My new GC2310: yeah!

[jayhaitch]

I've finally got 11 hours on my GC2310, and thought I'd post my experiences. It's all been snow clearing so far. To make a long story short, we finally moved into our new house, only 6 months past the original completion date But the house is fabulous after all that.....

I bought my GC2310 in Oct 2005. Yup, '05. Zero percent financing I couldn't resist. The excellent dealer stored the tractor for me for free until Dec. 06 (I had it insured on my homeowner's policy). I purchased it with the 6 blade dedicated mulching MMM, and rear tiller. So what do I think so far? Awesome! Love it. I'm getting much better at fine control of the bucket. I love the tight turning circle. It has all the power I need. I only bogged it down a few times pushing a LOT of snow. I love the smell of diesel The 4wd and locking diff really helped me out a few times.

Negatives? Not many. It didn't want to start today, -20C. Oil looked more like grease than oil on the dipstick. The battery couldn't turn it over fast enough after 15 sec of glow plugs twice. I put it on an automatic charger, and once charged fully it started. Lot's of initial white smoke. It's in an unheated garage. I really do need to order a block heater. I'll also change to fully synthetic oil at the 50 hr service, probably Amsoil 10W30/SAE30 Heavy duty diesel oil (ACD). I am tempted to use their 5W30 diesel oil, but I'll probably use the 10W30 while on warranty. I'm using Power Service additive for now, and will try the Howse additive next.

I got it stuck once. We have a rather high gravel drive with no grass, just farm field. The packed snow made the driveway even higher. The tractor seems rather light in the front end with the backhoe on, and it slide a bit off the driveway while pushing with the bucket, and got high centered. Not much ground clearance I now find out. The hydraulic filter is fine (powdery snow). I had to shovel out under the tractor, and use the bucket to clear enough of a space to rock it back onto the driveway. I tried pushing it with the bucket, and pulling with the backhoe, no luck. Lesson learned.

The ergonomic are good, the seat comfortable, the visibility excellent. But pushing snow with the bucket isn't great. I've figured out the right angle to the bucket in float mode to clear deep but not dig up gravel, but I've already got quite a wall of snow in places beside the driveway. The dealer said a Massey front blade is expensive, and recommends a third party front snowblower which I'll probably get for next year. But it sure has been fun learning to use the bucket.

I'm really looking forward to what it can do this summer, putting in about 1.5 acres of grass, and moving about 180' of gravel driveway (installed in the wrong place ) and adding another 170' or so to make a horseshoe in front of the house. Plus trees, a dog run, excavating for a kid's play structure, tilling up two friends yards........I've got play, uh, work for a lifetime

Thanks to everyone who answered many of my questions, and for all the superb information on this forum.

 

[loulblades]

You can sure have fun with these things. I have the GC2300 but recently ordered the Woods backhoe for it. The dealer called and said the hoe was in but with the snow we have, I told him I didn't want to give it to him right now. I have the blower on the front and I think it works better than trying to push snow around.

I found that it was easy to lift the rear end when filling the FEL up with top soil. So after hitting a root a blowing a tire, I had all 4 tires foam filled. Helped alot.

Good luck with the new machine.

 

[the gumbster]

hey welcome ! another gc2300/2310 owner in manitoba..... i have owned my 2005 gc2300 for a year now and use it for landscaping , mowing and snow clearing in gimli . i have switched to a synthetic oil for winter and it does make a big difference for starting in cold weather.... i too have inquired about a block heater ..... but so far have gotten along with a magnetic oilpan heater and synthetic oil. i would be very interested in finding out about a third party snowblower as well as i will be purchasing one in the near future for this unit.... keep in touch .


the gumbster in gimli..... gc2300 / mmm/fel

 

[jayhaitch]

Hey Gumbster! Howdy neighbor! I'm in Gimli several times a summer as the in-laws have a cottage in Matlock. Beautiful area. I've boated on Lake Winnipeg: lost a prop blade, had to tack to Gimli in 5-6 ft swell in an 18' runabout.....but I digress.

I bought my unit from Lawsons's Sales. Where did you get yours? I'll post the brand my dealer recommends when I get the information. What brand of oil are you using, and what weight?

 

[Cucch]

Ya baby, another GC2310... Congratulations! I have a 2006 GC2310 and love it. These are good quality units that have plenty of punch for there size.

My first project was to clear a little over an acre. I already had the trees cut down and the larger stumps and rocks moved. I took out all the smaller
stumps and still have several to finish in the spring. Next, I borrowed a friends 6' york rake...boy did that make quick work of raking up the sticks, roots and stones... It also kind of leveled out the land...

Almost tipped the unit over once....had the bucket filled up and brought it up too high when I ran over a larger stone that kicked the whole unit teetering on 2 wheels. I was on a light incline at the time.

That was scary...I just had the rake on the back that held me in place until I dropped the bucket and dropped out some weight... I was alright after that. So watch out for that...

I am interested in the front mount snowblower as well but my dealer said
it was $3400...ouch. If you find one cheaper please let me know...

I added some lights which is cool... I might go with a 54" MMM in the spring..
Haven't decided. I have a 42" John Deere lawn tractor I use for mowing and I
have the grass cather with it as well... I'd like to just have one tractor but the MF mower and catcher is expensive...

Anyways.....have fun!
Cucch

 

[the gumbster]

i purchased my 2005 unit from a agco dealer in alberta with mmm and 60 hrs on it and had it trucked to wpg. it was donated and used one summer to cut baseball fields for their little league. the 2350 fel was purchased at lawsons last spring......... when i was there i did see 2006 unit like yours in their quonset. since then i have fab'ed up a weight box for the 3pt and dolly to store the mmm in winter. i have ordered the service manual from lawsons and they just informed me it is ready for p/u. the block heater is a external mount type as there is limited room in the water jackets of the block. lawsons quoted me around 130.00 . i am using shell rotella sb in the winter ... i believe its weight is 0w 15.i have been very happy with this unit ........ it has lots of power and not often gets stuck. my next project is to fab up a hydraulic filter guard as the sight of that thing hanging down underneath ready to get snapped off scares me. i want to add a tiller and a snowblower to the unit eventually.

the gumbster!:

 

[jayhaitch]

I think the unit you saw in their quonset was actually mine! That's where they stored it. I'm impressed with Lawson's and the sales guy. Very helpful.

Good point about the service manual. I think I'll order one up too. So how does the factory external block heater get bolted to the engine? How effective is it?

I'm thinking I'll attached battery charger leads to the battery and hang the connector off the dash, so I can just click in the low voltage battery charger lead on my automatic charger and keep the battery fully charged (or at least to the 80% the float charger takes it to) all the time. My BatteryMinder desulfating charger is keeping my winter-stored sports car happy right now.

 

[the gumbster]

lawsons are okay........ the block heater accesses a frost plug hole in the block but has a small external cavity for coolant and heater element outside the block. i was more impressed with hesson agco in alberta when buying ....... lawsons could not even come close to the price i got my unit for. lawsons does not sell a lot of massey;s ....... they sell more kubotas. i too have a large battery boost automatic charger that i keep on the battery.......... in cold weather.. using the glow plugs at long intervals will kill your starting power. my unit has about 200 hrs on it now and i plan on doing my own service work on it ... hence the service manual. lawsons shop rate is too high for any service work for my liking.

the gumbster!

 

[bill177]

I thought Massey was coming out with a retrofit filter guard for the 2300 series.

 

[jayhaitch]

Good point Bill. I'll have to check with my dealer. I sure hope they do.

So, right now, it's -30C. I really should clear the path to the front steps. Even with the battery charger on, do I dare? With no block heater and molasses dino 10W30, would there be any benefit in pointing my propane fired bullet heater judiciously at the tractor for a while? I know, not too close, fire, etc etc. I also have a propane fired 35,000 btu radiant heater, but I'm not sure I'd be happy putting it as close to the tractor as it would need to be to do any good.

What do other northerners like me do to wake up the sleeping monster at these temperatures (besides staying inside and having a nice shot or two of scotch...)?

 

[bill177]

I guess my tractor has a very soft life. It lives in a heated garage where the temperature never gets below about 45 F.

At any temperature below 10F I recommend a block heater. Treat those engines well and they will last forever. We use them on airplane engines from 32F and down. It is the first few seconds of run that does the damage when an engine is really cold. Of course the new synthetic oils do help in the really severe cold, but not everyone is running that stuff.

Don't bother using a dip-stick heater, they are a waste of time. The stick on oil pan heaters are ok - and better, if you cover the tractor to keep the draft of it while warming. You should keep it warm at all times to ward off condensation.

Be careful using a forced flame heater, they are a good way to burn your tractor to the ground. I have seen more than one airplane burn that way.

 

[the gumbster]

-30c today and with synthetic oil and a magnetic oil pan heater left on over night it started this morning no problem. just be sure to let it sit and run warming up the hydraulics for about 15min before you move things. or you could blow a line. it sure woud have been nice to have cab on it today..... 30 min of moving snow and my feet were cold. i think i will make a cab for it this summer.

the gumbster

 

[44trxfun]

I have the GC2300 and also have an unheated garage. At the advice of the good folks here a few years ago, my first line of defense is Power Service in every jug of fuel I get. Second, I too use a trickle charger to keep the battery fully charged. (That first year, I would pull the battery on severely cold night.) Since my dealer couldn't get his hands on a block heater my first year, he installed a radiator heater. In this cold weather, I plug that in for a minimum of two hours before trying to start the tractor. After starting, I give it 15 minutes (min.) to warm up.

So far, knock on snow, wood, or whathaveyou, it's done the trick. I'd be in deep doodoo without that tractor in the winter. I use the front mount snowblower and a rear blade with extra weights as needed. No cab--but that's OK. I prefer to be out in the weather than all sealed up. Days like today though, I wonder if my head's screwed on straight.

Have fun with that 2310; just be careful out there!

 

[jayhaitch]

Thanks for the tips. I bought the white Power Service additive after the first tank and am using it at it's maximum recommended dose (32 oz per 50 gal, which interestingly enought calculated to 5ml/litre). The owners manual says at this weather to warm up the tractor for 20-30 minutes before use. I thought this was extreme, but I'm unable to move the hydro drive lever into forward, either fast or slow, until the machine has warmed up enough. It sure seems to sip fuel though, so 30 minutes of medium idle for years of longevity is a good tradeoff to me.

FYI, it dipped to -41.7C over the weekend. And some worry about global warming......

 

[LBrown59]

You can sure have fun with these things. I have the GC2300 but recently ordered the Woods backhoe for it. The dealer called and said the hoe was in but with the snow we have, I told him I didn't want to give it to him right now. I have the blower on the front and I think it works better than trying to push snow around.

1*I found that it was easy to lift the rear end when filling the FEL up with top soil.
2*I had all 4 tires foam filled. Helped alot.

Good luck with the new machine.

1*U should never use the FEL without a proper counter balance on the rear.
2*I don't have filled tires and see no need to do so on my BX23 as the BH is all the weight I need.

You should not have the front tires filled when doing loader work-likewise you shouldn't have the rears filled when using the BH.
What I don't like about filled tires is the weight always seems to be on the wrong end of the tractor for what you're doing.

 

[LBrown59]

Ya baby, another GC2310...
I added some lights which is cool...
1*I might go with a 54" MMM in the spring..
Haven't decided.
2*I'd like to just have one tractor but the MF mower and catcher is expensive...
3*I have a 42" John Deere lawn tractor I use for mowing and I

Anyways.....have fun!
Cucch

1*I'd go for the 60''
You can mow closer along ditches and banks with it than you can with the 54'' not to mention you can get done mowing quicker.
2*You have more options if you have more than 1 tractor.
3*I have a CC GT2554 with a 54'' mower to use in areas I can't get into with my BX23 with the 60'' mower . When my wife and I both mow at the same time using both tractors we cut a 114 inch wide path. Talk about getting 2.33 acres mowed in a hurry.
A 60'' MMM for your Massey and the JD 42'' would give you a 102'' cut.
Keep that JD = you'll find all kinds of uses for it even though you have the MF.

 

[keltonkrew]

3*I have a CC GT2554 with a 54'' mower to use in areas I can't get into with my BX23 with the 60'' mower . When my wife and I both mow at the same time using both tractors we cut a 114 inch wide path. Talk about getting 2.33 acres mowed in a hurry.
A 60'' MMM for your Massey and the JD 42'' would give you a 102'' cut.
Keep that JD = you'll find all kinds of uses for it even though you have the MF.

I agree....My wife has a CC 2042 and I mow with the MF and 60"MMM. Cut our cutting time down to 1/3 what it used to be

 

[LBrown59]

i purchased my 2005 unit from an agco dealer in alberta with mmm and 60 hrs on it and had it trucked to wpg. it was donated and used one summer to cut baseball fields for their little league. the 2350 fel was purchased at lawsons last spring......... when i was there i did see 2006 unit like yours in their quonset. since then i have fab'ed up a weight box for the 3pt and dolly to store the mmm in winter. i have ordered the service manual from lawsons and they just informed me it is ready for p/u. the block heater is a external mount type as there is limited room in the water jackets of the block. lawsons quoted me around 130.00 . i am using shell rotella sb in the winter ... i believe its weight is 0w 15.i have been very happy with this unit ........ it has lots of power and not often gets stuck. my next project is to fab up a hydraulic filter guard as the sight of that thing hanging down underneath ready to get snapped off scares me. i want to add a tiller and a snowblower to the unit eventually.

the gumbster!:

The 2310 comes standard with a FEL!
So why did you have to buy the FEL?

 

[loulblades]

You should not have the front tires filled when doing loader work-likewise you shouldn't have the rears filled when using the BH.
What I don't like about filled tires is the weight always seems to be on the wrong end of the tractor for what you're doing.

IMHO I would have to respectfully disagree with this statement. When doing FEL work (lifting), the front tires are the pivot point and could have the potential, in certain situations, to provide stability. At the least they would not be additive to a tipping situation since the weight is not beyond the fulcrum.

When I am using the FEL with the toothbar to rake the hard clay I have here, I am most appreciative to have the extra weight in the front tires for digging (and the rear tires for traction). This also goes (for the rear tires) when I am using the rear blade for levelling. I would suspect the extra weight in the rear tires will be beneficial for digging with my new backhoe (when I get it).

1*U should never use the FEL without a proper counter balance on the rear.

Yes I would agree. In my case I had my rear blade (with a 12" block attached and my 260 lbs) and still was able to lift the rear with a full load of damp topsoil. Stupidity always has the potential of cancelling the best laid plans...

 

[LBrown59]

1*When I am using the FEL with the tooth bar to rake the hard clay I have here, I am most appreciative to have the extra weight in the front tires for digging (and the rear tires for traction).
2*This also goes (for the rear tires) when I am using the rear blade for leveling. I would suspect the extra weight in the rear tires will be beneficial for digging with my new back hoe (when I get it).

I have 775 hours on my BX23: Most of it FEL and BH work and some mowing.
1*Uusing the FEL has worked fine for me without any extra weight on the front.
I don't have a tooth bar but I can break up the soil with the BH or I can use the Tiller on the CC GT2554 or the one on the 1966 Bolins 850. If I can get another operator I can till with the Bolins and CC at the same time.
2*I don't have a back blade so I use the CC or the 1967 Bolens 850 with a front blade.I don't need the rear tires filled to use the BH as the weight of the BH is more than enough for digging with it.