Are we in the USA really this far behind?

[npalen]

 

[mcfarmall]

Yes, yes we are.

 

[Jchonline]

They look nice. Not sure I would want an articulating machine on my slopes/terrain but other than that very impressive.

 

[coobie]

Why no front end loaders on any of those tractors?

 

[LouNY]

No, No we are not.
I'm glad they called them mini.
I looked at what was available some this year as I would like a 60-80 Hp bi-directional
and would consider a 40 Hp.
If you look every single one of those tractors has a transmission/drive tunnel that you have
to straddle to get into the seat. They generate a considerable amount of heat in the summer
if worked for very long.
Then look at the sizing for getting your foot to the far side while getting set down in one of those,
many of them you would have to slid/swing your foot over the seat to get it to the floor board on the far side.
I know that my boots are mud covered or manure covered often regardless of the season,
then come winter the mud and slop that would be brushed off and in the seat to get set in.
Now I will admit if I had smaller feet and was several years younger I might feel different,
but I don't heck I'm even thinking about trading my 574 because of the difficulty of straddling the transmission hump
with my size 15 boots getting in the way.

 

[ptsg]

Why no front end loaders on any of those tractors?

They look nice. Not sure I would want an articulating machine on my slopes/terrain but other than that very impressive.

That is exactly where these tractors are used.

These tractors are specialized tractors meant to be used in orchard, vineyards, greenhouses and hilly ground. They have to be very low to clear branches and with a really low center of gravity for hills and such.

While there are loaders for these tractors, the arms have to be very long to clear the nose and makes for a cumbersome loader and very little capacity. Plus, a loader it's an easy and fast way to destroy the pivot point and even break castings.

This is just a demonstration video but you get the idea:

 

[4570Man]

Americans won’t buy new things is a lot of the problem. There’s obviously cost for another problem. But yes in general we’re decades behind foreign innovation.

 

[ptsg]

No, No we are not.
I'm glad they called them mini.
I looked at what was available some this year as I would like a 60-80 Hp bi-directional
and would consider a 40 Hp.
If you look every single one of those tractors has a transmission/drive tunnel that you have
to straddle to get into the seat. They generate a considerable amount of heat in the summer
if worked for very long.
Then look at the sizing for getting your foot to the far side while getting set down in one of those,
many of them you would have to slid/swing your foot over the seat to get it to the floor board on the far side.
I know that my boots are mud covered or manure covered often regardless of the season,
then come winter the mud and slop that would be brushed off and in the seat to get set in.
Now I will admit if I had smaller feet and was several years younger I might feel different,
but I don't heck I'm even thinking about trading my 574 because of the difficulty of straddling the transmission hump
with my size 15 boots getting in the way.

Sure, you sit on the tractor pretty much with the transmission in the middle of your legs, however, these tractors are split in two halves. The rear half, where the operator sits, just holds 80W90 gear oil for the diff and PTO gears. Very little heat is generated there. The front half holds the hydraulic fluid where most of the heat sits.

 

[ptsg]

Another good example here. You just can't a fit a conventional tractor on a kiwi farm like this.

 

[Rebeldad1]

in general we’re decades behind foreign innovation.

how true for many things.

 

[3 Horse Ranch]

While there are loaders for these tractors, the arms have to be very long to clear the nose and makes for a cumbersome loader and very little capacity. Plus, a loader it's an easy and fast way to destroy the pivot point and even break castings.

If it destroys the pivot point and breaks castings to put a loader on them, then they are just poorly engineered, at least for the North American market. Put a three point on the back of a mini wheel loader and you could do everything that does and then move snow or load dirt and gravel all day with out any worries about the castings or the pivot point.

These tractors are specialized tractors meant to be used in orchard, vineyards, greenhouses and hilly ground

As you said they are purpose built for a market, they aren't more advanced. There is little danger these will come along and take over the CUT market any time soon.

 

[Redlands Okie]

Articulating front loaders are common here in the USA. They run for decades with no pivot point issues. I would think the tractors in the OP just are not made well enough for a front loader. They seem designed to meet certain needs and appear to be good at doing so.

 

[rgr33]

They look like they would be fun to play with for a summer, but I don’t think I would spend serious money for one, given the chore list my tractors need to do every day. No FEL is a deal killer, and any acrobatics needed to get in the seat, that’s a deal killer too.

 

[Rustyiron]

Why no front end loaders on any of those tractors?

That's just it.
It's not nearly the same market that the American kubota "B" or similar buyers are buying.
They may be small, but there's not any small in the price of those machines.

 

[ptsg]

I should've have clarified that I wasn't referring to the articulation pivot points. I was referring to the tilt left/right pivot point. Yes articulated loaders work just fine, however the pivot is on the rear axle. While on these Isodiametric tractors, the front half pivots in relation to the rear half, to create the same articulation of the front axle on a conventional tractor. A loader puts tremendous stresses on this pivot point.

However, these can still be used with a loader and most of the times with a forklift mast, just no the conventional way.

Sure, it can have front loaders as well but these have very low lifting capacity. These tractors also have around 60% of the weight in the front.

 

[ptsg]

European tractors tend to be very compact, that's why you don't see crazy amounts of leg room. They are made so compact, that we have 100HP+ tractors available that have the same size as a Kubota L6060.

 

[LouNY]

They are an interesting and intriguing setup.
What they are designed for they can do very well.
They are excellent for vineyards and maybe orchards.
As a general purpose tractor in this county they don't have it.
A mowing brush hogging contractor I know had one, his had the wide tires and
you would have thought it would be great for brush hogging in the wetter boggy
areas, nope it couldn't handle the rougher soft ground with those short tires.

 

[CalG]

I didn't see anything over 200hp. No American farm is going to get crops in or out with a glorified golf cart.

 

[ptsg]

As you said they are purpose built for a market, they aren't more advanced. There is little danger these will come along and take over the CUT market any time soon.

No one said otherwise. Specially considering that the common American completely misses the point and use of this style of tractors. They're called specialized tractors for a reason, to fit specific types of farms and ground. No, it's not a conventional tractor used as a glorified snow pusher or lawn mower.

As far as being advanced, well, these come with front and rear diff locks as standard, multiple PTO speeds, a PTO speed specific to power trailers, optional 3 pt down pressure, reversible platform, front 3 pt hitch and more stuff.

 

[Oaktree]

European tractors tend to be very compact, that's why you don't see crazy amounts of leg room.

Sheesh, most CUTs are tight enough with leg room as it is, can't see myself with something that has even less.

But yes in general we’re decades behind foreign innovation.

How so? The only thing I can think of is headlight standards.