Tractor Sizing I am short...

[Martian]

Goose,

Listen to jenkinsph's advice. He was the one who had me looking into the 110's. It also means if I'm wrong on anything I told you it's partially his fault

Oh, and by the way, here's a picture of the 110 I'm getting with the backhoe off and the 3 pt hitch on with a box blade.

 

[SSdoxie]

If the seat position is the only thing holding you back on the DK, first double check to make sure it was adjusted right. If it was ask the dealer to remount it. There are only 4 bolts holding seat to the seat, drill new holes and move it forward.

 

[Mousefield]

goosegbf, I noticed you mentioned wood cutting as one of your major tasks. That is why I got a Woods backhoe (with thumb) when I bought my CK35 HST. It also helps if you have a bad back or helps prevent one by being able to cut standing straight. Keeping the chain out of the ground when cutting is a bonus. I also use my backhoe to lift bigger rounds onto my wood splitter. Seeing as the biggest round was almost 4 feet in diameter it would be a stretch to try and lift something that heavy with out using the backhoe.

 

[scoutcub]

Goose -

I'm also on the shorter side, and never had a problem with the tractor seats and adjusting to get a comfrtable fit. Perhaps the seat just was stuck in a position from sitting outside for awhile or?? Be worth checking it out a bit more.

The 110 sounds like a good fit. I wouldn't be so concerned about it not being made anymore, but personally I'd be concerned about the 1800 hours. In your situation, I would hire a professional mechanic to go over it stem to stern.

I hear ya on the dealer. I've got a Cub/Yanmar dealer about 7 miles from my house, and more than once now they've aggravated me....so I just didn't give them my business on those particular days. They're a really small town dealer, so I give them a bit of business every now and then just to keep it locally. I've since connected with both owners, so my dealings of late have been much better.
If Emerich is that close, what I would do is make a few calls till I talked to a manager/owner, then make an appontment to meet with them. They should give you better service. I just bought that 50 HP Cub Yanmar, and absolutely love the machine.

Congrats on the land, welcome to TBN, and have fun shopping!

 

[goosegbf]

Folks,

Thanks very much for your time and thoughts. I really do appreciate your time.

I can do plumbing, woodwork, & stonework - but I am most certainly not a mechanic. It's funny how we mostly get good at what our parents are good at. Thus, I am going to have to develop a strong stomach for the JD110. Good idea about the professional mechanic ScoutCub. If I commit to going that way I will definitely figure out how to make that happen (and will make sure that jenkinsph bears some of the credit/blame).

I think I do believe the L/DK size is the right way to go - question now is just how to get the best deal. Scoutcub what do you think of the following: LX490 (49HP) with FEL and BH with thumb, block heater, & loaded wheels for the amazingly low price of $31k. (sorry to semi-hijack the thread). I have done zero research on Cub, so I guess I have some homework in front of me.

I'll update folks next week after I go back to drive some more tractors. I'm sure I'll have another round of questions.

Have a good week all.

 

[tcreeley]

My 5'3" wife does fine with our 2003 NH TC30, 9x3 manual.

 

[scoutcub]

Folks,

Scoutcub what do you think of the following: LX490 (49HP) with FEL and BH with thumb, block heater, & loaded wheels for the amazingly low price of $31k. (sorry to semi-hijack the thread). I have done zero research on Cub, so I guess I have some homework in front of me.

.

Well, I hate to say it, but that's a better deal than I was offered, and I was beating up several dealers for awhile!
I was offered a LX490 tractor loader backhoe, no thumb, no block heater, or loaded wheels for $32K. I'm thinking that offer must be a demo, probaby has a few hours on it, no issue as far as I'm concerned, with full warranty. You could save a few thousand if you went down to the LX450 or LX410, 45 or 41 HP....they are the same frame, bucket, backhoe, etc. Stout machines, Loader lift is #2500.
I finally decided to drop the backhoe option, as I have a 32 HP compact with a backhoe and will just keep that machine for backhoe work. I ended up buying the LX490 with front aux valve, and dual rear remotes. I just finished installing the front valve and grapple, as I have numerous logs and stumps to move. I just started a thread under "attachments".
Good luck!

 

[Martian]

Folks,

Thanks very much for your time and thoughts. I really do appreciate your time.

I can do plumbing, woodwork, & stonework - but I am most certainly not a mechanic. It's funny how we mostly get good at what our parents are good at. Thus, I am going to have to develop a strong stomach for the JD110. Good idea about the professional mechanic ScoutCub. If I commit to going that way I will definitely figure out how to make that happen (and will make sure that jenkinsph bears some of the credit/blame).

I think I do believe the L/DK size is the right way to go - question now is just how to get the best deal. Scoutcub what do you think of the following: LX490 (49HP) with FEL and BH with thumb, block heater, & loaded wheels for the amazingly low price of $31k. (sorry to semi-hijack the thread). I have done zero research on Cub, so I guess I have some homework in front of me.

I'll update folks next week after I go back to drive some more tractors. I'm sure I'll have another round of questions.

Have a good week all.

:laughing::laughing:
I probably wouldn't have even thrown that 110 out if you hadn't mentioned H&M.

I really would recommend the DK size with a backhoe that has a thumb on whatever you get. Sounds like that LX490 is a really good deal though:thumbsup:

 

[IndyIan]

I had to try out the seat on my DK yesterday, and it slides forward far enough that with the steering wheel fully forward, my thighs were almost touching the wheel. Plus I could lower the seat as well, so I think it would be good for 5'ers.

 

[jenkinsph]

:laughing::laughing:
I probably wouldn't have even thrown that 110 out if you hadn't mentioned H&M.

I really would recommend the DK size with a backhoe that has a thumb on whatever you get. Sounds like that LX490 is a really good deal though:thumbsup:

Well I can attest to the fact that a 110tlb easily fits a 5'7" operator.

 

[Dr_Zinj]

I have about a mile's worth of stone wall on my property in NH that I'm slowly restoring. 99% of the rocks are movable with the FEL on my Bobcat CT230. There are about 3 boulders that I'll be experimenting on either with using the rear plow blade reversed on to see if I can budge them into the new positions, or seeing if the FEL will flip them (without bending the bucket of course!) All of those boulders had been moved about a decade ago with a JD120 which can put 6 tons of force to move stuff, not exactly in a 30 hp tractor's range.

 

[goosegbf]

Hey Folks,

Drove an L3200 and a GL3540 this weekend. I fit both - or both fit me - wahoo. The L3200 was less than ideal because of the hump in the middle of the platform and the position of the reverse pedal. Would making backing up for long periods of time snow blowing a real PITA. The GL3550 was very nice. No issues backing that one up. So... attached is my comparison (couldn't figure out how to embed it as a picture in the text body).

I will see if I can fit the DK40 next week, but right now the CK35 is ahead of the L3200 and the GL3540 is ahead of the DK40. Note the price for size is ~equivalent, but that GL3540 quote I have will go away when he sells his 2011 (and yes - I realize that the DK40 really deserves to be compared to the 3940). Then Kioti wins by a huge margin again on their DK prices. Hopefully I can sort out this DK seat nonsense this coming weekend.

For those of you comparing Kioti and Kubota pricing I did a quick survey of recent posted prices on TBN and added the quotes that I've gotten over the last three weeks. Kind of an interesting comparison.

 

[Martian]

Hey Folks,

Drove an L3200 and a GL3540 this weekend. I fit both - or both fit me - wahoo. The L3200 was less than ideal because of the hump in the middle of the platform and the position of the reverse pedal. Would making backing up for long periods of time snow blowing a real PITA. The GL3550 was very nice. No issues backing that one up. So... attached is my comparison (couldn't figure out how to embed it as a picture in the text body).

I will see if I can fit the DK40 next week, but right now the CK35 is ahead of the L3200 and the GL3540 is ahead of the DK40. Note the price for size is ~equivalent, but that GL3540 quote I have will go away when he sells his 2011 (and yes - I realize that the DK40 really deserves to be compared to the 3940). Then Kioti wins by a huge margin again on their DK prices. Hopefully I can sort out this DK seat nonsense this coming weekend.

For those of you comparing Kioti and Kubota pricing I did a quick survey of recent posted prices on TBN and added the quotes that I've gotten over the last three weeks. Kind of an interesting comparison.

That's a nice little comparison tool you got there!

The pedals are really a personal preference thing. Me, I like the Kioti and Deere pedals, sure I could get used to the Kubota, but the treadle just doesn't work for me.

Have you been back to H&M? Wondering if you checked out the 110, just wondering how it looked.

The Kioti will tend to be cheaper, but resale is hurt equally. If you think you may sell and trade in a couple years, the Kioti will be hurt a lot more in resale than the 'Bota.

I would be really surprised if the Kioti wouldn't seat you adequately. It would seem it would be a major flaw.

Just a thought, but the money you could save by getting a Kioti could be invested into a nice cab to keep you out of the cold and hot. Kioti does have a very nice cab. Just food for thought.

 

[IndyIan]

Interesting chart. Maybe you should include the DK35 as well, if you are OK with its loader capacity, 1400lbs. Its kind of an odd tractor as its only a couple hundred pounds lighter than the DK40-50 so it would pull nearly as much and its only down 3 hp from the DK40. I don't know how much cheaper the DK35 is though, it may not be worth the loader capacity loss.

 

[goosegbf]

Hey Martian - H&M is this weekend's stop, just couldn't find time last weekend.

As for the DK35 it is being discontinued and they are getting harder to come by. H&M does have one with a cab, but I am not crazy about the cab and the amount of time I'll be spending in the woods. I can pretty much guarantee that I will pick something off of it. That said, it sure does sound nice right about the 1400' mark of snow throwing.

 

[murphy1244]

Goose, My DK40SE HST With loader was 21600.00

 

[IndyIan]

Hey Martian - H&M is this weekend's stop, just couldn't find time last weekend.

As for the DK35 it is being discontinued and they are getting harder to come by. H&M does have one with a cab, but I am not crazy about the cab and the amount of time I'll be spending in the woods. I can pretty much guarantee that I will pick something off of it. That said, it sure does sound nice right about the 1400' mark of snow throwing.

When I was a young guy(15 to 18) I use to drive a neighbors 70hp cabbed JD in the woods helping him with firewood on Saturday mornings in the winter. Never broke anything on the cab but I was also mighty careful! It also had a logging winch so the tractor always stayed on the trails which helps for sure. Anyways that was probably 80 hrs in the woods over a few years with no damage and a rookie driver.
Also I was thinking that the DK's use a simple magnet to hold the forward HST pedal for the cruise, so it may be very easy to rig another one up to work on the reverse pedal? Maybe all the brands do this too, I don't know.

 

[Missouri Pioneer]

If there is an LS dealer around, be sure and check them out before you decide. I'm quite happy with mine.

 

[Dr_Zinj]

On Rock Wall Building...

The shape of your wall depends a lot on the rocks you have available. New Hampshire granite doesn't fracture into rectangular/flat shapes very well, being more roundish. Which means that sturdy walls that don't fall down in a frost usually are more squarish in cross section. I've built several walls totaling a couple hundred feet in length that were 3'x3' in cross section and they're standing true with almost no maintenance after 10 years.

New York State has a lot of shales, slates, sandstones, and limestones which are much more regular in shape with lots of flats that you can build higher and narrower.

 

[goosegbf]

Hey Folks,

Crummy weather and the flu made two weekends disappear in a hurry.

So I went back to drive the DK40 again. The seat is a MONUMENTAL design flaw in my opinion. I talked with the owner of H&M and he adjusted it as far as it could go and my feet still could not rest on the deck. In addition, to be comfortable driving, the seat had to be moved so far forward that turning around to back up was completely uncomfortable. It is clear how poor the seat design is because there are no problems with the CK35 or the Kubota L3540. So - DK40 crossed off the list which is a shame because there is a great deal on a used one at H&M. (JD110 is gone)

I have a quote for $31k for CK35, FEL, Woods BH + thumb, and snowblower. I'm not sure I'm thrilled with this quote because I think it means that the tractor + FEL is coming out to $19.5 with an additional remote. I should be able to do better than this with the free FEL program right now. I am getting a second quote from another place. I have the quote for the 3540 as well. I am guessing that will come out to $35k once I add a BH to it.

Not sure what I'm going to do.

Rich