61flattop
Bronze Member
Ok guys.... I got my little GC delivered friday night, I was already had about a six pack down plus I was kicking the wifes butt on the dart board in the garage so work officially commenced Saturday morning. I put right at about 12-13 hrs on the GC this weekend so I will give you guys, as well as anyone who maybe looking for tractors in this class my impression. I have also worked on large excavating equipment from D-9's,articulating loaders to a sheepsfoot compactor. I am not a professional by any means but I am no stranger to moving dirt around. I also have played a little with the Kubota's, NH, and the equivilant Deere for what its worth. Below you will find my impressions on each catagory I feel to be important.
1. Aesthetics, Fit / finish and ergonomics. In my opinion;while the massey is a good looking unit...itis not the most attractive one of the bunch. However... the fit and finish on the tractor is very nice. paint is nice, powdercoating is nice, chassis and drivetrain components fit and finish is nice. All fasteners are of quality grade with quality finish. Again they are not the prettiest tractors and no chrome hood ornaments but looking at it, it looks like a well thought out engineered piece of equipment.... The cup holder is the bomb. Who ever designed that thing drinks bottled beer in neoprene koozes. My kind of guy! Also, appearantly, the new GC's automatically come with the hydraualic filter guard. The tach and fuel gauges are wonderful and easy to read and the instrumentation is easy on the eyes. With the exception of the park brake lock, all of the controls are easy to get to and easy to operate. The seat is actually relatively comfortable to! The hood opens fully to easily service the engine and all service points are easy to access.
2. Backhoe, The first thing I did on Sat morning was start on a 20" diameter stump that has been in the way for the last year and a half. Obviously a 20" diameter stump is not the easiest thing to get out of the ground but after about 15-20 minutes of working with it. It came out of the ground. The backhoe's power was actually quite surpising comsidering the weight and size of the unit. After I got it out I trenched from the back of the house down the hill to the creek for some drainage tile I was putting in. Trench was roughly 100 ft long and about 3ft-4 ft in depth. My soil composition back there is a unique blend of everything from rock, fragipan, heavy clay to descent soil. It is caused from the position of the house on the side of a hill with a walk out basement. I did not have any issues digging, even running the motor at about 2000 RPM, She had plenty of muscle. In fact I only had to idle up on a few occasions. The little tractor even feels nice and stable once you get it up on the outriggers. All in all........ I give it a 9. It would be a 10 if the seat had a little more height when in BH position. But I am sure that is a catch 22 so I would much rather it be positioned where it is for normal operation.
FEL ;
Again, like the BH... plenty of power even at lower RPM. This is where I am sure you can tell a significant difference in the engine displacement. I did have my bucket control get a little sticky a couple times but it was no deal... and keep in mind that in two days I logged over 12hrs on the meter. I also do not feel any negative issues with bucket speed at all. With the RPMs up you can literally shake the clay right out of the bucket. The rotate/dump could be a smidge faster but it is by far from considering it even an issue. I used the piss out of the loader on Saturday moving alot of dirt down the hill and putting my back yard on grade.
Driving / Handling /Power
One of the first things the dealer told me was to not under estimate the power and size of this little dude. Obviously from working with larger equipment in the past I could not but help "draw the line" on what I thought it could do. Plenty of power, with filled AG tires, in 4wd and the diff locked in, I could easily run past the traction threshhold. I also want to comment on how easy this thing is to drive. It is simply a joy! The control layout is excellent, forward reverse is smooth and easy to operate. I was also surprised at the stability. It simply did everything I asked. I absolutely love this little dude and I am very happy with my selection. This tractor loves to work!
1. Aesthetics, Fit / finish and ergonomics. In my opinion;while the massey is a good looking unit...itis not the most attractive one of the bunch. However... the fit and finish on the tractor is very nice. paint is nice, powdercoating is nice, chassis and drivetrain components fit and finish is nice. All fasteners are of quality grade with quality finish. Again they are not the prettiest tractors and no chrome hood ornaments but looking at it, it looks like a well thought out engineered piece of equipment.... The cup holder is the bomb. Who ever designed that thing drinks bottled beer in neoprene koozes. My kind of guy! Also, appearantly, the new GC's automatically come with the hydraualic filter guard. The tach and fuel gauges are wonderful and easy to read and the instrumentation is easy on the eyes. With the exception of the park brake lock, all of the controls are easy to get to and easy to operate. The seat is actually relatively comfortable to! The hood opens fully to easily service the engine and all service points are easy to access.
2. Backhoe, The first thing I did on Sat morning was start on a 20" diameter stump that has been in the way for the last year and a half. Obviously a 20" diameter stump is not the easiest thing to get out of the ground but after about 15-20 minutes of working with it. It came out of the ground. The backhoe's power was actually quite surpising comsidering the weight and size of the unit. After I got it out I trenched from the back of the house down the hill to the creek for some drainage tile I was putting in. Trench was roughly 100 ft long and about 3ft-4 ft in depth. My soil composition back there is a unique blend of everything from rock, fragipan, heavy clay to descent soil. It is caused from the position of the house on the side of a hill with a walk out basement. I did not have any issues digging, even running the motor at about 2000 RPM, She had plenty of muscle. In fact I only had to idle up on a few occasions. The little tractor even feels nice and stable once you get it up on the outriggers. All in all........ I give it a 9. It would be a 10 if the seat had a little more height when in BH position. But I am sure that is a catch 22 so I would much rather it be positioned where it is for normal operation.
FEL ;
Again, like the BH... plenty of power even at lower RPM. This is where I am sure you can tell a significant difference in the engine displacement. I did have my bucket control get a little sticky a couple times but it was no deal... and keep in mind that in two days I logged over 12hrs on the meter. I also do not feel any negative issues with bucket speed at all. With the RPMs up you can literally shake the clay right out of the bucket. The rotate/dump could be a smidge faster but it is by far from considering it even an issue. I used the piss out of the loader on Saturday moving alot of dirt down the hill and putting my back yard on grade.
Driving / Handling /Power
One of the first things the dealer told me was to not under estimate the power and size of this little dude. Obviously from working with larger equipment in the past I could not but help "draw the line" on what I thought it could do. Plenty of power, with filled AG tires, in 4wd and the diff locked in, I could easily run past the traction threshhold. I also want to comment on how easy this thing is to drive. It is simply a joy! The control layout is excellent, forward reverse is smooth and easy to operate. I was also surprised at the stability. It simply did everything I asked. I absolutely love this little dude and I am very happy with my selection. This tractor loves to work!
