Another "what tractor to buy" question....sorry, I'm new a this!

[metalbender]

Didn't overthink when I bought my Massey 1742. Sat in it, felt right, bought it. Didn't even start it. Had an old Ford 3000 here, no comparison. Was all over a unit at the JD dealer for fifteen minutes, no salesman came to talk. Kubota dealer wanted to keep their tractor, lot queen of a couple years, new model year price, no discounts, no deal. Wasn't interested in Mahindra, good thing, dealer is gone anyway.

 

[smartascii]

The only reason I ultimately chose a gear drive tractor was the whine coming from the HST. Maybe I looked at the wrong brands, or maybe my ears are too sensitive, but if I had to listen to it make that noise all the time, it would drive me crazy. The arguments others have made in favor of the hydrostatic transmission are completely valid, but I would suggest testing it first to make sure your ears are tougher than mine.

 

[TheFarmerInAdell]

I ended up with a MF 2706E in hydro. The MF dealer is only 5 miles from my farm, and its family run with great people. I wanted the biggest hydro that was available and they happened to have this one on the lot.

After driving hydro lawn tractors and my skidsteers I decided HST was the way to go for me. I do a considerable amount of loader work (this tractor replaced my skidsteer and a smaller tractor) and the HST cannot be beat for loader work. I also mow quite a bit and again HST has benefits there as well. Just remember, the HST pedals are not the same as the throttle in your car. If you start to bog down, let up on the pedal, don't give it more. It takes some people more time to figure this out than others. And make use of the different HST ranges for their intended purposes.

The extendable lower links make a huge difference when hooking up implements (MF comes with them). I got rid of the quick hitch because my new tractor came with extendable lower links.

If you're looking at the 1735M get a price on the 1740M as well. Same tractor, just a little extra power. Also, get at least 1 rear remote.

Another note: MF does not have a DPF and does not need DEF. This was an important factor for me when picking between a 1758 and the 2706E.

 

[fried1765]

I ended up with a MF 2706E in hydro. The MF dealer is only 5 miles from my farm, and its family run with great people. I wanted the biggest hydro that was available and they happened to have this one on the lot.

After driving hydro lawn tractors and my skidsteers I decided HST was the way to go for me. I do a considerable amount of loader work (this tractor replaced my skidsteer and a smaller tractor) and the HST cannot be beat for loader work. I also mow quite a bit and again HST has benefits there as well. Just remember, the HST pedals are not the same as the throttle in your car. If you start to bog down, let up on the pedal, don't give it more. It takes some people more time to figure this out than others. And make use of the different HST ranges for their intended purposes.

The extendable lower links make a huge difference when hooking up implements (MF comes with them). I got rid of the quick hitch because my new tractor came with extendable lower links.

If you're looking at the 1735M get a price on the 1740M as well. Same tractor, just a little extra power. Also, get at least 1 rear remote.

Another note: MF does not have a DPF and does not need DEF. This was an important factor for me when picking between a 1758 and the 2706E.

"MF does not have a DPF and does not need DEF"
How do they meet the EPA requirements?

 

[riptides]

Listen to the hydro crowd. LOL.

Especially so, if and when the wife gets involved with her tractor. LOL.

You also need to go sit on them, test drive if possible. Get familiar with the operator station. Take the wife along too.

 

[rScotty]

Listen to the hydro crowd. LOL.

Especially so, if and when the wife gets involved with her tractor. LOL.

You also need to go sit on them, test drive if possible. Get familiar with the operator station. Take the wife along too.

Yeah, that's funny. I wonder what most wives would make of someone saying that they are the reason to go with HST. Wow....such a statement.
My 125 lb. wife would be a seriously dangerous critter to be around if I suggested that she couldn't work a clutch as well as any guy.
In fact, she specified standard shift when she bought her own new F250 PU. Plus diesel & 4wd of course.

Yes, she did go along to buy the tractor....& even test drove several. But that was clearly my idea; not hers & not her interest.
She was a low to medium good sport about tagging along looking at tractors, but she clearly felt that choosing which tractor to buy was my job.
However, she loves that tractor now - and she particularly likes the backhoe with thumb. Says that the backhoe with the thumb is just about the best thing we ever bought. And a necessity with our aging backs..
Not that she drives it, but I've heard her talk to her friends about what a good thing it is to have.

Bottom line is she likes for me to run it. I've rarely been able to get her in the seat to to work it - just enough to know how.
I guess tractoring is my job.

But her feeling for the tractor doesn't have anything to do with gear shift vs HST. Or the controls or anything like that.
She doesn't seem to care what kind of a transmission they have. It takes her all of about 1 minute to get comfortable with either, and she doesn't intend to be on it all that much anyway.
rScotty

 

[TheFarmerInAdell]

"MF does not have a DPF and does not need DEF"
How do they meet the EPA requirements?

Diesel Oxidation Catalyst (DOC).

 

[Beeenvenue]

Looks like the MF is a nice machine. I strongly support HST.

One consideration - MF is quite a bit heavier than my kioti 3510 (base weight 600# more or so). Good thing for traction but consider what that MIGHT mean for trailering. My 3510 with loader and 5’ shredder is at max weight for my 7000# trailer (remember the trailer weight counts!) and the combo is at max weight for my f150. If not a consideration then more weight is better.

 

[mkdevore]

I shopped all of those brands except the Case. Driving them and using the various levers made the 1735M the clear choice for me. I now have 130 hours and has moved a lot os snow, dirt, rocks, pavers, etc. I have only mowed a little but the soft start pto and cruise control make mowing easy.

 

[SenileTexasAggie]

So, threeacres, what did you end up buying?

 

[threeaces]

So, threeacres, what did you end up buying?

Haven't bought yet, however probably going with the Massey 1740M. There is one about 4.5 hours away at a dealer. They seem great, easy to work with. Seems the MF 1700 series M's are hard to come by as the new 1800's are in production. Still haven't heard back from my local dealer (15 minutes away), very surprising as they have such a good reputation. Our property will close by the end of the month so I'm just about ready to move forward on this 1740M. Will call this week and put some money down so they hold it for me...

 

[rScotty]

Haven't bought yet, however probably going with the Massey 1740M. There is one about 4.5 hours away at a dealer. They seem great, easy to work with. Seems the MF 1700 series M's are hard to come by as the new 1800's are in production. Still haven't heard back from my local dealer (15 minutes away), very surprising as they have such a good reputation. Our property will close by the end of the month so I'm just about ready to move forward on this 1740M. Will call this week and put some money down so they hold it for me...

4.5 hours away is a fair distance. When we bought our last tractor we put right on the sales contract who was responsible for transporting the tractor for any warranty work.

 

[threeaces]

4.5 hours away is a fair distance. When we bought our last tractor we put right on the sales contract who was responsible for transporting the tractor for any warranty work.

Yes, transportation.........and sales tax is also something I need to deal with (I pay up front, then get reimbursed at the end of the year). Then there is servicing the tractor too.....do I go to my local dealer I didn't buy from or drive 4.5 hours every time? These 3 reasons are why I'm dragging my feet. The deal is totally fair, just not as easy as I'd like. I might lob an offer at the dealer as a "I need to justify the 3 hurdles I need to deal with" offer. Then see what happens. I guess it's always doable to overlook some of the hurdles if the price is right. The good thing is I'm not in a huge hurry, however I'd like to get this figured out so I have something to use with my immediate chores.

 

[gladehound]

The most compelling reason to get a gear tractor from my perspective was that I could get a much bigger tractor for a much lower price. What someone said about resale is true. Gear tractors don't sell nearly as easy as HST. Find a dealer that is stuck with a left over gear tractor and you can get one heck of a deal. And while not as convenient as HST for many task, I find snow removal with the hydraulic reverser to be much more fun!

 

[3gunr]

I spent 6 hrs cuttingbrush and tall grass on my sons 6 acrerocky steep hillside with my shuttle shift tractor, by the end of the day my legs and hips were aching. i wish i had my hst there it would have been a much easier and quicker job. go hst.

 

[rScotty]

It sounds like part of the confusion is that different tractors have different types of shuttle shifting transmissions.

I thought shuttle shift means going from forward to reverse in the same gear just by moving a reversing lever. Some transmissions require stopping and foot clutching for a shuttle, while others have an automatic hydraulic clutch actuated by the reversing lever. Those you can shift on the fly.

 

[threeaces]

It sounds like part of the confusion is that different tractors have different types of shuttle shifting transmissions.

I thought shuttle shift means going from forward to reverse in the same gear just by moving a reversing lever. Some transmissions require stopping and foot clutching for a shuttle, while others have an automatic hydraulic clutch actuated by the reversing lever. Those you can shift on the fly.

The Massey 菟ower shuttle seems like an awesome shuttle. Doesn稚 get any easier than flipping the switch!

 

[threeaces]

Well.....I did it. Just bought the 1740M (power shuttle) with the Woods BB60XC (60 inch) rotary cutter. Tractor will be here this week via dealer transfer and cutter will be a couple weeks. Looking forward to seeing what it can do! Will post photos after delivery!
And I must say, thanks for all the input....super helpful.

 

[elderberry99]

A few years ago I did a ton of research for my first tractor. In fact, I went so overboard on the research and finally went out and made visits to 5 different dealers and finally started to sit on the different models and test operated them. I ended up with a Kubota L3200 and loved it. I had the backhoe, 4-in-1 bucket, box blade and fully adjustable grader blade to work my 12 acres of 1/3 cleared and 2/3 wooded land here in NC.
I worked this tractor on everything from stump removal, tree felling and moving to running post hole auger. The tractor did everything I asked of it with no problems at all. I had one bad cylinder on backhoe when the tractor first arrived. I called the dealer and they came right back and picked up the tractor and tore it down same day to find it had a defect in the cylinder. It took two weeks to get it replaced and back to me but it was right in the height of tractor repair season. Tractor ran perfect ever since. I finally got rid of the tractor because it was getting a little too big to maneuver in the woods between all the pine trees so the dealer helped me find a buyer for it within two weeks. Right now I have a new Kubota B2601 with backhoe, belly mower and front bucket with QA on order and it will arrive in September. It is a little smaller and will allow me to get done all the things I want to complete now. This tractor will never be sold from me like the last one did. I cannot say enough good things about the dealer. All the other dealers seemed to not have time for me when I said I was looking for a smaller tractor. I am so looking forward to taking delivery of my new B series tractor.