MF/Kubota/Case/NH/Deere - I'm Confused

[44trxfun]

Re: MF/Kubota/Case/NH/Deere - I\'m Confused

Hey duck_man, I'm not pushing the Massey but since you haven't heard from anyone who has one, I thought I'd chime in. Mine has been very reliable. The most time on mine goes to mowing, but I'm not a fanatic about it. I think it does a decent job. It would probably do a better job if my lawn was better. My primary use for the tractor, however is clearing snow. Depending on what point in the season and the kind of snow, I use the loader or a front-mount blower and the rear blade. It's fantastic for this use (350-ft. gravel / native surface driveway).

All that said, I do have a few complaints. Implements for the sub-cuts tend to be light. They do the job, but sometimes you need some weight to help 'em. Maybe Massy's changed things in the last few years, but lift height on the 3PH is a little low. If you drive through a dip, watch your back end if you have an implement on. Though I do like the treddle-pedal, I don't like the placement of the 3PH lever. Because 3PH has no position control (which can be frustrating in its own right) my 3PH lever is right under my knee when seated and turned to look at the implement. I don't know about the other makes, but I wish the Massey FEL rolled back a bit more. On the plus side, it has performed nearly flawlessly. It's a good size for small spaces. Like many others I have found numerous uses for the FEL. It's moved everything from leaves to a wood stove without complaint.

If you haven't heard it before, realize that regardless of the make, you're entering a relationship with a dealer. Your comfort with both sales and service at your dealer may be as much a factor as kind of tractor you decide on. For me, it actually steered me away from a couple other makes and dealers, and I'm glad I did it, even though my dealer is about 45 minutes away. They've treated me well.

Good luck. I think I've hit the high points but feel free to PM me with any specific questions you have about the GC2300. Also, if you don't know about it, you can search old posts using the search feature near the top of the page.

Good Luck!

 

[aesanders]

Re: MF/Kubota/Case/NH/Deere - I\'m Confused

44trxfun,

I agree with most of your points about the Massey. It's a good machine. And a tough machine as well. I think some of the negatives such as three point lift height is a common trait among all subcuts.

When this machine came out, I thought it was the best subcut on the market. Since then, Kubota and John Deere have just introduced new models (Deere 2305 and Kubota 2350). These machines in my mind are much more ergonomically friendly than the models they replaced (although the Deere 2210 was nice in it's own right) and more so than the Massey as well. They have quite a bit more room on the operator platform. Performance wise though, the Massey is still right up their with these other machines.

 

[coveredbridge]

Re: MF/Kubota/Case/NH/Deere - I\'m Confused

I don't know if they are still available or not, but if you could find a leftover Kubota BX 1500, I think you might find it meets all your needs at about half the cost of the other options you're looking at.

I have over 160 hrs on mine. I have mowed, moved rocks and dirt (and snow) with the loader, and graded with the box blade, and was never lacking for power.

Good luck in your search! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[duck_man]

Re: MF/Kubota/Case/NH/Deere - I\'m Confused

Can't find a 1500 around here. And for the price difference between the 18hp and the 22-25hp tractors, I'm thinking more is better.

A local dealer is on his way over here right now with a Case 25E for me to try out. We'll see!

 

[kossetx]

Re: MF/Kubota/Case/NH/Deere - I\'m Confused

duck man, I paid less than a thousand more for my tc 40 a with 16la fel than you were quoted for the 25. Have you concidered a mahindra 2615. Their supposed to be reliable and they sell for about 13300 here in houston. It's a cut, not a scut, but that's not always bad. Just my .02

 

[thcri]

Re: MF/Kubota/Case/NH/Deere - I\'m Confused

Duckman,

The pricing is somewhat in line for all units. The spread from one end to the other is not that great for a rig that you will have for a long time. There is one thing that all have forgotten about and that is the dealer. All the above tractors will do a good job for you. If I was you I would go and spend some more time with the dealers. Test them tractors out a bit more. You have to decide which dealer is going to take care of you after the sale. They are all great tractors but they are not going to be perfect and you will need dealer support. Just my opinion.


murph

 

[daTeacha]

Re: MF/Kubota/Case/NH/Deere - I\'m Confused

Duck Man -- check the DX 23/26 while talking with the Case man, too. They're bigger, the small end of the CUT line vs. being the large end of the SCUT line. There are NH versions of all Case machines if you prefer blue to red, too.

 

[imported_MiserblOF]

Re: MF/Kubota/Case/NH/Deere - I\'m Confused

daTeacha, I think you made a very good point. I'm at least as confused as Duck Man, and have been working on this purchase on and off for three years now. I went to the closest Case dealer (45 miles away) and was very impressed with the DX 26. It is a sweet size with much more ground clearance than the scut's I've seen. I ignored the similar dx 23 because I believe in going to the higher horsepower in any given size range. The dealer told me that the DX 33 (which is also a fine looking piece of equipment) is a LOT more tractor and much more stable on hills than the DX 26, though. It is quite a bit bigger than the 26, which I feel is better for me in terms of size. Stability on hills is a big issue here (Catskill Mts.) and that is probably what kept me from buying the 26 right then and there and still being in a state of confusion. The grass is growing now, and I'm going to make a decision in the next month because the old wheelhorse with its 42 inch deck is just too tiny to cut this whole place.

Duck Man, take a good look at the DX 26 (or the less expensive though non-hydro JD 790, the various small Kubota CUTs too, the Mahindra 26 hp unit is a very good looking machine, but it's in the heavyweight class with the advantages/disadvantages discussed above.)

One of my biggest concerns is that with the dozens of models out there, the one in particular that I end up with will be hard to find parts for in the future. For this reason I tend to lean towards the Case and Kubota which have twins and sell the most respectively.

 

[daTeacha]

Re: MF/Kubota/Case/NH/Deere - I\'m Confused

Hey Miserable -- if you get out a measuring stick you might be surprized how little the 29/33 has on the 23/26. The "bigger tractor has about 5.5" more wheelbase, but is actually shorter overall. With Ag tires, it's only about 8 inches wider. I had to look hard at them side by side to believe it, but finally got a 29, about who's arrival I just posted.

 

[imported_MiserblOF]

Re: MF/Kubota/Case/NH/Deere - I\'m Confused

daTeacha, I did look at the 26 and the 33 side by side and the width difference is a lot. I will be scrambling to build a shed to put the thing in after I get it (when I know exactly how big it has to be, and have the motivation lol) The 26 to me was the perfect sized machine, but the extra eight inches of width would certainly help me feel a little safer on these hills. I probably will go with the 33, because of this, but if I were looking at the machines Duck Man was looking at, the 26 would be the one I'd want. I might be going to the NH dealer tomorrow if it rains- he is the only guy I haven't helped on his way to an ulcer yet.. funny thing, after I go to dealers, the salesmen seem to leave and I have to start from scratch ;-). It just seems that when you start looking at a particular tractor, there is always something that makes you want to look at a bigger one, and the models are so close and the prices are so close that you just start up the ladder until you get to the point where you have to start asking yourself if you're nuts, and start again.. I was thinking of a 35 hp Mahindra at one point, and when I actually looked at the machine, I had to laugh, the thing was huge. Now I'm probably getting close to that size again.. But I have definitely decided that the scut option is out for me. They would have to be priced much lower to get me to go that small.

As for DuckMan's dilemma, if I were in his position with a flat lawn, I would still be looking at the cut's becaus for the most part, the scut's don't turn all that much sharper and the cut's generally can handle wider mowers, which makes a lot of sense if you have a level and fairly smooth area to cut faster. I believe that the one weakness all these machines have, with the exception of the NH's with supersteer, is that they don't turn really sharply. Many of the newest model garden tractors, which are not much smaller than the scuts, have turning radii under 3 feet, which is great for mowing, but of course, they can't do much else, AND the really good ones are right up there in price with the scuts, and there you go up the ladder again LOL.