[bones]

Any known issues, tips or things to look out for? I am looking at a new 1026R with the H120 loader, 260 backhoe and the 54" autoconnect belly mower. Will be used for general landscape/mowing/snow removal duties.

 

[Gizmo2]

Welcome to GTT. You'll find a mountain of info here. You may also want to check out this thread posted today. http://www.greentractortalk.com/forums/sub-compacts/5089-thinking-about-selling-my-1026r.html

 

[meburdick]

Any known issues, tips or things to look out for? I am looking at a new 1026R with the H120 loader, 260 backhoe and the 54" autoconnect belly mower. Will be used for general landscape/mowing/snow removal duties.

:wgtt:

The 1026r is a capable SCUT. Are there known issues? Absolutely. Whether or not they're issues for you is a different story.

Why not post up a bit of detail as to how the machine will be used and we can help you understand whether the 1026r is going to fill the bill for you.

For example, my machine is completely over-sized as a mower for my property (1 acre, level and mostly clear). It's more than I really need to snowblow (110' driveway, paved, plus a "lap around the house"). But it shines when it comes to dealing with all of the firewood I move around. That was its biggest regular chore to handle, so that's why I bought what I did.

 

[bones]

This machine will also be overkill for my mowing duties, however, I am getting lazier everyday and I am adding more and more to my yard every year. But I wanted a machine that would do everything instead of buying a "garden" riding mower and then having another unit to act as a TLB. So I will use it to mow and collect leaves in addition to its tlb options. I own 2.5ac of mostly flat wooded land with a house and 250' driveway and a 500'+ access road that is not maintained in the winter by the county or municipality that I usually plow with my ATV (its a private rd). Large front yard which will become larger all the time. Backyard not yet cleared/seeded. It will be used mostly for it's backhoe and loader capabilities around the home. Digging small trenches, moving soil, 2b stone, leveling, grading, removing small stumps, etc. Will also use it for snow removal if my ATV cannot handle it. My father in law has just purchased a home a few doors down and has agreed to pay half the monthly payment in exchange for me doing his mowing/snow removal duties and whatever else it can assist with. This is an easy job and his mowing area isn't much if at all bigger than mine and the driveway is small (100' or less).

I've been looking at all brands of TLBs for years now and finally have come to the point where it is the right time to buy. I originally wanted a 30+ HP unit but have since settled on a sub compact so I can store it easily and maneuver it in between all the trees and yard with little effort. I believe the 1026R is best fit for my needs.

 

[meburdick]

This machine will also be overkill for my mowing duties, however, I am getting lazier everyday and I am adding more and more to my yard every year. But I wanted a machine that would do everything instead of buying a "garden" riding mower and then having another unit to act as a TLB. So I will use it to mow and collect leaves in addition to its tlb options. I own 2.5ac of mostly flat wooded land with a house and 250' driveway. Large front yard which will become larger all the time. Backyard not yet cleared/seeded. It will be used mostly for it's backhoe and loader capabilities around the home. Digging small trenches, moving soil, 2b stone, leveling, grading, removing small stumps, etc. Will also use it for snow removal if my ATV cannot handle it. My father in law has just purchased a home a few doors down and has agreed to pay half the monthly payment in exchange for me doing his mowing and snow removal duties. This is an easy job and his mowing area isn't much if at all bigger than mine and the driveway is small (100' or less).

I've been looking at all brands of TLBs for years now and finally have come to the point where it is the right time to buy. I originally wanted a 30+ HP unit but have since settled on a sub compact so I can store it easily and maneuver it in between all the trees and yard with little effort. I believe the 1026R is best fit for my needs.

Good info here...

My gut says that, for most things, the 1026r will do an excellent job. A couple of things to consider:

- The loader's lifting capacity is somewhere in the 800 lbs-ish range. Stepping up to the 2320 would get you about 950 and the 2520 gets you about 1100. While these numbers feel good at first, you have to also consider the weight of the implement that you're lifting. Give some thought to how much weight you'll actually be lifting to understand whether or not the loader on this machine is capable enough. If it's "close", go bigger.

- The hydraulic capacity on the 1026r will be sufficient for "smaller" digging. But, if you try and put a larger bucket on there, or if you think you're going to pull a stump from a 100' maple, better think again about whether this machine is appropriate for the jobs. Lower fluid capacity rates will also mean that the implements move slower. For many folks, this is perfectly acceptable. If you think you're going to be logging 100+ hours per year, that slower movement is going to have a big impact on how long it takes you to get things done.

One other point for consideration... Don't buy a machine that's well-suited to the largest job it will ever do. Buy machine that's well-suited to the largest job it will do regulary. For those largers tasks, spend a few hundred and rent a bigger, purpose-built machine. You'll save money in the long run.

As a note - my 2520 is about 15' from tip to tail with the 42" pallet forks on the front and the ballast box on the back. Every other configuration is shorter. With the ROPS down, I can drive through a standard 7' garage door opening. If I want to leave the ROPS up, I need an 8' tall door.

 

[bones]

Thanks. Any idea what the avg price difference would be for a similarly equipped 2320 or 2520? I'm guessing that as long as I can lift a full bucket load on a 49 or 53" bucket of dirt - mulch - 2b stone - snow - or whatever else, I should be ok with the 1026R. The stumps I'd be digging may range from a few inches in diameter to 12+ inches. I wouldn't expect this unit to pull them out, but at the least be able to dig all around them and bust some roots. I do have a factory winch on my '12 Dodge Power Wagon that can help pull them the rest of the way.

Good info here...

My gut says that, for most things, the 1026r will do an excellent job. A couple of things to consider:

- The loader's lifting capacity is somewhere in the 800 lbs-ish range. Stepping up to the 2320 would get you about 950 and the 2520 gets you about 1100. While these numbers feel good at first, you have to also consider the weight of the implement that you're lifting. Give some thought to how much weight you'll actually be lifting to understand whether or not the loader on this machine is capable enough. If it's "close", go bigger.

- The hydraulic capacity on the 1026r will be sufficient for "smaller" digging. But, if you try and put a larger bucket on there, or if you think you're going to pull a stump from a 100' maple, better think again about whether this machine is appropriate for the jobs. Lower fluid capacity rates will also mean that the implements move slower. For many folks, this is perfectly acceptable. If you think you're going to be logging 100+ hours per year, that slower movement is going to have a big impact on how long it takes you to get things done.

One other point for consideration... Don't buy a machine that's well-suited to the largest job it will ever do. Buy machine that's well-suited to the largest job it will do regulary. For those largers tasks, spend a few hundred and rent a bigger, purpose-built machine. You'll save money in the long run.

As a note - my 2520 is about 15' from tip to tail with the 42" pallet forks on the front and the ballast box on the back. Every other configuration is shorter. With the ROPS down, I can drive through a standard 7' garage door opening. If I want to leave the ROPS up, I need an 8' tall door.

 

[Gizmo2]

bones, your location may be of some help also. Maybe add it to your profile.

 

[meburdick]

I can't give you much for pricing thoughts other than "it might be significant". Base cost between a 1026r and a 2520 (as an example) is about $4000. The hoe is about $2000 more for the 2520. I would expect a higher cost for the loader on the 2x20 series as well.

If I had bought the hoe with my machine, it would have been around $30,000 total (to give you a complete price to use as a comparison, keep in mind I got a $2500 rebate for purchasing at least two implements). I would expect that you would want your machine equipped fairly similar to mine if you were to buy the 2x20 series machine. There are some 0% financing options out there that might make a larger or smaller machine much more attractive, and keep in mind that your monthly payment increases by $1 per month for every TWO dollars that the payment goes up overall.

 

[Martian]

:wgtt:
There's sooooooo many users here with 1026r's I'll let them speak for how great of a machine it is instead of my second hand experience.

 

[bones]

The 2320 or 2520 will probably be much out of my budget. I think the 1026R is well suited for what I plan on doing and from what I've read it does a great job.

 

[ejb69]

I am very happy with my 1026R, it fits my needs well.

 

[636mullet]

I couldn't be more happy with my 1026R. We have 2.22 acres and I mow 1 and the other is trees and over grown. The 60" Auto-connect MMM is great for what I mow. A ZTR would be quicker, but I really enjoy the seat time. The H120 has done what I needed. The lift could be more, but for it's size I'd say it's impressive. I got a 4' County Line brush mower and it works very well on the 1026R. Makes quick work of saplings and overgrowth. I have no regrets! If you have lots of trees the ROPS is little annoying, but when it's folded back you almost don't know it's there.

-636

 

[LT_JD]

My 1026R works great for my needs. Mowing with 60" MMM, 48" box blade, and a #5 sickle bar. With the box blade I run out of traction before I run out of power and that's with starter weights on the back and 5 suitcase weights up front. The only complaint that I've had is the seat. The stock one leans back too far and the springs aren't heavy enough for more than about 150 lbs or so of operator.

 

[dieselshadow]

Welcome to GTT!

The 1 series is a very capable machine. I've accomplished a lot with mine.

For what you are describing, the 1 series might be perfect for you as well. :good2:

 

[Tomfive]

I have a 1026R TLB and I really am happy with it. I have an old Wheelhorse for mowing, and bought the 1026R specifically for the BH, no mower. Probably 80% of my use time has been digging, either for planting, loosening up new garden areas, or digging stumps/newly felled trees. I have 1.5 acres, over half is wooded and with a fairly steep slope. It has been a very capable tractor, digging in my rock and tree root laden clay "soil". I do get into some large roots that I would appreciate a larger tractor, but spending a little more time on it, and using my Bro-Tek ripper, I haven't been "stumped" yet. As I get more experience, I actually dig smarter (if there is such a thing) and things have been going quicker.

When I first got my 1026R, I always had that question in the back of my mind of whether I should have gone larger. At least for my situation, I soon realized that the 1026R was right. Just maneuvering around my lawn and the small garden areas we have set up, I found that the size of 1026R took a little practice. Driving around my woods was the same, it's larger than my garden tractor, and it takes a bit more space to drive and turn. Going larger would just make it that much more difficult. Larger is heavier too, and that means more damage to the lawn. The 4WD manages my sloped woods very well, especially bringing up loads of firewood from the lower end up to my wood pile.:lol:

My last project, I topped off a 18" dia/50 ft white pine, and just got the stump out of the ground. I didn't want to dig a large hole, since it was only 6 ft off the house. The hole was no larger than 5 ft wide, and I managed to get through 6" roots, not with 1 swipe, but by picking at it. Going through 2"-3" roots was pretty easy, but this was pine, not maple or cherry. Harder wood stumps just take longer, or a larger hole to dig out.

In regard to issues, other than my tranny leak you may read about here on GTT, no other issues whatsoever. The tranny leak was a casting defect and as far as I know, has been the only case reported of this type. It was under warranty, and my dealer took care of it with no questions asked.

Am I happy with my 1026R ... ABSOLUTELY :yahoo:

 

[HydroHarold]

"...and bought the 1026R specifically for the BH, no mower." Quote, Tomfive

I ran into a strange problem with the JD configurator, it wouldn't let me fit a mower deck for the TLB. I could only get "build your own" deck choices for the 1026r by spec'ing the tractor, then FEL and BH as separate attachments. Trying to logic it out I thought that a dedicated TLB might be built differently underneath as a unit than the straight tractor. Or the dreaded JD configurator led me astray once again.

 

[Fran_K]

How does the backhoe attach? Are there brackets that would interfere with the mower deck. That would be the case with the model 49 backhoe but it sure wouldn't fit on what you have in mind. I thought the deere build your own was the best of deere, kubota, ford, toyota havn't tried any others.

 

[bones]

Thanks for all the comments everyone, keep them coming. It sounds like I'll have a new 1026R in the yard very shortly!

 

[dieselshadow]

The mower does not interfere with the BH brackets at all. The configurator must have a minor bug.


Sent using Tapatalk.

 

[meburdick]

The mower does not interfere with the BH brackets at all. The configurator must have a minor bug.

I think the configurator has a LOT of bugs. When I was building my machine, I had to spec the tractor, then the loader, etc. It won't let you create a "this is everything I want to buy" sort of package. What I ended up doing was using the configurator to understand which parts were the ones that were available for my machine and what their list prices were. From there, I relied on my dealer to ensure that I had the optimal setup (including the extra brackets that make changing between the mowing deck and the snowblower easier, and the bracket that allows for more of the snowblower mounting brackets to remain on the machine with the loader installed, etc).

I learned that there are a lot of "little things" that the dealers know that the product brochures and the configurator never even hint at. Of course, I also was able to find the mulch kit for my mowing deck that the dealer had initially said wasn't available (until I found the part number for them to check).