So your hoses being cut by branches while running over all kinds of mess is whats turning you off on the tractor? Or other issues...
The seat and it's far-reaching impact has just about reached the unforgivable point. Maybe if I was blissfully ignorant to what things used to be I wouldn't be so irate about it, but the seat configuration on my max 28 was WORLDS better in terms of ease of repeat-ability and robustness, as well as not feeling like a craftsman lawn tractor seat.
Anything that happens to the underside as a result of what I'm doing, while annoying, is self inflicted and treated as such. I have had a far higher incidence of small issues though with this tractor(but I've also been clearing more brush with this than with my 28).
at the 110 hour mark I'd had the following issues with my max 28:
flat front tire (stupid bradford pears) -> operator issue
seat wiring broke (harness wasn't secured correctly, I didn't notice until it'd broken loose and the tractor wouldn't start)
knocked a turn signal off the back (obvious operator issue. Don't pull trees down on yourself, should go without saying but sometimes you get caught up in arboreal destruction)
battery leaking/corrosion (allegedly a bad batch of batteries, whatevs, replaced this feb with a new battery)
fuel pickup clogged after I accidentally knocked the strainer down into the tank. wasp apparently got in there and died, and plugged the fuel line. Operator issue.
Wiring issue preventing normal cranking (around the 110 hour mark). Something allegedly "deep in the harness" was shorting out causing the safety system to prevent the starter from engaging. would start perfectly if you jumped the starter solenoid.
FEL loader control jammed up (at the 110 hour mark. This is incidentally, why I no longer have my max 28, as it was stolen while at the dealer getting repaired).
diff lock incorrectly adjusted and non-functional the entire time I owned the unit (relatively minor issue but it bears mentioning in terms of fairness)
That comes out to an incident per ~14 hours of use (which for me would normally be two + months of general use before I had to address something; but ish seemed to happen in clusters.. seat wiring and flat tire were both inside of 15 hours, then nothing for a year, then the turn signal and fuel pickup happened relatively close together, and right at the end the wiring and FEL control)
on my 26 in 13.5 hours I've had:
flat front tire (stupid bradford pears) -> operator issue
Rear tire leaking down, unknown cause as of now, could be me, could be faulty valve. no obvious punctures/tears/etc.
FEL hose exploded at the 6 hour mark (or maybe the 9 hour mark, don't recall) on one of the curl cylinders. No FOD, not under load, just popped in mid air while I was curling back.
rear hydraulics appear to be incorrectly routed, difficult to remove and attach backhoe lines. will address when I have time to take everything off and see what will work the best
seat issues -> washers interfering and bending causing jams. Sticky swivel mechanism, incorrectly routed seat belt
main(?) hydraulic line separated -> operator issue, FOD
Missing bolts on backhoe bucket pins, missing backhoe attachment pin straps (for lack of a better word, the large pins that attach the hoe to the frame).
e-brake incorrectly adjusted (I hope), won't hold tractor still in gear or in neutral
That comes out to an incident per ~1.7 hours of use. Not too good regardless of the cause, but again I am taking into consideration the insidious nature of brush and branches and the reality that once this project is complete I likely won't be doing anything this intense for years if not ever again, so I would expect the rate of incidence to drop more in line with my old max 28.
Don't get me wrong, I love the line of tractors, otherwise I'da gone a different direction after the insurance settlement two months ago, and I do really like *most* of the new little features on the 26.. the quick attach bucket, cup holder(ok, that's kinda funny to say, but it's a nice thing to have!), the 3pt mounts on the backhoe frame so you can keep everything with the tractor. All nice things, all adversely affected by the 'user experience' with the seat (imo). My dealer has been great with the issues I've brought to them, I don't expect anyone to hold my hand and I'm not afraid to get dirty working on something, but this sears special seat is BS on a tractor that MSRP's for 26-27k, especially in light of the previous seat.
I have a whole different thread about that tho, this thread was more to see if someone'd drawn up or offered for sale (or just pictures of) skid plates similar to what they have for the kubotas on bxpanded. It's not a huge deal to make some, I've got all the tools, I just don't really have all the time. What thickness plate to use (or alu, but could add a little ballast to the tractor at a relatively low point), that sort of stuff.
