LBrown59 - my "Law of ROPS" was referring to what you said a couple posts ago:
"Sub Cuts are required by law to have a ROPS."
I was asking what law that is. Is that a federal law, or a state law? A law of physics and common sense sounds more like it.
As for the actual ROPS being required by common sense/safety, well yes, I can see how all tractors would fit into the same category of needing a ROPS for safe operation. I agree with what another poster mentioned about the primary market of the Legacy XL being a premier mower with the ability to do a whole lot more. What I don't understand is why the ROPS doesn't automatically come packaged with the FEL. It does seem strange (and almost a liability).
As for you air horn-Mack Truck question. My answer would be "yes" if your Toyota had the same hauling capacity and power as a Mack Truck and was just lacking an Air-horn. Of course, it couldn't actually be called a Mack truck, because Mack is a brand name, and we aren't debating brand names. But I would say that they could certainly be considered in the same group if someone were looking for a dump truck.
My point was about the arbitrary naming of categories of tractors. There is no single definition of a sub-CUT, so rather than look at what the marketing department is calling it, look at what it can do. If there is a difference, then make decision on that piece of information, not what arbitrary label gets applied.
It would be great if we had a way here to directly compare the specs of other tractors that people consider a sub-CUT to see really what the differences are. For instance these are the specs of the Legacy XL. Feel free to add your "sub-CUT" specs to the list:
- Tractor 27 HP diesel, 4WD, 540 PTO, mid-PTO, Cat 1 3-pt hitch
-A 48" FEL that is rated to lift 500 lbs 75.5" in 5 seconds. A breakout force of 900 lbs.
-A backhoe with a choice of 9"/12"/16" bucket, a 10' reach, a 6' digging depth, and 151 degree swing. I don't have the specs on the breakout or digging force, but I can speak from experience of digging in the granite state of New Hampshire, that this thing has no problem digging. I know that's hard to quantify for comparision sake so I'll try to get some pictures posted.
-An amazing 60" MMM deck that makes a lawn look like a baseball field (google lawn-striping for some samples of what I mean).
I had a chance to use a friend's Kubota (not sure of the model, but it was close in size to the Legacy) a couple years ago, and I can say that there is nothing that it could do that my machine now couldn't do. However, I will say that there are definitely differences between the Legacy and other more tractor-ey tractors. For instance:
- The Cat I 3 Pt hitch is called modified because it doesn't have as high a ground clearance as some other tractors. This can be an issue for people looking for PHDs.
- The PTO speed is driven by engine speed, unlike some other tractors I've seen that have an independent control for the speed of the PTO's.
- There is only 1 brake pedal - you can't independently brake the left and right wheels.
- There are probably differences in wheel base, tire size, overall weight, but I can't imagine they are that big of a difference.
I guess my bottom line is for those folks looking for a very capable small tractor that has a backhoe, a FEL, a 3pt hitch with a 540 PTO you should consider the Legacy XL. (and if you do but it, make sure you order it with a ROPS) /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
