Being tractor poor, I needed a modern one.

[alleyyooper]

I only have 22 Massey Harris Tractors the newest a 1957 555 Diesel, a Ford 5000 gas (gas hog too.) and a 1961 Allis D17.

I wanted a tractor with a front loader set up that had a nice bucket and hrydrlic cylinder bucket adjustment and dump.

I was leaning toward this Allis 180. I thought it was in great shape for it's age and I also felt the price was right.

But my banker had other ideas. We all have bankers we have to deal with pretty much when the price tag gets over a hundred bucks or so, don't we?
Banker said it was old and big so if it broke down the parts would cost a lot of money. I should step up and buy some thing even more modered.

So shopping begines for some thing I could live with and the banker would be satfied expending money for.
New Holland makes some nice compact tractors near me is a dealer in fact there is two dealers with in 25 miles of me.
Now the people who buy compact tractors in this area buy with r 4 tires because they run them on their lawns and don't want to tear up the grass.

I had decided I would not go less than 30 HP on a tractor so I was given a price on a NH 33 HP work master tractor out the door the banker could live with. Hold the phone Jake, I want R1 ag tires I need the traction for the tractor. Well we don't have a tractor like that at either store in stock and since the NH line is being redone the New ones will be 34HP and we don't know about the price increase.

Next stop is a Massey Ferguson dealer also sells the NH brand. I am talking to him about a 33 HP MF tractor, Hey I have a bunch of Masseys already one more red tractor isn't all bad.
the sales guy just didn't really want to discuss the MF tractor kept pushing a 33HP NH work master. told me I was crazy for wanting R1 tires and all that. I got tired of listening to him so walked out with him behind saying maybe we can work some thing out on a MF tractor.

I had read about TYM tractors and they seemed to have decent reviews so we drive to the nearested dealer listed in the dealer locator. Get there and the sales guy says he doesn't carry TYM tractor any longer but has Bronson tractors. Only has one in stock and it is a demo tractor. It is hooked to a brush hog and is covered with thorns and limbs from brush hogging in thorn apples trees. It also has R 4 tires, I tell him I want R 1's. he says as he is figureing a price that if I take the tractor now that when he gets one in with R1 tires we can swap them out if I don't scuff them up to bad.
Ya I could see that road ahead, (1. never gets a tractor in with R1 tires so I am stuck with R 4's. (2 the tires on it are full of thorns and keep working in and leaking so he refuses to swap.
No thank you not driveing down that road,I am not desprite after all. Plus the price was one $500.00 less than a NH with R 4 tires.

On a drive home from a car show on a Sunday drove by a Case/IH dealer had small farmall's on display.
Monday we drove to a near by Case/IH dealer and sat down with a sales guy. said he only had a 25 HP and a 50HP in stock at the time . told me what they wanted for the 25HP tractor and went into sticker shock. I don't think they will be selling many of them as they wanted 5000.00 more than for the 33HP NH. Also the front loader Hrydrlics hund down and I would have hit a stump first thing and ripped it off.

On the way home we passed a Kubota dealer. Banker says why not go back and talk to them.
I do and U turn and go back turn in the drive park and see a trctor with R1 tires setting by the road. Look at it and decide if it had a front loader it would work and if it was 3o HP.
Go in and talk to a really nice sales guy who knew a lot of people from my home town. Went out and looked at the one by the road again and was told not to worry he has stacks of front loaders in a shed, even took me to see them. we talked about what i wanted in a front loader wasn't going to pay extra for a SSQA As I would not be removing rhe bucket He gave me a decent price.

We left so the Banker and I could talk with out interuptions. about a hour later we went back and made the deal.

This is My 2017 L3301 Bota


It does have the SSQA bucket because his stock didn't have a pin loader and we had already agreed on a delivery date. He also had to fill the rear tires with Beet juice AKA rim guard.
Since he didn't have the pinned loader he just gave the SSQA loader in.

It needed some mods by me though.

Al

 

[Spladle160]

That's a fine looking machine. Hope the banker doesn't kill you on the interest so you have tie to use it.

 

[alleyyooper]

First job for the new Bota was to retrieve the Ford 5000 from the field where i had ran it out of gas then it wouldn't start.



They call it a tool box, but I have seen bigger pencile boxes. I took that off and made some brackets and put a real tool box on it.



I have two splitting wedges in it two 15 inch cresant wrenches and a 12 inch cresant. a 3/4 inch ratchest and several sockets needed to adjust chain saw bars and other uses.

I also added hooks to the tool box brackets handy to hang lynch pins from and even a 3 point draw bar when not being used.

Driveing along skidding a log and turn in the seat to see how it is doing back there and the tractor dies, Start it and start going turn in the seat and the tractor dies, every time I stop and get off I try to figure out why turning in thr seat kills the tractor.
OK it has a stupid seat saftey switch so i fixed that.


Go and cut a bucket load of dead elm fire wood, going down the hill to the walk out the tractor experinced the first of the seat cover pleating scared the CHIT out of me. Need more wheel weight.
None of the 2 dozen wheel weights I own for real tractors with fit the Bota wheel dish. So I use a 385 pound Massey cast wheel on a 3 point draw bar for ballast and I can add wehell weights from a real tractor for more ballast.



But that takes the 3 point from being able to be used for say a back blade or a box blade.
price Bota fit wheel weights. theyare just crazy $1000.00 for 500 pounds.
I can use the 3 point draw bar for now till I figure some thing out.

Pawn shop lifting weights?


I found the 3 piont a pain in the AZZ to hook to some thing heavy like a box blade, finish mower and a brush hog.

A quick hitch fixed that problem, Banker is starting to think the Allis may have been better afer all.

Need a place to carry chain saws when I go to the woods to cut. Made up holders for the bigger saws and the little one found places in the front loader frame.

Ran over a frozen ball of snow plowing the drive way and about Chit my pants again and put another pleat in the seat cover.
OK my heart can't take much more of that crap so I get it where I can jack it uo and swap the left rear for the right rear and went out to almost 66 inches wide in the rear.
Better but still not great.

Now it is much better to live with, wheel weights are still needed. Yesterday I started working on holders for the Axe, splitting maul and sledge hammer when i am dealing with fire wood. Shovels and pick axe and garden rake when I am doing dirt.

By the way how come there isn't a section for tractors here?

Al

 

[alleyyooper]

Most of the Compact tractor companys finace for so long at zero intrest.

Al

 

[alleyyooper]

Really????
Ya all lost your fingers or some thing?

Al

 

[Steve]

Is that the hydro version? We are in the market for a tractor and that exact is on our list. Along with LS. They build most all the small tractors for new holland. But much lower price. The LS tractors have better loaders than the new hollands too.

 

[jed1124]

You got the best machine of the lot you were looking at. Good luck with it!

 

[Yukon Stihl]

Fill the tires with antifreeze or similar for some weight.

 

[cgraham1]

I’m of the opinion that bigger is better when it comes to tractors. Mine is a little older, but it is 100 hp and has a backhoe.

That one is really nice though, and Kubota makes great machines.

 

[alleyyooper]

No I wanted gear drive so is the shuttle shift.

Personaly Banker be dammed I would never buy a compact tractor again.

Maybe if you have table top land they would not be so scary to run. But the things at their widest are not even as wide as a stock fram tractor made in the 1940's so are not near as stable.

I see why they have to have ROPS on them now.

Yukon sthil read the post before commenting. Plus antifreeze is not legal in tires in many states.

Al

 

[Slacker]

No I wanted gear drive so is the shuttle shift.

Personaly Banker be dammed I would never buy a compact tractor again.

Maybe if you have table top land they would not be so scary to run. But the things at their widest are not even as wide as a stock fram tractor made in the 1940's so are not near as stable.

I see why they have to have ROPS on them now.

Yukon sthil read the post before commenting. Plus antifreeze is not legal in tires in many states.

Al

Now you see why lots of compact owners want R4 tyres. Much wider = more stability and more fluid. The R4 are normally 10 ply vs the 4 ply of R1style. Flats are nearly non existent.

If I were pulling a plow, then I'd choose R1, but for woods use with a "4x4" (front wheel assist) compact, then R4 all day long.

Nice choice on the shuttle shift.
I've only regretted choosing shuttle one time, and that was with a stump grinder.
Low range, 1st gear was slightly too fast.
I have heard that 3pt trenchers are also best used with a hydro tranny.

Here is my 38hp LS with oversized R4, fluid filled (antifreeze). It's very stable.

 

[Steve]

No I wanted gear drive so is the shuttle shift.

Personaly Banker be dammed I would never buy a compact tractor again.

Maybe if you have table top land they would not be so scary to run. But the things at their widest are not even as wide as a stock fram tractor made in the 1940's so are not near as stable.

I see why they have to have ROPS on them now.

Yukon sthil read the post before commenting. Plus antifreeze is not legal in tires in many states.

Al

Do they have liquid ballast police where you live? They dont here...


It seems like you picked a tractor too small for the jobs you are asking of it. Are you going to start puting FELs on your narrow front tractors and start complaining they tip over all the time? If you need to add so much weight to the rear of the kubota you are over loading it.

 

[alleyyooper]

No they don't have any ballast police but if you want to take a tire to a shop to be repaired for some reason.

Any way all I had was a bucket full of Dead Elm fire wood and ran over that frozen chunk of snow/ice.
If you had read what I wrote yopu would have read I have beet juice AKA Rin Guard.

Al

 

[Steve]

Al, while the information is there, all your post are excruciatingly long. Its hard to remember all the details at the end of the book.

 

[Steve Taylor]

Nice upgrade. I am still dealing with an h farmall myself

 

[redline4]

My Dads New Holland had zero issues dragging or lifting these.



My Bobcat skidsteer would pick them up, and promptly tip forward when I tried unloading the 2 largest at home.
I had to drag them off the back, then pick them up and carry them maybe 6" off the ground.

 

[jed1124]

Al, while the information is there, all your post are excruciatingly long. Its hard to remember all the details at the end of the book.

Al is a bit of a literary scribe on the forums. I’ve enjoyed reading his posts over the years.

You think this is bad, get him talking about how to cook coyote.....

 

[LOMartin]

Nice!

I love my 2650, I throw on the backhoe when I need more weight. The dealer fillled the rears with plain water since freezing isn’t a concern in my area. Had I known they would fill the tires for free I would have upgraded to rim guard also.

Kubota is so easy to operate and have great pricing.

Enjoy it.

Notice the tooth bar I have on the bucket. That thing made a world of difference.

 

[angelo c]

I'm in the "look out for" a tractor as well . Of course Kubota is tops on the list but we have a Kioti dealer near by. All the numbers of the competing Kioti are better then the Kubota EXCEPT for resale. Damn the Kioti don't hold squat for resale value. Anybody have any real world experience with Kioti ? Also I've been told buy the kubota and buy it new as when you tire of it or find out you need a bigger one selling the kubota for the almost same damn amount you bought it for a few years later makes it hard not to do.

 

[redline4]

I'm in the "look out for" a tractor as well . Of course Kubota is tops on the list but we have a Kioti dealer near by. All the numbers of the competing Kioti are better then the Kubota EXCEPT for resale. Damn the Kioti don't hold squat for resale value. Anybody have any real world experience with Kioti ? Also I've been told buy the kubota and buy it new as when you tire of it or find out you need a bigger one selling the kubota for the almost same damn amount you bought it for a few years later makes it hard not to do.

I think there was a thread about tractors a few months ago and a bunch of info on the Kioti was posted. I think @Iggy was who started it and he may have gotten one as well.