Looking at a RK37

[R Barger]

Been thinking about a new tractor. Lack of activity on this forum is concerning to me. I'm not sure if it is bad or good. Either the Rk tractors are very reliable or people are just not buying them. Any comments?

 

[bmaverick]

Been thinking about a new tractor. Lack of activity on this forum is concerning to me. I'm not sure if it is bad or good. Either the Rk tractors are very reliable or people are just not buying them. Any comments?

Since the RK machines often have a Yanmar engine, they are discussed in the Yanmar (new) section a bit. People new to the site often go there instead. Not sure why.

RK37 with the Yanmar 3TNV88 is reliable as they come.

The 3TNx88 engine family has been around for a long time.

 

[bmaverick]

Been thinking about a new tractor. Lack of activity on this forum is concerning to me. I'm not sure if it is bad or good. Either the Rk tractors are very reliable or people are just not buying them. Any comments?

I agree too, TBN activity overall has dropped in a huge way. Since 2023 till now, it's been getting worse.

TBN isn't the only TractorFourm site with dropped activity, the others have too.

Plus, people are not happy with FB groups either, difficult to search on a topic and to roll back to any discussion.

Is everyone very busy these days or did AI fake info take over helping people?

 

[timebak]

I've got an RK37SC (with shuttle shift and cab) and use it a lot and REALLY like it. The FEL is heavier duty and better built than others I've looked at of similar horsepower. I've given it a heck of a workout. I'm coming up on 500 hrs on mine.

I purchased the following implements and attachments along with the tractor from RK: the FEL and bucket, the 60" Top Dog Granite Grapple (VERY well made and I use it a LOT. It stays on the FEL 98% of the time), third-function kit (which supplies hydraulic power to the grapple), 5 ft KingKutter Rotary Cutter (AKA bushhog. Special ordered, heavy duty model with 65 hp gearbox), 72" KingKutter Rear Blade (special ordered, heavy duty 6-way adjustable), Carry-All frame, and Boom Pole.

From Good Works Tractors, I've bought the following: Speeco E-Hitch Cat-1 Quick Hitch, and the GWT Heavy Duty Wrecker Stump Bucket. I also purchased from PTO Link their SD System which is a quick connect/disconnect system for PTO shafts.

My biggest complaint with the tractor (and it's a minor one) is the cheap, flimsy rear-view mirrors. The mounting rings on the mirrors are just plastic and you can't tighten them enough to keep limbs from knocking them out of adjustment when I'm bushhogging around trees and brush. I'm looking for some heavier duty metal-framed mirrors.

Mine has the R1 tires on it because the vast majority of my use is not on turf or pavement. It's amazing the size and weight of things that the FEL and grapple have been able to handle, lift, and move. We've used it several times cleaning up LOTS of debris from three tornados that have hit our farm and surrounding areas over the past two years and its capabilities have amazed us.

My across-the-fence neighbor has the same sized tractor from the "green company" and my RK37 is very noticeably better and stronger built, but the green one cost a LOT more money.

I can highly recommend the RK37. I chose the shuttle-shift version over the hydro-stat version because I do a lot of heavy bushhogging, tilling, and grading and small hydro-stat tractors are much more prone to over-heating in that kind of use, compared to gear driven shuttle-shift ones.

Hope this helps.

 

[jjeff]

Quite pleased with my rk 21 first.non Kubota and hydrostatic tractor I've owned, beat other brands prices I got in my search for tiny tractors , loaded rears with rim guard, very impressed with its small r14 tires over turf or true ag tires. Use for mowing hilly terrain and use the small fel quite a bit, I built a qa trailer mover and my old set of qa forks I used for a ss I parted with a few yrs back. If you go with rk or anything else for that matter check over fluid levels and nuts and bolts before use, even new off the showroom floor. Good luck

 

[R Barger]

I've got an RK37SC (with shuttle shift and cab) and use it a lot and REALLY like it. The FEL is heavier duty and better built than others I've looked at of similar horsepower. I've given it a heck of a workout. I'm coming up on 500 hrs on mine.

I purchased the following implements and attachments along with the tractor from RK: the FEL and bucket, the 60" Top Dog Granite Grapple (VERY well made and I use it a LOT. It stays on the FEL 98% of the time), third-function kit (which supplies hydraulic power to the grapple), 5 ft KingKutter Rotary Cutter (AKA bushhog. Special ordered, heavy duty model with 65 hp gearbox), 72" KingKutter Rear Blade (special ordered, heavy duty 6-way adjustable), Carry-All frame, and Boom Pole.

From Good Works Tractors, I've bought the following: Speeco E-Hitch Cat-1 Quick Hitch, and the GWT Heavy Duty Wrecker Stump Bucket. I also purchased from PTO Link their SD System which is a quick connect/disconnect system for PTO shafts.

My biggest complaint with the tractor (and it's a minor one) is the cheap, flimsy rear-view mirrors. The mounting rings on the mirrors are just plastic and you can't tighten them enough to keep limbs from knocking them out of adjustment when I'm bushhogging around trees and brush. I'm looking for some heavier duty metal-framed mirrors.

Mine has the R1 tires on it because the vast majority of my use is not on turf or pavement. It's amazing the size and weight of things that the FEL and grapple have been able to handle, lift, and move. We've used it several times cleaning up LOTS of debris from three tornados that have hit our farm and surrounding areas over the past two years and its capabilities have amazed us.

My across-the-fence neighbor has the same sized tractor from the "green company" and my RK37 is very noticeably better and stronger built, but the green one cost a LOT more money.

I can highly recommend the RK37. I chose the shuttle-shift version over the hydro-stat version because I do a lot of heavy bushhogging, tilling, and grading and small hydro-stat tractors are much more prone to over-heating in that kind of use, compared to gear driven shuttle-shift ones.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the input. I have mostly ruled out the cab and the HST. On sloping ground it is easy to get the cab into a tree. I have 14 acres of woodland several Oaks down from hurricane Helene that I will be working up for firewood. I have thought about the R1's rather than the R4's. The tractors that I currently all have R1's. My property is hilly with some regular bush hogging and maintaining of roads.

 

[timebak]

I was also going to buy the non-cab, open station version for the very reason you stated, but my wife insisted that I get the cab. I was 67 at the time and have had some skin cancer and other health issues and we always have a big hornet's nest or two and some bumble bee nests every summer, so I gave in and got the cab. Bought mine in Sept. '22. Already had tornado downed trees on the ground, so it got put right to work. Summer, '24, went to bushhog around the perimeter of one of our corn fields and I came upon a BIG hornet nest in the fence row on south side of the field. Before I knew it, they were hitting the cab and it sounded almost like small gravel hitting the glass. Ran over a big ground nest of bumble bees a few days later. I've thanked the wife many times for talking me into the cab. And, BTW, the A/C is REALLY nice....