Well it's been about a yr since I bought my Sc2400 and I thought I would post some of my thoughts.
Looking at my paperwork, I purchased it on 08/29/09, so 21 days from now it will be a yr old. In this time I've put about 35 hours on it, which isn't very much but between working and trying to finish up a degree, I didn't have to much extra time.
I knew what I was getting into when I first bought it so I new it wouldn't be able to handle everything I was wanting to do. Growing up helping my grandfather on a 1000 acre farm in Iowa I was used to the larger tractors. So I was just looking for something to use around the 3 acres I live on. Something I could afford at the time and something that my 2007 Ford Ranger 4x4, could handle pulling. I recently traded my ranger in for a 4x4 F-150 so I don't have any problems towing the tractor anywhere.
When I first got it, people made the comment about how small it is. My brother said it didn't look much bigger than a riding lawnmower. After having seen what it can do, one of those people, my father in-law, has been calling me more and more to come and do some work on his property. He has about 15 acres and a couple of cows and then my brother in-law has a few horses there also. He has an older, mid 80's I think, tractor with no FEL. It reminds me of an older Massey Ferguson but it has a name I can't think of at the moment.
So far the only issues that I have had are:
1. My left front tire has developed a leak. The tires were cracking when I got the machine, so it's possible this is the reason why the tire is leaking. Nothing a tube won't fix.
2. The rubber mat used for the feet has just about come off. At about 25 hours I noticed that the area under the foot pedal had worn through and then I started to notice pieces coming off the mat in other areas. This really isn't a big deal, I'm thinking of getting some herculiner (sp?) and putting on it. I would have thought it would last longer but the tractor has sat outside for the past yr and sometimes I don't get the tarp over it. So I know that the weather has taken it's toll on it.
I've mostly used the tractor for some mowing with an EF115 flail mower. Some fel work - hauling manure, gravel for a kennel, digging small 4 - 6 inch trees out of the ground, other yard work, and some mulching with a bx42
chipper.
If I had the MMM I would probably sell my craftsman 46" rider as the only thing I use that for now is touching up the yard when I don't use the flail.
Some of the things I like about it are:
1. The loader controls mounted on the fender as this leaves your arm in a natural position when using the loader unlike the ones that are up by the dash.
2. The 3 pt control as it has the ability to postion the 3pt in pretty much any height position and it is a very smooth motion.
3. The ability to use the PTO while driving in reverse. This is nice when using the flail mower and backing up into brush/grass.
4. The size of the tractor. It's nice to be able to manuver easily and get into areas that larger tractors wouldn't be able to.
5. The easiness of using the tractor. My wife has never driven a tractor and she has had no problem learning how to use this tractor. While putting mulch out around the trees, she'll jump on the tractor with no problems at all and get to work.
At this time, the only complaints I have are:
1. I would swap the single cylinder for dual cylinders on the loader so that you could have a quick attach setup like the 2305 or even Yanmar's version of the Sc2400. I've been looking at designing something that would work but haven't got that far yet.
2. I would like to see the addition of rear remotes. This probably is an easy add on now that the Sc2450 has come out with the backhoe.
3. I would like to see an override safety seat switch as using the
chipper is not feasible according to the manual. So you either have to have someone sitting on the seat, bypass the safety switch, or put something heavy on the seat to trick the safety switch to think you are on the tractor when using the
chipper.
4. The filler neck for the gas tank needs to be in a more vertical position as it's pain filling the tractor with 5/6 gallon gas cans. I have found a pretty good solution to this. I picked up a red funnel that has a handle on it along with an extension piece from Advance. I think they are available in numerous places. I put the handle in the loader arm and extend the addtional extension into the gas tank filler. This seems to work well as I don't get diesel all over like I was when I would turn the gas can upside down to get the last of the fuel out.
I feel that these options would add to the usefulness of the tractor.
Overall I'm very happy with the purchase and I would definitely buy another one if I was in the market for a scut. I'll more than likely keep this machine until I move to a larger property in the next 3-4 yrs. Then I'll probably move up to a 35 hp tractor. Being that my wife is comfortable using the tractor, I might keep it just for her to use. Then she will be able to do some of her honey do lists on her own. :thumbsup:
