Thank you all for the responses, I'll try to get a down and dirty together on it as soon as I get to rack up some hours. So far, I'm liking it. Here's what I see so far.
The ride is 10x better than the kubota through the fields, without a doubt. You barely feel anything with the IFS and IRS on it. I am going to miss the power steering, without a doubt, but it just takes some getting used to. It's not like driving a truck without power steering, it's still relatively easy.
The JD is a belt CVT system, which has it's ups and downs. The machine is noticeably faster and requires re-learning how to drive after having the kubota. There is no feathering the go pedal to make things smooth...it's "mat it and go." I was surprised to see how big the frame is on these, much larger than my 6x4 and looks to rival the 900 as well. I'll try and get some pics under it later today.
Forward H&L, and reverse is a shifter sticking out of the center console, next to your right leg. There's also a diff lock lever there as well. Very easy to get to, no difficult shifting at all. They claim top speed is 30, but I GPS'd mine at 32 and would assume some 28" tires would put you in the mid 30's range. It's got stock 25's on it now. It FEELS much faster than the RTV even thought it's only a few MPH. Take off is fast and will spin the tires in HI and Low. If I hook it to a good heavy trailer, it will turn all 4 tires over if I try.
Turning is MUCH tighter than the RTV...no 3 pt turns anymore. Turns like an old 3 wheel ezgo golf cart.
It's got a 1400# Payload capacity on it. I loaded up a bed full of gravel and it had no problems bounding through the yard. The electric/hydro bed setup is nice, but the Kubota hydro bed was faster. It doesn't struggle dumping anything you can throw at it. I think the bed may be a hair smaller than the RTV, but I'm not positive. Seems not as deep.
The engine fires right up when it's cold. There's a wait to start light as opposed to turning the key a little to heat up the glow plugs...kinda nice, but doesn't make much difference either way. Same setup as my truck.
I like the bucket seats, very comfortable...but not handy for people that want to cram 3 people in. The interior is very well laid out, looks good, and everything seems to be in a place where you can reach it - much the same as the kubota. What I don't like about the interior is it's riddled with idiot lights instead of actual gauges...which will be fixed. I like knowing what my engine is doing before it decides to blow up!
The 4x4 setup is really nice with the switch on the dash, but time will tell if it'll hold up. Never had problems with deere's before, shouldn't with this one.
The little Yanmar 3TNE70 25hp diesel seems to be a great little engine, my last gator had 6800HRS on it when I sold it, this one should be the same. It doesn't have any blow-by or goofy noises and starts right off. I think it may be a little noisier than the RTV...but some of that could be that I'm sitting inside the reverberation box called a cab. I didn't have one on my RTV, so I can't really tell the difference. The machine doesn't rattle or pop anywhere, which is very nice...seems like a well built little tank.
All in all, I like it.. I was looking for something that had some "play" in it but could still be used as a workhorse around the house. It seems to fit the bill. I'll keep you all updated as we go. I loved my Kubota, but the deal was right...
I started searching and wound up with a newer gator diesel. I had an old 6x4 before the RTV and it was a great machine, so I figured I'd try it again. I wouldn't have bought it if the deal wasn't right...but I wound up with a machine that looks and runs great with extra money in my pocket in the end. I'm still here for my .02, so don't count me out yet. I still buy and sell the orange ones when I can find them, just don't have one in my own stable. I'll still help when I can! Here's my new machine. 850d, winch, cab, plow, electric bed, 400hrs etc.... I very much appreciate all of the help everyone here is, you all have no idea how much it helps! Keep up the good work!
