealer support can be more important than the make of the tractor when it comes to customer satisfaction.

 

[plowhog]

My Massey GC1710 is made by Iseki, and my Massey 1758 has a Mitsubishi engine. Both very good, productive machines.

 

[southerniltractor]

I believe my friend is looking for a GC subcompact tractor. I observed some posts regarding the HST and one with a very poor weld on the loader bracket. I have also read posts singing the praises of this machine. I will continue to eyeball various sites and gather more data, and compare the features offered to what his perceived needs are. Oh, and I'll encourage him to join this forum!

Thanks all.

 

[plowhog]

I've been here maybe two years. With the one exception you have observed, I have seen a lot of very positive reviews of the GC series with very few issues or complaints. And one circumstance where seemingly nothing can go right.

I have not had any HST issues nor do I hear of many. Since the GC has only two HST ranges, low and hi, the low range is obviously for the "grunt" work the machine can do, and the higher range for faster travel. I use low most of the time and find it just fine for things that I do-- rotary cutting, working with dirt/gravel, etc. I use high range almost exclusively when I want to get "from here to there." I don't think I have tried working in high range for the things that I do, so I can't comment on its power to do tasks while in high. But if I have seen any complaints about the HST its usually about that. I guess those folks work a lot faster than I do!!

Good luck with the shopping and decision!

 

[dalola]

As has been stated on TBN many times, dealer support can be more important than the make of the tractor when it comes to customer satisfaction.

This is such a great point, that can't get emphasized enough!

I'm still in pre-buy mode myself, but have narrowed down to Kubota or JD, not so much because of the brand of tractor, but because of the quality of the local dealers. I literally went into research mode completely open mined on brand, and looked at every SCUT within a 2 hr radius. Every brand seems to have pluses & minuses, and prices were fairly competitive, so it really came down to the dealer, for me.

Now that I'm comfortable with both of these dealers, I can make a decision based on *value* (not price), and the best rig for my needs. It's a tough call, BX2380 or 1025R. Hope to decide by next week!

Good luck to your friend & his search!

 

[AxleHub]

Greetings,

I'm a Kioti guy with a good buddy who is considering the purchase of a MF 1700 series tractor. I poked around a bit on the MF site and found some information, but I have some additional questions so I can help guide him toward a potential purchase...

Where are the MF 1700 series made?

Who makes them? I know some brands outsource their smaller machines to various manufactures.

Of the various tractors in the line, which one has been shown to be the most reliable?

I've read some horror stories on this machine here, but the same can be said about my Kioti. All thoughts are welcome!

Thanks,
Mike

Greetings Mike,

There's the 1700 series and then there is the GC1700 series - they are both current series and both series 1st became available in later 2013. The GC series is 4 sub compact products and the 1700 series as I recall has 9 or more cut models and sizes.

Its nice of you to help your friend Mike - but it would be even better if he were doing the looking here - because "the effort creates the appreciation". What that means is he has to be willing to search and learn himself because what you or I like is different and what you and he like could be different too.

If you've been reading on the Massey forum for the GC products:
- you already know about the cooling system benefits Massey offers
- already know about the Iseki history and quality
- already know the GC benefits on hills and hillsides
- already know about unique accessories Massey makes that others don't
- already know what a great insurance option Massey offers compared to competitors
- and you've already seen threads on how the Massey GC products compare to J.D. and Kubota
- and likely have seen the pricing benefits compared to a couple other brands.

Your friend is considering Massey GC products compared to ???? What needs does he have? Does he have hills or flat land - will he do lots of loader work or backhoe or lawn maintenance. Does he live in cold country like myself or in non-winter situations?

 

[AxleHub]

. . . . . .

As has been stated on TBN many times, dealer support can be more important than the make of the tractor when it comes to customer satisfaction.

Mapper - I've always looked at it a different way than many, because when you choose a product:

- there is only one manufacturer/brand owner of that product and many many dealers of it. If that manufacturer is doing a good job - they have good regional support and also good dealer chain development and expectations for their dealers.

Manufacturerer's don't quit business often for health reasons,
or retire often
or close down because of financial situations
or burn down etc. etc..

But Dealers do it all the time.


Plus the Manufacturer determines the "outer limits" of the machine design and capabilities and options while a dealer works with the fine tuning of all those things.

As a result - I personally always recommend would-be buyers pay heavy attention to the equipment choices and options as the 1st priority. Then start evaluating dealer choices once you know the product you want/need. Then price and location are numbers 3 and 4 in priority. But I'm in Wisconsin - not Canada or Montana/Wyoming type areas where variables are quite different.

I read frequently on TBN that essentially all the products in a size category like SCUT, are similar in performance and capability - and I don't agree at all. Sure if you have flat land and want to mow grass and brush hog pasture - all of them do it very similar. But lets say you have heavy hill and slope land - there are big differences. Lets say you have a problem knee or ankle or back or physical size issues - big differences again. Lets say you have manuevering issues and concerns - big differences again. Etc. Etc..

My point has always been - you get the product you want (within reason) - then find your best choice of dealer in a 150 mile radius that offers great support and decent pricing. Now this "close distance issue" certainly may be true for big farm or contractor equipment - but if "within 20 miles" is your deciding factor for a scut - then you're already planning on having lots of problems and already planning on the product not being reliable - or - the purchase decision isn't that big a deal to you. When I was looking at purchasing - I wanted to know I had a great dealer - and then a backup good dealer and a backup to the backup decent dealer - all within a 2.5 hour distance - because things happen - and what was there for 20 years can be gone tomorrow

How easy is it to go from a great dealer to a poor dealer? Have the Dad retire after 30 years ownership who grew up understanding the customers - and have the son run it who only understands numbers.

Just my opinion.

 

[southerniltractor]

Howdy all,

Thanks so much for the helpful information provided here. I got the same response from members on the Kioti (and Mahindra) forums during my search for the right tractor and dealer - this site is a wonderful resource.

My buddy is just beginning his quest for a tractor and I'm trying to give him a leg up on the shopping process. He has MF, Kubota, Kioti, Deere, and Mahindra dealers in his local area (Maine) to choose from. I'll be visiting him in August and we plan on spending a day tractor shopping. My tractor is prior to Tier 4 ( I purchased it early just for that reason), and I've been out of the market since 2012. Much has changed even in line I'm most familiar with (Kioti) with the Tier 4 requirements. While I am confident I know his requirements based on his land and stated objectives, I surely don't know what is available for product. I must say I do enjoy the process of interacting with you all and learning more about current small tractors.

All that said, I'm sure he'll soon create a profile and start eyeballing this site.

Oh, I believe he kicked tires on a GC1700 series tractor. That was the genesis of this conversation.

Be well,
Mike

 

[AxleHub]

Greetings Mike,

A real brief summary of the Massey GC scut products is:

a. Its 1 of the 3 scut makers who produce both the engine and the primary tractor from engineering to design to production (Massey/Iseki, Kubota, and Yanmar).

b. Is it only coincidence that all three companies that happen to produce both the engines & tractor units, also use the same advanced engine cooling concepts that the others don't use ?

c. That same gang of three engine builders each have a history of building and installing their engines in other big name brands - each for 25 to 30 years.

d. The GC1700 series is second generation 2013 introduced product of the GC2300/2400/2600 series started in 2006.

e. Some will debate J.Deere's name, Mahindra's volume, Branson's creativity, or Kioti/TYM/LS pricing are all considerations - but points A thru D above are key considerations in pursuit of SCUT product and development choices. They each have grown wise and experienced over 4 decades each, in making durable successful product for the American scut market consumer/user.